Faults:

Mass airflow sensor failed within 100 miles of purchasing the car. Both sensor and connector went bad. Replaced both.

Throttle position sensor failed within 200 miles of purchasing the car. Connector also burned out. Replaced connector and sensor.

Heater core coupling failed within 300 miles of purchasing the car. Leaked coolant everywhere. Had to have a new coupling custom fabricated, as neither I nor my mechanic could locate a replacement part, new or from a junkyard.

Instrument panel lights failed within 500 miles of purchasing the car. Replaced instrument panel. Replacement worked for 1500 miles, then all but 2 lights failed in the replacement instrument panel as well. Did not fix again.

All 3 brake lights failed simultaneously within 1000 miles of purchasing the car. Would not illuminate. Tail lights still worked though... Fixed by mechanic, failed again 2000 miles later. Fixed again by a different mechanic, failed again 3000 miles later. Fixed again by a 3rd mechanic, who also re-wired the lights all the way from the fuse block to the lights. They all 3 failed again 6000 miles later...

Car randomly went into "reduced power mode" within 1000 miles of purchasing the car, and did it sporadically for the next 10,000 miles. 3 different mechanics could not figure out the exact cause, so it never got fixed.

Both door locks AND the trunk lock cylinder were frozen and inoperable due to corrosion. Found this out when I got locked out of the car when the key fob remote battery died, because the key could not open any of the locks.

Wiring short somewhere in the electrical system 10,000 miles after purchase, which would kill the battery if the car sat without running for more than 24 hours. The short was not able to be located by 2 mechanics. Was never fixed.

Odometer reset itself to 46339 miles after the battery died. The BCM was probably bad, but I was completely fed up with the car at this point and did not bother fixing it. Traded in the car shortly thereafter, and got almost nothing for it, thanks to the odometer resetting itself. I was honest with the dealer about what happened to odometer, because they'd have figured it out anyway when they ran the Carfax on it, which they did.

General Comments:

Pros - Surprisingly quick in a straight line. Ride quality was as good as any car I've owned. 29 MPG on long highway trips.

Cons - The most unreliable car I've ever owned. I know I bought it used and older, but I've owned plenty of older used cars that were not nearly this bad. The electrical system was a complete disaster.

I'm certain that it was cars like this LS2 that drove customers away from Saturn by the thousands. It was as if someone who'd never designed an electrical system or had even wired up a car before, built this thing in a damp shed behind their house. I ran a Carfax on it before purchasing, and also had a mechanic do a pre-purchase inspection. The car showed no signs that it was a "flood car" or had ever been wrecked, so who's left to blame for the horrendous quality but Saturn?

In a little over a year, I spent almost as much money fixing the car as I paid to buy it. The only thing I miss about the car is that it was quicker than my new car in a straight line. When it was running correctly. Which was almost never. On second thought, I don't miss anything about the car. Good riddance. Hopefully the dealer that took it as a trade-in does the right thing and sends it to the junkyard, and doesn't try to sell it to anyone else.

Faults:

The timing chain broke at about 130,000 miles, and screwed up the transmission.

The starter went out at about 200,000 miles.

Air conditioner has been out since about 200,000 miles. Been told it is the compressor.

The fuel pump went out at 270,000 miles.

Passenger side window will not go down all the way; has been like that for some time.

General Comments:

Overall I have been very happy with this car. I have put a ton of miles on it, because I had job that put a ton of highway miles on it. The car still looks good and does not look like it has the miles, 270,000, that it does have on it.

Would definitely buy another Saturn if they were still in business. Will probably drive it till the wheels fall off.

I have only changed the oil about once every 5,000 miles, and it has worked fine.

Wish I would have got the LS2 for the extra power, but this has decent enough pickup.