Anybody own a Saturn?

[lulugirl]

What model and do you like it? We need to purchase a second car in the next 6 months and we don't want another large car payment.
We usually like Toyota's or Honda's, a neighbor suggested a Saturn,said they were very reasonably priced. My knowledge of them is limited, I have heard that customer service is good and they do well in crash tests.
I would love hear of others experiences good or bad!
Thanks!
-Elisabeth

 

[Regina]

My son has had an Ion that's now two years old and he's been happy with it.

Another option are Hyundai's. I have a Sante Fe, DH has the LX (followed by some number, I have no clue) and our DD just got an Elantra. All three cars have been fine.

 

[experiment626mom]

DON"T DO IT!! I had a Saturn for 5 years and it was nothing but trouble. It didn't matter what they did with it, it never ran right. It could have been a fluke, but I have heard of others having problems.

You might want to find a Saturn forum and see what others have to say.

 

[janette]

I had one from 1996 - 2004, it was reliable and worked out fine. I traded it in for a Sienna and it was pretty well done for but it had 120K on it. There were a few things wrong with it then but no major problems before that.

 

[kasar]

I used to have one and loved it. It's the best car-buying experience I've ever had.

Here's my next van:

 

[Chicago526]

I have a 98 Saturn SL2 and it runs fine. I am at the point that I have to replace a lot of parts due to wear and tear, so it's starting to cost me a little bit. Things like shocks/struts, new tires, tune ups, exhaust system, fuel injectors, that kind of thing. Not a single out of the ordinary problem for a car that's this age and has this many miles. I'd buy another one when the time comes! Actually, I'll wind up buying my parents current car (Crystler Concord) a year or two from now when they make that big jump to a Cadilac that is required when you are retired in AZ!!! But if I can't do that for some reason, then I'll look at another Saturn.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I am interested to hear peoples's responses too. I am interested in getting a Vue.

 

[chrissyk]

Don't do it!! My first car was a Saturn SL1. It died of a cracked cylinder head 3 years after I bought it brand new. The dealership wanted to buy it back for 2K, but refused to fix the problem. It was a KNOWN PROBLEM, and was listed in their service bulletins. I would never, ever, ever buy another Saturn again. I had to replace that car in a hurry, because it was junk and there was no way that I was buying a new engine for it at that point. Never, never, never again.

 

[poohqueen]

I have a 2001 Saturn SC1, 3 door. I really like my car, I have had it for 5 years, and have had no major problems with it what so ever. They have been very good to deal with. Just got done paying it off this past June, so I plan to keep it a couple of years, until it starts costing me a bunch of money.
I feel it was a very good purchase decision for me.

 

[zulaya]

Let's face it, folks, every car make will have it's bad apples, even the Hondas and Toyotas that people seem to fawn over. What matters is the big picture when considering a vehicle. If there's consistent reports of problems, of course avoid a particular model. I am not demeaning anyone's personal experience; just trying to be rational. Do your research. Try Edmunds.com for some basics and work from there. Don't take a stranger's word from a Disney forum.

We are on our 2nd Saturn. DH drives 2000 SL2. We haven't had problems with it other than regular maintenance and repair that comes with this age of vehicle. It regularly get 30MPG.

Our 1st Saturn was a 1997 SL2. I was driving with my kids (ages 3 and 4 at the time) when we were t-boned by a car going 50 miles an hour. My car spun 1.5 times. It was totalled. The important thing to note is NOTHING entered the cabin of my vehicle. I could have walked away if EMS had not insisted I be backboarded because it was a t-bone.

I currently drive a Dodge Grand Caravan. Had Saturn had the VUE or Relay available when I needed a bigger vehicle, I would have bought it in a heartbeat.

My in-laws are on their 4th Saturn.

#1 - Dark Blue SL2 - totalled in a crash. MIL was hit by a semi. YES, a semi. Her only problem was that she had a dirty face. At the time, Saturn used gun powder to deploy the airbags when most carmakers used an acid. The EMTs kept asking her if her eyes were burning and she couldn't figure out why until later on.
#2 Plum SL2 - MIL had it for 3 years and then traded it in for the bigger model LS1. No problems, she just wanted a bigger car
#3 Dark Blue LS1 - MIL wanted a little bigger vehicle to tote the grandkids around. No problems, just again, wanted more space.
#4 Silver VUE 2004 - Now that there 3 grandkids, she decided she needed a little more space. Plus Saturn was having a good deal on 0% financing.


Just keep in mind for every "Don't do it" post, you will have a good response like my family has had. We will continue to buy Saturns as the need arrives for new vehicles because we trust their product and we trust their service personnel to be honest about the needs of our vehicles. I can't say the same about the Dodge dealership I got my van from...never seen more pushy maintenance people.

 

[Cindy B]

We had a Saturn SL1 we bought new (2001). We hated it! It had no pickup, and the transmission always sounded grindy (like it was really straining to get to the gear it needed)

We had some problems with it, and the dealer took care of it, but it shouldn't have happened in a new car, if you know what I mean. These things were seatbelts not staying fastened (they would pop open), the power windows wouldn't work, and stuff like that.

We handed it in early since we got it on lease and didn't look back.

 

[Madaboutthemouse]

I had a 1995 SL2 from 1998-2003. I absolutely loved it. Obviously, it was bought used and by the time I finished with it, it had 100k+ miles on it. It was a very reliable car, got great gas mileage, and it handled beautifully. I traded it in for two reasons: high mileage (I was moving 800 miles round-trip from my family) and I wanted a larger car. I didn't get another Saturn (I wanted a VUE in the worst way) because my grandparents were helping purchase my car and the Chevy dealer was our first stop. We were offered a great deal on a brand new Malibu and the VUE was above my price range (we didn't talk to a salesman about financing or anything). I do think that my next car (whenever that will be!) will either be either a Saturn VUE/Relay or a Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

 

[BabyTigger99]

We have a 1999 Saturn SL1 that we leased before DS was born. We ended up buying out the lease. It has been (knock on wood!) a very reliable car for us. Is has approximately 150,000 miles on it (DH does LOTS of driving with his job!). When we go to get a new vehicle, we plan to get a Relay.

 

[aprilgail2]

I loved all my Saturns I had a 96 SC2, a 97SC2 and a 99SL2...Never had a problem with any of them...in fact I still have the 99 saturn that i just use as a run around car since it is old. I love the service dept there, and the fact that they are always helpful....I have nothing bad to say about any of the saturns I have owned! The only reason my new car is not a Saturn is that I wanted a bigger van and they didn't make one or I would have bought another one!

 

[wvjules]

I just traded my 2001 SL1 in for a 2005 Ion Quad Coupe. I liked my SL1 but I love my new car. I think the Ions are built much better than the old SL and SL models, definately more hp. The only problem I had with my SL1 was the sunroof.

 

[CharlesTD]

My father had a Saturn SL1 it was a 95 he only just traded it in on a new Malibu that car was so good on gas and it never had any issues at all. He even got almost 5000.00 for it on trade which is good for a 10 year old car that he only paid 15K for to begin with. I would highly reccomend the Saturn linup the new Ion is a great looking little car and the ION redline is a sporty version of it with a supercharged 205 HP motor.

 

[diznygirl]

Saturn family here. Kajar - that is my new car (Champagne with tan leather) and I love it!

DH had a Saturn SL 1 from 1993 that he just recently traded in. It always worked great - but it was getting old - things started falling apart on it - the odometer stopped working, a radio knob fell off, the carpet started coming unglued - but the car still ran! It had over 150,000 miles on it.

He got a 2001 SC2 to replace it two months ago.

Mine is the Relay. I love all the room. I had a Subaru Forrester that was always in the shop. Their service was wonderful, but when the warranty ran out we felt it was safer to get something else.

Saturn service has always been great. We've never had any serious issues, and anything little that came up they would take care of with no prob.

 

[ducklite]

We've owned four Saturns over the past ten or so years.

We've been extremely happy with their service.

The first one was an SL2. We had some problems with it--that's the car that they eventually did a recall on due to cracked heads. Ours was replaced and then cracked again, and I told them to keep it and bought a L-200.

The L-200 has proven to be the most reliable car I've ever owned. She's a cream puff baby. Comfortable to ride in, forgiving to drive, and exceedingly reliable. We've retired her at 89,000 miles, she's now out to pasture She lives in the comfort of our garage, and gets driven gently once a week or so. Nothing wrong with her at all, which is why we don't want to sell her. She's costing less than $500 a year to keep registered and fully insured, and is the perfect car for our son to learn to drive on.

Between those two I had also bought an SC-2, which was another GREAT car, very reliable, and in all honesty I almost regret trading it in for the ION Quad Coupe, which is what I am driving now. It's been reliable, but there is a bad blind spot in the car, and it handles and rides VERY sporty. Not forgiving, and with the center dash console, possibly not a good car for a newer driver.

I'm on the waiting list to order a Sky, and will do so the day they call me. I have the calendar for it hanging next to me in my office, and I gaze longingly at it daily.

We strayed from Saturn twice in ten years. The first time was to buy a Jetta, as I needed more trunk room than the thre models Saturn offered at the time had. I traded that for the SC-2, which was a wise choice. I'll never by a VW again, their customer service was deplorable. LIES!!!

Recently we bought a Toyota Prius, as we wanted a Hybrid, and didn't want an SUV, which is the only Hybrid Saturn offers. We are definitely a Saturn family. They seem to appreciate their customers a lot more than any other car maker. Things haven't been perfect, but Saturn has always made them right without a battle, and that means more to me than anything!

Anne

 

[ktglads]

I have a 2003 Vue and love it. Yes, I wish my gas milage was a little higher (avg about 22 mpg), but with an SUV its not tha bad.

 

[Sandy22]

I drive a 97 Saturn SL1 which I bought used back 99. I've had no problems with it and plan to keep it as long as possible. Their service department is one of the few garages where I don't feel like I'm being ripped off. I will definitely buy another Saturn again.