2001 Saturn L300 review from North America
"It was made cheap to keep the cost down, but Saturn made up the difference in costs to repair it"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Many alignments and wheel wear. 3 sets of tires in 70,000 miles and it is starting again.
Numerous tail light bulbs had burned out. Eventually, a service bulletin came out on it.
Transmission speed sensor, causing car to stall and would not start requiring tow to dealer.
Power steering pump leaking and had to replace.
Steering column loose and steering wheel rattles while driving. Had to replace column.
Radiator leaking and water pump went bad.
The fuel pump and sending unit failed 3 months ago and the whole fuel tank had to be removed to replace the parts. Lots of labor cost.
All the above happened at the same time, and cost $5,700 to repair, and the car was only 7 years old.
The cost of parts and labor are extremely high for this car, and the design was done where only a mechanic can replace a part.
Three months ago, the SES light came on, and I was told that the O2 sensor needed replacing at a cost of $288, but also was told it was OK to drive with a bad sensor.
Today the SES light is still on and the car loses power on acceleration. Took Saturn 2 days to determine it was the number 2 plug. This will cost $114 to repair and replace one plug or $350 to replace all plugs. Cost is $15 per plug and the rest is labor for 1 hour. I have a 1998 Saturn SL2 which I can change all the plugs myself in 30 minutes.
Too late to trade in the car because I am now into $6,000 in repairs since Sept. 2008.
General comments?
Was comfortable to drive when new but not as quiet as I had hoped for. Lots of wind noise.
Door side panels held up great to bumps and dings.
Once the car started to have problems, it seems like everything keeps failing.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 2001 |
| Year of manufacture | 2001 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2009 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.0 six cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 3 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 70000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 24th June, 2009 |