1997 Saturn S-Series User Reviews

Its No Honda — the saturn Sl2, as a driver of one it's reliable thats about it, but its no honda as in performance at at!! needs a few things to be worked on but i cant complain about the gas mileage. all in all its ok car.

Primary Use: Commuting to work

Fine Basic Transport — The saturn was unremarkable in any way. It was a fine piece of transportation, served well in terms of reliability, and did everything just fine. But it did not stand out in any area. The engine (the twin cam) was noisy and provided adequate but not spirited thrust. The manual tranny was fine, but not particularly sharp. the handling/roadholding was decent, but unremarkable. The appearance was fine, but far from stunning (though at its inception it was quite distinctive.)

Primary Use: Commuting to work

My Saturn Sc2! — My SC2 gets great gas mileage, and I like the fun, sporty feel. With the sunroof open and windows down it is reminiscent of a convertible! It has been extremely reliable for years. Requires very little maintenance. I love it!

Primary Use: Commuting to work

My Little Saturd —

Overall: Hate it, mostly for the fact that I had to buy this piece of crap from my dad for $500 on the same day he just had to buy a $30k SUV for my stepmom. However, I will admit, it runs and that's all I need right now. All the same, it would be nice to have something want, not just what I need. Performance/Fun Factor: This car is fun to drive if you have the same tolerance for acceleration as a small slug traveling up a window. I have about 3 inches in either direction from dead center on the steering wheel in which nothing happens. Nothing. I've never tested how long for 0-60, but I'm sure it's about the same amount of time it takes for Jeff Goldblum to finish a sentence. Build Quality: None. Appearance: Aside from the square (think Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction) headlights, the rest of the car is groovy. The backseat is comfy if you have no legs. The front seats are just a little too deep for my liking; I feel like an old woman struggling to see over the dash unless I put a pillow under my bum. The dash really is not that bad, in some places it looks a bit like Princess Leia's helmet when she's disguised to save Han Solo from Jabba. Cost of Ownership: I could have bought another used car, a much more lovely and non-American used car, for the money that has been spent on this machine. It's on it's second engine. The transmission kicked it not long after I got it. The entire cooling system had to be replaced. I get high-mileage oil changes. New tires, will have to replace the brakes soon (not because I like the car, I just don't want to die in it, how embarassing!), and have to buy air fresheners to cover up old dog smell. MPG is fair, can't really get an accurate number since the gas gauge has crapped out on me. I can get about 290 on a tank before the light comes on.

A+ — Best car I've owned thus far. Quick, handled well, looked sexy, got 32mpg. If you can find one with under 100k miles, pick it up. Mine was one of the "factory freaks", which means something went terribly right with the engine. I was able to keep pace with Mustang GTs even before I modded her.