6th Jun 2001, 12:42

Burns a quart of oil every 1000 miles? Get ready for a very expensive piston ring failure. My 95 is in the shop right now, after previously having the following: auto transmission rebuilt, new alternator (and battery that was killed by dead alternator), new cylinder head, oil pan gasket, electrical problems, leaking door seal. Right now, there is so much oil in the combustion chamber, it is un-driveable. This, on a car with 87000 miles on it. I have a Honda with 130000 miles, an Acura with 177000 miles, and a Pontiac with 105000 miles, and none have had this many problems. I can't wait to sell this lemon, if I can.

6th Jul 2001, 14:58

As the owner of a 95 Saturn SL1, I agree with the 'crappy kind of car' comment. With 140,000 kilometers, the car has cost me its purchase price in repairs.

And they are so economical: in fact I get better oil mileage than probably any other car on the market (it burns oil faster than gas) prior to this car, I owned a 89 Ford Festiva which ran circles around the Saturn in terms of cost to operate and reliability. And before that, my first car, a 1974 Austin Mini, which beats the heck out of both of them.

Because of the Saturn experience, I will never buy another North American car.

31st Jul 2001, 23:01

I have a 95 SL1 with 140k miles on it and it runs absolutely wonderfully! The ONLY gripe I have is that it eats alternators. Other than that, it still get's upwards of 35 mpg. Still the original clutch, got it's first set of brakes at 90k miles (amazing since I live in southern california). Put some high performance Michelin tires on it and it handles great! I'd certainly buy another one...

2nd Aug 2001, 22:14

I have a 95 SL1 with 210,000km's and the car runs the same as the day I bought it, beautiful!

17th Aug 2001, 11:10

95 SL1 with 67k, not anywhere near a reliable as expected, have replaced the EEG valve, idle tension pulley, speedometer, struts, started leaking oil shortly after the warranty expired, dealer wanted $2100 to repair, wrote a letter to Saturn, they were not interested. The alternator is starting to whine, the seats have lost their support and are sagging, the hood release handle fell apart in my hand.

What disappoints me is that I pamper my vehicles, I drive them very conservatively and perform all required preventive maintenance before required intervals. I easily get in excess of 120k on all of my cars (I currently have 3). This car is not high quality. I will never purchase another Saturn again.

20th Sep 2001, 18:52

I have a 1993 SL2 and I would certainly not have bought it through choice! It is a piece of junk, the transmission jumps out of 2nd AND 3rd on occasion. When the air con is on, it is quicker to walk!

We have replaced the cat, alternator, engine mount, and brakes.

The interior has fallen to bits (we actually have gaffer tape holding the transmission cover on as well as the right hand side door trim!).

These cars are absolute junk. The oil consumption is horrific/I need a refinery in my driveway! They are also too low and very difficult to get in and out of.

I have also been quoted $835 to replace the front windshield!!

Stay away, these vehicles should be given away with a packet of cereal only!

29th Sep 2001, 02:04

I have a 95 Saturn SL with 205,000KM. Just replaced the engine. Cylinder head cracked. My maintenance has been poor so I can't complain too much.

The door seals leak and the seats have a sharp metal frame that has cut through the upholstery.

The suspension makes awful noises and even before the engine failed it sucked back half a quart of oil every tank. On the good side. I still get 35 mpg.

The rear brakes are original (unbelievable). Front brakes are almost as amazing.

Just changed the clutch. Had to replace the clutch slave at about 180,000Km. All in all not bad, but I won't buy another one.

27th Feb 2002, 23:24

I have 3 Saturns (1993 SL1: 113,000mi, 1994 SL: 283,000mi and a 1999 SL2 :106,000mi) and love them all. Great and reliable.

I have to agree that the service department is in-courteous and a ripoff. I ususally do my own car work, but I needed the serpentine belt replaced on my daughter's car and had no time. Had Saturn do the repair and now the car squeals. Started squealing when we picked it up. Was told it would quiet down after a couple of days. Called back and was told it was probably the tensioner and would be charged a diagnostic fee that would be applied to the $160 charge to replace the tensioner!!! Ridiculous since they likely broke it. Car will sit until the weekend and I will do it myself. Never again will I let Saturn Service touch my cars!!!

Other than the complaint about the service department, Saturns are a great car.

15th Oct 2002, 11:04

I have a 1996 SL with 80K and just found out that the cylinder head is cracked. There is oil in my radiator and it is bubbling out of my coolant tank. I found out that Saturns have been experiencing this type of problem and there is a technical service bulletin about this very problem. I found out that Saturn extended the warranty for fixing this problem. Unfortunately, the car is 6.5 years old from the time I bought it new (although I am well under the 100k). I am going to fight to have Saturn fix it for free, but I fear they will tell me to take a hike.

1st Nov 2002, 07:45

We have a 95 SL1 also. The amount of maintenance needed since the warranty ran out is very low. We forced the dealer to repair the steering linkage under warranty when they finally agreed with us that it was the problem they were NOT fixing the whole time in warranty.

However, I am really upset with the service department (Gaithersburg MD). They ALWAYS want to replace the electronic ignition module due to one corroded contact - $171. The contact always corrodes again. My wife took the car in and they replaced brand new ignition module, spark plug wires, and spark plugs (She did not ask me before allowing these).

We started burning oil also. I suspect valve seals. After reading these comments, I'll remind her to keep the oil up. I told her to get valve seals replaced by dealer this time, but she did not.