1997 Saturn SL SL2 review from North America
"An economical choice"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The alternator diode went, which was caused by trying to constantly charge a bad battery. I tried to go the cheap route to fixing the battery indicator by cleaning the battery terminals and tightening them, when I should have had it checked out.
Check engine light comes on from time to time, it's the EGR valve code. I clean it out, clear the code, and everything works fine.
All other work I have had done was typical maintenance; rear brakes, radiator flush, new tires, regular oil changes.
My car does stereotypically burn oil, it's about a quart every 700 miles, so not too bad, yet.
General comments?
With the manual, I can get 37 mpg on the highway. I think with Saturn, the simpler, the better; no sunroof to leak, no seat belts, window, or power lock circuits to short.
It's an economy car, and I have saved a lot with this car. Fixing these things on another car would be much more costly, Saturn parts are readily available and reasonably priced. If you keep up on preventative maintenance like I have, you will have no headaches with this car.
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| 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? | No |
| Model year | 1997 |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 2007 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2009 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.9 DOHC Manual |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 88000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 99000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 1st July, 2009 |