1998 Saturn SL2 66k miles, what it's worth?

[Thermo1223]

Just a open ended question for the open-minded on here.

It is Grandma's car which she finally agreed to stop driving(praise ______ ). She rarely drove the thing when she was. I'd drive it for a few days here & there to fill the gas tank so it had fresh gas. I honestly would be shocked if she got over 1000 miles a year on it. I had Walmart change the oil years ago and I bet based on mileage it is still sitting in there.

Going to look at it again today so I can take pictures and such. It always had no problems except a sticky idle air control valve. It sometimes would idle high in gear. Shiny paint, no dents although I bet on age alone it will need new tires. Now is it worth replacing them before selling or should I just tell the next owner to worry about it. They have plenty of tread but on age they must be close to 8 years old.

I was thinking $3500 isn't a bad price maybe start at $4000 and let them haggle a bit? Thoughts?

 

[eljefino]

If you start low and it sells in an hour you're out a bit. If you start high and it doesn't sell you can always lower the price. The issue you will run into are most saturn buyers are cheap, cheap, cheap and won't pay extra for a cream puff. In fact most search based on price and if you're above their cutoff your ad will be invisible. If you have a nice spot of road frontage that will get eyeballs that might be a good place to put it.

Occasional high idle is most likely the TPS and it won't throw a code. Shut car off, restart. Normal idle= TPS issue.

 

[Thermo1223]

Yup that is exactly it...if you shut off it resets. Maybe I'll grab a TPS and throw it in.

 

[SLCraig]

That car is worth nowhere near $3500.
I found one on the local classifieds for $1500 (62K miles or so) and I was hoping to get it for a grand.

I'd just take the throttle body off and IAC and MAP and clean all those parts, they are probably gunked up from low miles /probably not many highway miles.

Also, get the oil changed, and monitor consumption. If you get it of course.

 

[sciphi]

Any new drivers in the family? It would make a decent first car for a new driver. Well, if you're inclined to go that route.

 

[Thermo1223]

No new drivers(well none that have money to pay her). It never burned oil when I monitored it years prior.

Granted the used classified ads here have them at $4-5k on dealer lots however craigslist seems to be hovering no higher than $2500 so you may have a point.

 

[Turk]

I bought "Creampuff", from a 89 year old Lady, never driven in the snow/ice, which had 36k miles, 20 oil changes in 33k miles, every receipt, loaded, essentially perfect for $3,000.

 

[LeakySeals]

I don't know all your options, but edmunds.com says $2200 private sale in your area. Expect low-ballers on CL. Rather than use a "3", start with $2900. "driven by Grandma" or "old ladies car" in the description raises eyebrows, a common sales tactic so save that for when you talk to them.

 

[eljefino]

I would definitely mention 66k in the subject. This is rare for a high MPG car: most are driven all over, out of necessity.

I had a SL1 a year ago march with 115k on the clock and this was exciting to those who are driving cars with 180k. I accidentally priced it too low and the emails were ringing off the hook. It also helped that gas shot up 60 cents right when I was selling it.

 

[mpvue]

SL2? I would only pay more than $2K if it was a stick, full power and sunroof and alloys.
yeah, I'm one of those cheap-o saturn buyers

 

[faramir9]

Originally Posted By: Thermo1223
No new drivers(well none that have money to pay her). It never burned oil when I monitored it years prior.

Granted the used classified ads here have them at $4-5k on dealer lots however craigslist seems to be hovering no higher than $2500 so you may have a point.


Used car prices at dealers are insane in the Lehigh Valley. I know; I live 30 miles north of there and keep an eye on dealer listings. Not sure why this is so, but it is; where I live, near the Poconos, prices ain't cheap---but still not as bad as the Valley. Go figure.

$4k will never happen on a private sale for a '98 Saturn SL, even if it's mint. OTOH, it can't hurt to try....Maybe list it $3,495, emphasize LOW LOW miles and the original EPA gas mileage estimate. (24/34) Someone might bite at that; if not you have plenty of room to drop down.

Good luck.

 

[Thermo1223]

All good info and I appreciate it,

It is not a 1998, instead 2000 not that it matters really.

Power locks w/ keyless
Crank Windows
CD player & radio

Pretty sure it doesn't have ABS either. It is kind of an oddball car with those options. I mean why not power windows?

It was dead when I got there, nothing a jump couldn't fix. Battery is new but it was sitting probably 6 months- 1 year with no start. And even with old as [censored] gas it fired right off. A/C worked fine but a squirrel or chipmunk seems to have been storing food items in the hood and on the valve cover. You can hear them rattling around.

I think it should have the rear tires replaced because honestly that dryrot worries me. They must have replaced the fronts in the last year or so and never mentioned it. Gonna clean it up(already pretty clean really), replace the plugs, new air filter, and maybe 2 new rear tires. Then list it and see where I get from there.

As far as fuel economy goes when I borrowed my MIL's SL2 years back on a PA - Myrtle Beach trek even with my lead foot I got 34MPG and with her engine burning 1 qt/1000 miles. So I'd imagine if I slowed down a bit I could have gotten pretty close to 40MPG I bet.

 

[LeakySeals]

The "Saturn rings" heavy oil consumption is common. "you don't know, its Grandma's car"

 

[Thermo1223]

I do know and it does not, I've checked it religiously up until this past year. When she first got it she may have put close to 10k miles on it the first year, then less & less as time wore on. Nah a drop was burned via the rings or otherwise.

I also had a '93 SL1 with 166k that never burned oil, would you like to discredit that as well?

Edit: Not to sound overly defensive as I know they can & will burn copious amounts of oil but I've had 2 out 3 in my life that didn't. So please excuse me if I came off as combative.

 

[LeakySeals]

You misunderstood my dry humor..I thought you said her engine was burning 1 qt/1000 miles in a previous reply. Saturns have a ring issue in those years that can cause consumption...When I quoted "you don't know, its Grandma's car", I meant when you sell if they ask..

 

[Cutehumor]

I just sold a 96 pontiac sunfire 174k 3 speed auto. broken a/c with check engine light on from fuel injector for 1000 bucks. there was a body damage from an accident that didn't get fixed either. emphasized one owner. talked it up. starts everytime, no oil leaks, no coolant leaks, 10k miles on tires, and one owner. I got attacked like crazy on the first day on craigslist. it sold to the first guy who looked at it for full asking price. one guy texted me a lowball offer of 700 bucks, it's "all the money he got". people sell their cars with blown engines on CL for 700 bucks. I wanted to sell the car fast and it sold within 24 hrs. there were other sunfires in my area for around 1200-1500 bucks in my area which were newer 00 and a 02 I think, so I undercut them. two posted on the same day as me.

 

[faramir9]

Originally Posted By: Thermo1223
All good info and I appreciate it,

It is not a 1998, instead 2000 not that it matters really.

Power locks w/ keyless
Crank Windows
CD player & radio

Pretty sure it doesn't have ABS either. It is kind of an oddball car with those options. I mean why not power windows?

It was dead when I got there, nothing a jump couldn't fix. Battery is new but it was sitting probably 6 months- 1 year with no start. And even with old as [censored] gas it fired right off. A/C worked fine but a squirrel or chipmunk seems to have been storing food items in the hood and on the valve cover. You can hear them rattling around.

I think it should have the rear tires replaced because honestly that dryrot worries me. They must have replaced the fronts in the last year or so and never mentioned it. Gonna clean it up(already pretty clean really), replace the plugs, new air filter, and maybe 2 new rear tires. Then list it and see where I get from there.

As far as fuel economy goes when I borrowed my MIL's SL2 years back on a PA - Myrtle Beach trek even with my lead foot I got 34MPG and with her engine burning 1 qt/1000 miles. So I'd imagine if I slowed down a bit I could have gotten pretty close to 40MPG I bet.


The two years between '98 and 2000 will make -some- difference. To a casual buyer looking for cheap wheels, 12 years old sounds better than 14. To a Saturn fan, most know that 2000 brought a refresh---sometimes referred to as a 3rd-generation, though that's not really true. The interior was improved; biggest plus to me is having the horn where it belongs rather than the silly horn buttons on '99 and earlier models. Also the engine tweak for '99 made it a bit quieter, though not by much, and bumped up fuel economy by 1 mpg.

40 mpg highway is quite doable with the SOHC but you would have to hyper-mile or get a good tailwind with the DOHC. On the plus side, you can turn on the a/c with a hefty passenger in the car and still merge and pass safely with the DOHC....

Your combination of features is not that rare. The second of three Saturns I drove was a 2000 SL2, with power locks/RKE but crank windows and no ABS.

As noted upthread you might want to clean the throttle body, then make a point of noting that to prospective buyers. Also maybe a coolant flush, for the same reason.

My 2000 SL2 burned a quart between oil changes, (3-5k) though I traded it in with 69K miles on it so maybe the oil burning issues were yet to come. Too soon to tell on my current 2000 SL1; just got it three weeks ago. Anyone who buys a 12-year-old car, a Saturn SL or both should expect potential oil-burning. Just be sure anyone who takes it for a test drive will see "full" on the dipstick. Also maybe add a bottle of Techron to the gas tank.

If the car is as clean as you say you should get a decent price for it. Have you looked into Carmax? It might be worth a ride to Lancaster to see what they offer, plus burn off some engine gunk.

Have fun.

 

[Thermo1223]

Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
You misunderstood my dry humor..I thought you said her engine was burning 1 qt/1000 miles in a previous reply. Saturns have a ring issue in those years that can cause consumption...When I quoted "you don't know, its Grandma's car", I meant when you sell if they ask..

O I know that is my fault, my mother in law had an SL2 that did burn oil. Currently this SL2 does not...for now lol.

I try to play dumb with people & cars like that but I always end up feeling bad, conscience is a funny thing.

 

[Thermo1223]

It is not 100% nice I did notice once the sun was setting it went through a hail storm. That makes sense since the lehigh valley area had some nasty ones here & there. You have to be within 1 foot of the roof & hood to notice the little dents. It seems a lot of people have expressed interest already and I didn't even put a for sale sign on it. Just word of mouth from a few guys at work & my neighborhood.

I won't lie it is the perfect college car, low enough miles that by the time college is through you should just be peaking 100k if they drive 12k/y.