Cheap car, low payments - great sticker price...purchased at 80K, fully loaded minus sunroof, excellenet shape with only one dent in hood, and faint scratches - was excited to find the car, always wanted a saturn - had good road feel during test drive, one owner history - Overall, good car - not exactly great on wet surfaces, it tends to slide and become a sled even on rainy surfaces, have to take extra caution...I'd buy another one, most likely next one would be an SC2 Coupe -

I absolutely love the fact that I'll never have a dent - I'm sold on that idea, it's a wonderful concept...replacement fenders are dead cheap too...insurance is incredibly cheap -

Radio is crap. Some days it worked, some it didn't - finally replaced with aftermarket, and all is well.

OIL - enough said - I drove to PA on a six hour trip, came back and the car started using oil like crazy - about three quarts per oil change period - seems to be a chronic problem. The oil leak has completely covered the fire shield on the backside of my hood, the front radiator support brackets on both sides, and one time on a long trip, soaked my right headlight beam on the backside....how the hell is engine oil getting shot this far away from the engine? Any idea? This totally baffles me - someone said the oil pressure sensor - I don't know - but it's blowed my mind. The car is used for a commuter to work and school, and sees a twelve hour trip once a month to Pittsburgh. Still leakin' oil, and has a slight engine rattle...with 100K miles on it. My 1987 Nissan has close to 200 K and has just recently began to smoke...So, Saturn is definately under par with Nissan -

Had to replace both front end bearings, cost 350 to replace both...this is after Saturn could never find the definite problem when my car 'roared' when turning strong left, but never straight ahead or during right handed turns...process of elimination.

Car has just tripped 100K, and I'm noticing several small problems - The
door panels are rattling, the dash vibrates - so I just turn up the music to mask it - The AC is temperamental, must be a short in the wiring - Seats are entirely uncomfortable on long trips, and the power windows have jumped track - I physically have to pull them up and down while the motor is helping push - this is embarrasing, and not something I'm ready to pay the dealer 500 bucks to fix.

Shift boot is broken, and my bumper is misaligned - just cosmetic, and don't really care about that part of the car.

Overall, pretty good - the saturn people have been friendly towards me, in three different states that I've had the car at for basic maintenence - kinda pushy about having it serviced 'in house' instead of just doing a diagnosis and letting me be on my way -

I think I'm going to keep the car, look for some newer seats to put into it - invest a little in it and hope it carries me the rest of the way...

Similar Products Used:

It's average - the oil shooting ten feet away from the engine blows my mind - I've never seen this problem, and Saturn is all to eager to do a rebuild to the tune of 1200 instead of pinpointing the problem...

I'd much rather own a newer saturn, it seems they don't encounter this oil problem and engine rebuild as often - but I'm hoping my saturn will last till I'm out of college, in three years...been a good buy, as long as I can afford oil to go into it, and keep it checked -

A great car!! Mine was fully loaded-it makes a huge difference between the SL1 and SL2-If you can afford it, go for the SL2-drives much, much better. Very comfy (leather), handled great, good gas mileage, the dent-resistant body is great-I had a camaro rear-end me, and nothing happend to the car at all, and it doesnt rust. The paint stayed in new condition-it looks like the car just came off the showroom. Reliable-I drove this car approx. 300 miles/week. The motor was powerful and the gears changed w/o even feeling a thing. Just a great overall car-great for the college student.

You have to know how to use the ventilations system-It can fog the windows easily.

This is a great car for the money. You get reliablity which is most important, and good value. The Saturn dealership is great, they will do anything to make sure you have been treated well. (They even send b-day cards.) I recommend the SL2 which is more refined, but the SL1 is also very reliable. (a friend has 110,000 miles on hers)

Similar Products Used:

83 Camaro-Less power, but more reliable and comfy
95 Integra SE-The Acura turns better, but the gear changing is rough, they both handle about the same, maybe the Saturn a little better, I find the Acura more comfy
95 SL1-The SL2 has more power, quieter, better handling, better steering, just a better car overall

none

everything about this car stinks i have spent close to 2500 dollars in 8 and a half months on this car 2 rack and pinions. I would not recommend anyone buy a saturn.

I have had nothing but trouble with this car since it rolled over to 61000 miles I AM A SINGLE MOM AND CAN'T SAVE ANY MONEY BECAUSE I AM ALWAYS HAVING CAR PROBLEMS.

Similar Products Used:

poorly

Like exterior styling
Alloys look nice
Body panels don't rust
Car was loaded w/opts at purchase
Runs good

Parts and labor charges at Saturn dealers can get to be expensive. I already discovered this several times. Beware. These cars must be properly maintained.
Auto Trans can shift too frequently, and sometimes slows car down for no apparent reason.
Can hear squeaks and rattles driving with windows down, especially driver window.
Dash rattles while driving.
Steering wheel is making funny noise when turned.
Interior roof is ripping for no reason.

I had bought my first car, a 1996 Saturn SL2 from a Hyundai dealer in August 1999. The car came fully equipped, with Auto, Alloys,Leather,Cd, and power everything. IT also had 52k miles at purchase time. The car has been relatively trouble free, not counting last years high repair bills and frequent problems. Turns out, Eddie, my Saturn tech informed me that the reason behind the problems was that the prior owner didn't properly maintain the car. Over the time I have owned the car, I have added only an upgraded stereo system. Overall, I like the car, but I wished the car would have came equipped with the optional sunroof. My final word is, don't buy used Saturns from any other dealers EXCEPT Saturn dealers. Even though the price may be higher, trust me, it is worth it in the long run. Saturn dealers will be more knowledgeable about the history of the car. I made the mistake of buying from a non-Saturn dealer, and thus got stuck with all the repair bills. It is wise to listen to my advice, unless you like having your car in the shop every other month. This car makes a good first or second car for anyone, although tall people might find this car somewhat tight. Thanks for your time.

Similar Products Used:

looks just as good as competition

Economical and Practical, great gas mileage, exterior build quality, features, braking, etc...

Acceleration, interior build quality

I am leasing this car, and it is my first car, so I really can't complain about much given my limited experience, but I think that this is a great entry level car. It handles very well, brakes on a dime, and it's fun to drive. Sure it isn't a racing car or anything, but it's great for getting you to where you have to go. I only have to fill it up once a week and that's only when it gets half empty. Great gas mileage. I got a couple of added features with my SL1 including a CD Player, automatic locks and a power sunroof. The only weaknesses that I can see with the car would have to be the acceleration. Sometimes I have to put my foot to the floor to get the thing to move, but otherwise it's a smooth ride. Actually very quiet for a smaller compact car. The blue color that I got looks very stylish and I am impressed with Saturn's so called dent resistant exterior, which I think will come in handy. I got a great maintenance plan with it and low monthly payments. So, I really have no complaints with this car and I intend to use it for some time to come, at least until the end of my lease term.

Similar Products Used:

2001 Hyundai Accent

This car has a lot of get-up-and-go to it; I have enjoyed driving it very much so far. The leather interior is VERY nice; still in very good condition, and the sunroof has been good since the weather's getting warmer. I get between 26 and 30 miles to the gallon; usually I'm driving to work, definitely not at top speeds. I'm not extremely tall, but this car fits my boyfriend, who is about 6' tall. That's not too bad.

The only thing I can think of that I don't like is when I'm on the highway; the noise is pretty loud... It almost sounds like a window is cracked open or something.

My experience with the car has been wonderful. I am very impressed.

Similar Products Used:

1995 Saturn SL1 - The SL2 is much better; it's roomier, has better engineering so it looks better... a big improvement.

Great dent resistant quality.

This car's windows fog up out of no where, and they are very, very hard to unfog, I was almost killed several times on the road because I was unable to see because of the fogging. Also the engine is very noisy. And the traction control system makes a lot of noise and sudden jerks.

My experience with thae car has been just okay, I will be getting rid of this car very soon because I have a small child who's life I will not risk because of a window fogging problem. Buy a Honda Civic.

Similar Products Used:

Honda Civic, it is a much better car, much tougher and more powerful less noisy, and no fogging!!

Great Gas Mileage - 40 MPG. Great Handling. Great protection and dent resistant paneling. Superb service from the Saturn company. Never had to return it for warranty problems. No problems occured. Bright lights.

Not much back seat room. The front driver seat could have moved back more. Uncomfortable for tall drivers after long drives.

I loved my SL2. It was a great car. In August I was hit in the side and I think the car saved my life. I recommend this car to everyone!

Similar Products Used:

Ford Focus- Buy a Saturn! Ford will bring you problems and fight you on any warranty requests!

The car handles fantastically. The brakes are also very good, and I'm happy with its performance. It is very easy to work on (no power steering or AC on base model). I am overjoyed with how, at 146000 miles, there is not a spot of rust on it anywhere (not bad for a Michigan car--salt--driven on a dirt road). The interior is of good quality (nevermind what people say about poor fit and finish--I think it's great). Finally, and best of all, with the 5-speed transmission, I get approximately 40 miles to the gallon.

The car tends to use about a quart of oil between oil changes (every 3000 miles). I'm replacing the PCV valve to see if it is causing the problem. However, one day it was running very rough; removed spark plug wires and found that the sparkplugs were fouled with deposits. This could have been oil. After cleaning the sparkplugs, car runs fine.

My car has given me excellent value and by and large excellent reliability. I would not hesitate to recommend a Saturn to any of my friends or relatives. The car is stunningly rust-resistant--the gas tank is even made of plastic to prevent it from rusting out (a problem on my Oldsmobile). The only time I ever had to take it to the service center was to replace a CV-joint boot on the passenger-side front wheel; the service people were exceptional, replacing the boot for a good price and pointing out some other problems that may come up in the future (struts, front-end alignment, etc.). They also fixed a twisted brake-line for free. I am very pleased with this car and my dealer (Saturn of Grand Ledge, Michigan.

Similar Products Used:

Compared to my 1990 Honda Civic CRX and 1991 Oldsmobile Calais, it is fantastic.

-great gas mileage
-great pick-up with 5-speed manual transmission
-ample interior room for a small 4-door
-good stero with upgraded sound system

-poorly made overall
-he plastic interior is quick to develop rattles and squeaks
-he seats are uncomfortable for long road trips
-POOR QUALITY transmission
-poor steering and handling

I traded in my 1995 SL2 because it consumed oil at a faster rate than anything I had encountered. Up until that point though, I loved that car. When I bought my '99, I wanted basically the same car, only an upgrade. Before the year was up, I started having transmission trouble. After five trips to the dealer, the problem still wasn't fixed. It's 290 miles round trip to closest Saturn dealer, so I was hoping for quality customer service. Foolish pipe dream. The service department was rude and dishonest. Everytime I took the car back, they had another excuse for the problem, but it was never fixed. The car was under warranty (but nearing the end), and they told me a new transmission was out of the question. I felt that they were just stringing me along until the warranty expired. Sure enough, no more warranty, same transmission problem. The dash rattles, the door seals squeal, the seat springs squeak and the car handles like I'm driving over a mountain trail. I wouldn't not recommend purchasing a Saturn. The good points of the car are quickly overshadowed by the problems you'll encounter. I believed in their promise of "a different kind of car company, a different kind of car." I would have been much better off to go with the Focus. I am highly disapointed in my car and I wish I had the money to get rid of it.

Similar Products Used:

-1995 SL2
-2000 Ford Focus
-Pontiac Sunbird
-Chevy Cavalier