I still have my 96 SL2, bought it in 08 for $600 when I fell on hard times like most during the recession. It got me through, and will always be a part of this family.
Honestly people probably don't even care one bit that it's gone, but like many other fallen brands throughout the years it's sad to see it gone because one could only imagine what a brand like this may be doing today.
They would be badge engineering like every other GM owned brand, They'd produce a Chevy Cruze variant along with Pontiac & Oldsmobile just like they did in the 2000's!
@@Tomb-G19 Yeah, sadly you're right because that's pretty much what they did at the end. It would be cool to see what they'd do with the same strategies and philosophy they had back in the 90s.
Boy, you'd better NEVER say That to My FACE!! I LOVED dealing with Saturn of Oak Lawn!!❤Was on a first name basis with Everyone working there. Best damn customer service I EVER HAD!! Between me and my inlaws we bought Six Saturns. Yeah, I Miss 'Em. Badge engineering or Not!!😢😢
Toward the end of Saturn, Saturn sent letters to owners like me and recommended me to a Chevy dealership for service. I didn't like the bland customer service At ALL!!😢😢
I have a 99 SL2 that I still drive regularly. It is very reliable, cheap to maintain, good on gas, cheap to insure and fairly fun to drive. I love it and will keep it as long as I can.
I bought a new Saturn SL in 1996 and still love it after 26 years and 85000 miles. Still gets 31 mpg in town and 40 on the road, and the dark red paint is still shiny. I plan to keep it for another 26 years. Fantastic car!
Still driving my 2000 Saturn SW2, only 99,980 miles, about to hit the 100,000 miles mark…driven all over the Southwest. My very first car was 1995 Saturn SL2, that was a great little cheap sporty car. I am still a Saturn S-Series fan for life! 🪐🚀🛸 #RIP_Flying_Tupperware #REZ_ROCKETS
My neighbor used to have one that looked exactly like this one. I remember riding in it once to go to the library when her grandson would come over to visit. I always kinda liked it and I believe that GM should’ve killed of Buick and kept Saturn. Or I think GM should bring this back as an all electric company.
I agree 100%, the Saturn brand would be awesome to bring back for no-nonsense electric cars and SUVs to sell mass market. It would make more sense IMO than bringing back the Hummer brand for overpriced EVs to fill a niche. Just before they killed off Saturn they released the Aura and Vue Greenline hybrids, they claimed they had plans to release a plug in hybrid Vue as well. Saturn as a brand for affordable mass market EVs would be amazing, it would help to separate GM from the unfortunate shortcomings of the Chevy Volt and Bolt.
My 2000 SL1 was totaled in accident on the highway last year & I miss it so much. It kept me safe despite hitting 2 poles and rolling over 3x. I came out with relatively minor injuries. Thank you Saturn! Always wear a seatbelt. Fantastic plastic indeed.
I just bought a 2001 SL1 and the car is practically brand new!!! Only 90k miles 🙌🏻 gold color and everyone asked where did I find it lol I had to sell my Taurus 😐
I still drive my '94 SL1 5 speed (over 250,000 miles on it) and can get 40 mpg at 60 mph but I like to run at 75mph on I-95... I'm gonna put antique plates on it when it's eligible.
My wife owned a '97 Saturn SL2 when we met. My impression of it was that it was the definition of "basic transportation". Beyond that, I always felt like Saturn, "the cars", while having some innovative touches, were secondary to Saturn, "the company". Their biggest draw was their way of selling cars. That is, "these are the prices, no pressure, I'll be over here if you have any questions." Then when you took delivery, it was all hands on deck to greet you and cheer for you (yes, really) in your new Saturn. The car was ... reliable ... efficient. The later Saturns were rebadged Opals and Chevys. Nothing particularly interesting. Find a "Redline" badged Saturn. I'd be interested in a review of one of those.
These cars are Awesome! I ran my 96' up to 239k miles then "drove" it to the scrapyard then bought a 99' SC2 with really low miles which I'm still driving today, they just did so many things right with these vehicles and when something does break it's cheap to fix.....
Thank you for this video about my favorite car ever... I still have my 2000 SL1 and would still be driving it but they say I have driven my last mile. I actually had 2...my first one was totaled. I was hit by a pick-up and the truck lost its bed and my Saturn's front in was just tilted a little. And soon as I could I got another Saturn. This one was flooded a little during a Hurricane but a friend took it for two weeks and took it apart a dried it out and I've been driving it 10 more years. I'm very sad this week because they are gonna tow it away...I bet I could get it running again! Thank you again for respecting this great car company, yea Saturn!
i have a 2000 saturn sc2 it was my first car and 329k its still going i drive it every day, im going to have the block bord/honed an the heads shaved soon its such a good car cheap an easy to work on. a few years ago i was able to replace my stock 17lb wheels with the saturn sawtooth off 96 to 97 sl2 they are 13lbs. ive noticed an increase in acceleration
My 2007 here in 2022 is being used by my sons family as his 2006 Mustang is undergoing major repairs. I am so looking forward to getting it back again to continue using it as my daily driver.
I drive an SL2 (2000) , the interior is much the same, but i have lumbar support with a dial on side of drivers side (broken, kind-of, because of course it is) , and a center console with a lift up lid (broken because of course it is). That stereo though ..... it's not bad! It's a nice design, and the location of the power button is super cool. Hand over the over the knee, and boop! It's on or off. My car is also a manual 5 speed, and i did have to replace the shifting cables. I guess that's not an uncommon thing to happen with these cars. But my car truely is my trusty metal steed. It works, and always fires up and goes where i need to go. I don't need a Ferrari to do the things i do, but it does feel nice to row through the gears with a DOHC. The only thing it's doing that gets on my nerves is high RPM's on start up. It's either a vacuum leak or i need to spray throttle body cleaner. Since i don't hear a vacuum hiss when i pop the hood and nor do i feel a loss of power i think it's the latter and not the former. But it's not a big deal so i'm not all that concerned. These were great cars!!!!
In 2003 my ex-wife now and I bought a Saturn SL one. It was a fantastic car and drove exceptionally well was very well engineered ours was also five speed we put well over 100,000 miles on it. When we divorced she got to keep the Saturn and ran it to the ground. But I will always have good views about owning a Saturn. I never owned a Chevrolet car but I love my Saturn.
Well done review with a lot of unique insights. THIRTY (30) years ago - I started out buying a new 1992 Saturn SL2 after picking up a Car Buyers Guide from a Grocery store magazine rack that compared all new cars and their prices. I was hooked. My wife and I would drive our new Saturn and get high-beam flashed by other oncoming Saturns letting us know we were friends and in the club. We traded it in for a 1994 SL1 a because the local Saturn dealer was urging current Saturn owners to trade in and upgrade to new due to the popularity and unquenchable market for used Saturns. We missed the Saturn Factory Homecomings due to a need to get into a minivan a few years later but I returned to Saturn in 2004 when I bought a new Ion 3 which was a very good car for me until it was totaled in an accident with 80k on it 11 yers ago. I took a small portion of the insurance money and bought a used 1997 SW2 (wagon) with 124k miles on it for $1,500 and have been driving it ever since. It now has 218k on it and rides and rattles the same as it did 11 yers ago almost as if time stood still. It hasn't gotten any better or worse in the last 11 years. If I totaled it tomorrow I would go out and get another one.
The first brand new car I ever bought was a Saturn 2000 SL2. I loved it! My next car was a Saturn 1998 SL stick shift. Loved that one too. I still own my 3rd Saturn 2002 SL2. Only this time I know how to work on it to keep it around longer. Wish I had never sold my first new 2000 SL2. Or the 1998. Both were fun amazing gas mileage for the time. I have put over 200,000 mile on my 2002 if u take care of it, it keeps going.
My brother in law owned one and I got to drive it. In my opinion its the closer thing GM ever got to having an American Corolla without rebadging a Toyota Corolla as a Geo. 😊
My dad might buy this car from his neighbor. She's an elderly woman selling it and the car is very well taken care of! The car seems reliable and cute!
Still can outrun and out power a Mitsubishi Mirage 😂. Honestly something about the design of these cars captured my attention when I was small. Now I think I might get one for the Nostalgia.
I didn't know much about Saturn's until I bought one 97 sw1 manual transmission.. low miles for it's age. It was neglected. What a shame. Nursed back to health over a year's time. No issues now. I love this car because of its great gas mileage fun2drive and easy to in the city. Nobody ever vandalized it or broke it. No speeding tickets. I hope it reach the 30-year mark. Love my Saturn sw1
I just bought a 2002 SL1 for 625 dollars, had transmission problems. It cost me a total of 15 dollars to repair. These cars are so easy to work on. Florida car as well.
Easy cars to work on . And lightweight cars. the wagon is interesting in manual form. Interiors always seem to be tan cloth. Don’t know about the community for the 1.9 performance wise anymore . Liked your abandoned Saturn vid also you did .
love saturn. got mine for less than a grand with 95k miles. it's had a few issues but i don't think i've spent more than 100 dollars on repairing the thing.
I have a 2002 Saturn S series, only 28,390 miles, I'm the second owner of this little 💎, seldomly driven by a elderly couple that had the car, used it only when traveling in a Camper, across the country. I may have struck gold with this one, we'll see, but this Saturn is well maintained, never driven a Saturn so let's see how she does, had gotten good reviews so far, but still looking for a second car , definitely a Toyota. Saturn should of stayed an independent company from GM.
I had a 96 that looked just like this but auto. it took me 175,000 miles and the trans gave out. everything else is still good, might fix it and get the rest it has to give. I loved it
I have this exact car, but in dark green. I love it. I must say it is damn dependable. I haven't looked for awhile, but odom was like 167K. No rust but billions of tiny scratches.
Loved these cars. Had an SL2 for years. Easy to work on. Want to change a headlight bulb? Just reach down and do it. Want to change your auto trans fluid? pull the drain plug, and it had an oil filter style external trans filter, spin a new one on easy. The headlights even have bubble levels built on them that tells you where the bubble should be lol. It claimed 40 mpg on the highway and I would get 37 mpg regularly. A cheap car, but it was a damn good one. Reliable, too!
I bought a 1991 SL1 new and drove it 17 years. Best buying and driving experience. Traded it in for a used 2006 Ion after 195K miles. By then the experience was tiresome and the car had many defects. That one lasted until this year (192K) when Chevy service, to which I had reverted after 2008, suggested that repairs would exceed $10k. I like my 2018 Cruze. Bear in mind that used vehicles are a premium these days. $15k for a pretty good compact sedan with 88K miles on it. Insurance was raised $500 per year.
Although many do not believe these cars today I think they are jewels ... On wheels would like to see a program where Saturn comes out rescuing little jewels on wheels were good cars ...I still have 5 cars
I am picking up two 1998SW1 wagons here on Saturday one running car with 221,000 miles, and one parts car with a new head gasket and 140,000 miles. All for $700. Both have a five speed manual and the single cam
@@fortheloveofnoise welp. Parts car was a twin cam. I didn't have time for it so I gave it to a friend of mine and since it had been in a minor accident the frame ended up falling apart so that went to the junkyard and the other one I kept to about 240,000. I had it until a check engine light for a catalytic converter issue came up and since the rings were bad I knew it wasn't fixable so that one also ended up in the junkyard. I miss it but it was not worth the time
I put 345k miles on my ‘99 SL1. The head gaskets were installed slightly twisted from the assembly line, but after that was fixed, no other problems came up. I gave it to my nephew who put a ton of miles more on it before selling it, and yes, it looked just like new after 15 1/2 years of ownership.
I have a Saturn SL2 that so much relates to it although its a bit less healthy at 204K miles although to note Im the 2nd owner and my step mom had gotten it to go to college initially.
I've had an sl1, and now a much more beaten SL2 both automatics, they're decently robust. And in an odd way fun to drive, I hope some are preserved as I think they're interesting enough to not be forgotten.
Ive got a 96’ saturn sl2 just rolled 140,000. Went threw a year of crazy problems but i fixed them all and ended up being a crank sensor i replaced came loose and wouldnt run right to save its life. But great overall car. I use it for work and love it. Glad i didnt scrap it
I have a 2002 with 350,000 miles. It isn't pretty but is very reliable. Shockingly reliable! Some cracked body panels and the parking brake doesn't work. 😄
Saturn wasn't killed prematurely; it died before it was killed. The 2000 SL was a real saturn- a truly unique car born of GM and Toyota, sharing parts but not bound to use a platform from either. By 2004, saturns were just rebadged chevys using Opel/Vauxhall body panels and facias from GM europe. By 2008, Saturn hadn't made saturns for half a decade. Oh and now Buick has taken saturn's place as the Opel/Vauxhall of the US.
Taking my 96 SL2 to 300,000 miles and then I will probably sell her. 28 years of ownership will be long enough. Picked her up at 22,000 miles for $9300 in 1998. Hard to argue with 40 miles per gallon in today's world. Insurance is $300/year.
Dude, that is NOT gonna happen. I almost break down and cry every time I think about when Chrysler announced The End of The Eagle Motor Division.😢😢You should watch Wookie Drives Eagle Summit wagon. He says a lot of cool things about Eagle.
I have never owned one but admired these cars. The demise of the brand was due to GM’s mismanagement and rebadging other Chevy/GM vehicles as Saturn’s. These original Daturns were their own bespoke designs and had their own drivetrains. They have proven to be reliable, well built, and economical. The other huge aspect of buying one was the buying experience where there was no haggle pricing and no pressure salespeople. I wish that this was a thing still in this day and age. The base Ford Maverick kind of proved people really want a simple, efficient, well made, and price conscious vehicle. Add in a buying experience that doesn’t totally suck due to aggressive, slimey sales tactics and greedy dealership pricing schemes…. Man wouldn’t the world embrace that? It’s a shame they ran Saturn into the ground.
I bought a 1998 SL1 and I owned it until 2006 with no problems. By 2000 you could tell GM gave up on Saturn. Saturn was created to compete directly with the Japanese competition, but it was a half baked attempt at best. GM knew of Saturn’s shortcomings and deflected that fact by pushing the premium dealership and service experience, but failed in my experience. Saturn hosted Saturn Days up until about 1999, but gave up on that too.
Own a 2002 SL1. As my one and only driver. Currently has 46k original miles. Cream puff. This is my 5th Saturn S series, purchased for myself OR family members. Do i mind not having modern features? No. Can i afford to drive a newer, more expensive car? Yes. I just love Saturns! And........its NOT for sale! TRUE Saturns only existed from 1991-2002. Anything after that was GM trash, Good day!
The car was plastic outside and inside which meant it became brittle and everything would start snapping off at 100k miles. That said, it was super cheap to repair and zip-ties could repair a surprising amount of problems.
My neighbor "bought" one recently, and it is a 2000 SL2 with a manual gearbox with loads of paint chipping and a peeling clear coat. I put "bought" in air quotes because I highly doubt anyone would pay anything for something this old and falling apart after 2020 and how I would feel embarrassed if I were driving something this old as my only car if I were a millennial and making good money. I am also not sure if it is worth keeping as the condition makes me think that they pay more for gas, insurance, and registration than the thing is worth to each their own, though.
i got me an automatic got it for 800$ not bad for a 1st car put 300 into it to make sure it runs decent dont now if i should keep it and drive it till its dead or just sell it and buy something else
Ive got a 2002 SL spring special. No, not an SL1, even more basic than that 😂. Bought it last year with only 49k miles. Crank windows, manual locks and 5 speed. Body was flawless aside from a few scratches. Its been good to me aside from having to redo the entire break lines. (I street park on a barrier island) id recommend it but boy is it bland and the turning radius is terrible. Civics of the same era are a much more engaging drive. I have the original paperwork and the car was about 11k out the lot. They traded in a 97 SW1 for it and after the trade in it came out to 7k.
I have an 02 SL with sohc engine, crank windows, manual locks, no cruise control and 5 speed manual.. Power sunroof, trunk spoiler, and aluminum wheels 😂 201,000 miles and running great! Burns a quart of oil about every 800 miles though.
At the time u could get a Civic for another 1,500. Much more reliable car. Engines on theses usually burned/leaking oil. Wheel bearings go out after 130,000 miles. Automatic transmission wasn't very good. But they got decent milage. Chevy experimental car. Generally not the best veicles.
$1,500 back in the late 90s is close to $3k today, it's a small difference but in a subcompact, entry-level cheap car market makes a difference to both the manufacturer in terms of production costs and the buyers. Not sure about Hondas back then but these Saturns are fairly reliable, very easy to work on and fun to drive.
I still have my 96 SL2, bought it in 08 for $600 when I fell on hard times like most during the recession. It got me through, and will always be a part of this family.
Honestly people probably don't even care one bit that it's gone, but like many other fallen brands throughout the years it's sad to see it gone because one could only imagine what a brand like this may be doing today.
They would be badge engineering like every other GM owned brand, They'd produce a Chevy Cruze variant along with Pontiac & Oldsmobile just like they did in the 2000's!
@@Tomb-G19 Yeah, sadly you're right because that's pretty much what they did at the end. It would be cool to see what they'd do with the same strategies and philosophy they had back in the 90s.
cars made from plastic was a decent idea
Boy, you'd better NEVER say That to My FACE!! I LOVED dealing with Saturn of Oak Lawn!!❤Was on a first name basis with Everyone working there.
Best damn customer service I EVER HAD!! Between me and my inlaws we bought Six Saturns. Yeah, I Miss 'Em. Badge engineering or Not!!😢😢
Toward the end of Saturn, Saturn sent letters to owners like me and recommended me to a Chevy dealership for service. I didn't like the bland customer service At ALL!!😢😢
I have a 99 SL2 that I still drive regularly. It is very reliable, cheap to maintain, good on gas, cheap to insure and fairly fun to drive. I love it and will keep it as long as I can.
I have an sc1 and love that car! I’ll never get rid of it!
I bought a new Saturn SL in 1996 and still love it after 26 years and 85000 miles. Still gets 31 mpg in town and 40 on the road, and the dark red paint is still shiny. I plan to keep it for another 26 years. Fantastic car!
Wo0w😮
I got the same color, absolutely love the flake up close!
I want Saturn to come back simply because it has the coolest sounding name for a car company.
Still driving my 2000 Saturn SW2, only 99,980 miles, about to hit the 100,000 miles mark…driven all over the Southwest. My very first car was 1995 Saturn SL2, that was a great little cheap sporty car. I am still a Saturn S-Series fan for life! 🪐🚀🛸
#RIP_Flying_Tupperware
#REZ_ROCKETS
My neighbor used to have one that looked exactly like this one. I remember riding in it once to go to the library when her grandson would come over to visit. I always kinda liked it and I believe that GM should’ve killed of Buick and kept Saturn. Or I think GM should bring this back as an all electric company.
I agree 100%, the Saturn brand would be awesome to bring back for no-nonsense electric cars and SUVs to sell mass market. It would make more sense IMO than bringing back the Hummer brand for overpriced EVs to fill a niche. Just before they killed off Saturn they released the Aura and Vue Greenline hybrids, they claimed they had plans to release a plug in hybrid Vue as well. Saturn as a brand for affordable mass market EVs would be amazing, it would help to separate GM from the unfortunate shortcomings of the Chevy Volt and Bolt.
All electric? God no lol
My 2000 SL1 was totaled in accident on the highway last year & I miss it so much. It kept me safe despite hitting 2 poles and rolling over 3x. I came out with relatively minor injuries. Thank you Saturn! Always wear a seatbelt. Fantastic plastic indeed.
One of the greatest cars of the past 30 years
This is actually true, I know i've had 3 and still have one
@@MissAmazanda I just bought one…so excited to drive it!!!
I just bought a 2001 SL1 and the car is practically brand new!!! Only 90k miles 🙌🏻 gold color and everyone asked where did I find it lol I had to sell my Taurus 😐
how's it been treating you? i've had my sc2 for a little over a year now, it's never given me any problems that weren't dirt cheap to fix.
I always felt special at a saturn dealership, they had the nicest people there!
I still drive my '94 SL1 5 speed (over 250,000 miles on it) and can get 40 mpg at 60 mph but I like to run at 75mph on I-95... I'm gonna put antique plates on it when it's eligible.
I used to own the wagon version of this(saturn SW2)! Comedic handling and the memories I have were amazing.
My wife owned a '97 Saturn SL2 when we met. My impression of it was that it was the definition of "basic transportation". Beyond that, I always felt like Saturn, "the cars", while having some innovative touches, were secondary to Saturn, "the company". Their biggest draw was their way of selling cars. That is, "these are the prices, no pressure, I'll be over here if you have any questions." Then when you took delivery, it was all hands on deck to greet you and cheer for you (yes, really) in your new Saturn. The car was ... reliable ... efficient. The later Saturns were rebadged Opals and Chevys. Nothing particularly interesting. Find a "Redline" badged Saturn. I'd be interested in a review of one of those.
These cars are Awesome! I ran my 96' up to 239k miles then "drove" it to the scrapyard then bought a 99' SC2 with really low miles which I'm still driving today, they just did so many things right with these vehicles and when something does break it's cheap to fix.....
Does GM still make official parts for it?
You can probably run it well over 300k. My coworker has one probably the oldest car in our lot and still driving it all year around.
@@zzoinksI read awhile ago that the manufacturer only has to make O.E.M. parts for 15 years after the car is made.
Thank you for this video about my favorite car ever... I still have my 2000 SL1 and would still be driving it but they say I have driven my last mile. I actually had 2...my first one was totaled. I was hit by a pick-up and the truck lost its bed and my Saturn's front in was just tilted a little. And soon as I could I got another Saturn. This one was flooded a little during a Hurricane but a friend took it for two weeks and took it apart a dried it out and I've been driving it 10 more years. I'm very sad this week because they are gonna tow it away...I bet I could get it running again! Thank you again for respecting this great car company, yea Saturn!
i have a 2000 saturn sc2 it was my first car and 329k its still going i drive it every day, im going to have the block bord/honed an the heads shaved soon its such a good car cheap an easy to work on. a few years ago i was able to replace my stock 17lb wheels with the saturn sawtooth off 96 to 97 sl2 they are 13lbs. ive noticed an increase in acceleration
Am I the only one who got chills seeing the abandoned Saturn dealership?
My 2007 here in 2022 is being used by my sons family as his 2006 Mustang is undergoing major repairs. I am so looking forward to getting it back again to continue using it as my daily driver.
I drive an SL2 (2000) , the interior is much the same, but i have lumbar support with a dial on side of drivers side (broken, kind-of, because of course it is) , and a center console with a lift up lid (broken because of course it is).
That stereo though ..... it's not bad! It's a nice design, and the location of the power button is super cool. Hand over the over the knee, and boop! It's on or off.
My car is also a manual 5 speed, and i did have to replace the shifting cables. I guess that's not an uncommon thing to happen with these cars. But my car truely is my trusty metal steed. It works, and always fires up and goes where i need to go. I don't need a Ferrari to do the things i do, but it does feel nice to row through the gears with a DOHC.
The only thing it's doing that gets on my nerves is high RPM's on start up. It's either a vacuum leak or i need to spray throttle body cleaner. Since i don't hear a vacuum hiss when i pop the hood and nor do i feel a loss of power i think it's the latter and not the former. But it's not a big deal so i'm not all that concerned. These were great cars!!!!
Saturn is it's own identity. Similar to Pontiac and Oldsmobile Aurora
In 2003 my ex-wife now and I bought a Saturn SL one. It was a fantastic car and drove exceptionally well was very well engineered ours was also five speed we put well over 100,000 miles on it. When we divorced she got to keep the Saturn and ran it to the ground. But I will always have good views about owning a Saturn. I never owned a Chevrolet car but I love my Saturn.
The original Saturns are some of the best things GM ever built. Had fun driving them!
Well done review with a lot of unique insights. THIRTY (30) years ago - I started out buying a new 1992 Saturn SL2 after picking up a Car Buyers Guide from a Grocery store magazine rack that compared all new cars and their prices. I was hooked. My wife and I would drive our new Saturn and get high-beam flashed by other oncoming Saturns letting us know we were friends and in the club. We traded it in for a 1994 SL1 a because the local Saturn dealer was urging current Saturn owners to trade in and upgrade to new due to the popularity and unquenchable market for used Saturns. We missed the Saturn Factory Homecomings due to a need to get into a minivan a few years later but I returned to Saturn in 2004 when I bought a new Ion 3 which was a very good car for me until it was totaled in an accident with 80k on it 11 yers ago. I took a small portion of the insurance money and bought a used 1997 SW2 (wagon) with 124k miles on it for $1,500 and have been driving it ever since. It now has 218k on it and rides and rattles the same as it did 11 yers ago almost as if time stood still. It hasn't gotten any better or worse in the last 11 years. If I totaled it tomorrow I would go out and get another one.
i got me one of these for 800$ put 300$ into it runs pretty good for a 1st car
The first brand new car I ever bought was a Saturn 2000 SL2. I loved it! My next car was a Saturn 1998 SL stick shift. Loved that one too. I still own my 3rd Saturn 2002 SL2. Only this time I know how to work on it to keep it around longer. Wish I had never sold my first new 2000 SL2. Or the 1998. Both were fun amazing gas mileage for the time. I have put over 200,000 mile on my 2002 if u take care of it, it keeps going.
Great car! My 2000 SL has 245K miles and is still going! I bought it used in 2002, so 21 years and we're still going.
My brother in law owned one and I got to drive it. In my opinion its the closer thing GM ever got to having an American Corolla without rebadging a Toyota Corolla as a Geo. 😊
I still daily my 1999 Saturn sc1. It’s the kind of car you buy to beat on and then for some reason fall in love and take great care of it
Same happened to me!
Hard to not fall in love with a car that gets great mpg, fun to drive, and cheap to repair. I’ve had 3 and loved them all
My dad might buy this car from his neighbor. She's an elderly woman selling it and the car is very well taken care of! The car seems reliable and cute!
I own a 2001 sl with 205,000 miles on it. Still runs great. Paint didn't last.
Still can outrun and out power a Mitsubishi Mirage 😂. Honestly something about the design of these cars captured my attention when I was small. Now I think I might get one for the Nostalgia.
They are definitely different. I have an 02 sc1 and love it! I’m currently fixing it up and making it better than new. Saturns are great!
When you started reading the intro for the owners manual, I had to get mine out of my 94 SL1 and see how close they were haha.
I didn't know much about Saturn's until I bought one 97 sw1 manual transmission.. low miles for it's age. It was neglected. What a shame. Nursed back to health over a year's time. No issues now. I love this car because of its great gas mileage fun2drive and easy to in the city. Nobody ever vandalized it or broke it. No speeding tickets. I hope it reach the 30-year mark. Love my Saturn sw1
there's a girl on TikTok that has a collection of these cars and repairs them.
Her @ is jessieleigh2794 !!! :)
I just bought a 2002 SL1 for 625 dollars, had transmission problems. It cost me a total of 15 dollars to repair. These cars are so easy to work on. Florida car as well.
What was wrong with the trans that was so cheap to fix?
Easy cars to work on . And lightweight cars. the wagon is interesting in manual form. Interiors always seem to be tan cloth. Don’t know about the community for the 1.9 performance wise anymore . Liked your abandoned Saturn vid also you did .
love saturn. got mine for less than a grand with 95k miles. it's had a few issues but i don't think i've spent more than 100 dollars on repairing the thing.
I have a 2002 Saturn S series, only 28,390 miles, I'm the second owner of this little 💎, seldomly driven by a elderly couple that had the car, used it only when traveling in a Camper, across the country. I may have struck gold with this one, we'll see, but this Saturn is well maintained, never driven a Saturn so let's see how she does, had gotten good reviews so far, but still looking for a second car , definitely a Toyota. Saturn should of stayed an independent company from GM.
I had a 96 that looked just like this but auto. it took me 175,000 miles and the trans gave out. everything else is still good, might fix it and get the rest it has to give. I loved it
Saturn, so quirky and yet weirdly successful, but GM in house fighting contributed to its end. Great review!
I have this exact car, but in dark green. I love it. I must say it is damn dependable. I haven't looked for awhile, but odom was like 167K. No rust but billions of tiny scratches.
Loved these cars. Had an SL2 for years. Easy to work on. Want to change a headlight bulb? Just reach down and do it. Want to change your auto trans fluid? pull the drain plug, and it had an oil filter style external trans filter, spin a new one on easy. The headlights even have bubble levels built on them that tells you where the bubble should be lol. It claimed 40 mpg on the highway and I would get 37 mpg regularly. A cheap car, but it was a damn good one. Reliable, too!
0:41 The weather and season is just perfect for everything this car represents.
I bought a 1991 SL1 new and drove it 17 years. Best buying and driving experience. Traded it in for a used 2006 Ion after 195K miles. By then the experience was tiresome and the car had many defects. That one lasted until this year (192K) when Chevy service, to which I had reverted after 2008, suggested that repairs would exceed $10k. I like my 2018 Cruze. Bear in mind that used vehicles are a premium these days. $15k for a pretty good compact sedan with 88K miles on it. Insurance was raised $500 per year.
Although many do not believe these cars today I think they are jewels ... On wheels would like to see a program where Saturn comes out rescuing little jewels on wheels were good cars ...I still have 5 cars
I have 2 Saturns myself, a 96 SL2 5spd and 96 SW2 auto love driving them and my wagon always gets looks 😁 Glad you got to get the Saturn experience 😁
I am picking up two 1998SW1 wagons here on Saturday one running car with 221,000 miles, and one parts car with a new head gasket and 140,000 miles. All for $700. Both have a five speed manual and the single cam
I cant find one for less than $2500 with 250 thousand miles. 😂
@@fortheloveofnoise welp. Parts car was a twin cam. I didn't have time for it so I gave it to a friend of mine and since it had been in a minor accident the frame ended up falling apart so that went to the junkyard and the other one I kept to about 240,000. I had it until a check engine light for a catalytic converter issue came up and since the rings were bad I knew it wasn't fixable so that one also ended up in the junkyard. I miss it but it was not worth the time
I put 345k miles on my ‘99 SL1. The head gaskets were installed slightly twisted from the assembly line, but after that was fixed, no other problems came up. I gave it to my nephew who put a ton of miles more on it before selling it, and yes, it looked just like new after 15 1/2 years of ownership.
Nearly brought a tear to my eye
I like Saturn 🤩
😆
My dad had the exact same model and color up here in Canada. He liked it a lot
Wish I could get one of these or the SW
The plastic fantastic!
I am using this for the title LOL
@@ShootingCars awesome
I feel like the 02’ s series was the last true Saturn
It was
...Unfortunately.😢😢
I have a Saturn SL2 that so much relates to it although its a bit less healthy at 204K miles although to note Im the 2nd owner and my step mom had gotten it to go to college initially.
Man my buddy had an SC2 with 54K but it got wrecked 2 weeks ago 😭 literally felt like a Veloster crossed with an RX-8
I got a 2005 VUE 2.2, great vehicle really! Get 28.5 MPG and does what I need it to do so it works for me! About 164000 miles on it.
I used take road trips on that model, from sd all the way to sf
I've had an sl1, and now a much more beaten SL2 both automatics, they're decently robust. And in an odd way fun to drive, I hope some are preserved as I think they're interesting enough to not be forgotten.
Ive got a 96’ saturn sl2 just rolled 140,000. Went threw a year of crazy problems but i fixed them all and ended up being a crank sensor i replaced came loose and wouldnt run right to save its life. But great overall car. I use it for work and love it. Glad i didnt scrap it
I have a 2002 with 350,000 miles. It isn't pretty but is very reliable. Shockingly reliable! Some cracked body panels and the parking brake doesn't work. 😄
This was a great video.
Saturn wasn't killed prematurely; it died before it was killed. The 2000 SL was a real saturn- a truly unique car born of GM and Toyota, sharing parts but not bound to use a platform from either. By 2004, saturns were just rebadged chevys using Opel/Vauxhall body panels and facias from GM europe. By 2008, Saturn hadn't made saturns for half a decade. Oh and now Buick has taken saturn's place as the Opel/Vauxhall of the US.
Taking my 96 SL2 to 300,000 miles and then I will probably sell her. 28 years of ownership will be long enough. Picked her up at 22,000 miles for $9300 in 1998. Hard to argue with 40 miles per gallon in today's world. Insurance is $300/year.
I do wish Chrysler would revive the Eagle brand.
Dude, that is NOT gonna happen. I almost break down and cry every time I think about when Chrysler announced The End of The Eagle Motor Division.😢😢You should watch Wookie Drives Eagle Summit wagon. He says a lot of cool things about Eagle.
I always thought Saturn's were cool. I remember visiting one of there Dealerships years ago.
Don’t forget they also got rid of Oldsmobile. We had an Alera and it resembled the Saturn SL1
I have never owned one but admired these cars. The demise of the brand was due to GM’s mismanagement and rebadging other Chevy/GM vehicles as Saturn’s. These original Daturns were their own bespoke designs and had their own drivetrains. They have proven to be reliable, well built, and economical. The other huge aspect of buying one was the buying experience where there was no haggle pricing and no pressure salespeople. I wish that this was a thing still in this day and age. The base Ford Maverick kind of proved people really want a simple, efficient, well made, and price conscious vehicle. Add in a buying experience that doesn’t totally suck due to aggressive, slimey sales tactics and greedy dealership pricing schemes…. Man wouldn’t the world embrace that? It’s a shame they ran Saturn into the ground.
First car was a 92 SL, loved it.
I bought a 1998 SL1 and I owned it until 2006 with no problems. By 2000 you could tell GM gave up on Saturn. Saturn was created to compete directly with the Japanese competition, but it was a half baked attempt at best. GM knew of Saturn’s shortcomings and deflected that fact by pushing the premium dealership and service experience, but failed in my experience. Saturn hosted Saturn Days up until about 1999, but gave up on that too.
Own a 2002 SL1. As my one and only driver. Currently has 46k original miles. Cream puff. This is my 5th Saturn S series, purchased for myself OR family members. Do i mind not having modern features? No. Can i afford to drive a newer, more expensive car? Yes. I just love Saturns! And........its NOT for sale! TRUE Saturns only existed from 1991-2002. Anything after that was GM trash, Good day!
The car was plastic outside and inside which meant it became brittle and everything would start snapping off at 100k miles. That said, it was super cheap to repair and zip-ties could repair a surprising amount of problems.
95 SL2 owner here. 315K and going strong
Recently had a welder do some work on the subframe who stated overall the frame is in good shape
Mine is the same but its automatic. Also I have no cracks or dents and it has 89k miles
Electric cars and its battery technology were no where near ready for prime time
It's not gone
There's one right there
In the video.
My neighbor "bought" one recently, and it is a 2000 SL2 with a manual gearbox with loads of paint chipping and a peeling clear coat. I put "bought" in air quotes because I highly doubt anyone would pay anything for something this old and falling apart after 2020 and how I would feel embarrassed if I were driving something this old as my only car if I were a millennial and making good money. I am also not sure if it is worth keeping as the condition makes me think that they pay more for gas, insurance, and registration than the thing is worth to each their own, though.
great video!!!!!!
My DOHC is boosted so its way more fun, Limited slip, suspension upgraded, etc...lol
How exactly do you get a hold of these cars to do reviews with?
My sister owned a automatic year's ago and she loved her's.. I hated it lol
i got me an automatic got it for 800$ not bad for a 1st car put 300 into it to make sure it runs decent dont now if i should keep it and drive it till its dead or just sell it and buy something else
@@shredbacca did you end up keeping it or selling it? Buying one now for $700
@@GoldCODMyt i still got it man probably going to keep it till the engine goes out then maybe put a 1000cc motorcycle engine in it lmao
Was this filmed in gurnee IL?? 👀👀👀
Ive got a 2002 SL spring special. No, not an SL1, even more basic than that 😂. Bought it last year with only 49k miles. Crank windows, manual locks and 5 speed. Body was flawless aside from a few scratches. Its been good to me aside from having to redo the entire break lines. (I street park on a barrier island) id recommend it but boy is it bland and the turning radius is terrible. Civics of the same era are a much more engaging drive. I have the original paperwork and the car was about 11k out the lot. They traded in a 97 SW1 for it and after the trade in it came out to 7k.
I have an 02 SL with sohc engine, crank windows, manual locks, no cruise control and 5 speed manual.. Power sunroof, trunk spoiler, and aluminum wheels 😂 201,000 miles and running great! Burns a quart of oil about every 800 miles though.
I think your to young to appreciate the reliability of the s- series. Easily get 250,000 off regular maintenence.
If only they knew that electric cars are the next big thing. Maybe Saturn should make a return as an electric car company.
My first car
Mine is lifted, daily!
GM doesn’t offer subcompact cars anymore now that I think of it.
The Chevy Spark is offended.
@@parkedjeep96
By car I meant sedans. Like corolla.
@@parkedjeep96
The sonic was discontinued I believe. Unsure.
My mother had 1 it's 4 speed automatic Thought it was a ten speed always shifting
Pontiac and Saturn should have lived instead of Buick, GMC, and Cadillac.
the other fallen GM brands you forgot to mention were Geo, Oldsmobile, Plymouth
Zach how can I contact you
PradelReviews@gmail.com
…… can I steal the ac compressor please
Saturn was unique for about four years, then GM forced badge engineering on them like every other GM owned brand lmao
They were cars with Opel underpinnings. They were European GM products sold in North America
Not originally. It was only when the L series came about were they starting to be rebadged Opels.
@@tj81164 True. Had to look that up.
Just got same model $200
1:30 just like my ex, Same age too
At the time u could get a Civic for another 1,500. Much more reliable car. Engines on theses usually burned/leaking oil. Wheel bearings go out after 130,000 miles.
Automatic transmission wasn't very good. But they got decent milage.
Chevy experimental car.
Generally not the best veicles.
$1,500 back in the late 90s is close to $3k today, it's a small difference but in a subcompact, entry-level cheap car market makes a difference to both the manufacturer in terms of production costs and the buyers. Not sure about Hondas back then but these Saturns are fairly reliable, very easy to work on and fun to drive.
Bro I own one it’s a 1995 sl1