1994 Saturn SL SL1 review from North America
"All in all a fun little car that just keeps going and going"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Other than the gasket blowing on the upper end of the exhaust system (where it connects to the exhaust manifold) nothing has failed yet.
General comments?
Well, here it is, 2008, and the recently purchased 1994 Saturn SL1 has been a champion. Other than the exhaust gasket replacement before the Ontario emissions test, no parts have been replaced.
The seat leave something to be desired. I imagine even when they were new, these seats must have been tedious on long trips. I"m 5'10" and weigh 170 lbs and the seats just don't fit well. The angles are all wrong.
Fuel economy has been exceptional over the past few months and the mechanical reliability has been just fine.
Power is not great. I think it only has about 85 horsepower and the "power" mode doesn't seem to help much.
The body panels have held up well over the past 14 years. Although I bought it only a few months ago, all the panels seem to be original and display only a few minor cracks at high stress points.
Paint has held up well.
Cabin features all continue to work and there is essentially no cracking of the plastics anywhere.
Recommended reviews
| Not a terrible car for the money, but you can probably do better over the long term. |
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| Actually, I would have to say this car has been about the most reliable one I have owned |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1994 |
| First year of ownership | 2008 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.9L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 4 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 134000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 145000 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 13th May, 2008 |