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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 99 of 143

#977 of 1418 RIP SATURN by pbagrat

Aug 19, 2002 (9:58 pm)

Force98,
 
My wife's 1996 SL1 had a cracked head in May and we were offered the same deal. We missed the 6 years by a few months and had to pay $500. Last week both CV Boots cracked and I had to shell out $400 for two new boots and axles. Oh yeah, the car has 74K on it. Some other things we've had to get fixed include new motor mounts at 52K and a new alternator at 54K. The Saturn has been a money pit. We are buying her a Honda Civic EX Coupe tomorrow. I had a Civic for five years and put 149K on it and all I had to do was change the timing belt and water pump. My sister had a 91' SL2 that had lots of problems too. I would never buy another Saturn!

#978 of 1418 2001 Saturn SL1 by saturnfreak01

Sep 02, 2002 (10:08 am)

My Saturn experience is as follows, in regards to my 2001 S Series I can say that my 1998 SL had better build quality than my 2001. The 2001 hasn't had any problems except for what I believe is warped brake rotors. It currently has 11,000 miles on the odometer and I am bringing back to Saturn tommarow for a repair (at their expense) or not at all.
 
    Rotors warping at 11,000 miles is clearly a manufacturers defect, however I do not blame Saturn. I blame General Motors, for many GM cars are now using "thin" rotors that wear quickly even under normal driving circumstances. My 98 Saturn went 30,000 miles without even needing brake pads.. Other than that, it has been so-so. I may or may not consider the Ion, I am also looking at the Corolla, Jetta, and Altima for its replacement in a year or so..

#979 of 1418 96 SL2 with 54K by soggydog

Sep 02, 2002 (9:40 pm)

Here is my saturn experence; Alternator at 38K, Left rear spindle bearing and wheel cylinders at 40, Motor mount, belts, plugs and wires at 50. Not bad so far. Original brakes. Does not use any oil between 3K oil changes. Almost all of the miles have been around town.
 
I was having a problem with rough idle and surging during acceleration, but then I woke up and changed the fuel filter. That fixed that.
 
I also notice a stale odor when first opening the door. I chalked it up to spilled baby milk in the back floor a few years ago, even though I cleaned the carpet once with a steam vac. but now, maybe I should chack for a leak.
 
The seats do a number on my back and I can't stand to ride in it for more than one hour at a time. I tried a Chevy Lumina and the seats were the same. Must be a GM cheep seat thing.
 
I do all my own maintenance, mainly because of the inconvenience of the 100 mile round trip to the dealership. When I bought the car in 95, I was told that they would be opening a new store in my town within one year. Never happened.
 
I do think that Saturn dealers are too few and far between. That is bound to hurt sales. It is the major reason I'm not looking saturn's way again.

#980 of 1418 Update on 2001 Saturn by saturnfreak01

Sep 03, 2002 (6:46 pm)

After visiting my dealer today, I was informed that my rotors warped (front)at 11,000 miles. They were resurfaced for free, and I hope to get another 20,000 miles out of them. So, while Im not happy in regards to needing the rotors resurfaced, I understand that things happen. So, Im still looking at the altima, jetta, and now the 2003-4 L Series.

#981 of 1418 '96 SL by redline65

Sep 07, 2002 (6:43 am)

We've got a '96 SL, and I'm blown away at how reliable this little car is. We've got about 65K miles on it, and outside of routine maintenance the only thing it has needed is 1 battery and an EGR valve (both of which I changed myself). Saturn always advertised low cost of ownership, and boy were they right!
I did receive a letter from Saturn a few years ago about the cracked cylinder head issue, but as of yet I have not noticed any of the symptoms.

#982 of 1418 by saturnfreak01

Sep 07, 2002 (2:13 pm)

Glad to hear redline, while I am looking at other autos to replace my SL1, I am starting to have a newfound interest in Saturn again. Whether it is enough for me to purchase a 2003 L Series, Vue, or Ion, remains to be seen.

#983 of 1418 jason10012 by rhouse

Sep 10, 2002 (1:33 am)

I agree for the most part...
But the problem is not with my dealer, it's with
the corporate attitude. What happened to: "We have a problem part...lets fix it! As it is now,
my headlights vibrate, the dash buzzes, i can feel buzzing through the entire car! But I'm working on it, and will solve the problem some-
how, hopefully. So, next year when I trade in I
probably will go to the Saturn dealer, I just wont
be buying a saturn! Just like the six other people
I've recently talked to, with the same problem, have indicated.

#984 of 1418 Cracked head repaired by denvail

Sep 12, 2002 (5:02 am)

The head on my '96 SL went in Jan 2000 after a 500 mile road trip. It had 70k miles at the time.
The dealer did not even suggest cost. It was all taken care of under manufactures defect(Towing and all).
Now at 102k miles the clutch bearing and clutch need to go, with the 0% finance, I will be driving away with a new one (2002 SL with automatic) this afternoon and leaving the '96 behind...
Overall it's been OK..

#985 of 1418 by saturnfreak01

Sep 12, 2002 (2:28 pm)

I would assume you meant the SL1, since the SL has never been available with an automatic transmission. As someone who has bought a second S Series Saturn, I strongly suggest you look into an L Series, for I myself can't stand my S Series on some days, for the simple fact that it isn't fun to drive imo. Even an SL2, would be worth a look.

#986 of 1418 SL AUTO by denvail

Sep 13, 2002 (9:11 pm)

I do mean an SL with automatic.
It even has SL2 type seats, I could have gotten one with air too!
Although I am disapointed with it, I may see about the 30 money back deal!
It's the same as the 96 except for a bit of appearance...not worth the cash imo...

Messages Page 99 of 143

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