2002 Saturn SC Reviews - Page 3 of 9

Sun roof has broken.

My Dad hit the back of it with an SUV while backing out; had to be repaired.

OK, first of all this was not my car, it was my friends. But I drove it at least once a week, and have been inside for many hours, so I guess I'm qualified.

Lets start with the engine:

1.9 liters, 100 hp; that about sums it up. Was quite slow, but it was sometimes enough power to squeal the tires, if that tells you anything. The throttle response was really odd - if you put down the accelerator, nothing would happen for a good second, then all of sudden it would take off.

Exterior/interior/styling:

The paint was a nice color, a metallic blue, but all the body panels were some kind of plastic, and bow in if you leaned on them.

The SOUND SYSTEM was the greatest part of the car. It was actually very loud and had deep bass, go figure.

The interior was cheap, fabric (grey). Looks like they gave up on the styling in the interior.

It was my friends first car, his last saturn. Now he has an Audi TT quattro coupe, and loves it.

Where to begin:

To start with right after the warranty expired at 36K: Fog lamps would flicker on and off. Not major, so I didn't worry.

At 65,000 Sun Roof stopped working. I took it in and the entire piece would need to be replaced for $1000. I decided not to have this service.

At 70,000 there was a leak in the cooling system. Coolant would just leak all the way to the ground. $278 in repairs.

At 72,000 I took it in for normal brake work and that's when things really started to show up. This is taken directly from my most recent appointment:

- Valve Cover Gasket Leaking: $203

- Serpentine Belt Cracked: $73

- Top Motor Mount Sagging $209

- Radiator Cracked on the Side Tank $473

- Oil Pan Leaking $383

- Rear End Links $223.

All in the same visit! No one spotted this during the last 3 times I've taken it in??

I cannot recommend this car to anyone, which disappoints me because it was amazing off the lot. Yes it's sporty and fun, but if I'd known to expect this much in repairs, I never would have purchased this car. I've had two other cars last over 150K and 200K respectively and never had these problems. I'm going to unload this next chance I get.

10,000 miles replacement of sunroof cover (warr), 75,000 miles; front and back breaks and water pump replaced ($640), 78,000 miles new front hub (wheel bearing) assembly ($250), 79,000 alignment ($79,99)

I like the style of this car very much, insurance costs are low, and it’s great on gas (32 city; 37 Hwy). The third door is wonderful. It's been very reliable until recently I've had a few unscheduled trips to the shop with it. My first Saturn in college was a 1996 SL that I put 221,000 miles on with similar, but not bad maintenance issues. This one has currently 80,000 so I have a ways to go before I sell it and get another.