1996 Saturn SL review from North America
"A safe car for a great price"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
I bought the car from a private sale so I expected to have some work done to it. Unfortunately that little bit of work turned into a lot.
Saturn of Danvers had to replace the front brakes, the gas tank, and the things that holds the engine in place. So 2,000 dollars later I had a perfect car.
My biggest complaint was that it did not have enough pick up. But then again, I was also used to driving my father's brand new truck which has amazing pickup.
General comments?
This car was very very reliable. It got me everywhere I needed to go and didn't give me problems at all.
When I last drove it the car had about 136,000 miles on it and definitely would have gone a whole lot more.
I got into an accident with the car a few weeks ago. Someone cut me off and I crashed into him going 40 and didn't have time to put on my brakes. After I realized what happened, and found my glasses in the back seat, I stepped out to look at my car, or at least what was left. The front of my Saturn was crunched and by the looks of the car I was beyond lucky to walk out of the crash with a mere fat lip and soreness.
The seatbelt caught as it should have. The airbags came out and definately saved me from cracking my head open. And the system that Saturn has running through it's body most definately saved my life. This was a very safe little car and I would drive another one any day.
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![]() ![]() | Find a good one and it might last |
![]() ![]() | A lesson learned the hard way |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 9/10 |
| Reliability marks | 10/10 |
| Comfort marks | 8/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 9/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 126000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 136000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Ranger |
| Date of Entry | 29th January, 2003 |

