18th Jun 2009, 16:22
Yeah... I have to agree with you guys. I have a 2002 L300 with 50k on it. I loved this car when I first got it. Great acceleration, nice tight turning radius...
But, now, I look at it as my most tragic car buying decision ever. About a year ago, I my mechanic had to cut one of the tie rods because of a bad vibration I was getting. Only a few months ago, I had to bring it in because it was misfiring. Turns out one of the coils had gone bad. And, the car is presently in the shop having it's fuel pump replaced. All at just over 50k. Absolutely pathetic. My first car ever was a beat to hell '91 Pontiac Sunbird that used to be in the shop more often than it was on the road. But, even that made it to around 80k before things started falling apart, and I was able to limp it along to about 110K.
As for the L300, I'm already making plans to get rid of it.
It's funny... GM has all these excuses for why the company is failing. Did they ever think maybe the problem is the quality of vehicle they produce?
10th Jul 2009, 20:39
We bought an 03 L300 new, and it's been a terrific car. It has 94,000 miles now, no major problems at all. We haven't even had to do the rear brakes yet.
Peace.
17th Aug 2009, 07:33
I have a 2003 L-300, has been great with V-6. Have minor coolant leak at 90,000, saturn says it is the oil cooler. Not crazy about repairing a minor leak so plan to wait for the 100,000 tune-up time to do all while frequently checking coolant level (so far so good). They also recommend thermostat replacement while repairing cooler, why? I so, why not replace the water pump too? Opinions?
13th Nov 2009, 18:54
LW300 is pure junk -- No matter any longer, Saturn is going out of business. Couldn't happen to a more deserving brand. Good riddance to bad rubbish. My LW 300 has been a tire eating cooling leaking piece of junk from about 25,000 miles on. It wil lsoon be over. Now if we can just see the whole GM gang gone, I will believe in God.
21st Jan 2010, 20:03
I have a 2003 Saturn L300. Bought it used three months ago from a single owner with 125,000 miles on it. Car looks great, all black with chrome rims, and leather interior and tinted windows. Many friends mistook it as a Lincoln LS at first glance. That's where the beauty ends.
First month of ownership, the service engine light came on once a day, anytime the light came on it would shift rough though gears.
Second month, girlfriend blows speakers.
Third month, lose all power driving on the interstate, headlights dim and my dashboard goes out. 100 dollars to have it towed to local shop. My guy tells me it's a tension pulley and belt. $300 dollars. I fix it, pick the car up and speedometer doesn't work and the check engine light is on! I'm fixing these problems A.S.A.P. so I can sell it. Now I just hope the guy that buys my car doesn't read this first!
15th Jul 2010, 15:06
I purchased the 2003 L300 January 2005 with 15,000 miles on it. At the moment, it has 105,000 miles.
I'll keep it simple. List of problems:
* 6th set of tires
* Coil pack repaired
* 2 sets of struts
* Electrical failures in dashboard
* Swaybar replacement
* blown rear speaker
* Bushings have all been replaced
* Hollowed out the catalytic converter due to clogged cats
* After 70,000 miles, the engine light comes on and off periodically
* Oxygen sensors replaced
* Motor mounts replaced 2x
* A/C hose replaced.
A lot of issues with shaky front end suspension. The car rides like a tank. It's lost a lot of horse power.
On the positive note: I've taken great care of the car overall. If I didn't personally know the owner of an auto shop, I would be in a catastrophic state financially. I'm already in the hole $1500 & already need 2 new tires (so that's 6 1/2 sets). The body & style of the car is sharp. Gas mileage is good. But what a total insult to Saturn. Whoever designed this car should be... grrrr. ~Baltimore, MD.
11th Dec 2010, 09:25
We bought our L-300 with 5,000 miles, and it has 145,000. Biggest issue now is the engine has lost power on the interstate 3 times. Clearly a computer issue, but no one at GM will say what it is, and no one can fix it.
Everything fell apart in a 3 month period when the car hit 100,000. Water pump, power steering pump and rack & pinion, alternator, water pump, AC compressor, coils, struts, etc. Spent probably $8500 in repairs over the last couple of years. Transmission went at 65,000 miles and required major rebuild. That said, the real kicker was I had to pay a garage to replace the fan belt, since there is an engine mount in the middle. I have a coolant leak for the oil cooler, but they have to remove the fuel injection system to get to it. Let it leak. I have found though that a lot of parts are now available online since Saturn closed. Seems they are free to sell the parts now. I am going to do one more round of repairs, but I am now putting $ aside to buy a Ford. Fuel mileage dropped from 26 to 20 mpg with 10% ethanol.
Our first Saturn went 242,000 miles with a transmission rebuild, misc. minor repair and wear and tear. That is the reason we bought this car. I have driven Fords mostly, and the only ones that did not go 150,000+ were wrecked. I still have a 1989 5.0 L Mustang with 248,000 miles and no major mechanical repairs. Only problem is the seats are worn out, and the car needs to be repainted. GM builds cars that can't be repaired by owners, and over prices spare parts.
26th Jan 2011, 19:45
We own a 2004 Saturn LW300 and it has 150K+ miles on it.
This car has been incredible with only one problem and that was a bad fuel pump. Yes, that is the only part we've replaced, excluding the usual brakes and tires. My wife drives this car 60 miles a day and we've used it for the last 5 years hauling our camping supplies and this car has never let us down.
Thank you Saturn for a truly great car.
11th May 2009, 12:17
Ughh!!! I feel for ya! I have had all kinds of oil leaks. First one had oil leaking into the part where the spark plugs are. I had that fixed, along with the valve cover gasket seals and some other oil leak. The mechanic who fixed it was confident that everything would be fine. Oh he also had to replace the struts and the front motor mount. Three weeks later, all my oil was gone. I called the mechanic and he was baffled! He agreed to take another look at it and fix it at no cost. I was too busy for about a week and told him I'd bring it by as soon as I could. Before I could get it to him, my radiator fan took a crap and burned up the wires, and I guess my starter died too. It's still sitting in the shop and the mechanic is trying to see whats wrong NOW... So far he knows it's the radiator fan, possibly the starter or solenoid and definitely a rear motor mount is broken. My tires always wear out prematurely too! This car is HELL!