Still an excellent car in 2012
Air pump (automatic level control).
This car is seriously quick, has lots of power and drives excellent. It's my second one, imported from Japan.
Very safe to drive even if driving very fast (Germany/France).
Americans: be proud of it!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 25th November, 2012
Second most powerful FWD car ever made; very luxurious and comfortable
A/C Compressor, alternator, water pump, fuel pump.
Smooth 300HP and 295 ft·lbf, power/automatic everything, leather, wood, active suspension, magnasteer, and is all-standard. That should tell a lot about the caliber of this car. Few cars today even come close to the features this car had 14 years ago. It's comfortable like they tell you: just like a Cadillac. Never ever let me stranded on the side of the road, and I did literally drove this car around North America, coast to coast, north to south. It's one of the very few cars they tell you to drive it like is stolen, it's designed for that.
On the other hand, being a very technological car, it comes with a price; this is not for somebody who just needs an appliance on wheels.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 11th March, 2011
What a kick to drive!
Rear brakes replaced. Cost to turn rotors, $20, new rotors, $26. Rear brakes had rust build up and caused a slight vibration. Total rear brake rebuild, $240.
Relay problems. Auto headlights relay bad, swapped it with the horn relay. Traction control rely intermittent first time it snows. Use it a few times and the problem goes away.
Battery drain. Battery checked out good, but replaced it and no problems. Heavy electrical use and requires a good battery.
Gremlins that come and go. All minor and not of any importance.
Very minor oil leak as do most. Cadillac juice. Does not burn oil, but you cannot baby this engine.
The North Star engine is outstanding! The handling is surprising and very responsive. 30 mpg highway/17 city on mid-grade fuel.
Great visibility and comfort.
You never forget what you are driving.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 23rd February, 2009
The 97 SLS Seville has been a great car for us
Electric radio antenna doesn't work any more.
Or 1997 Seville has been a pleasure. We have had it from 83k to over 115k, and about 4 years, and have not spend a nickel on it. It is powerful, smooth, comfortable, etc. etc. The interior is good, and it is a pleasure to drive. We keep it garaged, and it is our 'long distance' car, so there is not many 'stop and go' miles, which may help. But it has been a pleasure to own. It has gotten 26 mpg on long distance interstate driving, and consistently average 21 mpg.
NICE car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th October, 2007
It has no business on the road, because it is too hazardous
I want to report an incident that I had not heard anything about until after my accident.
On July 1, 2007, I had a hydroplane accident. That is to say it was raining heavily and I ran upon a layer of water, which caused my 97 Seville SLS to spin out. The vehicle crossed into the oncoming lane and and spun out.
I realized I could not control it and put my head down and closed my eyes. I wanted to protect my neck so I closed my eyes and yelled "In the Name of Jesus!" When the car came to a stop, I was in the ditch on my original side of the road and had torn down the fence to someone's pasture.
I realized I had escaped what could have be instant death, several ways. I missed all oncoming traffic. I missed the drain pipe and passed over the top and off to the side of it. I missed a metal fence and hit the barbed wire fence instead. And finally I stopped several feet prior to the telephone pole.
When I was looking to purchase a replacement car, as it was totalled, (http://www.intellichoice.com/) I found a note that the 96 and 97 Seville SLS had a design flaw, which made driving on slippery and wet surfaces a problem, and that the problem was being corrected in the 1998 models. I don't know how Intellichoice found out, but I would think if they know, the manufacturer knows.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 21st August, 2007
Hydro-planing is not a defect of your car it is a defect of your driving. You must have been driving too fast in the conditions. You should never drive at any rate of speed through a large puddle as you can hydro-plane as you now well know. This can happen with any car, not just a Seville. A smaller, lighter car would be even more susceptible.
The first reply is correct, any car can hydroplane under conditions of driving too fast through standing water or heavy rain. It also depends on the depth of tread on your tires, which is up to you to check. Don't people recall the biggest rule for driving, which is "Reduce speed in adverse driving conditions." Sorry, but your spin-out was your own fault. You should be thankful that you didn't kill anybody in oncoming traffic due to your own negligence.
If the police had been on the scene, they would have cited you for "Driving too fast for conditions." If anyone had been injured, you would have been at fault.
Not sure where you find out about this “design flaw”, especially since the ’97 model year introduced road sensitive suspension, and a state of the art stability system including yaw sensor (these are additions to an already great stability system equipping the ’96 and older cars, including accelerometers on all axes, speed sensitive suspension, magnasteer, ABS, T/C). It is actually one of the safest and most stable cars you can ever drive. They do have a 300HP (275HP in your SLS case) engine if that had anything to do with your bad experience.
I agree; try driving a Corvette in the rain!!!
25th Nov 2012, 20:58
"Americans: be proud of it!"
- We are!!!
Ed, USA.