A triumphant moment in GM's history.
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-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
bwaaaahahahaha. please tell me you're joking. i never had a problem finding a christmas present for my saturn-owning friends - a case of oil because they burnt through a quart a week. at least all of my jbodies had reliable drivetrains - bar none...from the 2.8 v6 w/ 3-spd auto, to the ln2 five speed, to the eco five speed, never a drivetrain problem. I had two friends that had 1.9L dohc saturns and both had bad oil burning prolems. no lie, fill up the tank and add a quart.
those SL1s and 2s were always WAY better then the Js
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Where I work:
HP
What I take for Memory and Focus:
Focus Fast
I don't know anyone with one of those that doesn't have problems. Hell, I guess I could say that about the people I know who own cav's too LOL.
* * BIG FOR SALE POST * *
oldskool wrote:bwaaaahahahaha. please tell me you're joking. i never had a problem finding a christmas present for my saturn-owning friends - a case of oil because they burnt through a quart a week. at least all of my jbodies had reliable drivetrains - bar none...from the 2.8 v6 w/ 3-spd auto, to the ln2 five speed, to the eco five speed, never a drivetrain problem. I had two friends that had 1.9L dohc saturns and both had bad oil burning prolems. no lie, fill up the tank and add a quart.
If you are basing one one or a couple and that it is used and NOT even bought new, then it is null. Buying used is just OPP.
But quite frankly it was the most advanced compact GM ever had for it's time.
>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
my friend had a SL1 i believe. It was a nice car till he beat the hell out of it. Called me one day to come help him pick up his tranny when it exploded all over the highway lol. left a nice 5"+ hole in the side of the case.
My neighbors ran an SL up to a quarter million miles with no major problems. Still driving it too.
oldskool wrote:bwaaaahahahaha. please tell me you're joking. i never had a problem finding a christmas present for my saturn-owning friends - a case of oil because they burnt through a quart a week. at least all of my jbodies had reliable drivetrains - bar none...from the 2.8 v6 w/ 3-spd auto, to the ln2 five speed, to the eco five speed, never a drivetrain problem. I had two friends that had 1.9L dohc saturns and both had bad oil burning prolems. no lie, fill up the tank and add a quart.
In my wifes SL1 we only add about 1/2 to 1 quart every 750-1000miles. Now the 89 Cutlass Supreme we had with the 2.8 we added quarts in it regualrly because of the @!#$ty Oring below the throttle body, man was that car a peice of @!#$ after it hit 100,000 miles everything that could go wrong with it went worng with it and after it left us stranded for the 3rd time we sold it to some other sucker. My dad's SL1 still runs like a champ even though he put it in a ditch twice and only adds about the same amount of oil to it as we do to ours. I love my cavy but Saturn SC's and SL's were 10x better cars. They handle like a go kart, the engine makes power were it needs to unlike the old 2.0's of the late 80's Jbodies and they get great gas mileage. I thinkg they were better than the Ion's. Lord knows what GM was thinking making the new Saturn on the cobalt platform. They should have did what they di now with the G5 back then and left Saturn do it's own thing.
"sedan styling is smooth, aerodynamic, and HANDSOME"
BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Arrival Blue 04 LS Sport
Eco
Turbo
Megasquirt
'Nuff said
JerseyJayLN2 (Scarab) wrote:"sedan styling is smooth, aerodynamic, and HANDSOME"
BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
you laugh now but this car came out in a time when almost all cars on the road where designed with just a ruler
My aunt bought an SL2 in the early 90's. The car ran flawlessly up until about a year ago when it was totaled in an accident. My cousin convinced her to get a Focus. It was the exact opposite - the Ford is a piece of crap that has spent more time in a service bay then on the road. A lot of my friends owned 2nd gen Saturns (SL2s and SC2s) up until recently (they have all since traded in for other vehicles), and none of them had any serious problems. They were much easier to work on then the J. They always looked cheaper when you dug into the guts of it, but it was really deceiving. They were built quite well. I think the Ion was a step down when it replaced the S series. I haven't looked into the Astra yet, but I don't have a lot of faith in it. The S-series couldn't survive now, but the platform was good and could have been improved on.
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about
the former." - Albert Einstein
There have been so many times GM stole defeat from the jaws of victory, and Saturn is a prime example of one of those times. Here was a fresh new compact that was good value, innovative, solidly made and unique. So what does GM do? Let it languish until the whole Saturn concept becomes pointless.
What was wrong, pray tell, with the SL, SC, SW series? SL was a sedan, SC was a coupe, SW was a wagon. You could have expanded that to include an SV for an SUV or an SM for a Minivan. All built on the same platform. The whole line was nice, simple and straighforward. Yeah, the no-haggling BS was nothing but a gimmick, but apart from that it was pretty clever. If you wanted a bare bones sedan you got an SL, an SL1 was a medium line sedan and an SL2 was the top line model. Simplicity itself. Over time I figure they could have added an R designation (Like SLR) for a sport model, but they never quite got the chance. It's as if GM went out of it's way to turn Saturn into a clone of the failing Oldsmobile, and has now succeeded into turning it into a modern day Geo. Good going GM!
Corvair, Fiero, Saturn, Aurora... Every time GM does something that is interesting and popular, it's as if they go out of their way to make it fail miserably. Almost as if the success was an accident. You just watch them drop the ball on the Volt.
Mr.Goodwrench-G.T. wrote:oldskool wrote:bwaaaahahahaha. please tell me you're joking. i never had a problem finding a christmas present for my saturn-owning friends - a case of oil because they burnt through a quart a week. at least all of my jbodies had reliable drivetrains - bar none...from the 2.8 v6 w/ 3-spd auto, to the ln2 five speed, to the eco five speed, never a drivetrain problem. I had two friends that had 1.9L dohc saturns and both had bad oil burning prolems. no lie, fill up the tank and add a quart.
If you are basing one one or a couple and that it is used and NOT even bought new, then it is null. Buying used is just OPP.
But quite frankly it was the most advanced compact GM ever had for it's time.
one was a brand new sc2 and it was burning oil within a year. the other was a used sl2, not sure of the mileage, but it was only like a year old when she got it.
I agree that the platform was nice, i kinda like the idea of plastic body panels, but the powertrains sucked azz.
Spike J wrote:oldskool wrote:bwaaaahahahaha. please tell me you're joking. i never had a problem finding a christmas present for my saturn-owning friends - a case of oil because they burnt through a quart a week. at least all of my jbodies had reliable drivetrains - bar none...from the 2.8 v6 w/ 3-spd auto, to the ln2 five speed, to the eco five speed, never a drivetrain problem. I had two friends that had 1.9L dohc saturns and both had bad oil burning prolems. no lie, fill up the tank and add a quart.
In my wifes SL1 we only add about 1/2 to 1 quart every 750-1000miles. Now the 89 Cutlass Supreme we had with the 2.8 we added quarts in it regualrly because of the @!#$ty Oring below the throttle body, man was that car a peice of @!#$ after it hit 100,000 miles everything that could go wrong with it went worng with it and after it left us stranded for the 3rd time we sold it to some other sucker. My dad's SL1 still runs like a champ even though he put it in a ditch twice and only adds about the same amount of oil to it as we do to ours. I love my cavy but Saturn SC's and SL's were 10x better cars. They handle like a go kart, the engine makes power were it needs to unlike the old 2.0's of the late 80's Jbodies and they get great gas mileage. I thinkg they were better than the Ion's. Lord knows what GM was thinking making the new Saturn on the cobalt platform. They should have did what they di now with the G5 back then and left Saturn do it's own thing.
I don't know, maybe my 2.8 was well taken care of in its past, but i had it from 90k miles to just shy of 150k miles, and it never needed oil between changes, not did it miss a beat. Also, this was my car when I was 16, so you know i was hard on it.
i had an SW2, the wagon version of it as a beater, it ran till 285,000 miles, and i beat the hell out of it
Fire is gone unfortunately! Parts 4 sale, look in Mid-Central...
my neighbor had a chevette , it was a early mid 80's model , and it ran and was almost problem free , it never left him any where , and always ran unless the battery went dead or was outta gas
whats funny is when he shut it off it dieseled like crazy any where from 5 minutes to 30-40 minutes , which usually destroys the motor , but it never died , and think he never got rid of it , his family might have after he passed
but saturn was never 100% GM tell after 2000 , and were great cars
great on gas too... you actually fill the oil and check the gas.
a plastic, oil burning car. thats all it is. dependable econo-car if you add motor honey every oil change tho.
the rings were weak straight outta the factory.
Did I mention I drive a 2000 Lumina now?-----wigm-tuners.org member
My buddy had an SL. The plastic fenders do well in preventing dings, but they work for crap at not shattering when a shopping cart hits it in the dead of winter.
I have no signiture
Dave wrote:My aunt bought an SL2 in the early 90's. The car ran flawlessly up until about a year ago when it was totaled in an accident. My cousin convinced her to get a Focus. It was the exact opposite - the Ford is a piece of crap that has spent more time in a service bay then on the road. A lot of my friends owned 2nd gen Saturns (SL2s and SC2s) up until recently (they have all since traded in for other vehicles), and none of them had any serious problems. They were much easier to work on then the J. They always looked cheaper when you dug into the guts of it, but it was really deceiving. They were built quite well. I think the Ion was a step down when it replaced the S series. I haven't looked into the Astra yet, but I don't have a lot of faith in it. The S-series couldn't survive now, but the platform was good and could have been improved on.
Sounds a lot like my dad's experience with his '01 SL2. Very few problems with it in about 110k miles until he let it get 3 quarts low on oil and spun two rod bearings. Never much of a FWD person myself and with a particular prejudice against the Saturn line because of its niche character (and corresponding unavailability of parts) and goofy looks, I gained a bit of appreciation for this car when I helped pull and rebuild the engine. After that, I understood better at least why he preferred to hassle with a rebuild (especially on the short-run '99-'01 engine) rather than buy a new Ion or Astra. The oil consumption does continue to be irksome, however - makes me sort of wish we'd had the time to plan out an Ecotec swap.
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2003 Cavalier, base with auto/tilt/CD/AC (wife's) -- 2012 Mazda5 Touring with audio package (mine)
UnXpectedError wrote:JerseyJayLN2 (Scarab) wrote:"sedan styling is smooth, aerodynamic, and HANDSOME"
BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
you laugh now but this car came out in a time when almost all cars on the road where designed with just a ruler
Amen.
This car came out summer of 1990 as a 1991 model, search how modern looking the competition were in that year.
My family has owned 4 (NEW) Saturns all had no major problem, except a dead batteries on all 4, one needed a starter and one had the A-pillar plastic cracked so it hanged. NONE ever burned any oil, and that's because we always did a proper break-in.
My girlfriend just bought a used one, and the only thing that failed are the outside engine parts, namely sensors.
Also these engines and the Quad-4s is exactly the recipe that the US Ecotecs uses, all the technology that these two motors used, has been mixed and passed on to the Ecotec.
Lastly, when I went to the Saturn Homecoming, I saw that these cars won awards for reliability and mechanic friendly repairs. Not to mention the factory was very efficient.
Dave wrote:My aunt bought an SL2 in the early 90's. The car ran flawlessly up until about a year ago when it was totaled in an accident. My cousin convinced her to get a Focus. It was the exact opposite - the Ford is a piece of crap that has spent more time in a service bay then on the road. A lot of my friends owned 2nd gen Saturns (SL2s and SC2s) up until recently (they have all since traded in for other vehicles), and none of them had any serious problems. They were much easier to work on then the J. They always looked cheaper when you dug into the guts of it, but it was really deceiving. They were built quite well. I think the Ion was a step down when it replaced the S series. I haven't looked into the Astra yet, but I don't have a lot of faith in it. The S-series couldn't survive now, but the platform was good and could have been improved on.
LoL...Agreed.
>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
my gf bought a 99saturn sl2 a about 3 or 4yrs ago and so far its suprised the heck outa me. Only had one "major" problem and it was a temp sensor and thats it. pretty nice cars for the money.
UnXpectedError wrote:JerseyJayLN2 (Scarab) wrote:"sedan styling is smooth, aerodynamic, and HANDSOME"
BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
you laugh now but this car came out in a time when almost all cars on the road where designed with just a ruler
I'm sorry, there was NEVER an era where an SL or SC was a good looking car. Not to say it was the ugliest car of its generation, or any other generation for that matter... but HANDSOME? Maybe its grandmother called it that, but compliments from family don't count.
Trust me, I love ugly cars... hell, I own an 87 cav hatch for chrissakes... I love 2nd gen supras.... But the original saturns had ZERO redeeming qualities if we're speaking from a purely aesthetic standpoint.
Arrival Blue 04 LS Sport
Eco
Turbo
Megasquirt
'Nuff said
JerseyJayLN2 (Scarab) wrote:[
I'm sorry, there was NEVER an era where an SL or SC was a good looking car. Not to say it was the ugliest car of its generation, or any other generation for that matter... but HANDSOME? Maybe its grandmother called it that, but compliments from family don't count.
But the original saturns had ZERO redeeming qualities if we're speaking from a purely aesthetic standpoint.
agreed. the sc2 was probably the best looking car in its lineup, and even it wasnt that great. saturns were meant as economy cars, not for aesthetics. as a tangent, that is the reason i cant understand why GM gave saturn the sky.
just bought my 2nd saturn, this one's a 99 with 50k miles.
doesn't burn a bit of oil, still looks and runs great. I aim to be very competitive in autox next year
I FARRR prefer these cars over J's. Accelerate almost as good, turn way better, and get far better mileage.better design everywhere too, very easy to work on
Call me a softy, but I like the 1990 Cavy pic.
