1995 Saturn SL SL2 review from North America

Front main seal needed replacement at 112,000

Knock sensor connector needed replacement

clutch hydraulics needed replacement at 115,000

needed new clutch at 110,000

Burns a normal amount of oil for saturns.

I personally have owned 2 saturns and my family has owned a total of 7 including myself. 3 of them died a death from car accidents. The other 4 are still running today. I do all the work personally on the cars and can say working at an auto parts store as well as owning 4 at the time, Saturns are very reliable. For all those of you reading these harsh comments, think it through... ANY car that is neglected and abused is going to have mechanical issues. Including Honda, Toyota, and any other forein car...

Working at an auto parts store for over a year now, I can tell you what vehicles fail in what areas and why... I can also tell you that we do not sell a lot of hard parts for Saturn. We sell a few sensors here and there, an EGR here and there, the occasional alternator or starter. For how many Saturns are on the road here, the sales in parts for them is relatively low.

As far as personal experience, every problem we've experienced has been from neglect or normal service. For instance on one of the Saturns, a head gasket failed shortly after purchasing it. The car had a brand new radiator in it which had failed recently. Overheating is the only thing that can cause a head to warp like this one was...

Automatic Transmission failure @ 155K miles. The tranny had the improper level of fluid in it as well as had never been serviced from the previous owner.

I hope someone may read this that will think it over when they are reading all the negative comments. Saturns are one of the most reliable US made cars there are if taken care of properly. The only complaint is the faulty piston oil control ring design. No oil drainback holes leads to sticking oil control rings which leads to oil consumption at an early age. Synthetic oil can help prevent this if the engine is not yet burning much. Fuel injection cleaners, as well as procedures such as piston soaks can help reduce consumption. I know first hand...

Lastly, parts for Saturns are some of the least expensive you can find for any vehicle. Whether it be a starter, a halfshaft, alternator, water pump, whatever it is, its usually more than 50-75% less expensive than the cost vs. a Honda, Toyota, or any other foreign car. Comparing vs. Ford, Chevy, Etc., the prices are still considerably lower. Ease of working on them? Very easy if you know what your doing.