Saturn SL

The Saturn SL Series were highly competent cars.  After that, it was all downhill for Saturn.

I took my Saturn SL-1 to a Saturn dealer in south Florida and I lost my car.  First, they changed the oil and when I left, the car died.  Then, after a three-hour wait for a tow, they told me the mechanic forgot to put oil back in the car.  Then, they offered a rent a car but then didn't pay for it.  Finally, they said my car was not fixable and refused to pay for their mistake.  I lost my only means of transportation and wrote a letter to Saturn Corporation.  Never got a response other than "there's nothing we can do".  This was 2001 and since then, I let everyone know what kind of "customer service" Saturn REALLY gives it's consumers (expecially at car shows) and what that NO-HAGGLE- PRICE pays for.  Doesn't deserve even one star.

I never had a problem with my 2000 SL2. I bought it new and added all of the "bells and whistles".  I opted for the 5-speed manual which gives it a little more get up and go.  I have never had a mechanical problem or an electrical problem with this car. In reposnse to a previous comment, the ride is noisier than other cars. However, has it been reliable transportation for me? Yes!!  I have always taken care of it and I have had plenty of people ask if I wanted to sell.

Have a 1995 SL2, and have never had to do anything to it, except regular oil changes, a $10 plug in the front right tire, and putting gas in it. Great mileage, but could use a new color. Plum just doesn't do it for me.

I know cars pretty well being the son of a car dealer (old AMC Jeep). I have bought two Saturn SL's and they have been very reliable. True, they are small and noisy, but for basic transportation and low cost of owenership, I will be looking for Saturn again. AND, it appears to me that Saturn book value is overstated. The are hard to sell for book. Bad news if you are selling but a good opportunity if you are buying. Just make a a low ball offer to an individual selling and chances are he/she will jump. They won't like it but they will jump.

I have a 95 sl ,It has had problems.I had to replace the head because the oil and coolant would mix,and I guess that's a common problem for saturn,Not been a great car,I would not recommend,but it does get 42 mpg highway,and they are inexpensive and don't rust.But I would never buy another one.

Awful! I had a 1992 Saturn SL2. It was the worst car I have ever owned. I bought it used; it had 50,000 miles on it. This car had so much wrong with it, the problems were well known and the manufacturer refused to take responsibility. I won't bore you with a complete list of the problems. BUT- for example, I had to replace the alternator, and the battery, three times in 26,000 miles. This car had an oil leak (hemorrhage) that the dealer and four independent mechanics could not fix. I spent about $3,000 dollars in repairs until I got fed up with this car and traded it in for a wonderful Nissan Altima. I don't know why I hung onto the Saturn for nearly 2 full years. Saturn did not back up its product; I also notice that they have quit mentioning customer satisfaction in their ads. I think their fan base has eroded.

I bought a Saturn SL (cheapest model) in 1994. It has saved me lots of money over the past 10 years and 108,000 miles. It's reliable and has low maintenance. Mine is gold and looks so good still that people can't believe it's that old. It's a stick shift, so I get great gas mileage. This is a very good commuter car for half-hour trips. The Saturn people try very hard to give outstanding service. On the down side, it's always been noisy and road sensitive and a tight fit: not good for long trips. I had to replace an alternator after about 18 months (under warranty). It took a while to discover the oxygen sensor was going out causing stalling until the motor warmed up.

It's like driving a go-kart. The handling and pickup are not that good and the car is very very very uncomfortable. This car does get good gas mileage and I haven't had to put any money into it so I cannot give it less than 3 stars.

I purchased a 1998 Saturn SL2 brand new. Two words, NEVER AGAIN! They might be a good car if you get a non-defective one, but there is no way to know ahead of time. Furthermore, after 2 or 3 years, your formerly good car can turn very bad (as mine did). Saturn will not admit the defects or stand behind their merchandise, so don't expect it. As soon as you have a problem, they will weasel out of it any way they can. Mine has an engine (manufacturing) defect whereby the pistons contract and don't fit in the casing properly. It burns oil like gas, in fact I fill both at the same time. My mechanic tells me he sees this defect (with the oil burning) all the time, it is very common. This morning my master cylinder failed, I could have been killed, pedal to the floor, no brakes, on a dangerous highway. The rest of my brake system was good, I had no way to know it was coming (but the brakes in modern cars are not supposed to fail like that!) If you want a car that will last 2 or 3 ye... Read more

I bought a new 2001 Saturn SL2 and I have been most pleased with its performance. The car handles well and is comfortable to drive. The Saturn service team members provide quick and efficient service with a smile.

Not a very sexy car, but mechanically it is a very reliable and safe car. The care is easy to maintain and service yourself. It is also cheap to maintain. If compared to a Honda Civic EX with a 1.6 VTEC and a 5-speed manual. My Saturn SL2 with a 5-speed manual has faster 0-60 acceleration, slightly better gas mileage, and it is cheaper to service. Drawbacks are in style, comfort, and the availability of after-market performance parts.

In 1992 I bought a Saturn and loved it. Before I sold it in 1996, I put 130,000 miles on it and had no problems. I then bought a 1997 SL2 and have had nothing but problems with it. Currently, I have 55,000 miles on it. I have had more electrical problems than I can count, I have had to replace the battery, the alternator and the starter. The dealership told me that I had blown a head gasket at 50,000 which I had not. There was no smoke, I change the oil every 3,000 miles - nothing to indicate a blown head gasket, so I brought it to someone else who told me it was just a gasket cover. That was fixed for about $300.00 LESS than Saturn wanted for a blown gasket. My windshiled wipers have a habit of falling off, and when I run the air conditioning there is a moldy odor. This started a few weeks after I bought the car. Overall, it gets me where I want to go (sometimes), but I won't be buying one again.

i have a 91 saturn sl2 - it's not that great of a car because its not reliable- well compared to the other domestic like neon and cavilier its more reliable but not enough- aways broke down on me. It is noisy like heck. i am just warning the people whos planning to buy it or bought a new one. It will go sour on u. Look at my friends sc1 its starting to show. I am not bashing saturns cause i dont like domestic. It just they dont make good cars compared to other ones. The interior of the 91 is messing up. the roof lining is falling apart. The only goo thing about it is that it has good paint jobs.

My wife and I bought a used 1998 Saturn SL last September and absolutley love the car. I like the safetly features on it (dual air bags and such) and find it to be rather roomy (important being a 6' tall, 300 pound lineback of a guy). We have only had two problems with it so far. One is that our inside light shorted out. A minor problem. The other was that the car, somehow, flooded one day. We brought it in for service and have not had a problem since. We've used the car for long trips and have gotten very good gas mileage out of it. Sure, a Lexus would probably blow this away, but this is an economy car and I find it suits me very nicely.

Gee, plastic body panels and a third door! Am I supposed to be impressed? I think not. Under the hood its the same noisy buzzy engine that first appeared a decade ago. Saturn is thoroughly outdated, outclassed and outwitted by the imports which is kinda tragic considering that Saturn was conceived to put Toyota and Honda in its place.

I have a 1999 SL2 and it is an excellent car. It is very quiet and gets excellent gas mileage. The engine is quite powerful and the car handles well. There are a few design flaws though, such as the turn signal switch being too short, the glove box too small and when the trunk is opened and the car is wet, the water falls into the trunk. Even with these flaws, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Saturn.

1999 SL1 owner here. I love my Saturn. People complain about things like excessive plastic, louder engine, etc, but bottom line is that this in not intended to be a luxury car. It's an economy car, giving you the best bang for your buck, and I'm telling you, you're getting it here. I'm a poor college student and this car has done it's job being reliable and inexpensive, from maintenance to high gas mileage(!!!!). I am not wildly in love with the dealer but my neighborhood garage does just fine for routine stuff. I would advise buying a Saturn if you want an excellent buy for the dollar without a ton of frills. And get a kickin CD player like me. And tinted windows. And...

I can't believe this car. Driving one reminds me of 15 year old Escorts. I give the Saturn Dealers a 5 Star rating for being able to sell such a feeble car. Atta Boy Saturn Dealers! I think Saturn dealers could sell Yugo's (a step below a Saturn SL at zero stars). GM should sell Saturn to Ford or Chrysler who with their Engineering and Styling capabilities could take this franchise to the top.

Very reliable. I have a '94 SL2 with over 127,000 miles on it. The only work I have had done, besides regular maintenance, was some stupid emissions stuff that had nothing to do with it actually running. It still looks good and I hope to keep it for a couple more years. No alternator problems. I do occassionally have to add some oil between changes, but so what.

My brother has an SL-2 and it's a great car! Beautiful inside and out...just get yourself a CD player when you buy it.

I have a 1996 SL2 with 52000 miles. It has been a very reliable car to date and very inexpensive to own. The car is comfortable, and fairly quiet. Excellent power and handling make it fun to drive. You can kick the body panels and they will not crack or dent, but they will scratch if hit by a 1986 Chevy Monte Carlo Door. Have only done scheduled maintenance on the car. Brakes wore out quickly and tend to build up rust if car sits. Dealer replaced brakes and rotors under warrenty. Has used no additional oil to date.

Very Powerful Engine, with good torque. Gas miliage is 30 to 32 around town, and 37 on the highway (65 to 70mph). Great handling potential with better tires (the standard Firestone Affinity tires are terrible). I had the dealer put the SC2 tires/wheels combo (Firestone GTAs) on the car and it was much better. Squeeks and Rattles, and Brakes that warp in 14k miles are the only downsides to the car.

My dad bought me a Saturn for graduation in 1992 before all the marketing hype (how embarrassing to be constantly asked if I went to Tennessee!). Shortly thereafter the problems started. With a little research online you can find plenty of evidence that Saturns have a history of excessive oil consumption - my 92 SL2 is a total lemon - blown head gasket, six alternators and a plethora of other problems with less than 60,000. The dealer has not been helpful - saying that a blown head gasket at 57,000 miles is not uncommon (well for Saturns maybe!). Check out the Saturn lemon site for more information http://www.saturnexposed.com and also see http://www.webbbox.com/business/s/saturn.htm for more detail on problems with Saturns. DON'T BUY SATURN - GET A TOYOTA INSTEAD!!! Greasergrrl http://www.greasergrrls.com

No flash, but generally reliable. Overall, I am quite happy dealing with Saturn dealser. I did hit the 3 characteristic problems over the course of my 110K miles so far: Replaced 3 alternators, 1 fuel pump and 1 belt tensioner. Saturn alternators now come with a 36K warranty from the dealer, which is good since in my experience they only last between 30-35K miles.