Saturn SL2 Reliability

I own a 1997 SL-2 and my problem is vibration in the interior door panels
and the dashboard.
It's very annoying.

--
http://home.earthlink.net/~f6868686/

...

I'm not sure, but aren't the Accord and Camary larger than the SL2? If so,
and they test drove well, I'd opt for size. Assuming you're talking about
2002 models, I'd guess all 3 are reliable.

Maintenance on my 97 SL2 is $24 oil changes every 3,000 miles and major
service at 30k, 60k, and 90k (around $300).

The other consideration for me is proximity to the dealer and if the service
folks a good bunch, or jerks. I'm pro biased towards Saturn service - my
dealer is outstanding.

--

My valid email address contains no numbers.

...

It is not a silly question. Comparing offerings from various
manufacturers is a good idea, and asking in this forum is
acceptable.

In terms of size the SL2 competes against the Civic, not
the Accord. In terms of price it is more in line with the
Accord because the Accord is heavily discounted while at most
Saturn dealers you pay MSRP.

IMVAIO the Accord is a better deal than the Civic because all
the trim levels of the Accord have a very good 4 cylinder engine,
while the engines on the Civic DX and LX are underpowered when
mated with an automatic (the EX is fine). You can buy an Accord
LX for less than a Civic EX, and an Accord VP for much less.

You can check the long term dependability ratings at J.D. Power.
Among non-luxury cars that were above average the ranking is as
follows:

Honda
Toyota
Mercury
Subaru
Oldsmobile
Saturn
Ford
Nissan

They don't rank the vehicles that were below average. Bottom
line is that Honda and Toyota ranked #1 & #2 respectively,
while Saturn was #6. If you believe the technicians and owners
that post on this forum, Saturn has been plagued with oil burning
problems on the S series, and also has had a lot of problems
with alternator failures.

I really like the fact that in the press release J.D. Power
explictly states how important long term dependability is,
in contrast to initial quality.

Check the car prices on carsdirect.com and in your newspaper.
At least around here (S.F. Bay Area) you can buy an Accord
with the Value Package (automatic, A/C) for under $16K which
is less than an SL2. You get less bells and whistles on the
Accord but it's a far better vehicle.

The other issue with the Saturn S series is that it does
relatively poorly in the IIHS crash tests.

This is the last year for the Saturn S series. Next year they
get the new Ion which will hopefully be safer and more reliable
than Saturn's previous offerings.

The Accord is well worth the extra money, especially because
it costs less than the SL2 if you get the one with the
Value Package. On carsdirect.com it's right around $16K
(a little less in S. California, a little more in N. California).
This is a heck of a deal for an Accord. Personally I'd always
choose a less optioned version of a much better car than a
tricked out version of something not as good, but YMMV.

Since you're from Europe you may be looking for a manual
transmission rather than an automatic so some of what I
said regarding the Accord VP may not be applicable. But
be aware that the automatics on American and Japanese cars
are more reliable than the manuals, while this may not be
the case on European cars.

Happy New Year

For most of the cars in question, the manual transmission is a good
choice due to lower cost, lower fuel usage, and better performance
(which can allow choosing the less expensive engine).

Really? Browse the Ford, Chrysler, and Honda newsgroups and you'll
find complaints about:

Chrysler minivan automatic transmissions
Ford Taurus automatic transmissions
Honda Accord V6 automatic transmissions

--

Timothy J. Lee
Unsolicited bulk or commercial email is not welcome.
No warranty of any kind is provided with this message.

Yes. The Accord and Camry are similar in size to the L-series, while
the SL2 is similar in size to the Civic and Corolla.

Larger size tends to mean higher fuel consumption and lesser availability
of a manual transmission. However, insurance costs are often less, due
to driver demographics (larger cars usually have an older driver demographic).

--

Timothy J. Lee
Unsolicited bulk or commercial email is not welcome.
No warranty of any kind is provided with this message.

I have an '02 SC2. If you are comparing a Saturn to a Honda or Toyota, the
S series cars simply cannot compete - especially when comparing a small car
to a midsize car. The more appropriate comparason to the Honda and Toyota
would be the L series as mentioned by others. With the Honda and Toyota,
you do pay more initially. However, the quality is there, and makes the
price difference a bit more palitable, especially if you are one that keeps
a vehicle untill it won't move anymore. The S series is an adequate
vehicle, the twin cam engine has good power. It still does have some of
GM's old design issues in places, like the already mentioned alternator, oil
filter in an aggrivating place making servicing a pain, and a mess as the
oil drips on things that the vast majority of other automakers have been
sucessful in avoiding. While my car was in all likeliness an anomaly in
this particular division, I did have an issue with rattles a month into
ownership. It took two trips to the dealer to fix the problem - an
improperly mounted windshield. My single biggest complaint is completely
and totally my own fault. The car is a poor match for me, as I am a very
high mileage driver, and allowed myself to get caught up in the idea of a
"sporty" vehicle when I really needed a sedan and a diesel powered one at
that.

Bryan

--
1980 Mercedes 240D sedan
1988.5 Suzuki Samurai Hardtop
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins 24 Valve Turbodiesel
2002 Saturn SC2

...

Wishing for a VW Golf GTI TDI or BMW 330d from Europe to show up in
North America? (i.e. a sporty diesel car with 4 doors)

--

Timothy J. Lee
Unsolicited bulk or commercial email is not welcome.
No warranty of any kind is provided with this message.

Hi Val,

I've just bought my second SL2. I did not have any oil leak problems
on my 1992 SL2. I had the 1992 in central New Jersey for several
years and in Phoenix, AZ since the middle of 1994. The biggest
problem I encountered was the replacement of alternators, but that
tends to be a problem with cars in the Phoenix area in general due to
the hot summers in the desert. The 1992 was afflicted with loud
engine noise which WAS endemic to Saturns. This is not true of my
2002 SL2. Having test driven civics, I believe that the current civic
[test drove EXs] was definitely noisier than my current SL2.

As for pricing, I felt the SL2 pricing was on par with the CIVIC EX
pricing even with the haggling, etc. On the other hand, maybe I'm not
a good haggler. I would suggest looking at the comments and related
charts about cars at the NPR car talk website. Saturn owners, not
exactly unbiased individuals, generally praised their vehicles. You
will, of course, find the same response for owners of Hondas, Toyotas,
and many other car brands.

By the way, let me critique some aspects of the new SL2:

Rear seating in terms of the seats, themselves, as opposed to the
seating room, seems to be worse. The amount of leg room seems to be
about the same, although the head room has probably increased
somewhat. Even though the steering wheel is adjustable, even at the
highest elevation, it is a bit too low. Because of placement of
window switches on central console, unlighted at night, it can be
difficult to use the correct switch at night. I liked the longer map
pockets on the front doors on the previous model. No map lights, at
least as far as I can tell -- it would be nice, but not a critical
factor for me; and the outside mirrors will not flex if you sideswipe
the garage wall or whatever.

On the other hand:

The engine is quiet!!! The ride/handling is the same as on the old
Saturn -- you either like this or hate it. The central console is
more appropriately laid out, although the front cupholder blocks
access to ac/heater controls and radio knobs when something is in the
cupholder. On a subjective note, the front seats are comfortable, the
seating position is excellent, the car has better rear visibility /
lack of blind spots vs. just about any other car in its class on the
market. And, of course, there are always the plastic panels.