1997 Saturn SL SL2 review from North America
"A good first car, perhaps on its last legs"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Engine mounts cracked (!) at 50,000 miles.
Rusted radiator plug replaced at 100K.
Front crank arms rattled and replaced at 140K.
Thermostat/fan broken at 140K.
AC needs recharge at 146K.
Catalytic converter holding on at 151K.
Heat unreliable at freezing temps at 140K.
General comments?
A first car that has handled well in the Northeast winters, it is getting up to 35 mpg on the highway now.
Almost gave up on the car in March '08, but service costs weren't as bad as anticipated, and have not had to have any atypical service since.
The only current issue is that the car idles hot in traffic, and will not heat the passenger compartment until the engine gets up some temperature, something that will not happen on many drives, especially or on the highway, in sub- 20 F weather.
Haven't been super meticulous over the years, but it never came back to bite me.
Recommended reviews
| This is a perfect commuter car at a great price |
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| One of the better 500 dollar beaters I've ever bought! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 5 miles |
| Most recent distance | 152000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 29th October, 2008 |