Anyone have experience with Saturns?

[violacleff]

I posted a thread a while ago about finding a decent car for 2k. Someone suggested older Saturns as they quickly lose their value. I have a budget of 3k to spend on a car now and was wondering if there is any particular model that I should look for or avoid. And at what mileage do they start to crap out?

[b__sosick]

I have friends with saturns and they've had nothing but trouble with them. I wish I had taken the time to find out what models they have, but alas they are saturns and my brain automatically ignored them.

with 3k in your pocket, why not get something that has been proven to be reliable through the years? Maybe a toyota corolla/camry or a honda civic?

 

here's a 2002 honda accord in bayview

http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/car/165448611.html

for 3000.

 

 

here's a 96 civic in santa cruz

http://www.craigslist.org/sby/car/165448665.html

 

"1996 Honda Civic For Sale..2-door black coupe,standard,140,000 miles,cd player...gets GOOD gas milage & runs GREAT.."

 

 

 

a 91 accord for 2300

http://www.craigslist.org/eby/car/165435304.html

 

here's my favorite that i found whilst searching.

92 civic hatch 5 spd. mountain view area, 2500 OBO. buy this!

http://www.craigslist.org/pen/car/164894925.html

 

 

 

 

 

and if you absolutely HAVE to get a saturn, here's one in san leandro for 3000.

http://www.craigslist.org/eby/car/165441007.html

 

it's actually pretty clean and in decent shape...but come on man. it's a saturn!

[Doug71zt]

three words - Saturn cylinder head. Give it a google - you may find that other makes would be a better bet.

 

Cheers

 

Doug

[zeeboost]

Every Used Vehicle Inspection I've done on a Saturn has always ended up being wholesaled, which means there were so many problems for the Used Car Department to fix, that after the repairs it wouldn't be worth trying to sell for profit. In fact, some of the problems I remember from the last Saturn with 115,000 miles include: tachometer not functional, water temp gauge not functional, motor mounts were shot, clutch was badly slipping, front main seal leaking, and a few other things I can't remember. In fact, I remember I had it idling by my lift while I was writing an estimate to repair all of the problems I found, when it started spewing coolant everywhere. In short, my experience with Saturns (pre-owned) has caused me to steer away from them. Just like what Brandon said, I would stick with what works -- Honda/Toyota/Nissan.

[Kevin.pk]

ive had a saturn for the past 4 years and it is actually pretty reliable... i have no complaints other than the complete lack of style... mine is a 96 sl2... i got the car when i was 16 and im 20 now.... this car should have blown up a long time ago considering how much this car was ragged on when i was 16... i'm more mature now and the car is plenty reliable... ive put 60k miles on it.. got it at 55k.... if you just looking for a run of the mill daily driver it will do the trick.... it isnt the most comfortable ride though.... a few squeaks and such.

 

kevin

[DavyZ]

A mechanic I spoke with in the past said to avoid the SL1 series cars---nothing but trouble there. The SL2 cars are better.

 

He also suggested buying a used Honda or Toyota if I could find one.

 

Davy

[violacleff]

Well I'm not dead set on saturns, but someone had suggested them in a post a few months ago before I bought the corolla. A few here had suggested some american brands over Japanese because of the markup on Japanese cars. 2002 accord for 3k. Almost seems like that car would go for much more. I'll be looking at CL more intently.

 

As far a civic go, I kinda wanted a little bit larger of a car, due to the fact that I've been in so many accidents in the past 2 years, I'm not really comfortable in a hatch anymore.

[331CI 280z]

I purchased an '01 Saturn with 40k for $5,000 for my mother 3 years ago. The only problem was an intake gasket failure, and it currently has 125k. She also averages 37 MPG.

[veritech-z]

I work at a saturn dealership, and the early s cars are generally reliable, but any major repair quickly approaches the value of the car. AC compressor is nearly $700, alternator is $300, and so on. Coolant temp sensors, top motor mounts, and cooling fans are known problems. That said, one of our techs has a 95 SC2 (2 door twin cam) that dynoed at 329whp with a homemade turbo and megasquirt...

[Mike kZ]

In 94, I bought a 93 SL2 saturn it had 17K and I drove it to 100K. Sold it to a freind who drove it to 200K, then sold it again. The only thing I noticed is that it burned a 1/2 to 1 quart of oil between changes. Very reliable car for me.

[Okimoto]

There are 3 in my driveway. My brother has one also.

 

97 SL2 Parts Car 120k

96 SL2 5 speed 120k

95 SL2 Auto 100k

Brother owns the 93 5 speed SL2 with 250k on it.

 

The 93 is the fastest, it had factory headers and was just faster than the other ones for some reason.

 

The one thing these cars have in common: They all seem to burn oil. I had a 91 saturn that didnt burn oil, but it had electrical problems. the 91 was just as fast as the 93. I blew the engine in the 96 after an injector failed and caused a lean burn condition in the aluminum engine. I bought the 97 and swapped the engine from that to the 96.

 

By the way, I hate saturns. the only reason my family has them was because my dad bought them. For the price, I guess they're ok and they're easier to work on than a honda of the same yr, but I still dont like em. I'd rather drive a bentley or a porsche than a saturn.

 

Will trade the 97 and 96 for someone to complete the bodywork, cheap paint job, frame repair, and rust repair on the z. haha.

 

[edit] If you buy a saturn, feel free to take my parts car.

[Guest rottenbananna-z]

my first post. I have the strippy version 99 saturn SL. 1 cam, 5- speed no Power steering, manual locks, manual windows, am/fm only. I'm at 115,000 and have replaced 1 o2 sensor and 1 battery. first set of brakes at 90,000 and tires at 100,000. This is the best car i have ever owned. My boss has a loaded SL2 of the same year and it is a pile of crap. Get a basic model that dosnt have PS, PDL, sun roof, cruise control. Less to maintain and repair. My SL weigs 2340lbs, exactly the same as my 240z and gets 35-41 mpg.