1997 Saturn SL from North America - Comments

Bought the car with 40 miles in 1997.

Currently 156789 miles in 2006.

Had a problem with a heat sensor at 145,000 miles. I ignored the problem and this resulted in burning the cooling fan. Cost $600.

Currently engine service light is on at 150,000 miles. It shows that the down stream heat sensor need to be replaced. Estimated cost is $250. haven't changed yet. I believe that it would not cause any engine problems since it is DOWNSTREAM Oxygen Sensor. I would like to change it by myself, if I get few tips. Can anyone help with this?

Other non traditional problems at 155,000 miles. When the AC runs, the water stopped going outside the car. It started collecting on the passenger side floor. Can anyone please help with this?

Routine maintenance: belt @ 110,000

Front brakes: every 60,000

Tires: every 30,000

Battery: every 3 years

No other problems.

I was forced to write this review, since I talk good things about this car when other people ask me to trade this car for newer one.

Anyways, I bought the car in 1997, brand new, with AC, stereo, and manual transmission. No power steering (wanted to save money!)

I drove this car hard for six years in college. It had 95K by 2003 without any problems. All I did is oil changes & a radiator flush once a year. People are correct that it does uses lots of oil. You can solve this problem by using full synthetic oil. It costs little extra, but I change change oil every 5K miles.

AC runs great.

Gives great gas mileage. It started giving more mileage every year. With a full 12 GAL tank, I get 30 miles in city and 39 miles on the highway.

I can afford a new car, but why? It runs great. AC is cold. It's safe (I proved it, trust me!). Gives more mileage than any other hybrid. It's cheap & still looks great & shines.

There may be a small leak in the hose for your AC compressor causing the liquid to come into the car.

Find your AC coil that chills the air in the cabin--usually it is behind the glove box. At the bottom there is a hose that takes condensate away and dumps it under the car. See if you can get the hose off, and blow some air through it to be sure it is not clogged with dust or leaves. Check the housing around the cooling coil to see if there are any cracks. Run you're a/C to see where the water is coming from when you have gotten some access to it. Be aware that wet carpets lead to rusted out floor pans, so don't neglect this if you plan on keeping the car for several more years.

How do you get 30mpg city and 39mpg highway out of this car? I've got almost the same exact configuration (except mine has power steering and a 4-speed automatic transmission) and I average 24mpg city (sometimes 26) and 31mpg highway (I only see this when I fill the tank all the way and do a lot of driving on the first 1/4 tank)

A manual transmission vehicle always does more mpg than an automatic... manual always recommended; the transmission lasts longer.