Used 1997 Saturn S-Series Consumer Reviews
Used S-Series for sale
Great mileage/perform but poor reliabili
JoRene, 03/02/2004
1997 Saturn S-Series SL1 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I love to drive this car and it gets great mileage, but we've had more than our share of problems with things going out. Engine mount (40,000 mi), O2 senor (32000 mi) (and it's problably bad again), broken door handle, complete clutch/transmission failure at only 51,000 mi, 3 mufflers and a front pipe, and a leaking axle seal. Maintenance items I don't mind, but too many things have broken on the car that should not have and it has been one of the most expensive cars we've owned maintenence-wise. Too bad, because we would have bought another Saturn if we hadn't had so many serious and unnecessary problems.
Beware of the Oil Gussler
bluesrev, 01/14/2004
1997 Saturn S-Series SW2 4dr Wagon
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
at about 20,000 miles I cruised into the dealership wondering why my oil light was on! They said to check your oil. I repeated my question..If I get my oil changed every 2500 miles, why am I going through oil???? An automobile historian in town on a talk show clued me when he told me it was a "lemon" engine. They NEVER told me at the dealership!!! I now add oil every 3- 500 miles!!! Lucky me! Never again!
Great for the first few years
Julie, 01/20/2005
1997 Saturn S-Series SL2 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I bought this car used. It was 3 years old and had 35,000 miles on it. It was a great car for the first few years as I put on over 20,000 miles/year. Once the car hit about 90,000 miles it began to fall apart. It had regular oil changes and all the suggested work done. The final straw was the factory alarm system. The alarm has an ignition lockout so can can not start when broken into. 4 trips to 2 dealers (and $500 in other problems) could not find and fix the problem. The car would not start and horn would blast for no reason.
Wish they still made this one
mjw, 08/17/2008
1997 Saturn S-Series SC1 2dr Coupe
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I bought this new and have had it 11 years. Apart from interior damage due to careless kids driving it is a great way of getting from A to B. If it were left to me, Saturn would have only improved the interior design and left the model alone. I still get comments about the "new" car, as on the outside you'd never guess it was 11 years old. Still gets great mileage, and the only money I've spent on it was for a new gear lever part that snapped apart when going into reverse. Just buy brakes, batteries, and tires, and of course, gas! As I said, "wish they still made them."
Well-known oil burner, with 78,000 miles
Bassic Steve, 04/01/2004
1997 Saturn S-Series SL2 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
We bought our used '97 Saturn 3 months ago. I'm accustomed to *not* having to check oil between oil changes on my Honda (every 3000 - 4000 miles). In these past 3 months, our Saturn burned 3+ quarts of oil. Now that I've done internet research on this issue, I've found it to be a well-known problem, though Saturn refuses to acknowledge it. Their band-aid: a $91 "top-engine" cleaning to clear deposits from piston rings. Clearly, this is a design flaw that has no fix. My Saturn dealer admitted nothing and did their best to make me feel like an isolated case. Bottom line: Saturn will have no more of my business. I'll go back to Honda for reliability.
Great car
mike, 06/03/2009
1997 Saturn S-Series SL2 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I purchased the car with 129000 miles and a rebuilt title. It had been rear ended and rebuilt. The day after I bought it I drove over 2500 miles to Alaska and did not have a problem. Drove it back to Utah the long way (over 3500 miles) and then to Arizona and never had a problem. I averaged 38- 42 mpg on the long trips and 32 in the city. The car ran great and I never had any problems. After 1 year and 25000 miles I was involved in a front end collision and they totaled it out. I wish I had it back. I have always had issues sitting in cars for long trips but the seats in it fit me well and I was always comfortable.
Most reliable car I have owned
BWright, 04/08/2005
1997 Saturn S-Series SL2 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
We bought our 1997 SL2 in early 4/97 after giving our 93 SL2 to our daughter for college transportation. The 97 has 130K plus miles on it and still runs like a new one. Had some minor problems with the sunroof after the warranty was over, but it was an easy fix and not grossly expensive. No other major repair problems. We just change the oil every 3K miles and keep it tuned up and it treats us great. The seat comfort is not the best, but the Saturn is a great commuter car. We moved from CA to CO and discovered the SL2 does great in the snow and ice. We also found out that when the ABS does not stop you soon enough, front end repairs are fairly reasonable compared to metal body cars.
Great College Car
NDFresh, 10/16/2003
1997 Saturn S-Series SC1 2dr Coupe
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I bought this car last winter when my 93 Cavalier died on me. I was low on money and was looking to get a car that was affordable, reliable, and got good gas mileage. I could not be happier with my purchase. Aside from some hesitation on starting, I've had absolutely no problems. This car gets really great gas mileage, and I'd really recommend it to anyone looking for a practical car to get them through school.
saturns suck!!
unhappy saturn owner, 09/25/2003
1997 Saturn S-Series SL1 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
94-96 saturns had extended the warrentee to 100,000 on the head due to a faulty design. My 97 sl1 had a head go out at 56000 miles and saturn would not cover any of the costs. On going problems of electrical componets and poor service at saturn of appleton is just cause for my feelings of all saturns.
A great Buy
Chippster, 11/27/2003
1997 Saturn S-Series SC1 2dr Coupe
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I had preiviously been driving a Dodge Neon and compared to that this car is perfect