20th Aug 2006, 20:06

I had the same problem with the rusting muffler bracket at around 140,000 km. I also had clear coat start peeling from the spoiler at the same time. Other than that, the car has nothing more than regular maintenance. Second owner @ 50,000 KM Currently 178,000 km. Feels down on power. Looking to replace.

6th Sep 2006, 02:41

1998 Saturn SC1 55,600 miles

Cracked Head, broken emergency brake, peeling paint on the rear spoiler, brakes that squeak (Saturn told me that's how they were made), sluggish engine, bad wipers, plastic bits pop off every year...

You get what you pay for. I'm getting a Honda next time.

10th Mar 2007, 00:23

Also had problems with head cracking on my Saturn. After numerous other problems, junked it and bought a Toyota.

10th Jun 2007, 10:06

My 98 sc2 was bought with 58,000 miles with new Dayton tires.I repaired the valve cover gasket at 62k. I had to adj. the rear brakes at 68k.[the pedal was getting low].The car failed to start twice. Once after a fill up and another when the temp. was 32deg f. I replace the exhaust system at 75k.The brand new Dayton tires cupped at 77k.The car gets 35mpg.

I would like to know if would be OK to change the tires to say a 195/65/15 or taller.I don't like the 195/60/15s that are on now. Maybe even if you could put 205/70/15s???

18th Jun 2007, 13:59

I bought my SC1 at 98,000 miles, the only things that needed replacing were the spark plugs and the wires. Other than that, I've had no problems at all with the car; though the oil filter is a pain to remove...

24th Jul 2007, 14:39

I have a 98 SC that I got from my wife, it has 148k on it and I drive it everywhere. It's been from the east coast to the west coast 10 times, and the only problem that I've had is the spoiler peeling, and the brake pedal dropping down low to the floor.

It's an American Mercedes, and I've topped out at 118 mph, so who ever wrote that it's governed for 105 is wrong.

Thanks Saturn for building a very dependable car.

22nd Nov 2007, 11:18

Hi, I bought a used 1998 Saturn 4 door plain Jane off of a relative and love the fuel economy compared to my Chevy pick up at 12 miles to the gallon. The problem I have with it is it will start fine about 10 times and then out of no where it won't start. The engine will turn over fine, but won't fire or start. I can go out the next day and it will start right up and run great. Might start and run fine for a few more days then the same thing happens. Engine will turn over fine, but won't try to fire. Some times it will do that for the first 2 or 3 tries and then start right up.??? Outside of the starting problem,it's a great car. It's been in the shop for 3 days now and they can't find anything wrong. It has started every time they have tried it. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

21st Dec 2007, 11:42

I am the owner of 2 Saturns - 1998 SC2 - fully loaded and 2000 SL2 - I love both of them. My 2000 was purchased new with 7 miles on it - it now has 218,000+ miles - no major repairs just regular maintenance. My 1998 was purchased used and I did recently put a new motor in it - but same thing - no trouble just a great little car.

12th Feb 2008, 22:32

Front Brake pads worn out at 120000 kilometers.

That's not too bad, they use cheap pads, install good pads, they will last 3 times as long.

21st Apr 2008, 22:20

"Hi, I bought a used 1998 Saturn 4 door plain Jane off of a relative... "

To the poster of the above comment, in regards to the intermittent starting problems...

I've done some reading around, and found a few people with this same problem. Check out this article for the answer to your frustrations! (I hope it's the same for you, LOL)

http://www.aa1car.com/library/saturn04.htm

Hope that helps!

12th Nov 2008, 02:38

I own a 1998 SC2 with 141,000 miles on it. And the only problems I have are the front speakers are blown and the trunk release motor wore out. Great car Saturn!!!

24th Feb 2009, 07:26

I bought a 1998 Saturn SC2, my 2nd car. The only problem I've had was the caliper pins seized up, costing me $200 to fix, considering I put them in myself and it only cost that much because I decided to buy 4 whole new calipers instead of just the pins.

I love my car!! GO SATURN!!

12th Apr 2009, 12:46

I bought a new 1998 SC1 in Nov. of 1997. Currently, it has 108,000 miles on it. I had to have the intake gasket replaced at 85,000 miles. The top motor mount has broken and been replaced twice and the serpentine belt has been replaced once. The clear coat on the spoiler is gone. And about 10 min. ago... my power steering pump blew out... spraying juice everywhere.

I have lowered the car 1" and it rides on 205/40R17's. I have installed a strut tower brace in front and the car now handles great. I have installed a 58mm throttle body, hotter coil packs/plugs/wires, a cold air intake kit, and a "cold weather" chip which allows more fuel at lower rpms. The net gain from the mods is only 15-ish hp... but the throttle response is much, much better. It will never be a "race" car, but it is fun to drive and still gets 27-29 mpg (even after the mods!).

Overall, I've been pleased with the car. Standard maintenance is cheap and the few issues that I've had are not surprising for a car that's almost 12 years old. I have recommended Saturn to my friends and some have taken my advice after seeing how well my car has fared over the years.

9th May 2009, 15:19

I purchased a 1998 Saturn SC-1 in 2005, with ~100,000km on it. Since then, I have driven it to 225,000km. Thus far, it has been a reliable car.

Maintenance: Apart from oil changes every 5000k, at about 180,000k the tensioner for the accessory belt went, and at about 200,000k, the horn stopped working. When the car gets wet (seriously), the wipers tend to have a bit of a mind of their own, and have trouble holding a steady rhythm on intermittent. I have not had this repaired, as they always wipe, just a little bonkers, sometimes. As well, the front passenger seat does not lock into place easily, and after you move it forward to access the back seat, you need to push in the front left quadrant of the seat, move the seat all the way forward, and then all the way back until it clicks. And then hit it, so that the other rail will lock too. The seat also must be unoccupied in order to accomplish this. Pain in the butt, but again, not worth fixing.

Also, recently the coolant started leaking, though I don't know what is causing that, just that I'm having to fill it every two or three days. On the plus side, this means the low coolant level annunciator light/sensor actually work, because I'm relatively certain the fuel one doesn't.

I have personally drive this car through 3 Canadian winters, with not so much as a snow related hiccup. Even though the car is low, it seems to handle the cold and the snow very well.

The ride is terrible. The seats are generally uncomfortable. I'm 5'6" and my spouse is 5'10", and neither one of us likes the seats. The back seats are unbearable. However, people are amazed at how much trunk space I've got. And in a pinch, the rear seats fold almost flat 60/40.

Overall, it's a car. There's absolutely nothing special about it. It gets good (city/highway combined 30mpg) mileage, and when I turn the key, it always runs.