Comments: 1-15, 16-20
Everything imaginable has been replaced on this car, from the alternator to the motor mount. The sensor has been replaced, yet the "service engine soon" light is constantly coming on. All of the plastic parts inside the car rattle, from the emergency brake handle to the sun visors. The steel supports inside the doors have rusted (Saturn doesn't know how) and are coming through the fabric.
Even with regular maintenance (oil changes, tune ups, etc.), this car is a nightmare to own. I had a Nissan before this, and the biggest mistake I ever made was trading it for this Saturn. The service people at Saturn are nice, like their advertisements indicate, but I would really like not to see so much of them. I hope other Saturn owners have had better luck with theirs. I won't buy another one, in fact I won't buy another American car.
I, too, have been an unlucky victim of a Saturn SL2. At 65,000 miles, the engine seized and had to be replaced. Shortly thereafter, the radiator had to be replaced because according to Saturn - this is what caused the first engine to go. This car consumes oil like it's going out of style... I have spent as much money on oil as I have on gas! Constant upkeep and oil changes, etc... but it just runs out of oil!!! It doesn't burn oil, it doesn't leak oil... according to Saturn... the engine runs "hot" - thus the excessive oil consumption... and they never could fix the problem.
Saturn needs to back off all of their promotional hype and make good on all of the folks they've ripped off - especially with the earlier models.
I wouldn't go as far as to say I would never buy another American car.
There are plenty of import cars that are just as bad if not worse.
Chrysler (which includes Dodge and Plymouth) are good cars. Plymouth went out of production so your left with Dodge and Chrysler if you only buy new cars, but they are still good cars and if anything goes wrong they fix it and stand behind their product. I would buy one without hesitation.
You could also go with the Ford family of cars, which also includes Mercury and Lincoln (Lincoln being the luxury division). I own a Mercury with 75,000 miles and it still runs and looks like new. I can't afford a Lincoln, but I'd recommend them to those who can for the reliability Ford motors offers. And if there are problems they will also take care of them. Although I have no problems with my car since I have bought it.
GM cars are good except for the Chevy Cavalier. If your buying a Chevy, get a higher end one like an Impala, a Venture (minivan), Camaro, Lumina, Suburban (SUV), Tahoe (SUV), or Corvette. Their trucks are very reliable too. I've heard about reliability problems with the Chevy Cavalier and I've driven one too, if you don't maintain them, they fall apart.
I'm not saying import cars are bad, I'm just saying don't abandon American cars because of one bad model.
Chevy cars are just as bad. We have a 1993 Chevy Lumina APV Van. We have put 3 engines in this piece of CRAP!!! Everything has been replaced at least twice.
My 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera I have owned for a little over a year. I have replaced the radiator, alternator, tires, battery, and given it a complete tune-up. I love it even though it rattles and is ugly. It eats gas like crazy, so I have been thinking about selling it for a 1992 Saturn SL2 Twin Cam. The Saturn is $2300, and looks great. I am so glad I read this before I bought it. Saved me a bunch of time and money!
My 1992 SL2 uses lots of oil. It holds 4 quarts and uses 6 quarts between regular 3000 mile oil changes. I had to put in a new alternator recently and then the battery went dead. The windows go down but you have to pull them back up. The speakers are all blown. The cassette player went out. Changing the belt is a nightmare. One of the automatic seat belts has gone completely out and the other one will soon. The plastic interior rattles and the car is LOUD going down the road. Don't buy one. They aren't any good. They're cheap and not enough testing went into these early models.
There is nothing wrong with the car, it is the customer that is (not) taking care of it from the start. I own a 1993 with 123,000 miles on it and it runs perfect.
My mother owns a 1993 Saturn SL2, which she bought brand new. She has never had a single problem with it and it runs awesome. The fastest 4 cylinder that I have used.
Also it is excellent on gas and has never ever ever consumed any oil. Other people should consider how they maintain their vehicles before they start griping. Boom shaka laka boom.
Saturn SL2 engine blew up at 67K.
There are always exceptions to every rule. Looks like the lucky are the exceptions in this case. Bought my '93 with 75K and it's used oil since day one with me. I have to add at least a quart every 750 to 1,000 miles. The noise on the interior is bad, the driver side window rolls up if I pull on it and hold the switch at the same time, the brakes lose pressure on start up at first movement, but the mileage is good.
I own a 1993 saturn sl2 and I love it!! it has its times where it goes through oil and what not and the blower motor just went on it not too long ago.. I've replaced an alternator a couple times and put a new exhaust system in there, and a motor mount, but other than that the car has ran great! I've decked the car out with tinted windows, tv, cd player with custom subs and custom door panel speakers, dvd player, car alarm, car starter, you name it its in there!! so for what its worth I think every car has its own flukes and let downs, no car is perfect and EXPECT something to go wrong with every car you own because after all it's a machine!! if half of these people spent as much time trying to prolong these types of things from happening as they do griping about them then they would be much further ahead..
I hate my mother's Saturn, and we both wish she never bought it. It was a 1993 SL1, and from the beginning the air conditioner never worked. The dealership said it was a piece of cardboard stuck in there from when they installed it at the plant. Well, gee, we figured their screw-up deserved fixing. Apparently not so. They refused to remove the offending piece (Which would have required pulling out the engine) and so we figured, "to Hell with them." We never went back to them for service. So, we have an A/C that doesn't work, and the rest of the vents are so screwed up the only resort we have in the summer, in the desert, is "2-55." We have had to replace the alternator SIX TIMES. We've replaced the brakes at least three times. We've replaced the battery twice. The car overheats for no reason. The molding throughout the car is falling apart--the panel where the fuses are in the cabin has come off. The molding between the front and rear passenger doors on both sides comes off (real fun in rush hour traffic to be smacked in the side of the head by a piece of plastic, let me tell you), the window cranks in the front don't roll up or down. The photos are a sight to behold.
But all of that, even the six alternators, pales in comparison with the oil problem. Last year, we went through the trouble of paying to have the the oil pan replaced and the engine checked to see why the car hemorrhages oil. The mechanic found bits of metal floating in the oil pan, but couldn't find any part of the engine they could have come from. He then informed us that there is a gasket that for all intents and purposes is GONE, and that replacing it would require him to pull out the engine. Unable to do without a car for as long as it would take and, frankly, unable to pay for it, the car has been hemorrhaging oil at a rate of ONE QUART PER WEEK. The POS still overheats because the cooling system is junk, and now I swear, after a similar experience my father had with his Aurora, that one of the engine mounts is basically gone.
Stay away from Saturn. You're better off walking.
New head at 16000 on my 93 sl2. Blower motor went. Car has a terrible knock at 135,000 miles. Consuming oil at 1 quart per week. Window does not go up or down easily. Can't get into or out of driver seat easily. New alternator at 100,000 miles. Very disappointed in this car over the long term. Lucky I am handy and know my way around junk yards. Tom T.
One day while driving our 92 Saturn, a man in a Camry pulled out in front of us and we hit him. The car stood up well except the hood actually came off of the car, smashing the windshield and landed about 40 ft away. The body shop that fixed the car said it was a safety issue. I can relate to the oil consumption problem, rattles and alternators, we traded it in for a Cavalier and we love it.
I love my 93 SL2 Twin Cam. I received it from my parents when I turned 16. Just replaced alternator and battery at 170,000, sure there's been more battery changes as well, but overall no large problems. No problems with oil, but have used synthetic for the life of the car.
You must take care of your car for it to run well. Great car for the price and they last. I don't think you'd see all the old Saturn cars out and about on the road if they were as unreliable as some people on here try to make them out to be. Fast and peppy too, just raced a newer Volkswagon Golf manual with turbo, and beat it. Great car. I would recommend a Saturn to anyone.
Family just purchased a 2003 ION and I actually like to drive the 93 SL2 more. It's much more fun.
I have a 1993 Saturn SL2. It has 196K miles on it and is still running strong, I have had to set a new goal of 300K. It does use a little more oil than I would like. But nowhere near what some others are claiming. It uses about a quart and a half between oil changes. That's not bad for a high-mileage 13 year old car. It's still passing New Jersey's emissions tests. I had a major accident in it about 8 years ago and it held up great, kept me in once piece which is the most important thing. I'm sorry others have had such bad experiences. I must say that there is something to be said for maintenance. I've maintained my car very well, and I have been rewarded with a reliable car that is fun to drive.
To the guy that said he beat the Golf turbo...
No you didn't. stop your stories. your SL2 has a whopping 124hp... whereas golfs have 150 (newer golfs run on 11psi and push 180hp) golfs pull low to mid 15's in the quarter mile. your saturn pulls what, 17's?
The only way you 'beat' this guy is either A) he was a bad driver B) he didn't know you were trying to race him. or C) both.