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Saturn S-Series

1418 messages,  Last post on Sep 11, 2012 at 4:19 PM

You are in the Saturn S-Series Forum.

What is this discussion about? Saturn S-Series, Sedan

Messages Page 80 of 143

#787 of 1418 USA TODAY ARTICLE & A SATURN RETAIL EXP... by babywolf

Oct 20, 2001 (5:50 pm)

As some of you may or may not know, there is quite an interesting article in regards to General Motors new reliability ratings, which were pulled up by ( you guessed it) S A T U R N !
General Motors is now in the top three (according to reports) behind Toyota and Honda in inital quality passing Nissan while VW and BMW fell miserably. The article link can be found below...

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2001-10-17-gm-quality.htm

Also, I recently took my car to my local Saturn retailer for a routine 6,000 mile service. Upon receiving my car back, I found a considerable amount of lubrication on the right front fender and a small spot of oil on the hood. I have never had anything like this happen before so of course I was not happy. I immediately made my disappointment about what happened clear to the sales manager - who then contacted the service manager. In a nutshell, Saturn came through for me with an 1. Extensive apology, 2. A wash, wax, and full detail of my car for what happened, 3. A free loaner car, 4. my choice of loaner car, a L 300 midsize sedan- thats what I call the Saturn difference, making things right with the customer.

#788 of 1418 My S-series experiences... 2002 by jmatero

Oct 29, 2001 (2:51 pm)

I'm currently driving a 2000 Passat GLS and it's definately a hoot to drive. The interior materials have definately spoiled me now and the hard reassuring "thunk" of the door gives one a feeling of safety. However, I find myself looking for a small car now for two reasons.... to lower my monthly payment and to rid myself of VW's HORRIBLE dealer service departments... while my car has be quite reliable, the interior rattles and noises are TERRIBLE and 3 dealers now can't seem to fix a rough VERY rough... idle in Drive that causes the whole car to shake BADLY. They don't care about their customers. So, I figured with all of the 0.0% - 4.9% floating around right now, I'd take a look at the current crop of compacts out there and this is what I've found: First, I WANT to buy a saturn, truely. I've been to 3 dealers now and they ALL are wonderfull.... not pushy, REALLY showed off the cars, took me through their service dept., let me talk to folks waiting for their cars to be repaired to ask about thier experiences. It's the closest thing to Lexus I've ever com across, honestly. HOWEVER.... I took a look at an SL2... many of them actually.... today and I was completely blown away.... the interiors are boring, true, but the quality of the materials and the BUILD QUALITY was the worst I've ever seen. In every car... SL, SL1 and SL2 gently pulling the door release inside caused the whole PANEL and handle trim to move....the bezel was loose on every car. The center console in all of the SL2's was so loose that you could move the whole unit with your pinky. Carefully pressing the driver's power window switch caused the whole power button unit to rock in it's housing. The tilt wheel in every car was to hard to move when released and the fore-aft movement of the drivers seat NEVER felt locked in place.
 
As for the exterior, the most shocking thing to me was that the lines and lines of SL-cars all next to each other had their driver's doors aligned differently... up top where they met the roof panel.... every one was different. On some, the door stripping overlapped the roof panel, on others it was 1/2" recessed... all different.
 
The drive was not bad actually... it was noisey (most small cars are) but the wind noise at the a-pillars was pretty bad at only 40mph. Worse yet was that on the SL2 and SL1 I drove, no matter how high I set the heat, there was a cold blast of air hitting my left foot and arm.... the arm air from the door release area and the let from the area where the door meets the front Fender.
 
Now, my experience in an L200 was FAR better, let me tell you... THAT car has improved since the 2000 models for sure.... but I had a kia sephia for a rental once last year and it was light years ahead of the current SL models and I'm very disappointed because I wanted to go american and get that good saturn service and the low interest.
 
The Civic? have to get EX to get antilock brakes and while the build quality seems good, it was louder than the Saturn and the seats just as uncomfortable. The protege ES was a great car to drive honestly. But here's the shocker.... the overall BEST vehicle I've tested so far was the 2002 Hyundai elantra (GT in particular). I couldn't believe it... EVERY panel lined up PERFECTLY.... the engine was QUITE powerfull, the AT flawless, the interior looked FAR more expensive than anything else I sat in, it was a hatchback (great for lugging the bikes around) and was the most fun (after the Mazda) to drive. The warrantly is unbeatable... but the only thing holding me back is the lack of low financing and resale down the road. I mean, for 16G REATAL in the hyundai, you get 4-wheel discs, quiet tight interior, yadda yadda yadda
 
I'm just so upset because I REALLY wanted a saturn..... the service, the resale, the low interest, the low insurance rates.... seems unbeatable until you actually drive the S-series and that just made me say "I just CANT live with this car for two years!"

#789 of 1418 To each his own... by babywolf

Oct 30, 2001 (4:38 pm)

From what most VW owners seem to think, VW's own s**t doesn't stink. Nice to finally see someone who feels as others do. VW's can't do it all, and the dealers are about as useless as looking for bin laden.
 
   As to your comments as to the build quality on the S Series- it is nothing we don't already know, and its nothing Saturn doesn't already know... This is the last year of production for the S Series, it's brand new replacement from the ground up is said to hit showrooms by this time next year...
 
    The S Series does have build quality issues such as loose fitting interior pieces, and door panels with gaps that may seem un even. However, the general reliability of the S Series is still rated average, and in many cases, above average by www.jdpower.com or www.consumerreports.com
 
    The L Series is definitly worth a look, no matter what you choose, your going to have to give up something.. As far as hyundai goes- while they offer good value- resale is horrible, and many people would still view you as "cheap" if you bought one... Good luck in your search for the "perfect" fit, but I don't think their is one...

#790 of 1418 Don't feel bad, I had to live with a "S" mess for 39 months by floridian

Nov 03, 2001 (1:51 pm)

jmatero: Everything you said about the Saturns you looked at is all true true. I had a 1998 SC2 (leased)and it has been ALL downhill for build quality fit/finish ever since. Ditto for all you said about your impression. Dependable, yes. Fun to drive, definately NOOOOOOO. And regardless of what saturn SAYS, these cars are not all that great resale either. The lease SC2 I had, had a MSRP (which as you know IS what you pay)of almost 20K !! After 37K andthe car in MINT condition it only fetched $7000 the local auction !!
 
Run as fast as you can to that Hyundai dealer and get that Elantra GT. Those cars are the best kept secret in the industry, a raging bargain and value for what they cost. As to resale, well so what if you plan to keep the car for a long time resale is not of much concern anyway. I bought a 2001 Tiburon and everything you said about the Elantra goes double for the "Tibby", especially the "fun to drive factor" and I say this with a Porsche Boxster sitting out in the garage !! For $15/16K these cars CANNOT be beat. My Tiburon now has almost 10K on it (I drive 1K a week)not a single complaint,tight as a drum (love that thud those doors make when you shut'em)and the ONLY car I have puchased recently that was delivered in PERFECT condition (that includes the Porsche too, but that's another costly story)so go for it . you won't be sorry.
 
Floridian

#791 of 1418 Saturn to offer a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty ? by babywolf

Nov 04, 2001 (6:48 am)

As everyone has no doubt seen, Hyundai and Kia have had tremendous success with their 100,000 mile warranty program, and I believe it is the only reason why those cars are selling (in most cases).
 
   Now, Ford is in the game by offering the Focus with a 100,000 mile warranty, and Chrysler announced a 100,000 mile warranty on all its vehicles. A recent news article stated that GM is now considering instituting a 100,000 mile warranty for all vehicles in its Saturn division. I will attempt to post the link soon... This sounds very promising...

#792 of 1418 100,000 warranty by joe3891

Nov 04, 2001 (7:40 am)

What good is it if you have to rent an apartment at the dealership.

#793 of 1418 Just lucky I guess---------- by floridian

Nov 04, 2001 (8:23 am)

joe3891:fwiw, I,ve personally had over sixty (yes,60) new cars over the past 30 years or so and literally hundreds, yes hundreds,of business vehicles as well. The amount of time ANY of them ,almost every nameplate you can think of,spent in the dealer's shop for warranty work would not allow you to see "Gone With The Wind" all the way thru. LOL. True, little nigglng things did happen to some of them but the chances of getting a "true garage queen" is so slim that the 100K warranties are strictly for marketing hoopla! Buy what you want but don't do it because of some hyped warranty BS !!
 
By the way, even as crappy as the build quality of the SC2 was it never spent one second in the shop for anything warranty related plus we do all our own routine maintenance.
 
Floridian
 
Floridian

#794 of 1418 Floridan by afk_x

Nov 05, 2001 (12:28 am)

Nothing personal but I don't understand why you take such delight in talking about how crappy that SC2 was.

Korean cars are not something I would personally drive at this time.

I don't know how well the Tiberon holds up but..

http://www.highwaysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/0103.htm

#795 of 1418 No cheer in "mudville" er I mean Springhill----- by floridian

Nov 05, 2001 (4:06 pm)

afk x: I take NO delight in the fact that they are so shoddy,just amazement that people that have them are so in love with the things. As I said the car was totally dependable but beyond that GM should be ashamed to market such a shoddy, indifferently assembled car and have the utter gall to charge full MSRP for it to boot. I take no joy in others misfourtune at all.
 
Floridian

#796 of 1418 Double standards R-US by babywolf

Nov 05, 2001 (6:17 pm)

Well, after the posts I have seen there is clearly a double standard here. Obviously, Saturn can only do wrong in the eyes of floridian, and also joe 3891.
    I find it apalling that supposed anti saturn bashers (who claim they don't hate the car/company) can poo-poo anything that most of the normal buying public would consider a plus.
     Also, Since floridian seems to side with Hyundai because of America's supposed "best warranty plan" (not true, IZUZU has 120,000 miles) there is obviously a double standard. I don't see how someone can believe in a warranty offered by a car company who employs underage minors who make peanuts to throw together a korean car, and on the same token dislike a warranty backed by GM, the number one automaker.

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