1998 Saturn SL SL2 1.9L DOHC 16v I-4 from North America

Summary:

This car is purgatory with a steering wheel

Faults:

Engine sometimes overheats.

Radio only picks up some signals from time to time.

General Comments:

This is a car built in the late 90's with the driving dynamics of a car built in the mid 70's.

It has a thrashy, gutless engine with an automatic gearbox that is just horrid. The engine is so unrefined that it causes nearly every aspect of the cramped interior to rattle, even the seats.

The interior is made entirely of cheap black plastic, nearly all of which is hard to the touch.

The steering is completely devoid of feel, and the weighting is blatantly artificial.

The automatic drains the power from the engine and makes it annoyingly slow. To get the transmission to downshift, one must literally floor the throttle.

The car takes corners like a yacht and the ride is flinty. However, the handling can be blamed on the new tires.

This car is only quiet when the engine is turned off.

Brakes are hard to modulate because the pedal only slows down the car in its last inches of travel. Brake dive and acceleration squat are tremendous.

Only redeeming features: 30mpg, fog lamps, standard daytime running lights, and very legible gauges.

Buyers beware - purgatory is here, and it comes with alloy wheels and a moonroof!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 25th April, 2008

8th Jan 2013, 19:43

Sounds like a perfect college student car to me!

1998 Saturn SL SL2 from North America

Summary:

Good car after the kinks were worked out of it!!

Faults:

My oxygen sensors both went bad about 6 weeks after buying the vehicle.

Sunroof leaks... a lot.

Seats are very comfy, but the leather is starting to 'peel' (that's the only way to describe it) on my passenger seat, despite my upkeep of the leather in the car.

Engine started to make a clinking noise about 60 miles ago, we are getting that looked at.

We have spent almost $3,000 in repairs to the vehicle, despite the dealership telling us there were no problems with the car when we bought it.

General Comments:

Overall, this car is a pretty decent car. I love the way it handles and it is pretty quiet. I do not really like the way the steering wheel is loose when I'm on the freeway. I feel like the car may lose control after I get around 75 mph.

It is pretty good on gas mileage, and I really haven't had to do much upkeep since we repaired it. Just the normal oil changes and tune ups. Drives very well in the snow!

I have noticed that my car goes through brakes like they are nothing, but then again I do a lot of stop and go traffic going through town to go to work. Overall, this is a good car if you want something that will get you to and from. It gets a little uncomfortable for long trips (We went to KY in it, over an 8 hour drive... it was a little uncomfortable by the time we hit the KY line. We had to get out for a while)

I especially love the color of my car--deep purple. I would recommend this car to other consumers, but a word of caution: make sure when you get this car, it has been properly taken care of by the last owner, otherwise you will be in for a big surprise when things start going bad. Also, be sure to keep up on the maintenance of the car!! Who would have known that one little tiny oxygen sensor for my car (in my area) costs $82?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 27th November, 2007

1998 Saturn SL SL2 1.9 DOHC from North America

Summary:

Very reliable and fun to drive Car

Faults:

Nothing really serious has gone wrong with the car.

With it being and "older" car I guess it will use a little more oil than Normal. We have to add oil every 2000 miles or so, which is not a very big deal.

The Front right Head light bracket was loose and was getting on my last nerve, so I tightened it up and have had no problems after that.

The inside is quite noisy, and there are a lot of squeaks and rattles, but what can you expect from a 9 year old car.

General Comments:

Over all I think Saturn has made a very reliable car in general. It has never left me stranded, and still has the get up and go for a 130,000 mile car.

This is not the best car to drive in the winter, It is VERY light weight on account of the mostly plastic exterior shell.

It slides very easily in the snow and heavy rain so be prepared to drive way slower. But I must digress, it is a very fun car. It has excellent steering and corners on a dime.

Fuel consumption, I average about 30 mpg, this car has a very small gas tank I might add, Only holds about 9-10 gallons of fuel, so it is very cheap to fill up.

This is my second car{first car was a 86' Jetta}which was pretty much as unreliable as you can get, although It had 260,000 miles on it.

But if you are looking for a car for a student or a first car, purchase this car, plus it is cheap to insure as I am also a teenager!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd October, 2007