Reliable, fun to drive, low cost of ownership. Stock speakers are pretty good as far as stock speakers go! Low re-sale value means you can pick up a used one cheap!

Could use another 20 or 30 horses under the hood. Transmission is a little clunky and notchy, especially when cold. Engine is really loud and gets really hot in the summer.

Bought the car from a little over a year ago for $6,200 CDN. Got it from Kamloops Honda, who, by the way, are an excellent dealership. For the price, the car had $1,000 (at their cost) worth of mechanical restoration done to it by the dealership as well (things like new belts, fluids, replaced a gasket head, etc). Had 2 minor problems within the first month of owning it, both of which were fixed at no cost even though I had signed an agreement saying that I had no warranty. Decent power. Not ripping, but loads of fun if you let it rev up past 4,500 rpm. Really reliable, the car has 185,000 km's on it and it's never had any major problems. I just do the regular maintenance and put gas in it. Despite all the reports of the notorious Saturn oil burning problem, my car only burns about a 1/2 litre between oil changes! The dent resistant panels are about the greatest thing since sliced bread. I had a Ford F350 back into the right side of my car in a parking lot, and actually heard the panels cave in, but when I checked for damage, it wasn't even *scratched*, let alone dented. I winter drive the car and have yet to find any rust on it. Equipped with proper winters, the car is quite the little snowmobile, despite how light it is. You *must* get the DOHC engine paired w/a 5 speed. SOHC and/or automatic are too boring. Not to mention, with the DOHC models comes the upgraded suspension. The car likes to be driven. It doesn't respond well to being cold or not being driven for a few days. Overall it has been an excellent car!

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Test drove an Acura Integra GS-R... there is no comparision, the GS-R will be my next car. :)

Plastic Body, Incredible service structure

The dash rattled after 6 months

I found this car to be quite excellent. It suited my purposes with no real problems. The driver's door sill had a tendancy to rust, as it was with my 1st Saturn, purchased in '93. I am guessing it is something to do with a bad weather stripping installation/design. As well, it would be nice if it was ok to open the window a tad, when raining, without getting wet. Again, redesigned rain gutters would probably fix that problem.
I have REAL problems with the whole "SATURN PHILOSOPHY" - i.e. being invited to "Saturn Daze..." If I wanted to be involved with a cult, I'd have joined the moonies. Perhaps I digress...

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Honda Civic - sorry man, I can't be buying Japanese, that would be wrong. No yelling, already

Good gas mileage - I average approximately 36 mpg (5-speed). The best I got was 43 mpg. The worst - 31 mpg.
Reliability - It has never left me stranded or failed to start.
Stereo - I have the upgraded stereo with CD player and equalizer. It is very loud and has excellent quality for a factory radio.
Brakes - Still have original brakes (97,000 miles and going strong). When the rear brakes started to squeak a little, I adjusted them and the squeak went away. The front brake pads have a lot of life left on them.
Polymer panels - No dings or dents. Paint still looks like new (two coats of wax/polish a year).
Standard accessories - Came with power steering (even though it is an SL), power brakes, rear window defogger, intermittent wipers, tachometer (some cars STILL don't have this as a standard feature), interior trunk AND gas release, two cup holders, 60/40 split folding rear seats.
Interior fabric - It is holding up extremely well. No tears, worns spots, sags or anything of that nature.
Tires - I got 61,000 on the set of factory Firestone FR480's.

Power - It's a little on the weak side, but it still feels spunky. What do you expect with 100-hp? A tire-smoker?
Seats - They are fairly comfortable, but sit too low to the floor. This makes getting in and out difficult at times.
Interior noises - The older it gets and the colder it is outside, the more I hear creaks and rattles. I don't find it that annoying though.
Turning radius - a little on the wide side.
Windows - I do not have power windows and they seem harder than usual to crank open/shut, but they probably just need lubricated.

Since I have worked for Saturn for the past 7 years, I know I will sound prejudice when I say I highly recommend buying one. They are inexpensive, reliable, economical daily transportation. But let me say this too. I understand we have some problems with our cars. What auto manufacturer doesn't? I feel that overall we make a good car. Not perfect, but pretty damn good. I've owned three Saturns (1994 SL2, 1996 SW2 and now a 1997 SL) and they have all been good cars. My car currently has 97,000 miles and it has only had two "major" repairs. The fuel pump slowly was going dead when I had it replaced at 61,000 miles. Saturn issued what is called a Special Policy Campaign on the 1997 fuel pumps extending their warranty period. Because of this Special Policy, mine was replaced for FREE. The other repair was for a leaking (not broken) power steering pump at 41,000 miles. It cost me $80 after I politely asked the Saturn service manager to work with me on the cost of the repair. I do all of the regular maintenance myself and more importantly I do it when it is scheduled, not when I feel like it. If you maintain it, it will run. This applies to just about any car made today. It's probably the second most expensive thing you will ever buy in your life (Your house is the most expensive) so why not take good care of it? A little TLC goes a long way. In case you are wondering, I think that Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Subaru and VW all make great little cars too. My advice would be to get a car that fits your needs and do ALL of the regular maintainence it requires, when required. Saturn is not for everyone, but it fits my needs just fine.

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I work for Saturn in Service Engineering so I never really considered another vehicle. I know what I wanted. Getting an employee discount was just a bonus.

I bought this car used in 98, at the time it had 55,000 ticks on the engine. This car has the old body style, which I am a big fan of,I put a coat of wax on everyweek and it looks great. The SL2 has the bigger engine than the SL or SL1 does, and provides decent pickup when compared to other 4 cylinder cars. Factory Stereo is great. When you throw on a car bra, factory spolier and sunroof, the car looks (dare I say) sporty.

Everything else.
1. At 70,000 miles I had to replace the front engine mount and everything else (i.e fan belt, etc.) that had been damaged due to that($800).
2. At 75,000 miles the power steering fluid pump was replaced ($250).
3. Master Electrical Swith replaced (controls windows) at 80,000 miles ($250)
4. Transmission is very very poor, replaced @85,000 miles at the tune of $2600. Reverse gear started sticking when the dealer warranty ran out. Ouch...
5. Piss poor interior, pastic is the word, everything chips off here and there.
6. Replaced exhaust and cat. converter at $73000 miles ($400).
7. Saturn charges a fortune for parts, no faith in GM.
8. Really poor performance in adverse driving conditions( snow, ice, rain) like an old woman on a slip n slide.
9. Finally this past week, on a six hour drive home from School at @90,000 an engine berring cracked and now I have to replace the engine ($3700). On top of it I was stuck in the middle of a ice storm 3 hours from home, AAA didn't ever want to come get me conditions were so bad.

If you are thinking of buying a saturn: Head My Warning and DON'T. Your saying to yourself, "Oh but they are cute and good on gas!". Forget it! By all means do not buy a Saturn, unless you are freind with a good mechanic, and have bought stock in oil, because beleive you me the myths are true, they drink it like it's their job. You would honestly be better off walking to work, it's less expensive to have a leg replaced than owning a saturn. And if you do buy one, you've already thrown your money away, they don't hold their retail at all!

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Compared to other saturn vehicles it is about the same, poor quality offered to you at a resonable price.

I bought this car used in 98, at the time it had 55,000 ticks on the engine. This car has the old body style, which I am a big fan of,I put a coat of wax on everyweek and it looks great. The SL2 has the bigger engine than the SL or SL1 does, and provides decent pickup when compared to other 4 cylinder cars. Factory Stereo is great. When you throw on a car bra, factory spolier and sunroof, the car looks (dare I say) sporty.

Everything else.
1. At 70,000 miles I had to replace the front engine mount and everything else (i.e fan belt, etc.) that had been damaged due to that($800).
2. At 75,000 miles the power steering fluid pump was replaced ($250).
3. Master Electrical Swith replaced (controls windows) at 80,000 miles ($250)
4. Transmission is very very poor, replaced @85,000 miles at the tune of $2600. Reverse gear started sticking when the dealer warranty ran out. Ouch...
5. Piss poor interior, pastic is the word, everything chips off here and there.
6. Replaced exhaust and cat. converter at $73000 miles ($400).
7. Saturn charges a fortune for parts, no faith in GM.
8. Really poor performance in adverse driving conditions( snow, ice, rain) like an old woman on a slip n slide.
9. Finally this past week, on a six hour drive home from School at @90,000 an engine berring cracked and now I have to replace the engine ($3700). On top of it I was stuck in the middle of a ice storm 3 hours from home, AAA didn't ever want to come get me conditions were so bad.

If you are thinking of buying a saturn: Head My Warning and DON'T. Your saying to yourself, "Oh but they are cute and good on gas!". Forget it! By all means do not buy a Saturn, unless you are freind with a good mechanic, and have bought stock in oil, because beleive you me the myths are true, they drink it like it's their job. You would honestly be better off walking to work, it's less expensive to have a leg replaced than owning a saturn. And if you do buy one, you've already thrown your money away, they don't hold their retail at all!

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Compared to other saturn vehicles it is about the same, poor quality offered to you at a resonable price.

This car goes and goes. My parents gave it to me at about 75,000 miles and how I've got 160,000 miles on it.

Original clutch, and I LOVE the steering- very tight. Power steering, but not as loose as many cars, which probably has saved my life many times on narrow curvy roads. Definitely get the stick if you can, it's fun to drive and though it's hard to learn if you're a first timer, it's funny to watch seasoned stick veterans try to drive it for the first time.

Factory stereo is great, just don't do as I did in high school and set the bass up as high as possible and crank the volume. Speakers can't handle it.

Engine has stood up wonderfully. Alternater died at about 80,000 miles or so, but no problems since.

Pickup is okay, better if you can drive the stick well, but it's only a 4 cylinder, what can you expect?

Mileage, Mileage, Mileage. I can go about 330 miles on a tank of gas in good conditions (no wind, rain, on the highway). Even in the city it goes forever on a tank.

Actually, it also wrecks very well. I lost it on a steep hill of ice and hit a 4 foot ditch, spun in the air, and landed tail end on. The air bag didn't deploy, which I was actually thankful for ($$$), but the unibody is bent pretty bad. The hood doesn't latch unless you sit on it, but everything internal is still intact and runs like a charm.

BRAKES. I have replaced those things 3 times now. Last time was summer of 2000, had a caliper replaced, a rotor, and all 4 pads. It is now end of 2000 and I need $1000 in brake repair AGAIN (2 calipers, 2 rotors, some ball bearing, pads, etc etc etc). This could be related to the fact that I lived in upstate NY for the last year (snow), but shouldn't be too bad since I downshifted as much as possible. It could be just my car, but just in case, be ready for at least changing the pads once a year and watch the calipers and rotors. I also have anti-lock brakes, which SUCK in snow. The scariest sound one with anti-lock brakes can hear is the "cha-ching cha-ching cha-ching" of the brakes not working on icy hills and roads. Don't recommend anti-lock unless you live in the south.

I would definitely recommend it. The mileage is the best part, and the clutch is original after 160,000 miles. My father works at Saturn and he says that the clutch should be dying soon, but we're not sure exactly how long they've lasted. The factory sound system is great, as long as you don't abuse it. Steering kicks. Brakes suck, but parts are relatively inexpensive for this car, and don't recommend anti-lock even on wet pavement. No dents from normal wear and tear (from the accident though), and great on icy hills at 40 MPH hitting 4 foot ditches. If you're in college or high school or just don't want to get a new car every year, get this car. (Insurance is cheap on it too)

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None

It has tires, and an engine. The trunk opens easily (usually). It is slow and therefore you won't get a speeding ticket ever.

It is slow. It is slow. It is slow. There is a bullet whole in the trunk that I got while shooting up with my buddies in the backstreets of K-town. The speakers suck my wang and I have to put my head two inches away from them to hear anything. The headlights don't work and at night it is scary as anything. I have duct taped flashlights on the front of the car but they don't work too well. May need a new engine soon. I have to start it with a spoon. I get shocked everytime I tried to start it. Doesn't start in temperatures below 68 degrees which seems to be a problem around here. Only one window will roll down and the rest of them have cracks in them. The passenger seat is missing for some odd reason. The bottom of the car seems to be falling out. I am afraid to drive it. Their is many cigarette holes in the dash board because there is no ash tray.

I like this car except for when it doesn't start which is quite often. The bottom falling out makes it tough to drive and it is undriveable at night due to the messed up headlights. Oh well. Hope you have better luck.

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Dodge Viper (doesn't compare too well)
Cheverolet Corvette (pretty close)

It gets great gas mileage
Starts up in very cold weather without a problem
Is comfortable
No problems or maintenance besides regular sheduled tune-ups
Affordable
Good Safety Features

None

I have driven this car accross the country with a full load. It is small, but can fit a nice amount of cargo in it because of the fold down seats. I like the car because it is quiet, and efficient. I have not once been disappointed in its performance. This is not a car made for people who want lots of space and power.

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Honda Accord, Jeep (near it's end), Oldsmobile Cutlass (piece of crap), Mazda MX6

1. Good gas mileage
2. Body holds up well

Where do I start?
1. Has consumed excessive oil since we drove it out of the showroom. Saturn refused to acknowledge this as a problem even though a technical bulletin has been issued regarding oil consumption (94-T-59 & 486002).
2. Interior is cramped.
3. Saturn dealership
4. Timing chain needed replacement at 48,000 miles.
5. Many interior rattles
6. Many other minor irritations!

I would not recommend anyone to buy a Saturn. The company is aware of many problems with the car (the oil consumption in particular), yet they constantly try to deny that there is a problem. Instead, they try to make you feel like an idiot when you question them on it. There is an excessive amount of outside noise when driving and the interior is very cramped.

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Dodge Neon. The Neon does not get the same gas mileage as the Saturn. However, the Neon is far more comfortable to ride in and is a more reliable car.

The car has a very peppy little four cylinder, The last car wasnt the slowest car but I almost thing the saturn could keep up. I drove a lot of midsized cars at some pretty high speeds and the saturn I can let go of the wheel at 95 and still no fear

The dash makes strange noises when first cranked, It has a really poor turning radius, The car runs to high of rpms at 80 it runs near 3300, If anyone else is experincing this isue email me and let me know what you did to resolve this issue

I would recommend the saturn great first or second car

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90 Nissan Sentra, Way more classy looking and feeling