The car handles very well, MacPhereson struts are great and i can whip around corners quite easily. 2nd and 3rd gear shift close so you can take off once you reach the higher rpm. large trunk leaves more than enough space even after a sub is installed. nice sounding acceleration

interior is a little weak...but for 15k i don't expect it to be top of the line. I am young and it is more than acceptable for me now.

overall i am very happy with my car. i sales staff was awesome and i went back and got pizza a few days later. no pressure sales told me to go out and compare and i did. the saturn sl2 offers a sport sedan for a lower price. some people may disagree, but i think this car is fun to drive.

Similar Products Used:

toyota corolla...mine is faster and handles a ton better

Nice looking, dependable vehicle, safe (watched one bounce off a gaurd rail on the interstate), good gas mileage, I have over 100,000 miles on mine and haven't had any problems, excellent price for a dependable car!!!

cup holders in bad spot, rain runs on you when you open the door, engine has a slight tick (shows no sign of serious problem), minor road noise.
No serious complaints the car is excellent for what I paid.

I love my car!!! The vehicle (while not being flashy) is very sporty for a four door sedan. The interior still look new, and I tend to be very rough on interiors. I get good gas mileage, not like I got from my 87 Honda Accord, but better than I expected from a domestic car. The car doesn't have impressive acceleration in the "normal" transmission setting, but does very well set in "performance". Not to sound trivial (just being honest) the cup holders are in a bad spot, blocking the thermostat. The rain does run in on you when you open the door, but you get used to it and learn to watch out for it. My car is blue/black very pretty color, but it is the only thing I would change (dirt and pollen show up on it very bad).

Similar Products Used:

My last vehicle was an 87 Honda Accord (excellent car). I feel like I have done just as well with the Saturn for a lot less $ than a new Honda.

Fenders and doors do not dent easily.

Oh, jeez. Where do I start? Oil consumption, which Saturn claims is normal. Makes me wonder if the Saturns that don't burn oil are abnornal. Motor mounts, alternators, noisy as hell, rattles, cracking dashboard, dome light keeps falling off,etc. Saturn reminds me of the crap that was produced in the 1960's, 1970's by US automobile manufacturers, real junk.

Stay away from Saturn, unless you're a glutton for punishment.

Similar Products Used:

Subaru, Mazda Protege. No comparison, neither product ever required warranty service.

Looks nice, body has held up well. No problems for almost three years.

Very noisy, air conditioning never gets very cold, constant window fog problem even following instructions in handbook and dealer's instructions,
stranded three times in a year because car died, all with under 28,000 miles.

I thought this car was pretty decent until about a year ago. That's when the trouble began at under 20,000 miles. The car died and apparently had a battery leak. Then about 6 months ago, the car died and needed a new battery and alternator (at 23,000 miles). Just recently the battery and alternator had to be replaced AGAIN (at 27,500 miles). A good car for someone who doesn't plan to keep it long...

Similar Products Used:

Mazda Protege with 108,000 miles has never quit and has had no problems.
Various Mazda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi cars had no real problems until the mileage became high. Would be hard-pressed to purchase another American car.

-Starts EVERY time
-Has never left us at the side of the road
-Fuel Efficient

-Rough, clattering idle
-Acceleration sluggish, shifting rough first few minutes of driving
-SERVICE ENGINE SOON light on every month, like clockwork

I can't wait to get rid of this car. Though it's never "broken down" and left us at the side of the road, I've paid as much in service over the last year as I have in car payments. The car has been taken to the dealer within one week EVERY TIME the SES light comes on and they've never found the problem (three different Saturn dealers) -

"it reads low coolant, but we can't find a leak (nor is the coolant actually low)"...

"incorrect gear ratio, but if it doesn't come on again within three miles that's in error (it didn't come on again within three miles and hasn't returned this response since)"...

"you've got a failing ignition module, that's what's causing the rough idle and shifting (replaced at near $400 with no improvement)"...

The sad thing is that I like the car. It looks nice, it drives smoothly, but it keeps us on pins and needles fearing there's something seriously wrong that no one can find.

Similar Products Used:

None

This car has been the most reliable we have ever owned. When our van was in the shop (3 times between Thanksgiving and New Year's) we were so glad we had this to get us the the kiddies around! It's not at comfy as it was in '95, but with 102,000 miles and a couple of "heavyweights" behind the wheel we're not too bummed out about that. Aside from routine maintenance, the only major part we've replaced is the alternator. Ours is a pretty stripped down model, but is comfortable enough for commuting (and emergency family use). The buying experience was just like the commercials they were airing at the time. There was a hidden crack in the windshield when we bought it, and they replaced it as soon as we brought it to their attention, saying there had been a few problems with that design or something. But the new one has performed just fine.

Oil, oil, oil. We go through at least a quart of oil per month. We haven't taken it in to have it diagnosed yet, and haven't had any failures either as long as we keep it full. We have replaced the fuel pressure regulator countless times - easy to do in the garage at $24.99 a pop but kind of a hassle. Of course, if we'd spent the $120 on the genuine Saturn part we wouldn't be replacing it so often??? The main symnptom is a drastic loss of "oomph" - oh wait, there was never much to speak of in the first place. With all of us in the car there is a definite reduction in pick-up.

This has been a great car for our family, and would recommend the Saturn experience to anyone. I would, however, go for the SL2 over the SL1 simply because of the "oomph" factor. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the SUV in 2002, and are hoping that the rumours of a mini-van come true before our Voyager dies, but that is another review altogether.

Similar Products Used:

At the time we bought this we also looked at the SL2 (too expensive at the time) and a Pontiac Grand Am (same). Those two cars are probably more comparable to each other.

Good looking, good gas mileage, cheap price, mostly trouble-free.

Excessive road/engine noise, rough ride, seats are low and difficult to exit from, no rain-gutters above doors, NO CUP HOLDERS!!!

It's been cheap and reliable, but luxury it isn't. Overall, a good car. I bought a lease-return car with 29K miles on it in 1997. I've put 22K miles on it and consider it one of the more reliable cars I've owned. Drove it from San Francisco-Mexican Border often during first 2 years of ownership with no problems. I've had more trouble since it was been used for short drives in town and periods of non-use. I have an independant mechanic do all the work on my car--the dealership pricing is hideous and unnecessary!

Similar Products Used:

Honda civic, geo prism, toyota corolla

Plastic panels don't show dings... I've already had my car bumped a few times in a parking lot and the marks wiped right off. Great paint finish. Inexpensive to run, I get 30 mpg around town and 36 on the freeway, even with the more powerful DOHC engine and a lead foot. I particularly liked the fact that I could order it from the factory exactly as I wanted it. For example, ABS or a sunroof can be had without upgrading everything else.

The ride is a bit firm, but I'll take this trade off for the handling. The stock tires could be more aggressive. The factory CD player is a bit weak, a speaker upgrade would do wonders here.

$14,500. I would recommend it to someone who wants a good solid car, good service, but is willing to give up a bit of brand cache.

Similar Products Used:

Ford Focus: Has a better ride but still has good handling. Not so sure I like the style of the 4-door Focus, though.

Chrysler Neon: Noisier than the SL2, not noticeably quicker, despite the higher HP rating on the engine. 3 speed automatic pathetic.

I have owned my Saturn for over 5 years and have had almost no major problems with it. It has 140,000 miles on it and runs beautifully.

Seat belt latches on both driver side and passenger side have broken, defrost doesn't work very well (fogs up easily and doesn't clear up), and all the plastic pannels in car have come loose and rattle. I had to have the transmission replaced once, but it was when the car had approx. 80,000 miles on it and has run smoothly since. I have replaced the muffler 3 different times but it is due to a small rear end collision.

Car has been an excellent purchase and I would do it all over again. It is a great first time buyer car, but I am ready to upgrade to a car with more luxuries.

Similar Products Used:

Chevrolet Spectrum - no comparison, the Saturn is a much better car.

- Nice stereo
- Dent resistant panels

- Poor build quality
- Interior space is lacking
- Lacks power
- Rough ride
- Handling and steering feels dead
- Expensive for what you get!

Build Quality:
During the first week we had the car, the radio went dead. We took it to the dealer they said they fixed it. A couple of days later, the radio went dead again and we had to wait 2 weeks for a total replacement. Talk about poor quality control. The interior panels feel cheap and bend easily.
Any of the imports are better built and don't feel as easy to break. Even the Sunfire and Cavalier feel more solid than this car.

Handling, Ride, and Power:
The steering feels a little heavy yet it doesn't have any kind of feedback. All the imports and the sunfire and cavalier have better steering. Forget about being fun to drive or punt around.
The ride is a little rough; again, the imports and the other GM small cars have better ride.
It feels underpowered for the weight and the horsepower that it has. Fuel efficiency is a little suspect to compared to the other cars.

Interior Space:
For a car that's supposed to be in the same price range as the Cavalier, this car has less legroom. The legroom is comparable to the Echo and Accent and not up to par with the other imports.

Good Things:
As I said before, the stereo is pretty good compared to the other cars and the dent resistant panels are good.

Recommendation:
If you MUST buy a GM car (say for example, you have a GM Mastercard), then go for the Cavalier or Sunfire. You'd get a better deal and they're a lot more fun to drive. Otherwise, buy an import!!! Both the Echo and Accent, cheaper and smaller cars, are far better deals than this car.

Similar Products Used:

2001 Pontiac Sunfire - more power, better ride and handling, same price
2001 Chevy Cavalier - more power, better ride and handling and cheaper
2001 Toyota Echo - a little smaller, better everything else, cheaper!
2001 Toyota Corolla - better everything else, more expensive
2001 Mazda Protege - as above but for the same price
2001 Honda Civic - as above but nicer engine and handling, more expensive
2001 Hyundai Accent - better just about everything except power, cheaper
2001 Ford Focus - better everything except build quality, more expensive