1996 Saturn SL review from North America
"Boring drive, superior dependability"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Regular maintenance:
Brakes
Muffler
Tires
A couple of emissions sensors
Nothing major
General comments?
I sold a Caddy and bought this car for a 30 mile commute to save on gas.
Although this car is not very exciting to drive, it has been very dependable and cheap to run.
Gas mileage is great.
Performance is boring even with the manual transmission.
I see lots of bad reviews on this car and I don't know if I got lucky or people just like to complain, but I had nothing major go wrong with this car and I have NEVER been stranded with it, and it starts in the coldest weather.
There was a bad run in some intake casting issues, but I guess I never got one of those or it just hasn't happened yet.
But with 265,000 Kms this car owes me nothing.
It is starting to show its age, but it always starts and runs great.
I would not be afraid to buy another one.
Recommended reviews
| What a piece of junk! |
|
| Avoid Saturn |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1996 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2009 |
| Engine and transmission | Manual |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 5000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 265000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Cadillac Brougham |
| Date of Entry | 19th August, 2009 |