This has been an absolutely trouble free car with zero visits to the mechanic. (I take that back, I had to replace a dome light bulb!). I have over 37,000 miles on it so far, and have only given it oil changes and an air filter to date. It gets up to 42 MPG on the freeway, and at least 36 in town. The gearing must aid in the good mileage, as when cruising at 80 mph (not that I do!) it only turns a little less than 3,000 RPM. I love the many safety features, and the fact that my kid hasn't managed to dent it yet. The interior has held up admirably to my 2 year old, and the paint still looks like new. An engineer friend who works for a BMW source was impressed with the mechanical design of the car. This thing gives me a comfortable, quiet, economical, reliable, and safe ride..what else do you want for the money?

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I have recommended the Saturn to everyone looking for a similar car. All of my friends have been very impressed with my car too, we always take it because of the great mileage.

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Toyota camry, BMW 3 series. This car is definetely the best value I have ever seen in a new car. My Saturn is stripped down and thus not the most luxurious ride, but still quite comfortable..and the stereo sounds great. The thing that sets this car apart from others is it's simplicity. It doesn't even have, nor need, power steering. One less thing to go wrong and maintain. Better buying experience than anywhere else too!

I like the car for I have had virtually little large cost repairs. Still have the original muffler. That's a first with me. Lost one clamp on muffler, that's it. Great gas mileage and mileage is same as day I bought it. Tires last long time and rides well. ABS great. CD player stereo system has great sound especially with the "comp" boost. Sun roof is tinted and like it instead of AC. Lots of Saturns in my area. No rust. Takes bumps from grocery carts well. No dings.

Car is not very good on hilly, crowned snow/ice conditions. Tends to slip and slide. Miss being able to downshift to slow down. Dashboard vibrates and sometimes the sunroof does until adjusted. In cold snowy weather, car takes a long time to defrost. Sometimes the fog on inside of windshield freezes while driving even with window open a crack. Too airtight. Calipers froze on rear wheels at 29,000 mi. Other than that, low maintenance costs. Rear light panel vibrates. Have to tighten screws for panel often. Driver and passenger seats too low.

I paid approximately $16,000. Over all, I like the car. I ordered the car with all the specifics (CD player/stereo, sunroof, velour seats, special color, Alloy wheels, ABS, special carpet protector mats, etc). I will buy this car again upon reviewing changes since I bought my car. I love that it does not rust. Living in Maine, we have plenty of salt on the roads in the winter. I would recommend this car.

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Pontiac Grand Am. Loved that car. Excellent in winter driving. One winter drove through 5 Northeasters (60 mi. round trip) in 5 wks. time. Never went off the road. Never fogged up like Saturn does.

Great acceleration, quieter engine than previous years, very good handling, redesigned interior dash more ergonomic. The automatic transmission handles extremely well, much better than most compact cars. Overall, this car has the feeling of a high quality product.

The seats are too low in the vehicle for a comfortable ride on long trips. In addition, the car has a wide turning radius for a compact-class vehicle. Taller people should consider a car like the Mazda Protege or the Ford Focus, although I personally preferred the Saturn SL2 to both these vehicles. A lot of people do not like the no-haggle policy although I found the final price of my SL2 to be within $500 of a similar priced and haggled Toyota Corolla.

I would highly recommend this car to anyone looking for a compact size vehicle. I believe the complaints about engine noise are highly exaggerated; the engine has slightly higher rpms at highway speeds because the engine is torqued that way. The overall engine volume is comparable to other small cars of its class. The no-haggle policy makes this car more expensive for high-end models (like the SL2 with the options package) but the service and maintenance on this car is inexpensive and quick. I'm at 9000 miles right now and if the service and quality remain, I'll probably upgrade in 2 or 3 years to the midsize LS series from Saturn, or SUV if its out by then.

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Better acceleration and handling that the Civic or Corolla. Nicer interior than the Cavalier, and better engine than the Neon.

It lasted 210,065 miles. It was affordable.

It ONLY lasted 210,065 miles. Despite the miles, it lost oil continually.
I added oil more than I changed it. There was nothing left to change! Unless you have a private oil well, I would not invest in this.

After spending $$$ to find the leak, zillions of mechanics, including dealerships, the source was never found. The timing chain needed to be replaced. The car still runs. however. Being part of the proving ground for "a different kind of car" was a gamble. Granted there are those that believe that I got my $'s worth. I would have rather received the recall on the oil problem when it was discovered and more support from the Saturn team. I believe the car would still be running without the need of a total engine replacement had there not been a problem with losing the oil. I rate it low because: A)(for an economy car, Saturn gauges with all of their "required, preventative maintenance". B)Saturn insisted on replacing an engine on a vehicle with parts that had 210,000 miles without any gurantees other than "it should be okay..." and C)The newer Saturns are just ugly! The visibility in the SC2 is limited and I sat VERY low to the ground. Not a good feeling in heavy traffic. The salesperson insisted that this was a better Saturn than before and I could get "used " to the limited vision field. For the $ invested in the vehicle, It almost got me where I wanted to go. I was aiming for 400,000 miles.

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Good handling & acceleration, very reliable.

Noisy. Also very difficult to clutch smoothly from standing start. After 6 years, I almost have the hang of it.

1994 Saturn SL2. This car is not elegant, but it's the most dependable car I've ever owned. 130,000 miles on it now. Most expensive repair was $700 (!) brake job. Fortunately, that only happend once. Still running on original clutch (manual trans). Lots of pep. I suspect other reviewers complaing about lack of power are driving the SL1.

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1986 Honda Accord. Fit & finish of the Honda was better, but I never knew when it was going to just quit and leave me stranded. Saturn SL2 is leagues ahead better.

Peppy engine, great stereo, great handling, gauges, polymer bodyside panels, silky smooth shifting.

sometimes loud engine (but still sounds good)

I just bought this car 1 month ago for 6 grand. It had 75,000 miles on it, and I have since put 5,000 in it with absolutely no complaints. I love this little car, it's great. For the money, you absolutely cannot get such a nice package overall for your money. period. It still looks and drives like a new car, and the stereo is fabulous. It is small and easy to park, and the plastic panels are great in a city like this when people bump your car all the time. The gas mileage is great, I get about 36 overall with a lead foot. Insurance is really cheap, also. I would definitely recommend this car to anyone who was looking for the most bang for their buck. It's a great little car.

P.S. I guess '95 was a bad year, huh?

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Ford Escort - handles way better
Pontiac Sunbird - feels much more expensive

Great Revs, Great Gas mileage. Love how large it is for the class its in. Smooth automatic.

"OK" Radio backseat shaped very wierd.

GREAT CAR. LOVE IT!

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Toyota Trecel (Sh***y)

Appearance & Interior Layout. Dealer Network. (Antilock Brakes)

Reliability, Performance (excessive Body Roll). Generally failed to live up to its reputation for reliability, resale value, gas mileage.

Generally there is not much good i have to say about this car. In fact the only realized expectation was the dealer committment to customer satisfaction. My local dealers (Saturn of Cerritos, Saturn of El Cajon, Saturn of Monrovia, and the Saturn of Orange County chain) were terrific!
In 1996, when i purchased this car, Saturn was rated, as highly reliable. My experience with this car was a stunning contrast with my previous 1991 Honda Civic (4-spd), which incurred one unscheduled maintenance event in 103K mi, a resistor for the interior fan motor.
Just sold my '97 Saturn SL2 (86k miles). Was very dissatisfied with reliability (and performance). Did not miss a single scheduled maintenance (every 3,000 miles). Car was always maintained by a dealer or ex-Saturn mechanic. Problems with this car included:
1) New seatbelt module (0K mi)
2) New sunroof module - $800+ (45K mi)
3) New Fuel Pump (70K mi)
4) Extensive squeeks and rattles under hood (mostly pulleys and bearings); mechanic sprayed WD-40 and told me to "forget about it." Also extensive leaking and splatter under hood.
5) Advised would need valve job, until last minute when problem was suddenly repaired by a mechanic (40k mi). He knew a trick. Lifter had become jammed. Mechanic ran ATF through crankcase to free it, just before commencing valve job. This was a sudden failure, which required towing.
6) High oil consumption (1-qt/ every one or two tanks of fuel). Problem never pinpointed or confirmed. Advised by mechanic to watch out for excessive oil use. Many Saturns require ring jobs early in their lives. Mechanic says he sees these very frequently on Saturns. Claims he is very proficient at this (customized) procedure, because he does it often.
7) Average gas mileage ~26MPG -despite 27/37 on sticker. (Mileage was never greater than 29 MPG under any driving circumstances.)
8) New plug wires and spark plugs (unscheduled). Spark plugs were replaced, because they were said to have been damaged by plug wires. Failed prematurely. This failure was sudden and required immediate attention. Resulted in 6 hours away from the office (39K mi).
9) Motor Mounts Replaced (not cheap!)
10) Leaky power steering pump. Mechanic advised these fail often on saturns (85K mi, topped-off fluid level). Mentioned they are expensive, as well ($300-$400 for the part)
11) Keyless entry remote accumulated carbon residue every 6/8-weeks. Eventually failed to work. Replaced under warranty and continued to fail thereafter. Required c-a-r-e-f-u-l cleaning with moist wash cloth. (Every 1-1/2 mos)
12) Cooling system problems -never pinpointed. Replaced several reservoir caps and topped-off fluid several times between service intervals. Coolant low-level indicator every 6/9 mos. (65K & 86K mi)
13) Very poor resale value. Purchased 10/96 for $17,200. Sold 3/00 (86K mi, "Excellent condition, super clean") for $6,300 (wholesale). Always kept clean and waxed. Was offered $5,000-$5,500 at many dealers. Previous car, '91 Civic, was $4,500/$8,100 in '96 w/ 103K mi.
14) Also advised by mechanic to look out for problems with power brake booster, as well. Has frequent problems with Saturns ($$$).

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Hondas (ranks well below any Honda)

Reliable - bought the car used with about 40k miles, driven 100k since, and have only had to fix alternator.
Handles well.
Great mileage.

Fairly slow.
Loud.

I'd buy this particular car again in a second (I paid $9,500). I put at least 25k miles a year on, and
have never had a major problem. It is so cheap to operate that it essentially pays me to drive it. On the other hand, I've met a few people whose Saturns have given them nothing but grief. I'm talking bad like a Yugo, not a Ford Escort. Maybe the assembly plant workers down in Tennessee all come in with white-lightin' hangovers on Mondays. Who knows? My rating applies only to my car.

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Civic - just bought one new, and it is more comfortable than the 5 y.o. Saturn. But let's see how it's running in 125k miles. V.W. Golf - had most of the Saturn's bad characteristics, almost none of its good ones.

Good gas on highway. 42mpg

Loud, slow (4banger)

Overall, if it had an oriface, I'd stick my ding ding in it over and over again. Wait, there is an exhaust. Hmmmmm?

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