Faults:

This car would be perfect, except I beat the you know what out of it.

General Comments:

This was originally my work car, but it turned into my beat the slam hill out of it car. This thing refuses to die. I take it mudding with boys and get through most of the stuff that they get stuck in. I have driven it out on soft sand at the beach. I have to say. This car gets awesome brownie points for putting up my harsh driving habits. I now own a Volkswagen Jetta, and I miss my Saturn every day and thinking of selling the Jetta and keep on truckin in the Saturn.

Faults:

My cylinder head cracked at 80,000 miles. There was mixing of my coolant and oil.

I got my oil changed every 3,000 miles regularly. I even had the required 30,000 mile checks. This car was so well maintained and driven.

General Comments:

I am very disappointed that this happened to my car. I am just wondering why this known problem was not brought to my attention when I bought the car in 1999.

I brought this to the dealership's attention that 1996 Saturns are known to have this problem and if I fell within the 6-year 100,000 mile replacement. I did not because it was from when the car was first made, not when I bought it. If it was from the time of purchase I would have been covered.

I liked my Saturn before all of this and now I would not buy another.

Faults:

This car has required vary little maintenance other than the norm. Had to replace AC parts last June.

No other problems.

General Comments:

Great gas mileage 30/34 in CA. Just towed it to AZ behind our Motorhome. Got gas in AZ and the Saturn got 34/38mpg. CA gas just doesn't hack it.

Car accelerates, drives, handles great. This car was purchased to be towed behind our RV. Has subsequently ended being driven more than our 98 Passport and 92 Acura in the past year. Have been loyal Honda/Acura owners since 1975. Would most definitely buy another Saturn!

Faults:

Just to let you know, I am very good with cars and do all of the repairs myself. This vehicle is meticulously maintained. I bought it new in 1996.

Front pipe cracked/rusted at 135,000 at the transmission support bracket. Dealer wanted to charge $850 to replace front pipe/ converter as a single unit. I took the broken pipe off myself and had the cracked welded for $15.

Saturn oem muffler rusts out about every two years.

Struts replaced at 75,000 miles.

Brake rotors warp often, but I now buy higher quality non-dealer rotors and it is less of a problem.

Oil consumption first started around 80,000mi, but switching to 10W-30 helped a great deal. There is some evidence of antifreeze getting into the oil because of a white film on the bottom of the oil filler cap.

Rear sway bar links rattled and were replaced at 85,000mi. Poorly designed part, grease caps feel off causing premature failure.

Manual transmission leaks around the axle seals, but not enough to warrant repair.

Check engine light comes on often, fault is usually the upper O2 sensor, which has been replaced three times.

Spark plugs foul easily and are replaced every 8-10,000 miles.

Clear coat paint on trunk lid spoiler scratches easily.

Rust has been a problem on all four door sills, and in engine compartment. Single layer of flat black paint on inner frame is prone to rust. Most manufacturers use multiple layers of paint.

General Comments:

For the money, was and still is a good car. You get what you pay for. It has good power, a fairly decent ride, and always starts. I feel some Saturn parts are poor quality and designed to wear quickly to keep people going in for dealer repairs. Saturn (GM) is not the only one to do this.