Faults:

The alternator and battery were fried twice until a recall installation of a thermistor (temperature sensing electrical resistor) was installed in the charging circuit.

The transmission is now quite tired. In hot weather one has to be careful to wait for the tranny to clunk itself into the reverse gear, otherwise, you end up with a neutral drop scenario.

Also, the automatic window on the driver side had to be repaired to the tune of $400. Always in winter, of course.

Other than these anomalies, the car is quite reliable.

General Comments:

I have 267000 miles on it. I mix four parts Valvoline 20/50 with one part Marvel Mystery oil. I drive lots of highway miles averaging 70 to 80 mph to this day.

It ain't no Boss Mustang, for sure. You have to treat it like a lady that you think you would like to hang with someday.

Faults:

Rotors replaced after 10,000 miles.

Leak found in transmission gasket at 50,000 miles, replaced during transmission servicing.

Wind shield (?) at the bottom front of the car came loose and needed re-attachment after 15,000 miles.

Front bearings needed replacing after 15,000 miles.

General Comments:

I bought this car as a stop gap vehicle, when I could not find a wagon I liked and in my price range.

After owning the car for six months, I bought new tires to replace the ones that came with the car. As other people noted, the Firestone's are noisy on a Saturn, and I found my new Goodyear's to be a very acceptable upgrade.

I also noted that when the wind shield came loose, I think when I hit a curb, the gas mileage was seriously affected. If this shield comes loose, get it re-attached! It's worth the time.

As for drivability, this car is great. It performs smoothly on the highway and is great on turns. However there is some wobble on very tight turns. It is a great car for medium distance driving (about 500 to 700 miles) but anything more the 8 hours and I get a bit stiff.

Also, with my new tires, the snow is no problem as well. Since I live on a hill, getting in and out of my driveway during the winter can be a major hassle. My car can handle up to two inches of snow on the driveway without shoveling. Of course ice is another matter.

One final thing, regular maintenance is a must, especially for the transmission. It shifts very differently from any other car I've driven and when the fluid needs replacing, the shifting changes noticeably.

I will definitely buy another Saturn, but will buy the larger model. The smaller models are a bit tight in the legroom for me.

Faults:

Timing chain went bad after 20000 miles (was replaced for free and has never been a problem again).

The lever that controls airflow has broken several times.

General Comments:

This car has been in the family for 10 years now and has been the most reliable car we have owned.

Even with some neglect in maintenance the cars reliability is amazing.

I will have to admit the interior is very cheap and the seats feel like they could use some extra padding.

The performance of this sedan is very good, It accelerates very quickly compared to other sedans like the Civic or the Cavalier.

Overall I think Saturns are very good reliable cars

Faults:

The Driver side automatic seat belt, quit, had it replaced for $800.

The temp. sensor for the radiator broke, had it replaced

The sunroof opens, but doesn't close, cost to repair, $300, but not fixed yet.

Nothing else has broken on the car.

General Comments:

My car is very reliable, and has never quit on me, I only drive city roads and not freeway. A tank of gas lasts me on complete week, or every 200 miles. The car is slow when the air conditioner is on, but it still speeds up. I got this car for $3000, in October 2001, and it has been in the shop twice, my old car was in every week. This car has been worth the money over and over.