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Or an INFORMED consumer perhaps with simply a strong knowledge of Saturn automobiles.
Guess thats a scene you won't see in a Saturn advertisement any time soon huh
It's fine all other times.
Never, ever changed the fuel filter...will do it this weekend! Sounds difficult PITA from what I read.
What other things should I look at if it still stalls or bogs down?
Thanks
If you leased through GMAC you can forget it. They won't negotiate with you. Yes they are taking a beating but they still won't negotiate with you. Try talking to your wall. Thats how much luck you will have.
If you do like the SL1 and your lease is over between now and August 31st you are in luck.
Many dealers have one or two or more SL1s that they are trying to unload. Its a little complicated but basically it may be possible to end your lease now with the "Pull ahead" program.
Also with a GMAC lease on a Saturn you qualify for $750 lease loyalty money. There is a 2000 rebate on any new SL1 until the end of the month. Most dealers are offering at least 1000 discount if not more on their remaining inventory.
Here is the math
SL1 MSRP 14300 - actually price may vary
Dealer discount - 1000 or more
Lease loyalty 750
Rebate 2000
So for around 10,000 you can get a new SL1. Personally I would try out the ION. 0% APR and 750 still applies...
Good luck whatever you decide.
Now you may think that the dealer is bending over backwards for us but REMEMBER THAT THE CAR HAS ONLY 37.5K MILES and it will cost us at least $2450.00 to fix!! This is an outrage!!! I have a 1991 1500 Chevy truck with over 160K miles on it when the trans went. I spent $1300.00 for a rebuilt trans and had someone else put it in. I asked the chevy dealer if that would effect the warranty, they said no! It cost me $400.00 to have installed bringing the total to $1700.00 With a 3 year 50K mile warranty. To put an end to this ranting we will NEVER get a Saturn AGAIN!!!!!!
I'm sorry if this makes you feel worse, but I received a thank you note from my dealer today thanking me for bringing my car in for service. What other car company would do that? Its the little things that make me glad to own a Saturn.
neveragain: hopefully you can find a dealer as outstanding as mine (Saturn of Ellicott City).
My two S Series vehicles (98SL and 01SL1) have not had any major problems. My third Saturn (2003 L200) is the best Saturn driving experience I have had yet. My retailer has been above average and as long as Saturn cars continue to have polymer i will continue buying them.
Im sure they would too, and as someone who has owned two S Series vehicles I believe the ION is improved in every way at a lower price.
More power, two anti roll bars on base models, electronic steering, still has polymer, more insulation, need I say more ?
Can anyone shed some advice about the quality of these cars? I've read about alternators pre-1998 and motor mounts. But any other mechanical issues? How do these drive on the highway?
Thanks!
In 1998 they did redesign the altenator but one older than that probably has already had the altenator replaced anyways.
As for motor mounts it really doesn't matter what year you buy you're going to have to put on a top axis mount every 60K to keep the vibrations in the cabin at a low level. Thats the only mount you really have to worry about unless you're going to keep it for 10+ years or 200K+ miles.
The only other common problem you didn't mention is oil consuption which can happen even in the later model years but it usually fairly minimal and for most people doesn't even happen.
As for a highway ride, the SL/ SL1 have a decent ride, but the seats were a bit small for my tastes. I would suggest an SL2 for it has 24 more horsepower than the SL/SL1..
However, I have seen SL1's with around 30,000-40,000 miles with auto/ air/ cd going for $ 8000.00 or so.. A great deal less than a similarly equipted Corolla/ Civic. Let us know what you decide.
Any insights would be appreciated.
Thanks
I have only owned S Series cars second generation and later (1998 SL/ 2001 SL1) both with no problems. A "few" first generation Saturns, may have oil consumption problems (but most do not affect the cars normal operation) despite what some may tell you.
The best thing you can do with any used car before you buy it is do a car fax history report to start with, www.carfax.com , check to make sure the price is fair , www.kbb.com and take it to a Saturn retailer.. for 50 bucks or so they can tell you right off the bat what may be needed if anything.. good luck..
Nonetheless, I've been pretty satisfied with this car for the seven-and-a-half years that I've owned it. Even this year's maintenance bills have all been cheaper than the depreciation on a new car would have been.
I may have something useful to say about hesitation. When the coolant temp sensor was going bad the needle would be all the way at cold and car would idle high. When driven from a dead stop when the sensor was off the car would hesitate (nearly stall, actually). Apparently the bad reading caused the car to mix a bad ratio of fuel to air, and giving it gas would nearly stop combustion. Over 10 mph everything was fine. With a new sensor it's running fine again.
Thanks
I thought power was simply ok, but I had a five speed manual ( is yours auto box ) that will cut down on any power the single over head cam engine has. The SL and SL1 have an 8 valve engine with 100 horsepower. Moving up to an SL2 would afford you a 16 valve engine with 124 horsepower (big difference).
It sounds like a great deal thou, a three year old car for less than $ 5,000.00 that looks new. The SL/SL1/SL2 have proven engines that typically last a long time, other than my brake issues I never had a problem with my 2001 SL1 nor my 1998 SL. I hope my 2003 L300 will be close in terms of reliability.
I liked the other features on it and the am/fm/cd sound system is great.
Saturn did not achieve its number one ranking in sales and service out of luck. www.jdpower.com