1993 Saturn SL 2 review from North America

The engine spun a bearing at 38,000 miles.

I bought a '93 Saturn SL 2 new, drove it lightly for 9 years and then sold it for scrap. It only had 38,000 miles on it, but it would have cost $2500 for the dealer to rebuild the engine which was more than they would give me for the repaired car. The General Manager of the Saturn dealer I bought it from wasn't surprised. He informed me that the time element on the warranty was every bit as important as the mileage limitation. By that reasoning if you buy a Saturn with a 3 or 5 year warranty that's all you should expect to get out of the car. I guess I was naive to expect an American car to last as long as my various Toyotas. He also informed me that his service department was union and worked strictly on commission so he could not give me a break on the cost of the repair no matter how disappointing the car's performance because "it wouldn't be fair." Perhaps the most outrageous thing the dealer did was hold my license plates hostage until I found someone to haul the car away. Apparently they were worried I wouldn't pay them the $320 their mechanics charged me to tell me the car had a negative net worth. They seemed to have a lot of experience ripping people off and they made a profit on me right to the end. The only fortunate thing in this for me was that the car died before I traded it in on a new VUE. One Saturn in a lifetime is enough for me. I bought a Subaru Outback wagon I am very happy with and I can recommend.