Faults:

Cylinder head cracks at 37K. Saturn knows about the design flaw, but has done nothing about it. This is the third time I have had what would be considered a rare problem, yet Saturn has the repair item needed in stock. They should own up to thier mistakes and send a recall letter to owners.

Faults:

My daughter has driven her used Saturn SC2 for about four years and it now has about 84K miles on it. I must concur with the other Saturn owners on this site that these vehicles tend to "use" an inordinate amount of oil between changes. Regardless of the weight---5W or 10W-- she's adding at least two quarts between changes. I've suggested she try an oil additive or a high mileage type oil. The vehicle has also required numerous minor brake repairs, has had major work done to the rear brakes, and a major front brake job will be necessary in the very near future. Another irritation is that it never starts on the first attempt, but almost always on the second try. A very noisy (engine especially) car, as well.

Faults:

I can honestly say that I have had very few problems with this car.

I replaced my alternator after sitting in traffic for hours, but this was to be expected.

I have a hard time putting the gear into first at times.

General Comments:

This car is great on gas and has been reliable.

The only downfall with this car is its' size. It is small and is better for one person and not a family.

Faults:

Cooling motor needed replaced in 2002. Shifter came unhooked from the transmission, and I had to use wire ties to reattach it. It worked until I sold it 3 years later. Both doors leak like unbeleivable. The dealer said it can't be fixed.

General Comments:

The car is extremely reliable. The only problem that I have is that when you need to replace something on the car you can't just buy the one part from the dealer... you have to buy the complete assembly.

Faults:

Engine failure, Oil pump failure at 69000 miles.

General Comments:

This car is not recommended as a good car. The comfort level is horrible, the car is not what I expected it to be. It was a very disappointing purchase next to my older Grand Am.

Faults:

Water pump failed at 22,000 miles (warranty)

Alternator failed at 62,000 miles

On 3rd set of tires, each set lasted approx 50,000 miles.

General Comments:

This has been a great car. It has been driven by both my teenage daughters who are now grown. It has spent its life in high school and college parking lots and with the plastic body it still looks nearly new (Central Indiana).

It still runs very well and gets over 30 mpg. I would recommend a used Saturn as an excellent car for anyone.

I plan on keeping it as a retirement runabout.

Faults:

An axle boot was thorn and had to be changed at 81,000 miles.

Replaced clutch at around 82,000 miles. The spring was gone, I suspect because of the faulty driving style of the previous owner.

The seat belt on the driver side does not retract well, I guess I should clean it...

The door seals are kind of gone and there is some draft, which is pretty bad in the winter.

Anyways, these are not "real" problems...

General Comments:

The car drives well and overall I'm satisfied with it. It corners like a sports car and I enjoy the "go-cart" feeling. The seats are remarkably comfortable for long trips. The funny thing is that I often do the same trip (around 300 miles), either with my Saturn or with rental cars; with a Ford Taurus or a Lincoln Town-car my back is aching, but not with the Saturn, despite my 6'2.

The engine doesn't burn oil almost at all. I run with synthetic oil, so I change oil less frequently (6,000 miles) ; in the meantime I lose only about 1/4 of a quart, while driving pretty hard. I read other people comments about their oil-thirsty engines, but apparently I was lucky.

The ABS and traction control are extremely useful here in North of US. The traction control helped me quite a few times this winter, otherwise I would have gotten stuck in the snow.

This car would have been much better and quieter on the interstate if it had a 6th gear. Like this the engine revs at 3,300 rpm at about 75 mph.

My experience with Saturn dealership was good. Service was fine and reasonably priced.

I am happy with this small coupe and it's worth every penny I paid for it. And at an average 34mpg the gas prices don't kill me.