I notice a lot of these cars with relatively high mileage (200k+). I have two family members that had SL's (2000's) that were automatics, and both transmissions went out on both of them. Aside from some questions regarding the trannies, is the rest of the engine sound? Are these reliable cars? Low maintenance? Any comments would be welcome.

As you can see i love the s-series. They are great on fuel mileage, dont take alot of work, just keep up on oil changes etc etc. IF you do need work on them, the car has TONS of engine bay space, mixed with the HUGE amounts of online sources, any job from brake pads to complete engine replacements can be done by anyone.

I changed out the my first s-series engine in my driveway with basic tools, 4 jackstands, a dolley, and my neighbors engine hoist...i was 17 at the time.

I am willing to bet that your family's 2 saturns were fixable with only spending 200 bucks. AND that the entire problem could have been avoided if they changed their tranny fluid every 30K as recommended by saturn. The valve body's on the tranny are weak, but ONLY when not taken care of.

Saturns if kept properly have been known to see over 300k with NO issues :)
There is a member Luke, he has a SL2 DOHC with 520K miles getting 42 mpg

SL1's see 38-40 mpg mix of highway and city. My '02 saw 42mpg on the highway at 70mph down to florida with the a/c ON

Sl2's see about 32-35 mix. I was getting about 34 in my '97

They are GREAT in the reliability are and safety. Both my father and I have crashed in a s-series. I hitting a guard rail head on around 30mph, my father hitting a stone devider head on around 50 mph.....we both walked away.

For the most part the engine is great! If any trouble arises, its usually is something stuck with dirt or carbon deposits.

Any other ???'s !

As you can see i love the s-series. They are great on fuel mileage, dont take alot of work, just keep up on oil changes etc etc. IF you do need work on them, the car has TONS of engine bay space, mixed with the HUGE amounts of online sources, any job from brake pads to complete engine replacements can be done by anyone.

I changed out the my first s-series engine in my driveway with basic tools, 4 jackstands, a dolley, and my neighbors engine hoist...i was 17 at the time.

I am willing to bet that your family's 2 saturns were fixable with only spending 200 bucks. AND that the entire problem could have been avoided if they changed their tranny fluid every 30K as recommended by saturn. The valve body's on the tranny are weak, but ONLY when not taken care of.

Saturns if kept properly have been known to see over 300k with NO issues :)
There is a member Luke, he has a SL2 DOHC with 520K miles getting 42 mpg

SL1's see 38-40 mpg mix of highway and city. My '02 saw 42mpg on the highway at 70mph down to florida with the a/c ON

Sl2's see about 32-35 mix. I was getting about 34 in my '97

They are GREAT in the reliability are and safety. Both my father and I have crashed in a s-series. I hitting a guard rail head on around 30mph, my father hitting a stone devider head on around 50 mph.....we both walked away.

For the most part the engine is great! If any trouble arises, its usually is something stuck with dirt or carbon deposits.

Any other ???'s !

Body wise, aren't the SL1 and 2 the same? What is the main difference in the SL1 and the SL2?

Are the 95 and older models better than 96 and up when they changed some features on the SL's? Most of the SL's I see with 200k+ are the older (95 to 92).

Also, how hard is it to soup the engine up with some nice horsepower?

Body wise, aren't the SL1 and 2 the same? What is the main difference in the SL1 and the SL2?

Are the 95 and older models better than 96 and up when they changed some features on the SL's? Most of the SL's I see with 200k+ are the older (95 to 92).

Also, how hard is it to soup the engine up with some nice horsepower?

SX1- SOHC engine
SX2 - DOHC engine
Let X indicate L - sedan, C- Coupe, W - wagon

Body wise they are the same. The bumpers of the 1st and 2nd gen of the SX1's are not the same color as the car. For the sX2's they are the same for all 3 generations. Wagons obviously are not sedans, or coupes.

Really The year doesnt matter. Its how the car was taken care of. I have an '02 SL1. Great condition. But i have a '95 in even better condition with lower mileage. All depends on the seller and their car maintenance habits. '96+ uses OBDII. Earlier models use OBD I. Difference? the OBD II you can hook up to your laptop or card reader to get diagnostic info. For the OBD I...You have a paper clip :)

These are NOT straightline cars. They are better for auto crossing or road racing. HOWEVER, there are saturn dragsters and 350hp saturns. How did they do it? Turbo. Fully custom made turbo set ups with standalone ECM's. There is some aftermarket backing with turbo set ups, but its hard to find and not everything is there. You need to do alot of improvasation and custom work :) But it can be done!

SX1- SOHC engine
SX2 - DOHC engine
Let X indicate L - sedan, C- Coupe, W - wagon

Body wise they are the same. The bumpers of the 1st and 2nd gen of the SX1's are not the same color as the car. For the sX2's they are the same for all 3 generations. Wagons obviously are not sedans, or coupes.

Really The year doesnt matter. Its how the car was taken care of. I have an '02 SL1. Great condition. But i have a '95 in even better condition with lower mileage. All depends on the seller and their car maintenance habits. '96+ uses OBDII. Earlier models use OBD I. Difference? the OBD II you can hook up to your laptop or card reader to get diagnostic info. For the OBD I...You have a paper clip :)

These are NOT straightline cars. They are better for auto crossing or road racing. HOWEVER, there are saturn dragsters and 350hp saturns. How did they do it? Turbo. Fully custom made turbo set ups with standalone ECM's. There is some aftermarket backing with turbo set ups, but its hard to find and not everything is there. You need to do alot of improvasation and custom work :) But it can be done!

the SL2 would be the one I am after then. The SL1's with the different colored bumpers are hoagly, in my opinion. Plus, the DOHC...that's a more powerful engine, right? What kind of horsepower are we talking about (not much, I'm sure)? I guess I always found the look of the original SL's (92-95) body quite nice. Right now I have a 95 Cavalier Z24 with about 117k and I have had it for about 4 years (since 85k) and have had absolutely ZERO problems with it. So I am hard pressed to part with it, but I have several grand if I find a nice clean SL I might pick it up.

If you want a DOHC, you want a SX2. Puts out 124 hp at the crank, 100hp at the wheels.

You should be able to find something :) Check Craigslist. Thats where i found all of mine :)

Good luck!

Saturn automatics usually have problems due to owners not taking proper care of them.

I have two Saturns: A 94 with 228K and a 92 with 252K. The 94 has an auto that I nursed back to health from the PO's neglect. The 92 is a manual. Both easily pass emissions and both get over 30mpg AND I paid less than $400 for each of them. Can't beat that with a stick.

Saturn automatics usually have problems due to owners not taking proper care of them.

I have two Saturns: A 94 with 228K and a 92 with 252K. The 94 has an auto that I nursed back to health from the PO's neglect. The 92 is a manual. Both easily pass emissions and both get over 30mpg AND I paid less than $400 for each of them. Can't beat that with a stick.
Not at all. That's incredible.

THEY ARE A PAIN i put a new tranny in my 99 sl1 becouse my other tranny was bad i replaced my battier cables i need a new starter beocuse it wont stop sticking ecven with the shim in and out and repostioned and i need a new slave cylinder my engin leakes oil and antifreeze i regrete ever buying this thing they are nice but very fruastrating working on them sucks!

THEY ARE A PAIN i put a new tranny in my 99 sl1 becouse my other tranny was bad i replaced my battier cables i need a new starter beocuse it wont stop sticking ecven with the shim in and out and repostioned and i need a new slave cylinder my engin leakes oil and antifreeze i regrete ever buying this thing they are nice but very fruastrating working on them sucks!

o man. Go work on another car and repeat that last sentence. These cars are the EASIEST to work on. And are Very reliable if taken care of. A bad s-series = BAD OWNER.

Clicking starter = corrosion at the battery terminals (what does this "shim" do?)

How was your tranny "bad" ?

You need a new slave cylinder bc you did not properly tie it up during your tranny swap operation.

Engine leaking oil = bad valve cover gasket

Leaking antifreeze = bad water pump or loose hose clamps

All easy stuff you can do in a Saturday afternoon. for less than 200 bucks

:iagree: :iagree:

I am NOT a GM guy. My tastes normaly runs to the Ford brand. But I got to say, these things are tanks. My wifes 94 has had almost NOTHING done to it in the last 175k miles. and we have beat the TAR out of it!!!!!!!!! Easy to work on, and realy not much goes bad. As far as new cars go its a pretty simple car.

:iagree: :iagree:

I am NOT a GM guy. My tastes normaly runs to the Ford brand. But I got to say, these things are tanks. My wifes 94 has had almost NOTHING done to it in the last 175k miles. and we have beat the TAR out of it!!!!!!!!! Easy to work on, and realy not much goes bad. As far as new cars go its a pretty simple car.

I need to pick one of these bad boys up. I also think the older SL's have a very sleek looking body; almost like a Oldsmobile cutlass. I like them .

I had a 1996 SL ( base model ) SOHC w/ 5 speed and loved it . It got great gas mileage , handled very well , and I thought that it was a great looking car ( design wise ) although the SL2's with their body color matching bumpers were more attractive ! I wish I still had it today but it died an early death ! My wife and I were sittng motionless at a red light when an 82 yrs. old man , driving a 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis , ran into the back of us without even putting on his brakes ! Although the car was totaled by the insurance company , it looked almost undamaged to the casual observer because the plastic body panels absorbed the inpact then sprang right back into place . The only obvious damage was a broken taillight and a dent on the trunk lid . The real damage was done to the cars superstructure as the crush zones were...well .. crushed and economically infeasible to repair . So they totaled it ! I sure miss that car ! Sorry my story got to be so long ! :crying:

THEY ARE A PAIN i put a new tranny in my 99 sl1 becouse my other tranny was bad i replaced my battier cables i need a new starter beocuse it wont stop sticking ecven with the shim in and out and repostioned and i need a new slave cylinder my engin leakes oil and antifreeze i regrete ever buying this thing they are nice but very fruastrating working on them sucks!

:sly: sounds to me like either you bought a piece of shit, or you made it a piece of shit. These ares are distgustingly easy to work on if you know them. You would be a fool to make a statement like that. Sounds to me like user error.

For the Op, when I bought mine, I hated it. This is how owning a saturn works unless you are like this guy :uhoh: (x99sldriverx)....

You hate it but can afford it and then it all goes down hill.... -> like it -> love it -> becoming an obsession -> Rc1488 :smooch: (have you seen his drive way)??

You hate it but can afford it and then it all goes down hill.... -> like it -> love it -> becoming an obsession -> Rc1488 :smooch: (have you seen his drive way)??
Very funny :P
Its not that bad is it?

Summer '08
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk57/RC1488/95-99%20and%2091-02%20LED%20cluster%20and%20brake%20lights/Saturn%20Cars/DSCF2267.jpg


Fall '08
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk57/RC1488/2008_11280016.jpg

Keep it real,some clown said they new someone that is getting 42 mpg with a sl2dohc with 520,000 mi on it. just be honest they don't get that kind of mileage.

Keep it real,some clown said they new someone that is getting 42 mpg with a sl2dohc with 520,000 mi on it. just be honest they don't get that kind of mileage.

Actually that clown was me. His name is Luke and its a '95 DOHC Man. He has over 520k on it and gets around 42.2 mpg last time i saw.

I have gotten 42mpg in my '02 SL1 SOHC so 42mpg is NOT out of the question.

Keep it real,some clown said they new someone that is getting 42 mpg with a sl2dohc with 520,000 mi on it. just be honest they don't get that kind of mileage.

apparently you do not know much about these cars. Many people get that kind of mileage and some people on my other forum get 36 with a turbo. We have another member getting over 50 on a single, but he has some other things done to it.

and if you know half as much as that "clown" your fuzzy little head would explode. By the way RC... its me OnDaGround :smooch:

Very funny :P
Its not that bad is it?


yes it is, and you are very much a fiend. You need to go see someone about it.

I dont regard it as an obsession, until you start having the Saturn logo embroidered on your jockey shorts.
I agree that Saturns are great machines. I got a 92 SL2 cheaply that just needed new piston rings and a junkyard transmission. The tranny died because the prior owner was in the habit of doing 'redline-drops', a.k.a. revving it to the redline and pulling it into drive - and smoking the wheels. O dont regard the resulting failure as being the fault of the car. It ran well but was using too much oil. Since I had the engine out, I put in new piston rings. At 128,000 miles the cylinder didnt need to be honed, didnt need new pistons, or new valves - just new piston rings. My younger daughter is driving it now, with no problems. My older daughter's SL2 is using a quart of oil each 1000 miles, so.....in a year or two I will pull that engine, and put in new piston rings.
I regard them as easy to work on. Have any of you ever owned any French made cars or Italian made cars? Those are what I think of as hard to work on.
And speaking of mileage driving: My idea of 'open road' driving is I-10 from San Antonio to El Paso TX. Over 400 miles with not many exits, little traffic, and the speed limit is 80 mph. Nice scenery too, if you like deserts.

Also, I dont regard that driveway as having an unusual number of cars in it. If you look at my profile you will see about ten cars, but those are just the ones I keep in running shape. It doesnt include my extra/parts cars or the pre-WWII cars with antique tags. Of course I dont stick with one make/model of car; but I have a perfectly normal friend who has 26 Lancia's, most of them 1955-56 Aurelia coupes.
And if anyone has a 5 speed tranny for an 87-89 Hyundai Excel....I'd like to find one.