2001 Saturn SL SL1 review from North America
"Great for someone who gets a new car every few years! Not for the long haul unless you have $$$!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Headlight failure (due to faulty wiring during manufacturing. Dealer fixed within days of buying the car, no problems since).
Transmission leak (caused by dealership service dept mistake. Messed up filter causing transmission to leak, which resulted in damage due to low fluids).
ABS module went bad (Somehow the dealership broke it while fixing the transmission problem, although they deny it!)
O2 sensor went bad (I guess just an old age thing).
Wiper motor died (we had a bad winter with tons of heavy snow, no surprise here!)
Engine mount bad (Was told this normally breaks with age... I've never heard of it before... so maybe just a story they told me?)
Gasget on engine leaked causing one of the cylinders to lose pressure and fail. Caused the car to run bad until we got it fixed (expensive fix!! $640!)
General comments?
Great car when we first got it! Ran good, looked great!
I love the plastic body, because its resistant to dents and dings. My kids have hit it with everything from balls to bikes! Not a scratch on it! Still looks like it did when it pulled off the showroom floor!! They use good paint, no problems with chipping! We wax it about once or twice a summer only.
The car is built in such a way that it's very difficult to do your own work on it. The car is not set up like other cars. No such thing as "standard"! Little fixes end up taking a long time! Cheap fixes end up costing a ton more on labor costs since most things you can't do yourself. (by design) I am a DIYer and I can do very little of my own work on this car. : (Not even the oil changes, because they have the filter hidden and almost impossible to access without a lift.
If you buy this car, don't expect it to be your baby for many years. Use it for 4-5 years then trade it in before things start going wrong!! Mine is a 2001 and I have already put THOUSANDS of dollars of work into it! It shouldn't be having these problems yet... it's only 2007!!!
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| I think they're all lemons! |
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| The Saturn is an incredible, reliable car that is easy to maintain, and will last years |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 2001 |
| Year of manufacture | 2001 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 130000 miles |
| Previous car | Dodge Shadow |
| Date of Entry | 14th March, 2007 |