2002 Saturn SC

Summary:

A nice surprise

Faults:

The only thing that I can say that has "gone wrong" with my car is that the little orange light above the AC button doesn't work all of the time. This may be a sign of loose wiring, but honestly, it's not something I'm super concerned with.

General Comments:

This is my first "new car". Since I have had a license I have had the old crap cars, you know, the hand-me-down from mom and dad. I bought the car a little over a month and a half ago and have been very pleased. It looks sporty enough; and mine is copper so it turns some heads!! (Keep in mind I'm a 20 year old girl; this is important!!) I also went through a really great dealer and I know that has helped a great bit. I have nothing bad to say about this car and must say, I have started to check out other Saturns for when I'm ready to get my next car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th July, 2004

2002 Saturn SC SC2 1.9

Summary:

A low end car with high operating costs

Faults:

Primary problem is with tires. We had to replace all four tires at just over 16000 miles. The factory tires were rotated by the dealer at the appropriate mileage, however the rear tires wore completely smooth. I felt that there is a rear alignment problem, but the dealer said all was up to specification. We receive no satisfaction from the dealer in Little Rock, AR, Fort Worth, TX and no response to my E-Mail complaint filed with Saturn Corp. Customer Service.

We had Michelin tires installed. Now with 13000 miles on these, the right rear tire is worn completly bald with the left rear showing substantial wear.

My wife is 65 and I am 71 one, so we are not "hot rodders".

The rear suspension has always been suspect to me in the way it handles potholes and dips in the road.

General Comments:

We would not consider buying another Saturn because customer service and serviceability of the car is not acceptable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 21st June, 2004

19th Aug 2005, 17:39

If the car is still under warranty, go to another Saturn dealer. If not, have a good independent shop check the alignment. I had similar problems regarding rear alignment with another make of car. In one case it turned out that the car was damaged during shipping. Then the dummies at the dealer did an alignment "within spec" that was nowhere near spec because they didn't know how to use the alignment equipment. Not only did it take 3 visits to get it right they replaced 4 tires without charge. There IS something wrong.

12th Feb 2008, 22:22

My back tires wear out on the sides, the simple solution is inflate them to the max, if your tires say max 44 psi, go to 44!

2002 Saturn SC SC2

Summary:

Car seemed built on the Friday before a major holiday at the end of the day... grrrrr

Faults:

This car replaced the original lemon we bought during grace period.

Coil packs corroded before 40k.

Battery terminal defective, battery leak caused coil pack problem.

Plastic panels near pedals fall off while driving; nearly caused accident the first time when it wedged under brake pedal.

E-brake plastic cover broke.

Brakes were installed wrong, which caused rotor warp and decreased performance.

Driver side window switch broke around 42k.

Best of all, car wouldn't start after leaving it at the dealership. When they looked at it (3 days later and no loaner car, though our warranty covers it), they charged $90.00 to replace the computer codes with no reason for the occurrence, and no promise as to the length of time the car will run before a similar incident may occur.

General Comments:

Overall, we seriously dislike this car. It is the 3rd Saturn we have owned, but the quality decreased each time. The dealer was more into passing the buck or ignoring our concerns until the warranty ran out, then they felt/heard/noticed what we had said all along.

Having some mechanical experience, we did most of the repair work ourselves (with Saturn parts since no one makes them aftermarket, yet), only to find that the company as a whole won't stand behind the parts because we didn't pay $90.00 an hour to have them installed there. Actually, since we didn't have our oil changed there as well, we were told that our car's history was "poor" (not nice to hear when you have all maintenance receipts as proof).

Not much outside the appearance of the car has pleased us. We feel that this car is going to be a money pit (not to mention that the car's value has depreciated a bit too much for comfort). If you are thinking of buying this car (used of course, no longer produced), or another Saturn, make sure you have an extensive warranty and that they walk through everything it covers. We signed up for the top notch coverage, but when we returned the first car for defects, they realized that they didn't charge enough, and put through paperwork with the lesser warranty. When we complained, they said we would have to pay the difference of the two (over $1000 if I recall correctly) out of pocket since the loan was already processed. After the down payment, who could have done that?

From start to present to finish, this car has been an experience in frustration and I can't wait to get rid of it! So much for the pleasures of our first new car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 1st March, 2004

3rd Mar 2005, 07:01

I guess the commercials indicating how much the company cares and how concerned the dealers are were all a hoax. Looks like they lured people into the showroom and didn't promise what initially brought them there in the first place. Sad.

30th Jan 2006, 18:25

I love my new 2002 SC2. It is a certified used car right from my local Saturn dealership in New Jersey. The sales people didn't hassle me one bit. They waited patiently to make sure I was definite about my purchase. I am in fact, so glad I bought this car. Fun to drive, perfect alignment, I can cruise with comfort and style. It has a sun roof, leather... all I could ever ask for in a car. My Mom also had a Saturn leased for three years and we never took it in once to be serviced besides an oil change. Saturn is GREAT and their service and staff were WONDERFUL!