Decent gas mileage, good looks, good handling.

Where shall I begin?

1. Two months after purchase, the alternator went out.
2. This lead to the battery going bad.
3. Hit a dog on the interstate - they had to replace the front air dam and during the course of the repair, discovered a transmission gasket leak. Boom- $350.
4. Day after christmas, the water temp started to rise. I pulled off the road to discover a brown goo oozing from my engine/coolant reservoir. It turned out the cylinder head was cracked. They ended up fixing that along with all the coolant hoses, water pump, and thermostat. Luckily, it was under recall, didn't inspire my confidence though.
5. Driver side back window stopped working. I just lived with it.
6. Passenger side back window broke, i found out that the power window regulators go out frequently on saturns and cost 150 to replace - what breaks is a plastic part that probably only costs 50 cents (that you can't buy).

Overall:

1. The car has NO power at all! Forget passing someone when you have the AC on and just one passenger.
2. When I try to go up hills, the car begins decelerating. I press the accelerator. The car continues to slow down. The only way to get it to go is to kick it into passing gear and send the tachometer up to about 5000 RPM.

I am currently actively looking for a good Honda Civic. Its ironic, I bought this car for the reliability and it turned out to be the most costly car that I have ever owned. My 1990 Chevy caprice never had this much trouble. CAVEAT EMPTOR!

When I first purchased this car I was looking for a good reliable ride that would get me to and from work 60 miles away. Heard all kinds of good stuff about safety and reliability. I only wish that i had dug a little deeper....

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Chevy Caprice, all other cars.

SL2 has get up & go, car is not plagued by rust or dents, LOVE the automatic door & trunk lock/release, spoiler and alloy wheels look good, sound system is very good, car is reliable and economical.

The MOST uncomfortable seats in the world. Seats are too low, too hard, and are angled back - like lying in a recliner - and you can't adjust them enough. Turn signal is stiff to use. No indicator for lights on or off. Cannot get the AC to make the car really cool.
so that I need to place a pillow behind my back so I can sit straighter.

I bought the car from a dealer who was able to show me all the service records for the car so I know it was well-maintained and for me, it has been mostly trouble free. It was well worth it to get the SL2 because it's peppy to drive. The brakes seem very good and even without the ABS or traction control I made it through a New England winter and have also managed to come to an abrupt halt in time to avoid being hit by crazy drivers.

For the price and the cost of the insurance and low maintenance, this car is a good value. This model is a good car for a single woman, it is practical yet a little bit sporty. The paint job still looks like new and there are no worries about rust or getting hit by a stray shopping cart because the car is made of a composite material, not metal. It's good for commuting to work on the highway because it handles well and is economical on gas. This car would work well for married couples too, but not if there are kids because the backseat is impossibly small. I think it is a safe car, but next time I would buy one of the later models that have steel side supports so as to be even safer.

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Toyota Tercel - was comfortable and reliable and economical but rusted. BMW was comfortable, unreliable, expensive to repair. Both lived for 100,000 miles.

Reliable!!
Excellent company to buy from
Gas milage

Small - not big enough for me (6'3")
Alternator - replaced twice

Very reliable car. Only minimal problems owning the car
for over 7 years. Small car that is good on gas. Great car
to get around but doesn't have alot of pickup. I have 93,000 miles
on this car and the only problem has been the alternator. Car has
never left me stranded.

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None

polymer panels, inexpensive (initially) and gas mileage.

just about everything else.......including the "friendly" Saturn family in Springhill.......nuff said.

I have to say that this was, without a doubt, the worst car i've ever owned. The very day I drove it off the lot I adjusted the severely underinflated tire pressure (22 psi) to specs and noticed a steering wheel shake at @65 mph. I rechecked the pressure, found it to be right on, and continued to experience this violent shaking. I called the dealership first thing the next morning (as they were 50 miles away and our deal was finalized by closing time) and they told me to bring it in. They checked all, rebalanced the wheels and sent me on my way. The shaking stopped but returned @ 2 weeks later. Also around this time, the car vibrated like a bucking mule whenever the brakes were applied at highway speeds.Almost crashed over this one. The front rotors were found to be warped and were replaced under warranty. This lasted @ 1month and they had to be replaced again. All the while this was going on, the steering wheel shake was getting progressively worse. The car was taken in several times and test driven by several mechanics. As I sat with them ,watching the steering wheel shake in their hands, they would tell me what a wonderful car this was....that nothing was wrong....and that they have another person who,and I quote, "likes to complain." I spent a lot of money and time having the alignment checked and rechecked, balancing done, toe in checked, steering box checked, etc. I tried many different combinations of tires and rims....all to no avail. When the car began bouncing across the highway, through no input from the driver, I decided to call the main office in Springhill. They literally killed me with kindness. Although I had come across many complaints of people experiencing this exact same problem,they insisted that they were unaware of this problem with the SL model. They would only admit to having the problem with the new LS and LW models (solved by changing the tires.).They told me to work with the Service Supervisor at Saturn of Warwick but he was always "unavailable" or "out to lunch". After 18 months, and with only 18000 miles on it, I said goodbye to the "different kind of car." And not a moment too soon I might add. It had begun to stall in congested traffic and intermittently start on humid days. I was more than patient with this auto (I tried for 18mnths to fix it) and tried, calmly, to work with the dealer on this. I was treated like an imbecile and basically "poo-poo'd" away. There was simply no fixin' to it. Even pro shops were stumped. Alas, I traded it in for a 2000 Nissan Sentra and could'nt be happier. Sadly, someone else purchased it and I still see it around town. It is my understanding, according to the Nissan dealership, that there appears to be a problem with vicious steering wheel shake........strange!.......Saturn said it was normal. HMMMMMMMM!!!

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no comparison. Even a 10yr old Hyundai Accent,with surface rust and billowing black smoke, would be a better purchase.:) This is for comparison purposes only (lol)......please do not try this at home!

Day Time Running Lights, Radio, MPG!!!, Brakes, Suspension

Lights-I raised them up to improve vision hehe but dont worry i dont blind other drivers

Ok DEL Look you OWN a 1993 Saturn which means you dont own a newer one because your cheap and plus saturn didnt even make dent resist panel doors on 1993 models shows how much you know and YES we all know saturn had a bad history but you havnt even tested out the new ones i mean they have alot to offer i mean my son has owned the 1996 SL2 and nothing wrong has happend and he has 89,000 miles on it the only thing bad that happend to the car was the front seat was loose and the saturn dealership tightened it up but overall i think saturn is growing with there models and they are going to improve greatly

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Honda Civic can not beat this price and MPG

Dent resistant body panels if you like that plastic look...

Everything else.

STAY AWAY FROM SATURNS!!! Piece of Sh!t! Owned it for 7 years(way too long). Transmission blew twice! Radio is crap, alternator died after 3 years, starter died after 5 years. This car is a complete waste of money and it looks and feels like plastic, of course it is nothing but plastic!

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Honda kicks Saturn's butt in every catagory.

Pickup is impressive, Gas Mileage, low insurance.

Low seats (feels like driving a go-kart). ride (feels like driving a go-kart). Enginge Noise (sounds like your driving a go-kart). Rattles from the poor quality, poorly put together interior. Burns oil. Blinker column is stiff. Dome light unhinges itself and falls, hanging by its wire. Wind noise (not too much unlike a go-kart). Service. Tinny stereo.

Overall Impression: car is crap. I bought this new in Dec '96. On the second day, we noticed that the roof liner was wet and stained towards the front. Saturn replaced it, but couldn't fix all the noise above the liner in the subsequent 5 visits (they ended up putting in so much padding that the liner began to bulge down). When I was explaining the the Service Manager about the level of the roof noise and that if the radio volume was half way up that i couldn't hear the noise anymore, he suggested driving with the radio on. The car pulled to the side since the day I got it and shook like crazy over 50 MPH. (the service manager suggested that I don't drive over 50 MPH). They never did fix the pulling or shaking ( I even took it to a tire place and paid for an alignment myself). If you let it sit for 2 weeks or more without starting it, good luck getting it started (the service shop wouldn't even look at it). Too bad for Saturn that Hyundai now makes a way better car than saturn and is better priced. If you live in Portland Or, don't buy from Saturn of Beaverton - service is non-existent!

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Toyota Corolla - you can't even compare a Saturn to a Japanese made car
Hyundai Sonata - Saturn can't even compare to this solid well made Korean car.

Polymer pannels (no rusting), economical on gasoline, great instrument pannel window( you never can see it as if it didn't exist), stable on the curves (with good tires of course).

Expensive bearings (and maybe other parts too), very bad original tires, not powerfull enough,.

I like this car.
It's a little small and not powerfull enough but the model is like this, and it is not a sports or a luxury car that's why.
During the 3 and a half years that I used it I only had to replace the ignition module which was done under warranty.
So, I like it and I would buy the same again.

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Buick Skyhawk.

You can add a lot for less -- leather interior, CD/Stereo upgrade, alloy wheels, etc.

We have owned our car for a week and a half. Today, they ordered the second lock assembly for it (meaning that the original plus one have not worked, and we're waiting for a third). The key will not turn at all, and nothing we or the dealership does can get it to turn when it locks up. Will post another response later when we know whether the third one works. If you have a 2001 L200 with the same problem, plz email us at amusu2000@msn.com.

Car seems like it's a great value for the money.

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Ford Contour (which we loved and drove until it had 140,000 miles on it). We were going to get a Taurus, but decided the L200 Saturn was more bang for the buck. "Caveat Emptor"

Reliability and economy are my favorite points on this car.

I HATE the lack of power steering! The seats are a little low for my preferences, and I wish I had a cup holder.

This has been a great car for me! My car has been used to teach my children to drive standard transmission as well as loaned to them frequently before they got their own vehicles. In spite of what I assume is their less than ideal driving habits as well as mostly city driving, the car continues to function with few problems.

The only non-routine problems I've had are:
pulsating brakes (fixed under warranty)
air bag light came on
some vacumn hose had to be replaced

At 100K miles, I even have two of the original tires on the back (although they'll need to be replaced before winter).

This is definitely not the most comfortable nor the roomiest car to ride in; however, as stated before, it is very economical. The fold down rear seats have allowed me to cart many things home without having to wait for my husband to bring his truck.

At nearly 8 years of age, I think the finish on the body of my car is just as good as newer models. The upholstery does not show signs of wear although the carpet is stained from several years of living in a snowy city.

I have heard that the newer models of the Saturn are not as good as the earlier models, but this car was a good choice for my family.

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Other cars I've had: Mercury Lynx, Dodge Shadow, Honda Accord