1994 Saturn SL from North America - Comments

Not too long after purchasing the car the alternator went out at 130,000 miles. The alternator is hard to get to and it wasn't cheap to fix.

At 180,000 miles the radiator got a crack in it. I replaced it myself, which is not hard to do. It only cost me a total of $40.00.

When my car reached 203,000 miles the clutch finally started to give out. That cost me $600.00! But, well worth it.

When I got my Saturn it was a sharp looking well running car, and still fits in with todays cars.

I bought my car at 110,000 miles put the pedal to the floor all the way to 203,000 miles. I have never had one problem with the motor. Just a few minor things had to be replaced, as in any car.

It always ran tip top.

It is cheap.

Very good on gas, and surprisingly fun to drive considering the small 1.9L.

The most dependable car that I have owned or driven. Props to Saturn.

However, my Saturn and I came to a tragic end. At 203,000 miles I had to pay $600.00 to get the clutch replaced. I got an A+ tune up, Valvoline Slick 50, Bosch Platinum plugs and wires, and a new air filter. When I got my car back from the shop it was faster, ran better, and more fun to drive than the first day I got it. At 205,000 miles I took a trip to St. Louis, on my way there I started to hear an noise that sounded like the bearings were going out on one of my pulleys or something on my motor. But I kept driving anyway. On my way back the noise was twice as loud and my RP-M's were going up even though I never touched the gas. But she got me home. I was on my way to take it to my mechanic and the timing chain broke, shot my pistons straight up in the head, destroying the motor. If only I knew? That car would have went 300,000 easily.

It is just about following your manual, and replacing parts at the millage they suggest. I am now debating on getting a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am GT HO. Or a 1995 Saturn SL Twin Cam. The Grand Am would be a blast, it is a very fast car, but the Saturn will probably go twice as long. I love speed so I don't know.

I think that I have made my point, and those people who think that Saturn's are not good cars, take a look around. You would be amazed how many Saturn's you see a day just going to work. And that is just the 1994 & 1995 SL.

I can't complain much about my 1994 Saturn. It has 160,000 and was running great until 2 days ago, when the timing chain gave out. It blew a hole through the valve cover, but did not come apart. I'm guessing it just came out of adjustment. Nonetheless, I will install a new one and hope for the best.

I just purchased a 94 Saturn SL with the manual tranny. It has 232,000 miles on it, but I only paid 500 bucks, so I'm not upset. It seems to be in awesome running condition. The gas mileage is stellar compared to modern vehicles, and at 4$ per gallon that is crucial! The only bad thing I have to say is that the headliner is sagging and the plastic interior is breaking a bit. But for 500$ that's far from a complaint.

I bought my '94 Saturn SL2 in June of 2007. It ran well for a couple of months, and then everything just started going wrong.

I bought the car with about 120k miles on it and it now has 143k plus, we don't know the actual number because the odometer broke.

I have had to replace the water pump, motor mounts, windshield wiper motor, muffler strap, muffler, exhaust system, brakes, ball joints, egr valve, brake calipers, shocks, struts, and steering. Not to mention it burns a ton of oil, one of my power windows is broken, and the headliner and plastic interior are breaking, and the A/C is broken.

Don't get me wrong, she gets me where I need to go when she's not in the shop, and nothing too too too major has gone wrong, but it seems like just a matter of time. I do take care of the car and do regular maintenance as well.

I bought my '94 SL2 in December '93. It has been my one and only car since. Several parts replaced, turning just 80,000 miles now. Looks sharp. Solid car. Kept in a garage for most of it's life--makes a big difference on any car.