Faults:

I have owned 3 Saturn cars, and my mother has also owned 3 of them as well.

The first one she owned had 225xxx miles on it when she bought it from a local lemon stand in Bakersfield Ca. She gave the car to me when she purchased one with less miles on it. The one she gave me was very reliable as long as you remember to put oil in the car about three times a day. The car literally shot clouds of black smoke out the tail pipe every time you gave it gas. I figured it was just because of the high miles that it had on it.

The plastic part on the radiator is also a problem I have had several times with my Saturn cars. It cracks and begins leaking water, but usually stays drivable for a long time if you just carry oil and jugs of water everywhere you go.

I drove the crap out of that poor little car, and it never broke down.

My second Saturn had no oil consumption at all, but had the same radiator crack. I think it cost around a hundred bucks to have a new piece put on.

Now I have a 98 SL2 that burns about 2 qts every 3000 miles. Runs like a champ as long as you check the oil. So I don't think all Saturns have oil problems, I think it is just the luck of the draw.

General Comments:

Very cheap interior... no comfort at all... but when you can find one for 2000 bucks, it will be worth it if you ain't got a crap load of money to waste on a gas guzzler... this thing will get 37 mpg if you go the speed limit on the highway.

Faults:

Timing chain went at 96000 miles.

The speakers blew at 98000 miles.

The engine light will come on at random times (about twice a year for about a week).

General Comments:

My Saturn has +105K miles and it runs great.

I was able to reach 100mph the other day with this car. A word of caution - DO NOT GO 100MPH IN THIS CAR. The car will start to shake violently. It was not made to go this fast, but the point I'm trying to make is it CAN go this fast.

I haven't had any major problems with this car, and I get great gas mileage. If you keep up on the oil changes and other regular maintenance, I imagine this car can last till +200K miles.

Faults:

I bought this car a month ago in 2009 for $1400 from a dealership. They paid $1000 for it.

It needed tires soon and the rotors shook at times.

The headliner was cut up but not sagging.

The check engine light was on.. code said Cam Position Sensor. It HAS no such thing! That meant I had to spend endless hours and attempts to diagnose and repair. It was an indication of spark issue. Could have been as simple as a bad plug wire. Who knows!

The air conditioning was still pretty cold and it drove nice... very comfortable seats and driving position for me.

The SL2 tires were pricey at $400 a set. I sold it to Carmax after unexpected bills came up. I did not want the hassle of people wanting me to give it to them for free... it only had 89K miles and that wasn't going to happen. I bought it with all the items mentioned.

When I drove it the day I bought it... engine and tranny were as smooth as could be. The day I drove it to Carmax the transmission shifted down "hard" and sooner than normal when slowing to a stop. It also shifted "harder" and later on acceleration. The service engine soon light was still on. Odd, since it acted perfectly the first time the light was on. After my appraisal of $1200, I went to get some food and when I went back to the car the service engine soon light went out... darn it! Then the transmission shifted perfectly again.

I just hope whoever gets it next has no problems with it. My verdict is still out on it. It was pretty and comfortable and drove really nice. My concerns over the way the engine and transmission are electrically tied together nowadays leads me to not want ANY car! Thankfully my 94 Corsica with 180K is still running great on the original four cylinder automatic.

General Comments:

The styling was pretty and the upholstery was pretty and comfortable. It was pretty quiet for a small car too. Seemed to be good on gas.