2001 Saturn L300 3.0L from North America
Summary:
Good car, needs the Honda V6 from the VUE
Faults:
Oil Cooler went bad, resulting in oil leaking into coolant. Even though Saturn knows the sealant used on the oil cooler is bad, they refuse to pay for any parts of the repairs. I had it looked at a Saturn dealer and an independent mechanic and decided to use the independent mechanic only because they took the time to explain the problem fully.
Coil pack went bad on cylinders 2, 4, and 6. Had to have the coil pack replaced.
Random misfires when cold; Saturn dealer flashed the computer and that seemed to fix the problem.
O2 sensors changed numerous times.
General Comments:
Has some serious get up and go. Happily revs to 3500 when you stomp on it, but the car responds. It's a fly-by-wire set up, so there's no direct connection between the accelerator and the engine; the computer handles it. A little strange because when you let off the gas, the RPMs drop fast, and when using the cruise, when you hit RESUME you don't feel the accelerator depress -- the car just accelerates.
Interior is very comfortable; heated leather seats, awesome sound system, moonroof, pwr windows/locks/mirrors/seat, woodgrain on the dash. Very nice.
Alloy wheels, just a hint of chrome on the front grille and the taillight surround. Good finish and no dings (due to polymer).
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 29th December, 2005
19th Apr 2006, 17:57
I agree with the low reliability of this car. the engine is weak and the transmission seams to be prone to breakdowns. the L300 with 50K miles I am already near 3K in repairs and its broken now with a second long shift solenoid went bad inside the transmission (second one)
The oil cooler is poorly designed and will likely leak inside your engine causing low coolant and about an 800 dollar bill to repair the leak.
The SL1 1995 had an engine that was by far a stronger engine and I would highly recommend you steer clear of there 6 and go with the solid 4 cylinder.