1997 Saturn SL SL1 4 Cylinders 1.9L MFI SOHC from North America

Summary:

Saturn cars are hit and miss, Half of them are junk and the other half are good!

Faults:

When I bought the car I replace.

A/C Pump and Charged

All the motor mounts

A/T mounts

Serpentine Drive Belt

Front Main Seal

Tension Pulley

O2 Sensor--both of them

A/T Flush and Changed

Coolant Flush and Changed

SES light Replace.

And at 172995.

PVC valve.

General Comments:

Well I bought this Saturn in bad shape and I only pay $2,000 for it, and I put $2,100 of work into it. It ran like crap, no A/c,and the A/T Slip but after the work was done it works great.

There are a few things I hate about the car; 1.The motor is loud, and it has little pick up. 2. The ashtray in this car is in a place that has stop smoking all over it. 3. Little back seat room, trying to fit 5 people in my car has yet to be done! I like the car even with it short coming. you're not going to get a lot with a Saturn.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th July, 2006

1997 Saturn SL 4 cylinder 1.9L single cam from North America

Summary:

Great starter car that will last you for a long time

Faults:

Bought the car with 40 miles in 1997.

Currently 156789 miles in 2006.

Had a problem with a heat sensor at 145,000 miles. I ignored the problem and this resulted in burning the cooling fan. Cost $600.

Currently engine service light is on at 150,000 miles. It shows that the down stream heat sensor need to be replaced. Estimated cost is $250. haven't changed yet. I believe that it would not cause any engine problems since it is DOWNSTREAM Oxygen Sensor. I would like to change it by myself, if I get few tips. Can anyone help with this?

Other non traditional problems at 155,000 miles. When the AC runs, the water stopped going outside the car. It started collecting on the passenger side floor. Can anyone please help with this?

Routine maintenance: belt @ 110,000

Front brakes: every 60,000

Tires: every 30,000

Battery: every 3 years

No other problems.

General Comments:

I was forced to write this review, since I talk good things about this car when other people ask me to trade this car for newer one.

Anyways, I bought the car in 1997, brand new, with AC, stereo, and manual transmission. No power steering (wanted to save money!)

I drove this car hard for six years in college. It had 95K by 2003 without any problems. All I did is oil changes & a radiator flush once a year. People are correct that it does uses lots of oil. You can solve this problem by using full synthetic oil. It costs little extra, but I change change oil every 5K miles.

AC runs great.

Gives great gas mileage. It started giving more mileage every year. With a full 12 GAL tank, I get 30 miles in city and 39 miles on the highway.

I can afford a new car, but why? It runs great. AC is cold. It's safe (I proved it, trust me!). Gives more mileage than any other hybrid. It's cheap & still looks great & shines.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th July, 2006

5th Oct 2006, 13:17

There may be a small leak in the hose for your AC compressor causing the liquid to come into the car.

19th Dec 2006, 20:47

Find your AC coil that chills the air in the cabin--usually it is behind the glove box. At the bottom there is a hose that takes condensate away and dumps it under the car. See if you can get the hose off, and blow some air through it to be sure it is not clogged with dust or leaves. Check the housing around the cooling coil to see if there are any cracks. Run you're a/C to see where the water is coming from when you have gotten some access to it. Be aware that wet carpets lead to rusted out floor pans, so don't neglect this if you plan on keeping the car for several more years.