What are some problems that occur with this car?

Dear runner5-- I actually have one of these Saturns myself. It has over 155,000 miles on it. I have it because it refuses to die. My daughter was going to donate it to charity a year ago, but I took it instead. Since then I use it to drive my dogs around. It is also one of the few remaining places where I can smoke a cigar legally. I have had a few problems, like the heater and the muffler, but the engine is a workhorse (although very loud when cold). The transmission makes some odd sounds at times and I expect that will be the first major component to go. Go to www.carcomplaints.com and they will verify what I have said. Don't spend a lot of money on it and you should be okay.  Good luck from Bovan.

Why, when I start the car it will not idle....unless I keep my foot on the gas pedal it dies instantly.  Can only drive it by 'feathering' the gas pedal all the time?

Hey helpmeplease; i have that same issue. I actually have to start my car in Neutral with my foot on the break, then "Bogart" it into gear with my foot on the gas. Makes for a lot of peel outs, but it does the trick. I've been told by many it's the idle (aka throttle) control sensor.  Good luck.

the only problem I've had with my Saturn 1997 Sl-2 is that it isn't very strong.
I got into a fender bender... well that's what it was for the other car
(Volvo... enough said). My whole bumper, side panel, hood, and lights were gone, 1,200 $$ in damage.

My '97 SL-1 is about the same mileage as bovan's, and the only real problem I've had is a sour alternator. If you get it or any Saturn into any kind of wreck, there will be a LOT of body damage (the doors and quarter-panels are all fiberglass and the bumpers are plastic) but the frame is a solid steel roll cage, so you're pretty safe in a major pileup. Believe me, I used to work at a Saturn dealership. We had a few come through torn to pieces, but the driver and passengers had barely a scratch. If you do the regular maintenance, it really will refuse to die (we had early '90's models coming in for oil changes with 300,000+ miles that purred like a kitten). They might not be powerful, but they're cheap and worth the money, especially the 10 gallon gas tank. And I highly recommend a manual transmission over an automatic-cheaper maintenance and repair. They just plain last longer, too.  

By the way, I used to hate Saturns with a passion before I had this car.

Engine problems. Suspension Problems. Steering problems. Self Destruct problems. I swear to god i saw one of these driving the opposite way and the back end was on FIRE! HAHA. Dude buy a honda like everyone else.