1997 Saturn SL review from North America
"It has a grocery list of repairs compared to my Honda Civic"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Idler pulley- under warranty.
Top of shifting housing leaking- under warranty.
Driver side visor replaced- under warranty.
Right rear door seal replaced- under warranty.
Horn replaced- saturn recall.
Fuel pump replaced- saturn recall.
Front end alignment- under warranty.
Serpentine belt tensioner pulley- $80.
Oxygen sensor (upstream) - $80.
Coolant temperature sensor- $12.
Coolant temperature sensor wiring harness- $34.
Driver side wheel bearing- $80.
General comments?
Service engine soon light had to be diagnosed many times by dealer. Found out that many national auto parts stores will check error codes for you using a hand held OBD II scanner for no charge to you. Now, when ever the service engine soon light comes on I take the car to an auto parts store and not the Saturn dealer.
Quite a few parts that are causing error codes can be cleaned instead of replaced, such as the exhaust gas recirculating valve (EGR valve)
The car burns one quart of oil every 3000 miles. So I change the oil and filter at those intervals.
Recommended reviews
| This is a perfect commuter car at a great price |
|
| One of the better 500 dollar beaters I've ever bought! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1997 |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.9L Manual |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 129600 miles |
| Date of Entry | 4th March, 2005 |