| Model year | 2001 |
| Year of manufacture | 2000 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | Manual |
| Distance when acquired | 5 miles |
| Most recent distance | 81000 miles |
Faults:
The timing chain on my Saturn L200 broke at 81,000 miles. Saturn quoted me $3,600 to fix it (including the bent valves, etc.). I was stunned because I had the oil changed at the dealer regularly since I bought the car (new) from them. I had expected to be able to drive this car for another 80,000 miles. After reading this website, I'll never buy another Saturn again. Its back to Toyota for me!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 22nd December, 2007
| Model year | 2001 |
| Year of manufacture | 2001 |
| First year of ownership | 2004 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.2L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
8.0 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 38000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 74000 miles |
| Previous car | Cadillac Seville |
Summary:
Great bang for the buck with good comfort, simple amenities and awesome gas efficiency, 34 mpg on 87
Faults:
When we first bought the car (used), it needed two items that were both covered under a previous recall that the original owner never did - some sort of exhaust gasket and chip adjustment.
We have had to do several large items like an intake manifold and a motor mount, but in comparison, the parts have been reasonable.
The factory CD player pitched, but I bought an OEM swap out from e-bay for $40.00.
The battery cable mutated itself onto the battery post, and was well and truly corroded. The wiring loom was expensive to replace, but that is a once and done thing...
The rear tailight lenses held water for a while, but two small holes drilled to the base evacuates them perfectly... no more issues there...
General Comments:
Incredible gas mileage - on a long trip from Ohio to Maine, with kids, a trunk full of junk, and the AC blasting, we still managed over 34 mpg on 87 octane!
Our heated leather seats look brand new still, the cruise control is very exact, and the trunk is massive for a car its size.
The car has fantastic handling and cruises the highway exceptionally well. It is no drag racer for sure, but entrance ramps are no problem at all.
The sound quality of the stereo is mediocre, the gauges are nice and big, and the switches make sense.
The visibility out of the car is great, and the back seat can hold adults very comfortably.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 29th October, 2007
| Model year | 2001 |
| Year of manufacture | 2001 |
| First year of ownership | 2006 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Distance when acquired | 69000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 81000 miles |
| Previous car | Pontiac Sunfire |
Summary:
I will never buy another Saturn, nor will I recommend them to anyone!
Faults:
First day I had the car, the steering wheel was crooked and shook due to misalignment of tires, the speaker in the driver's side door was broken, and there was a slight knocking underneath. I also had a broken power mirror switch. The dealer replaced and fixed all of these problems.
Within six months of me owning the car, I did a lot of driving (11000 miles) but have had nothing, but problems the whole time. The tail lights never seem to work properly, they are either constantly burning out or are so dim to the point it looks as if they are not on. When the daytime running lights are on and you apply the break, the radio light goes out and comes back on when the break is released. The stabilizer bar links broke, were replaced and broke again two hours later, to find out the part received from the Saturn dealer was defective, so had to be replaced again a week later. The compressor on the a/c does not work at all, dealer refuses to fix it, even though I have never used the a/c since I've owned the car. The windshield wiper on the passenger side doesn't even touch the top of the windshield and the washer fluid dispenser barely works, so I can never see out of the passenger side of the car during the winter.
General Comments:
When I was shopping for a car, everyone I talked too told me they loved their Saturn, they would never buy anything else. I trusted the good name that they have and the fact that they cannot be dented and handle well. Boy was I fooled!
The car was a complete waste of money, definitely not worth the $9000 I paid, even with the few options I have on it, including a sunroof, CD/tape player, heated mirrors, power seat, and a BROKEN a/c!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 8th June, 2007
Buyer beware, dude. If all that stuff was wrong with it at the beginning, why exactly did you buy the car?
Obviously, you're not much of a shopper. That's WAY too much money for this car--the resale value sucks on this model, so you should be able to get a good deal. You didn't.
And, you bought the ecotec model, which is famous for busted timing chains. Just check some of the other reviews for the L200. If the chain breaks, it's bye-bye engine. You think you hate the car now??