Faults:
Within the first week of ownership the car started bucking, and I ended up having to replace my catalytic converter.
Moldings around windows started to hang off.
Passenger side power window started to make a grinding noise, which the dealer told me would cost $330 to fix. It's been that way ever since of course.
Muffler needed replacement around 140,000k.
Car started to accelerate very poorly at this point, often causing me to have to hold down on the clutch longer than I should have. The car also would run worse once it was hot... which is another thing, the car started running too hot.
Seat back on driver's seat broke in half while reaching into my pocket for toll money. I'm not a big guy. It's just a flimsy crappy seat.
Blew another catalytic converter at around 150,000...followed by the clutch.
New coolant recovery system just days later.
Car still ran poorly, mechanic tore apart the whole drive-train to determine the problem. He couldn't find any. Car still runs poorly; unsteady, shaky, weak, and makes a weird sizzling noise like microwaved bacon after you shut it off. Emissions smell horrible.
Felt on ceiling now hangs... required stapling, thus guaranteeing that my car now looks as shabby as it runs.
Air conditioning ceased to hold freon, cost to fix leaks: $400. Needless to say, I'm driving without AC, since I see no reason to invest one more dime into this thing.
Yet another catalytic converter at 155,000! (luckily covered by a warranty)
Death of the coolant fan just last week... followed hours later by the latest in the extravaganza of automotive headache... the humble fuel tank gauge now dances wildly, thus preventing me from knowing if I have any gas.
General Comments:
This car looked nice at first, and drove nice as well. Most people I know with Saturns have been happy with the product. It was more sporty than my previous '84 Accord, and had more guts. But everything changed within days.
This car has cost me more money in the three years I've owned it than buying the thing to begin with. My repair costs are currently a total of $3500, and this does not include the repairs which I am simply avoiding now because I've learned to hate the car so much. (AC seals, coolant fan, driver's seatback, hanging window frames, passenger window, fuel gauge, and ceiling felt)
The only parts of this car which haven't given me a headache are the power locks and the trunk release.
The car is a piece of work to drive, and wears me out physically. the sluggish, oddly shaky acceleration couples with the broken seatback, the lack of AC and the constant threat of overheating to make each trip an ordeal.
This car is just crap. It has no redeeming qualities. It isn't charming, it's not fun to drive. It's not stylish. It isn't comfortable. It's just el sucko. the interior is a collection of noisy plastic parts which grind together and vibrate. It's jittery and just plain unpleasant.
Some people seem to like their 1992 Saturns, so maybe I have a lemon. Either way, I hate this car with a seething passion which I have never felt for an inanimate object before. I curse the day I chose it, and I wish I weren't dirt poor, because all I want now in the world is an old 80's Honda Accord Wagon.
If I believed in G-d I would pray that this car magically turns into one tomorrow morning. But I know that I will be going to work in this piece of junk for the rest of my foreseeable life.
Someone please kill me.
21st May 2003, 18:18
This car had 130,000 miles on it when you bought it. What did you expect?!