14th Aug 2006, 02:44

I have owned a 1995 Saturn SC-2 (the coupe) for about 5 months and I would say on certain days I love the car and on other days I hate it. As I have read saturn's love their oil and so does mind. Mine drinks at a rate of about a quart every thousand miles. The driver side window works, but, has recently decided to not work. Also the driver door leaks. The parking brake does not stay up so I have to wedge a stick under it to stay up. All this with 160,000 miles on it and on top of that it gets about 300 miles a week on the hills and traffic of Hawaii with the A/C on full blast. Oh, and the A/C is freezing cold at noon in July. So, I would say I pretty satisfied with my car. The only thing replaced has been the clutch which I hear burns out quickly, so, watch out clutch riders.

27th Sep 2006, 19:22

I (wife & daughter) have had (1 still) three Saturns; 2 '94' SC2's, 1 auto & 1 manual, & 1 '96' SL1.

Still in operation, with +-190k, is the 94 SC2 with manual trans. The other SC2 was totaled, teen daughter vs speed, wet road, stone wall & telephone pole. I believe the car's engineering + a lot of luck is the reason my daughter survived the crash. Along that line the '96 SL1 was reared by a Dakota 4x4 pickup (daughter was stopped to turn into a shopping lot) hit @ +- 20/30 mph, the Dakota was towed. The SL1, rear crashed, replaced the damaged bulbs (lens assembly totaled) & drove it home... to be declared totaled by the insurance company... Another tale of fortitude.

The misc repairs required on these vehicles have encompassed +- 160k miles amongst the three (purchased used with average start miles of 90k), have been "driveway" performed & include:

CV shafts, radiator, radiator overflow tank, plugs & wires, top motor mount, belt tensioner assembly, idler pulley, serpentine belt, alternator, starter, full exhaust, brakes (including rotors & pads) and what I'll term a headache problem. The sunroof track assembly, fatigued part(s), not cost feasible to repair.

Otherwise, acknowledging the difficulties in making various repairs and, it/the (seems to be) wild card problem, oil consumption, I believe the Saturn to be an overall reliable vehicle. And would/do recommend the Saturn line repeatedly. Please note, I have owned (own still) several previously owned Chevys, Fords & Mopars, and consider the Saturn (personal experience 1994-1996) an overall quality vehicle with a very good / excellent reliability history.

20th Dec 2006, 19:33

My father recently gave me his 1995 Saturn sc2. It has 215,000 miles, and looks great still. However, lately the car has been dying on me when in idle, or taking off from a stand still, it is a manual transmission. Any ideas?

6th Feb 2007, 08:48

I have a 1995 SC-1 with 102,000 miles. The repairs I've had to make (besides the usual maintenance items like tires, brakes, oil changes, tune-ups, etc.) include: alternator (at 80,000 miles), motor mounts, power steering pump (at 69,000 miles.), driver's door lock, serpentine belt (3x, at 30,000 Mi; 56,000 miles.& 102,000 miles), electronic ignition module (at 46,000 miles). The most expensive single repair would have to be the valve body, then transmission at 90,000 miles. This car was bought new, has been gently driven by me, garage kept and all routine service and maintenance done completely on schedule.

My daughter had a 1995 SL-2, bought used, and only owned it for less than a year before the transmission was doing the same thing as my SC. We took it to two different mechanics/shops and were told it needed at least a valve body, possibly a transmission if the valve body replacement didn't fix the problem.

My Saturn was a great value when I purchased it and still looks great at 12 years old, but I'm disappointed at the extensive repairs.

10th Jun 2007, 20:39

If the car stalls at idle after you have just slowed down change the EGR Valve. If it is sticking it will kill the engine at idle intermittantly. Good luck Just bought one it was $86.00.

16th Oct 2007, 16:58

I have a 1995 Saturn and was wondering how many motor mounts does it have? I found one at the right front, and it looks easy to remove; is it so? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you,

Bill.

20th Oct 2007, 15:38

My brother owns a 95 saturn. Same problem as a few mentioned here. He has no tension in the belts and I believe the belt tensioner needs to be replaced. How do I go about doing this?

31st Oct 2007, 15:19

I own a 96 SC2 with almost 263,000 miles with minimal repairs.

Water Pump, 3 Serpentine Belts, Belt Tensioner, Brakes. Original everything else, including clutch!. It does use a quart between changes. Now it has developed an intermittent electrical problem that all I do while driving is wiggle the ignition harness, & the Service light goes out, & the car will start after shutting off & the driver window will work. I know this is just a temporary fix. Anyone have the same experience? Thanks.

19th Nov 2007, 22:14

I have the same problem as this guy:

"The car has had constant electrical problems related to the inside fuse panel (under the dash and radio). The car has refused to start many, many times due to this, but eventually did after wiggling a wire or unmounting the entire fuse panel. However, there are no charred or burn or pitted contacts, no cracks in the panel itself, and everything seems to come in contact with its respective wire and fuse."

But now my problem is the wire is really messed up auto store just stripped it and stuck bare wires in there. SO it comes out and dies while I am driving anyone know how to fix the problem!!

15th Feb 2008, 13:19

I own a 1995 Saturn SC2 5 speed.

I know the Saturn 1.9 DOHC motor inside and out. Yes, they tend to burn oil, but only because of you the owners. The oil cap says 5w30. Putting a heavier weight oil in it causes it to pass the rings and you start your drinking oil. If you take care of your Saturn, it shouldn't give any problems.

The only problem I have is my clutch went out, but that's due to my driving.

A Saturn is a good everyday car that gets great fuel mileage, and still has a little power behind it.

And the oil change, it's not that hard. Just like any oil change on any other car. Complaining about a hard to get filter and saying you should throw your money away for someone else... I've definitely changed something harder than that.

1st May 2008, 10:19

I own a 1997 Saturn SL. Best car I have ever owned. I brought it new and now have over 193,000 miles on it.

Only thing negative I can say about it is; Yes it uses a quart of oil every thousand miles and the alternator has a bearing noise which has not been a reason to replace it.

I still have the original clutch and its working just fine.

I liked it so much I got one just like it for my daughter, it runs great as well.

I take care of it myself would love to get another if they were still being made.