1996 Saturn SC 2 review from North America

At about 40,000 miles the car began to "pause" for a few seconds when shifting it into reverse. After numerous visits to mechanics and the dealer, no cause could be detected and the car still has this problem.

Rear spoiler paint started to peel at about 100,000 miles. It is cosmetic only, and I have not looked into cost the to repair or replace.

Plastic portion of outer window lining along both driver and passenger windows cracked at about 110,000 miles and the metal underneath it started rusting. A strictly cosmetic problem, and it was a 100 dollars to fix it.

At about 90,000 miles the lining of the interior roof began to tear from the roof in the very back of the car and has been secured temporarily with super glue.

At about 120,000 miles fabric lining on driver side door started to tear away and has since been temporarily secured with super glue.

Passenger room is a problem when there are more than 2 people riding in the car. Backseat riding is very uncomfortable as there is a very definite lack of headroom and leg space.

The reliability of this car has been wonderful for the nearly 7 years that I've had it. It has only had 1 breakdown on the road (someone else had borrowed it) and has taken me on various 500-3500 mile road trips

all over the western US without any trouble at all, other than needing extra oil or coolant every so often.

This is a very fun car to drive and has a lot of zip when accelerating, which is a plus when passing on mountain highways.

It also seems to have more power than other vehicles when driving up a steep grade, although it does sound as if the engine is being taxed while doing so.

The car handles very keenly during LA freeway traffic on my daily commute.

Though the ~10 gallon gas tank is somewhat small, it is not unusual to get between 25-35 miles per gallon.

I love the fact that this car has been extremely trustworthy regardless of the fact that I drive it very long and hard in the sun, heat, rain, and snow. I take servicing and maintenence very seriously and this may have contributed to the lack of major problems that I have experienced.