1996 Saturn S-series Consumer Reviews

I LOVE this car. It was my very first brand-new car. I drove it home in June 1997 with 8 miles on the odometer. Today, it has 214,441 miles. My motor recently gave out, so I'm now forced to part with it. I don't really want to... I had hoped to get another two to three years, considering the year-old transmission in this five-speed manual. This car is fun to drive! It is fuel efficient (fill-ups $10-$20). It is one of the last years of Saturn's most dependable models. I am sad that I have to let her go. Because I prefer manual transmissions, and American manufacturers and dealers are no longer vested in this option. Some of us still enjoy the sport & art of driving.

It's old. And made of plastic. But it's reliable as can be. The driver's seat is quite comfy. And there's more room in the back than you'd expect (from what I've been told from people who have sat back there). The car doesn't have much power. However being that its so light, the engine has enough to get it moving when needed. The breaking power isn't good. Keeping distance between other drivers is important. Otherwise, it's a easy to drive, reliable, and simple vehicle. Plus the body won't rust. Since it's plastic

I bought this car 4 years ago, and took the odometer from 90k to 140k. These Saturn's are insanely easy to diagnose/ work on yourself. The Saturn forums online are second to none, and will have every repair tutorial possible. The only real issue i have with this car, is that on the freeway the gas pedal can sometimes feel like a sponge when trying to accelerate. It takes a while to gain speed (100HP what do you expect). 40mpg on the freeway, insanely easy car to work on, comfortable and safe to drive, and super low maintance if you keep up on your oil changes.

Pristine condition Never been in a wreck No dents Paint excellent Only used 6 months out of the year Stored in garage during winter

my SL2 has stood up to everything I have thrown at it, (after a 4.5 months of not driving the car started without help) The only problem I have had with my car was that it has trouble with snow that is more than 2" deep

I love my 98 SC2. Bought it for 1200 almost a year ago and it needed a couple of things fixed but repairs and parts are cheap. I've only put in maybe $200 in repairs besides the oil changes and there's a couple minor things that I look past since it's a beater after all. I get great mpg 26 in city driving up to 38 on the highway in an automatic. It does burn 1/2 quart of oil every 500 miles so check it every few days. I got rear ended so the insurance already paid me off for the car and besides having a dented bumper and a trunk that doesn't work it's a nice car. It'll get you where you need to go and you can get one for really cheap. These cars last over 200k miles easily if you don't abuse them. I'm always looking to buy another old Saturn they are a great value and can be fun to drive on twisty back roads.

Bought our SW2 Saturn Wagon (Manual Transmission) used with 37,000 miles on the clock. Bought it mostly for commuting, toting kayaks and bicycles including some long loaded down trips from Maine to Florida and Maine to Indianapolis as examples. Great road car. Not a luxury ride but definitely easy handling while extremely linear on an Interstate at speed. Seat were comfortable on those long journeys. No complaints about the Saturn's looks or body. With full set of snow tires it was a snowmobile. Never got stuck, whether commuting on our rural roads or heading to a ski area in a big snow storm. In wagon form it was actually a fairly good looking little car with plenty of cargo room seats down. MPGs were excellent with the manual transmission, always in the upper 30s to around 40. Really sorry to see Saturn go away. Plastic body was amazing at resisting dent's and never rusted, of course. Looked as good inside and out as the day I purchased it at the end of our happy relationship. Saturn was made for Snow country.

I love my Saturn, so patient and un-needy. No major body probs, interior clean and intact. Sorry the brand went down in the recession: it's a good GM priduct.