Pretty much describes my experience with these cars. They are very predictable, but require a ton of maintenance.
Good advice about Saturn S-Series
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Pretty much describes my experience with these cars. They are very predictable, but require a ton of maintenance.
94,600; '96 SL2 Auto
Yeah, in all those miles:
transmission valve body cover leak
crankcase breather hose
valve cover leak
coolant temperature sensor and harness
trunk wires snapped at harness
window trim
upper motor mount
alternator (70k miles)
serpentine belt @ 70k, then tensioner fails 20k later.
Lovely. Now I'm just curious when the infamous valve body problems will hit me. Or the radiator, hoses, thermostat, and water pump
Yeah, in all those miles:
transmission valve body cover leak
crankcase breather hose
valve cover leak
coolant temperature sensor and harness
trunk wires snapped at harness
window trim
upper motor mount
alternator (70k miles)
serpentine belt @ 70k, then tensioner fails 20k later.
Lovely. Now I'm just curious when the infamous valve body problems will hit me. Or the radiator, hoses, thermostat, and water pump
I had a 1997 SL2 that I bought brand new. Only problem was a "special policy" fuel pump repair that was covered free of charge. Went over 136K before it was sold IIRC. I guess I just got lucky. My wife said she will never buy one because she worked at a Saturn dealership and saw all the problems. I liked that car a lot but not enough to bring one home and then have to sleep in the garage. Although this is a 'fridge' out there...hmmm....and tools and I could set-up a TV....
JHZR2
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dont the later saturns have the ecotec engines that have been trouble free and a pretty good design???
JMH
JMH
Yes, but the older Saturns were pretty flaky. Really makes me wonder why they were so popular.
I'll still take one over a '96 Corolla or Civic, any day.
But at the same time, some of the repairs you must make to those things are ridiculous. Motor mount failure, crankcase breather hose, and transmission leak before 50k miles? Alternator after 70k? Trunk wires snapping before 70k? Nuts. This isn't a VW.
JMH- engines are fine. Just keep the oil topped up.
I'm just curious when the radiator, water pump, fuel pump, and transmission valve body will hit me.
But at the same time, some of the repairs you must make to those things are ridiculous. Motor mount failure, crankcase breather hose, and transmission leak before 50k miles? Alternator after 70k? Trunk wires snapping before 70k? Nuts. This isn't a VW.
JMH- engines are fine. Just keep the oil topped up.
I'm just curious when the radiator, water pump, fuel pump, and transmission valve body will hit me.
FUD.
Some Saturns burned oil. Of the four I've owned, one did consume. The other three did not. The '91 base model had 185K on it and didn't burn any. My current '96 SL2 has 159K, burns no oil (assuming I'm not using 20wt synth).
Yes, they do require *some* maintenance, as do all cars. but nothing that a couple hundred bucks per year can fix. And it's easy to fix most things in this car. I'd rather teach my daughter how to check her oil on a Saturn than how to do the same on a car with 3 miles of vacuum lines in the engine bay. It's VERY simple to DIY on these things.
As these cars age (the last one rolled off the assembly line back in '02) it will have an image of "well, they turned out to be junk, right Elmer?!" Wrong. The fact that these cars are in demand on the bottom-feeder end of the automotive spectrum proves the point that they last a long while.
To avoid oil consumption, use LC early in it's life. This will keep the bottom rings from locking to the piston. Probably too late for 99.5% of the Saturns on the road.
As for the insinuation that the daughter not being able to service the car...how many daughters actually service their own car? Geez Louise! C'mon already.
I'm not saying these are great cars as they are not. They are solid, cheap and reliable. Given that they are reliable, why should a mom worry about getting one of these for her daughter?
Just add this to the "Pennzoil causes a waxy buildup inside my engine" heap of FUD topics.
Using Mobil 1 0w-20 in my 96 now with a K&N filter. 40+MPG. Life is good.
Some Saturns burned oil. Of the four I've owned, one did consume. The other three did not. The '91 base model had 185K on it and didn't burn any. My current '96 SL2 has 159K, burns no oil (assuming I'm not using 20wt synth).
Yes, they do require *some* maintenance, as do all cars. but nothing that a couple hundred bucks per year can fix. And it's easy to fix most things in this car. I'd rather teach my daughter how to check her oil on a Saturn than how to do the same on a car with 3 miles of vacuum lines in the engine bay. It's VERY simple to DIY on these things.
As these cars age (the last one rolled off the assembly line back in '02) it will have an image of "well, they turned out to be junk, right Elmer?!" Wrong. The fact that these cars are in demand on the bottom-feeder end of the automotive spectrum proves the point that they last a long while.
To avoid oil consumption, use LC early in it's life. This will keep the bottom rings from locking to the piston. Probably too late for 99.5% of the Saturns on the road.
As for the insinuation that the daughter not being able to service the car...how many daughters actually service their own car? Geez Louise! C'mon already.
I'm not saying these are great cars as they are not. They are solid, cheap and reliable. Given that they are reliable, why should a mom worry about getting one of these for her daughter?
Just add this to the "Pennzoil causes a waxy buildup inside my engine" heap of FUD topics.
Using Mobil 1 0w-20 in my 96 now with a K&N filter. 40+MPG. Life is good.
Funny, the newest car I've seen with anything close to 3 miles of vacuum lines in the engine bay is a 1988 Honda Accord...about 20 of them, all numbered as I recall.
70K for an alternator and the other problems people have mentioned qualifies as "reliable"? Sorry, but I have to disagree. 190K on my Ford with original engine, trans, alternator, starter, water pump, master cylinder, etc. is reliable.
You'll have just as many people say they are reliable as say they aren't. My wife says they are horrible but a friend of mine who worked for a Saturn dealer in Orlando said they are really reliable. So...? Who is right? My personal experience is that my SL2 was rock solid, great MPG, and relatively quick for what it was (5 speed manual DOHC). Mine was easy to work on and never used any oil. My friend did say that the timing chain failures of the late 90's all seemed to result from a lack of maintenance as the timing chain is fed oil from a small orifice and any lack of maintenance would eventually cause a restriction in that orifice and a subsequent timing chain failure. Sort of a design problem but never seemed to happen to people that maintained their vehicle.
I had a '92 SC, bought it in 1998 with 51,000 miles. It bit the dust at 186k in 2004. The clutch went and since we had two newer cars we got rid of it.
Yeah the car burned oil. About 1 qt/1,200 miles. Didn't noticeably smoke and never failed emissions, and that was a simple issue to stay on top of.
That was the only real "problem" the car ever had. I replaced a wheel bearing or two, one alternator, one power steering pump. Aside from regular oil changes that was it. It drove great, strong engine, excellent transmission, got ~33 mpg, and still looked remarkably good into it's 12th year on the road.
jeff
Yeah the car burned oil. About 1 qt/1,200 miles. Didn't noticeably smoke and never failed emissions, and that was a simple issue to stay on top of.
That was the only real "problem" the car ever had. I replaced a wheel bearing or two, one alternator, one power steering pump. Aside from regular oil changes that was it. It drove great, strong engine, excellent transmission, got ~33 mpg, and still looked remarkably good into it's 12th year on the road.
jeff
My daughter's 99 SL2 runs great. Pretty much all major parts are original. However, it does use a quart every 1200 miles. I must keep an eye on that.
I am in the rinse cycle of an ARX treatment & I will do the 2nd treatment and follow the directions to a "T".
I can only speak for my experience with Saturns, this one is a very dependable, low maintenance vehicle. (Knock on wood).
I am in the rinse cycle of an ARX treatment & I will do the 2nd treatment and follow the directions to a "T".
I can only speak for my experience with Saturns, this one is a very dependable, low maintenance vehicle. (Knock on wood).
Sorry, I can't edit. The 99 SL2 has 102K miles.
They're dandy cars and cheap too if you buy directly, private party, from someone who thinks adding an occasional quart of oil is ghetto and a sign of impending disaster.
However, dealers love the cars as they don't dent, clean up nicely, and they sell them for a bunch of money to people who want "something cute" then those same people are suprised at the little details a 10 year old car needs. As the money invested increases, humor goes out the window and anger sets in.
It is an odd question, would you rather go in the shop twice a year at $200 a pop or once a year for $2000? Some people would rather do the once a year thing; it depends on what your time is worth I guess.
The person who started that thread on another BBS bought the car less than a week before their kid went off to college in another state... bad scenario for working the bugs out.
However, dealers love the cars as they don't dent, clean up nicely, and they sell them for a bunch of money to people who want "something cute" then those same people are suprised at the little details a 10 year old car needs. As the money invested increases, humor goes out the window and anger sets in.
It is an odd question, would you rather go in the shop twice a year at $200 a pop or once a year for $2000? Some people would rather do the once a year thing; it depends on what your time is worth I guess.
The person who started that thread on another BBS bought the car less than a week before their kid went off to college in another state... bad scenario for working the bugs out.
Very good point.
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