Exterior body is excellent, stylish 1st generation SL's hold up well after six years & 97,000 miles. Good power for most situations. Great road feel and steering, low slung design of the car makes it handle well with a capable set of tires on the factory alloy wheels. Brakes have been good (usuall pad replacement) No problems with auto trans so far.

Poor interior parts, I have a few broken and more on thier way. Seating is low and hard to get out of the car. Engine mechanical faults -top engine mounts (regular replacement) -oil consumption may need valve seals/ rings -loud engine noise (I went to a K&N air filter in the stock airbox and it has quieted the engine alot and made it purr more than growl) a simple mod that has worked very well! -timing chain will need to be replaced before I go another 90,000 miles over the next 5 years (a $700 job at a Saturn dealer) -altenator replaced under warranty at 65,000 (bought the car used at 58,000) Turning circle is way to big for a compact class car. Electric engine cooling fan doesn't start untill engine temp is at 3/4's high Supposed to be that way according to Saturn) - replaced struts at all four wheels at 95,000 miles and the ride is now comfortable!

It can be a super commuting car. With the engine maitainance kept up, the spaceframe/plastic body will last a long time and look good doing it. I have put in a good sound system, seat cushions/covers, dash kit to dress up the bland charcoal dash. I have made and will keep up the car for two hours of commuting each day and it is great for this purpose. But it is to tight inside and sits to low to be a good compact family sedan. If you are looking for a car to just pile on commuting miles a Saturn S-series car is built for the job. It just needs to be cared for mechanically.

Similar Products Used:

None

Great acceleration, and top end.
Very comfertable ride.
Great interior.
The lumbar adjustment comes in handy on those long trips home.
The gas mileage is great(I can can go about 300miles on a half tank)
The A/C will freezr you to death.
That car will fly like the wind (It registers 130mph and bygod it will flatout do it)

Something in the dash rattles when it is ideling.
It seems to take forever for it to defrost the front windshield

I would recommend this car to anyone who whats a really sporty looking 4 door, the car has great gas mileage, my Saturn has around 70k miles on it, and the only thing i have had to replace on it was a fuse to the lighter cause my portable cd player blew it. After haveing this car i would definetly trade it in for another Saturn.But if you are the kind of pearson who whants to pay 30 to 40k for a sports car then buy one, but if you are the kind of pearson who wants to see the look of shock on the guy who just bought that sports car as you fly by him then may i suggest to you a Saturn. (Trust me on this one)

Similar Products Used:

93 Eagle Talon Tsi (it is fasster but the Saturn looks alot better)

Extremely reliable, over 170,000 km with no major problems (original brakes,clutch)
Excellent fuel economy
No-dent body panels

About as much fun as a toaster!
Burns a quart of oil between changes
Engine is very unrefined, heavy spark knock - that mechanic cannot seem to fix
Very heavy steering (manual)

Despite it's lack of refinement and fun factor, our Saturn has been an excellent investment. Have moved far away from the closest dealer, so I doubt we will repeat the purchase. Hope to put 300,000 km on the Saturn before it is put out to pasture.

Similar Products Used:

Volkwagon Jetta- much more refined but lots more $$
Chrysler Neon (last car) - junk from day one, Saturn is a much better value

1. Starts well
2. no dents

In the last 2 years I've had the following things replaced: cracked cylinder head, head gasket, and a complete engine reboring due to excessive oil consumption. Overall, the total cost of these repairs approximates the original purchase price of the car (done by dealer).

Overall, I find this car to have been a bad investment. It has had every major glitch going. If you purchase this car make sure that you get the extended warranty.

The newly designed exterior is quite nice. Plus, you can get the car well-equipped for a decent buck.

The band U2 named an album after my SL1: "Rattle & Hum" (See summary below)

While the car was inexpensive, I've already paid extra for saving money in terms of piece of mind. I've had the car 6 weeks, and I've already taken it in two times for rattles coming from the dash. We're going into week 7 now and I'm probably going to have to take it in again -- the rear passenger door isn't quite as "solid" as the other 3 doors, and it, too, rattles as you're travelling down the road.

As a college student, the main attraction to the SL1 was the price. However, I'm kickin my own butt for not spending a few dollars more a month and going with a CIVIC. Unfortunately, the dealer tells me that even though I've had the vehicle only 6 weeks, it would cost me $2000(!) to get out of my lease. Again, being a college student, I can't afford that. But as soon as I get a real job (hopefully w/in a year) I'm going to terminate my contract early and get something I love and can be proud to own. I refuse to put up with this quality, or lack thereof, for the next three plus years.

The moral of this story: Caveat Emptor.

Similar Products Used:

None

Plastic body panels (No more dents)
4-speed auto still shifts smoothly (130,000 miles)
Great visibility from headlights
Incredible insurance rates

Underpowered and noisy engine
Expensive windshields
Minor interior rattles
Engine runs sorta rough and oil consumption

I really don't want to endorse MY Saturn but after 130,000 miles (bought at 115,000) I have only had two major complaints.
1. Windshields are really expensive for some reason??? 1200 buckS!!
2. Only had to replace the belt tensioner since my ownership.
Not bad considering I drive my automobiles very hard. I am the second owner of this car and I believe the previous owner only had oil changes done. The car had it original plugs and wires. After replacing those items, car has never given any other mechanical problems. Engine does overheat into the red before fan goes on, but it appears to not cause any malfunctions.
Final Answer: Will never buy another Saturn again, but I will keep this one until it dies (which hopefully is a long way away)

Similar Products Used:

Chevy Celebrity, Honda Civic, other major compact cars.
Most foriegn compact cars have better build quality, but more expensive to maintain.

The car looks great, the steering is tight, good pick up (I have a 5 speed), awesome stock cd stereo, very nice interior and redesigned exterior, and an extremely easy to work with dealership!

Nothing, I'm very pleased with everything about this car!

I was really bummed for a while shopping for a car, I was completely set on buying another Honda, but they were asking such high prices for the new civics in my area, and the dealerships definitely added a lot onto MSRP. So being a college student on a budget I decided to check out the brand new Saturns and I was sold, the saftey features are so great, and not to mention the prices. I ended up paying 13995 (sticker price), for a manuel SL1 with sunroof, cd player, and all the goodies (except power locks and doors). To get all of that on a 2001 Civic or even the 2000 I would have paid atleast 17-18 grand. The car also has the new metallic blue color Saturn just came out with for 2001, and it looks really sleek. The dealership was so easy to work with, I was barely there half an hour before I drove out of the showroom. I don't know about the older Saturn models, but I would definitely reccomend anyone looking for a great new affordable car, especially students, to go check out the new 2001 Saturns. They've got some great specials going til Nov. 30th on interest rates too!

Similar Products Used:

1987 Honda Accord, and test drove a 2000 Civic, 2000 Neon, 2000 Daewoo. I loved my Honda Accord, and its still going strong with almost 200,000 miles on, the Civic of course was really nice too, but I was just as excited about the Saturns performance. And I almost liked the look better too, and everything I could get price wise. The old neons are awful, but the new one wasn't too bad, and the Daewoo just felt cheap. I still love Hondas, but I'll now have to add Saturn's up there with them.

Starts great, even after sitting for a month in the dead of winter.
Decent gas milage around town.
Plastic side panels really do work pretty well, after several years there's none of the typical parking lot dings in the doors.

Where to begin...

Leaks oil like a sieve, I put a quart in every couple weeks. Switching back to conventional oil from synthetic seems to help a bit.

Engine is noisy, no power on the bottom end, no power on the top end.

Cheap interior plastic. The fasteners for the interior plastic A-piller covers have broke, leaving them dangling. The shifter boot base has broke. The lap belt retainers have broke, making it tough to grab the buckle to put on the lap belt.

Instead of "breakaway" side-view mirrors, broken side-view mirrors.

Lack of steering feel.

Bizarre handling. Tons and tons of oversteer (especially on slippery surfaces) that occasionally leads to snap oversteer. Happened to me in an emergency lane change manuveur, couldn't get the car to turn in, then all of sudden the back end was coming around on me. Scared the pants off of me. Getting this car to turn in snow is a challenge.

Seating position is too low, making ingress/egress difficult. Seats aren't comfortable.

Would not recommend.

Similar Products Used:

Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla. The SL2 doesn't come remotely close.

My car never failed with the exception of the battery. ABS is excellent.
Fuel economy is high, and general cost of ownership is very low.

Started to leek oil(rear main seal, I think) around 100K. A little noisy on the road. Mostly wind and tire. Dash rattles. I would have liked better seats.

I recommend Saturns to people who appreciate low cost of ownership. there are some side benefits, like handling and gear ratio placement. I recommend upgrading tires to 185R70's--better ride. I found the exterior apprearance remarkable for a 6 yearold car with 130K-no dents, clean paint. I spent a lot of time on the road withthis car. I likes highwys, but is ambivalent about hills. Fourth gear(still an overdirve) was de rigeur on inclines. I looked at it as a four door sports car in the british mold, and I was not disappointed thereby. Mileage at 75MPH was steady @ 38mpg. @65-40mpg. Around town average-29. Burns regular gas with no complaint. Bought a 2001 sl1.

Similar Products Used:

Civic, Corolla, Sentra

Loaded model with fog lights and spolier looks good !

Read on to find out

In total I put on 66,000 km. The car looked great in dark green with the tan leather interior (that was the GOOD NEWS).

. . .and now for the BAD NEWS:

- rear seats had to be replaced because they couldn't stay in the upright position.

- needed a quart of oil every 1000 to 1500 KM.

- A module in the transmission needed to be replaced (The car would skip a gear or get stuck delay going into gear)

- The ENGINE MOUNTS FAILED at approx. 50,000 km (the Service manager told be that the engine was heavy and that's why they failed - I almost punched him in the nose)

- The door seals were replaced - the car leaked

- and finally, one day when I shut the engine off I noticed that my Fog lights were still on. So I check to make sure everything was off (and it was) and then I turned the engine on. . .the fog lights went off and the headlights came on ! The only way to turn the fog lights off was to pull the fuse. So I did, and drove the car to an ACURA dealer, were I traded my ailing Saturn in for a brand new (at the time) 95 Intergra, which has over 150,000 km of TROUBLE FREE driving on it today!

If you INVEST a large amount of YOUR money into a piece of equipment (which a car really is) and then use it 1-2 HRS a day - IT BETTER NOT BREAK DOWN ! - if your TV or fridge broke down as much as the SL1's (per hours of usage VS investment cost) what would you do ?

RECOMMENDATION : DON"T BUY A SATURN

Similar Products Used:

1985 Acura Intergra, 1997 SAAB 9000, 1995 Acura Intergra, 1990 Acura Intergra, 1997 Honda Civic, 1999 Honda Accord