2002 Saturn L200 from North America - Comments

Brakes tend to squeak a little bit and collect brake dust.

Hubcaps are chipping and look bad.

The seats are comfortable.

The car is very reliable.

I have never had a problem with this car.

It handles well and is pretty zippy for a 4 cylinder.

I would definitely recommend this car to anyone, I love it!

You only have 18,000 miles on you L Series. What till you hit 20,30 or 40,000. You will feel different. I hope you got an extended warranty. Pay close attention to your value.

For the individual who questions the long term relibility of the 2002 L Series: My 2002 L100 has almost 58k on the odometer. I have never had a problem with the car. The only time it has seen the shop is when it goes in for its regular services (oil changes).

I would love this car if weren't for the fact that the Saturn 2002 L100 has a design flaw regarding the fuel pick up line. The car will not start on a slight grade with a 1/4 tank of gas (or less) in it. I have to drift down onto a level spot to start the vehicle. The car is still well under warranty (and we have the extended warranty) At first Saturn said this was a "characteristic of that model", and they could only fix it if there was a recall. Now, after we contacted a lawyer, they are saying they can fix it. If you live in a flat area this may not pose a problem, but I live among many rolling hills with grades that can be quite steep at times. We'll see if they really do fix the problem. It's a shame people are driving around not knowing this situation exists.

My 2002 Saturn L200 has been OK except for the problem with the alignment. It was recalled to correct a factory problem, but I was told that I would have to rotate my tires every 2000 miles. I drive 500 miles a week back and forth to work so this is very expensive for me in both time and money. I took it to a local shop and they could not align it to specs, either. I am on my 4th set of tires due to excessive wear. It gets good gas mileage, always starts, and has not needed any major repair. I live in Maine and this car does well with challenging driving conditions.

I have a 2002 L200 we purchased new. It now has 104k on it. We had the extended warranty and the car was always maintained at the dealer we purchased it at on a regular basis; at least until the warranty expired at 60k. At 70k the "brain" went out and left us stranded on the freeway ($500). At 72k we had to replace the A/C ($1,000). Then a year later, we replaced it again! (no, it is not used continuously) The entire exhaust system, including the Cat had to be replaced at 75k, at a cost of $1,600!! I HATE the anti theft stereo system feature. We stored the car for 6 months and disconnected the battery, put it up on blocks, etc. the way our mechanic instructed us to do. Upon reconnecting the battery the radio no longer worked and was locked. This is a feature of the anti theft system. The only way to get it to work was to take it the dealer for $45 and a special "code"... OK, 3 hours later it worked fine (and the dealer did comp the cost) The next day (Yesterday) we had a new clutch put in it at our mechanic and they had to disconnect the battery for 5 hours. Now the radio is again locked and will not work again!!! this is SO frustrating! I can't believe that every time you have to disconnect the battery for repairs this should happen. Has anyone else had this problem? I do really like the car as far as power, comfort, etc. and the mileage is great (consistent 32-35mpg on the freeway)

We own a 2002 Saturn L200 and only 35000 miles. Two months ago, the brakes suddenly stopped working and the pedal went all the way to the floor. Luckily we were not surrounded by cars and were able to coast slowly and safely to a stop.

We had no warning of brake problems. There was no squealing or any other noise. No difference in braking performance or any other warning. Just all at once, no brakes.

We had to replace the power brake booster, and the car drove fine for 2 months - only 400 miles. Now the problem has happened again - no brakes.

We took it to the dealer who charged $65 just to look at it and basically tells us they are guessing that it is the front brakes that need to be replaced - for $420 dollars. They say they will start with that - and if that doesn't work - they'll see what else they need to fix. Yeah - right!

In 1992 I bought a Saturn SC Coupe which now has 250K+ miles on it. Back then, Saturn really did put their customers first. Dec. 2001, I bought a Saturn L200 with their climate control feature. Long story short, I have found that this is the only year this feature was on the car. When I spoke with Saturn - up to the Regional Director - I was told that the feature "performs in the manner in which it was designed." the design has the system pumping heat until it reaches and goes beyond the designated temperature. It then cranks out cold air until it reaches and drops below the designated temperature. Having been to the dealership for all of the "system upgrades" that would allegedly resolve the issue, I asked for the part to be replaced with a regular heating/AC system. After being told that they can't because it's programmed into the main computer module of the car, they offered me a whopping $250 over the trade-in value. I spent more in gas going for the upgrades. Saturn still (9/2007) is doing the upgrades for this part. The front O2 sensor has blown out a couple of times, which in turn sends too much unburned fuel through the system and into the catalytic converter, which puts the cat & rear O2 sensor into a meltdown. ($1200) Unfortunately, the codes for this don't help since it is an intermittent issue (frequency and mph). I've found that the steering box on the newer Saturns has a tendency to get very loose and makes a grating noise, the climate control needs a new designer, and the company needs to actually live up to their Company Promise and Company Purpose.

With the birth of my baby, it was time to turn in my 2-door Honda Civic (it ain't easy getting a newborn out of the back seat of a coupe!) for a more family-oriented 4-door. I couldn't afford another Honda, so I went next door to the Saturn dealer. I bought a used 2002 L200 (yes, I got an extended warranty!) and life (and my back!) was grand - for a moment. I soon noticed that my brakes began to squeak; you know that high-pitched squeak that can get on your nerves and cause you to lower your head as passersby look your way. I took it in to the dealer and was told "yes, that happens when it's really cold and the car isn't warmed up." Yeah, right, it happens all the time! I took it to another Saturn dealer and was told that my pads and brakes were fine and that the brakes can tend to squeak in really warm weather. What?!!! Hot? Cold? Which is it??? I plan on taking it to a reliable mechanic (when I can find one with valid references!) to see what they can do/think. Otherwise, I love this car. It's sleek (I got a black one), has a nice interior and nice bells and whistles that were lacking in my Honda Civic (well, at least the model that I had!).

I bought the car Brand new! It looked great had everything that I wanted. Heated leather seats (that no longer are heated) Climate control system that pumps out cold air, and a electrical system that is a car owners nightmare. I can no longer pop my trunk from inside the car, I pump on my electric seats work and then some tomes they don't. SO I just don't adjust the seat. I have had my timing Chain replaced because after about 9 months into the car that broke on the highway at Christmas, I have had the electrical coil replaced (I was told that would fix the climate issue). Oh and just Monday I went to get ALL of my back lights replaced because for some odd reason they all went and when he went into the trunk to take the out one had exploded and they both had MELTED the casing around the housing for the lights. MELTED!!! They had to file it down just to get the lights in or out. I called Saturn so many times and they didn't want to do ANYTHING for me. Customer Service??? What customer Service!!! Car looks nice, but under that hood is a mess. I was told that GM outsourced the making of this car that year. I will be finished paying for it in August 08, I am looking forward to no car payment, but I am afraid that it is going to let me down.

I have a Saturn L-200. It has been a good car except it seems it has problems with alignment. Had to replace tires at 17,000 miles; never in all my life have I had to replace tires that soon. I was told that I didn't rotate tires enough. Also found out dealer doesn't even do their own alignments. They told me to go to Firestone. So I bought new new tires from them and life time alignment. Take it in every 5,000 miles to rotate tires and alignment. Every time the toe is off. tires are getting every noisy again. from tire wear. 34,000 now Firestone doesn't know what to say. They told me me to bring it in every month to have checked. Please do the alignment and check the gas!