1997 Saturn SW SW2 Twin Cam 16v

Summary:

Cheap sport hauler wagon

Faults:

The plastic will shatter in an accident, which doesn't protect the main frame from low speed crashes.

Headliner falls down and and tears with ease, so you get orange foam from the ceiling in your hair.

The right rear window is off its track.

The original speakers crackle and are poor quality.

You can't advertise your business with magnetic door signs cause the doors are plastic.

Windshield wiper hits the antenna if you lift it up to repair or clean your window.

Door locks are broken on both front doors, so you have to manually lock every door.

The rear strut towers cut out a lot of cargo room.

One of the pulleys (not sure which one) has bad bearings, so it is really annoying.

Every seat is uncomfortable.

General Comments:

It's quite lightweight considering it's a station wagon.

It has a surprisingly tuned like suspension that is stiff, but doesn't hit too hard on the bumps.

The transmission shifts hard and beast like.

It's an automatic, and with the pedal floored it hits around 7,000 rpm, but the redzone is at 6,500.

Despite the annoying worn bearings in one of the pulleys, the exhaust has a nice sound and doesn't have any holes.

Decent amount of cargo room.

Has a roof rack that I like because I'm adventurous and like things like biking and kayaking.

I thinks it's an okay car, but I wouldn't buy one unless it's really cheap with a lot of parts intact.

Gets good gas mileage, but I'm not sure if it pays off for everything going wrong with it.

Got mine for free from my grandma, so that's a major plus.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 13th August, 2009

1997 Saturn SW ST Wagon 1.9

Summary:

Not a race car, but dependable and cheap to drive

Faults:

Nothing, just regular maintenance.

General Comments:

Well I got this car with 123000 miles and I was worried about the car.

But the car proved it's great; I just change the battery, spark plugs, wires, and oil belts.

Regular maintenance, I drive this car every day and I got like 33 to 34 mpg on the highway. I go to Mass from CT every time, it's like 154 miles one way, and it's never let me down.

I love this car on the snow just with regular tires.

I think I am lucky.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 14th January, 2009

1997 Saturn SW SW1 1.9

Summary:

Very good car for the money

Faults:

Brake rotors warp every few years, but other than that, I've only had one major repair, which was to replace the fuel pump a few weeks ago.

There was a cold weather starting problem when I fixed the car, so I took it to the local Saturn dealer who told me it was a known problem, and there was a free repair for it. They fixed it, and I've had no problems since.

In the last year or so, it's taken a little extra effort to get it into third gear, but shifting at slightly higher revs than I used to (3000 instead of 2500) has cured that problem.

It has also started burning a little bit of oil, about 1L (1 quart) between oil changes.

General Comments:

Considering how old it is, how long I've owned it, and the mileage I've put on the car, I can't complain. It's only let me down once, and that was the above mentioned fuel pump problem (which my mechanic discovered was the result of sludge build-up in the bottom of the tank).

It's not a sports car, but I didn't expect it to be when I bought it. It's very fuel efficient, burning about 6.3L/100km (about 37mpg US, 45mpg UK). It handles great in the winter (especially with snow tires), getting through stuff my Camaro would never get through.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th February, 2008

1997 Saturn SW

Summary:

Don't buy a Saturn

Faults:

THat that have gone wrong: Alternator, water pump all the sensors, the brake the brake lights, engine, the door locks.

General Comments:

Buy a Toyota or Honda I just did.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 3rd November, 2005

2nd Dec 2005, 23:02

I wish I would have seen this comment before. I would have taken the advice. I did buy a 2002 Saturn S-series. My car is now in the dealership since February 2005 with a hole in the engine. Two weeks before I had taken the car into the dealership because my oil light was coming on. They adjusted the light because they said it was too sensitive and nothing wrong with the oil. Now I am going through months of letter writing with multiple individuals who are basically saying well so sorry, but we cannot help you unless you are willing to pay $5500 for a refurbish engine. It is to be noted I still owe over $8,000 on the car and I am paying insurance on it yet I have no transportation. I too will never buy a Saturn again.

4th Jan 2006, 14:51

A hole in the engine? This sounds implausible. Could you elaborate? Was it a cracked engine block, a blown head gasket or something else? What were the symptoms?

And when you saw the oil light on, did you check to see if you were low on oil? Generally, an oil light or its sensor is not something that needs adjusting. Could it be that your engine died because there was no oil in the engine?