1998 Saturn SL 2 review from North America

I bought this car a month ago in 2009 for $1400 from a dealership. They paid $1000 for it.

It needed tires soon and the rotors shook at times.

The headliner was cut up but not sagging.

The check engine light was on.. code said Cam Position Sensor. It HAS no such thing! That meant I had to spend endless hours and attempts to diagnose and repair. It was an indication of spark issue. Could have been as simple as a bad plug wire. Who knows!

The air conditioning was still pretty cold and it drove nice... very comfortable seats and driving position for me.

The SL2 tires were pricey at $400 a set. I sold it to Carmax after unexpected bills came up. I did not want the hassle of people wanting me to give it to them for free... it only had 89K miles and that wasn't going to happen. I bought it with all the items mentioned.

When I drove it the day I bought it... engine and tranny were as smooth as could be. The day I drove it to Carmax the transmission shifted down "hard" and sooner than normal when slowing to a stop. It also shifted "harder" and later on acceleration. The service engine soon light was still on. Odd, since it acted perfectly the first time the light was on. After my appraisal of $1200, I went to get some food and when I went back to the car the service engine soon light went out... darn it! Then the transmission shifted perfectly again.

I just hope whoever gets it next has no problems with it. My verdict is still out on it. It was pretty and comfortable and drove really nice. My concerns over the way the engine and transmission are electrically tied together nowadays leads me to not want ANY car! Thankfully my 94 Corsica with 180K is still running great on the original four cylinder automatic.

The styling was pretty and the upholstery was pretty and comfortable. It was pretty quiet for a small car too. Seemed to be good on gas.