looking at a Saturn SC2 with MP7 trans-good or bad?

[dwcopple]

how's the trans? I'm aware it has a drain plug and an external filter, but is it reliable? This car has 177K on it. Looking at using it for an errand runner and to keep miles off the RAM lease. Looking to make it to 250K if possible. That could take 8 years or more though

 

[supton]

I don't recall issues with the transmission, but plenty with the motor--well, that they're oil burners. IIRC elejefino says the DOHC tolerates it better, as in it pulls less timing. But both had the same problems with piston rings.

I forget if the they have the same exhaust downpipe, but their are problems in sourcing those. A arms are a problem too, and the car can rust out, despite all its plastic cladding.

IMO 8 years is perhaps too long to ask for. If you can get it for a song, great; but IMO run it until it needs something and then toss out.

 

[spasm3]

What year?

They do burn oil. They had low tension piston rings , which help net great fuel mileage. I've owned a number of saturns, I still have one that i gave to my son for his wife to drive while he is in law school, it has about 75k.

Since you are in Michigan, you will need to check for rust. The main area to check is underneath, in front of the rear wheels. Thats where the trailing arm meets the body. If its rusted out where that meets, the car is toast.

 

[dwcopple]

It's a 2000. I'll go drive by it again this AM and get some pics. I'll look underneath and check for rust. Body is clean. Has new tires. $1100

 

[MONKEYMAN]

On my 99 SL2 around 200k needed lots of things. Transmission mount, struts, etc. Problem is parts. With mounts only OEM worked (if they are still available). Aftermarket was a disaster.

The plus side is these are pretty easy to work on and Saturnfans and YouTube has wealth of info on how to repair and keep them going. My transmission worked like new until sold at 274k. I did use synthetic fluid as recommended at Saturnfans.

In my area Pick-n-Pull had 20 cars to pull parts from year round, but mostly sedans.

 

[Nickdfresh]

The trans is going to depend on the servicing. If it was changed every 30K miles than usually they're fine. If not, it's a roll of the dice. I'd look carefully at the fluid, and if you do end up changing it just use regular Dex II, no syn. I'm assuming you have checked the color?

 

[GSCJR]

I abused my '92 SL2 for about 20 years; got it brand new. AT was serviced every 50k Kms with the cheapest Dexron available at each interval.

IIRC it only had about 190k Kms. when I scrapped it.

It was still working perfectly.

Engine too!

 

[Dave Sherman]

I had a '97 SL2 5-speed. Only issue I had with the trans was one of the shift cable clips popping out on the transmission end in mid fight. Easy to fix, but a PITA to drive when you suddenly lose first and second gear. Word from the parts tech was that sometimes that happened. Some RTV smeared on the clips to glue them in place took care of that. Used ATF, and it was easy to change. There's a dipstick to check it and fill it. Pretty much what was said about the engine is true. My valve cover gasket got crispy in its old age and filled the #1 spark plug well with leaked oil. Once I soaked up the oil to change the spark plugs, the valve cover gasket was easy to replace.

 

[NDL]

As everyone else stated, the engine is an oil burner. That said, on the highway, the SOHC version is a consistent 40MPG oil burner

.

The transmission was great; nary a hiccup - ever.

When we got rid of ours, it had 160k on the clock. We only got rid of it, to get something larger.

 

[atikovi]

On a $1000 car, if it lasts 6 months you got your monies worth out of it.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by atikovi
On a $1000 car, if it lasts 6 months you got your monies worth out of it.

There's something true about that. For me, I typically price out 10c/mile depreciation, so if that $1k got me 10,000 miles with no repairs... might not be the cheapest car I ever had but in the end, that's not a bad cost per mile.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted by NDL
As everyone else stated, the engine is an oil burner. That said, on the highway, the SOHC version is a consistent 40MPG oil burner

.

The transmission was great; nary a hiccup - ever.

When we got rid of ours, it had 160k on the clock. We only got rid of it, to get something larger.

Was the use of MMO necessary for that? I can't remember in oil or just for a weekend rings soack?

 

[dwcopple]

Nevermind guys. Spoke to the owner yesterday and after explaining that I would only be interested if we were under $1K out of pocket for me he politely declined. Said it needed a new passenger front wheel hub assembly too. Not worth it. Driver's seat was a mess and would need replaced or re-stitched and covered with something. Oh well. I'll keep looking.

 

[atikovi]

Just noticed you're in MI. Bet the subframe on that was like swiss cheese. If I was looking for a cheap ride to keep long term, I'd go south to find one.

 

[dwcopple]

Originally Posted by atikovi
Just noticed you're in MI. Bet the subframe on that was like swiss cheese. If I was looking for a cheap ride to keep long term, I'd go south to find one.

nope. it was fine. just surface corrosion.

 

[littlehulkster]

Originally Posted by dwcopple
how's the trans? I'm aware it has a drain plug and an external filter, but is it reliable? This car has 177K on it. Looking at using it for an errand runner and to keep miles off the RAM lease. Looking to make it to 250K if possible. That could take 8 years or more though

Never heard of much trouble with those transmissions. As everyone else has said, the engines burn oil. You CAN fix it, temporarily, but the cost isn't worth it and ultimately the problem will just come back sooner or later. I'd just keep a case of dino juice on hand to top off.

That said, it doesn't seem to hurt reliability much. They're actually pretty solid cars. IMO, the much maligned plastic bodies on them are actually a really good idea, protecting the cars from parking lot mishaps and body rust. The twin cams were even pretty sporty for their day. They actually won a couple SCCA stock championships in their class. The original Saturns were a pretty compelling product in a lot of ways, but they eventually got kneecapped by GM politics and the brand was left to die. They're still a good car if you want a cheap beater. It's going to cost you more to run than your average Corolla, but it's also going to cost you a lot less to buy.