Used 1999 Saturn S-Series SL1 4dr Sedan Consumer Reviews
Used S-Series for sale
Reliable and Efficient
DW, 01/07/2007
Saturn S-Series SL1 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I bought a used SL1 4-door a couple of years ago when on a tight budget. It has been an excellent little car for the price. Great MPG, tight handling, and efficient mechanical design make up for the notable lack of horsepower. I drove the car almost weekly back/forth from Birmingham to New Orleans for a year, and even after Hurricane Katrina the SL1 never let me down. Alas, yesterday when getting a routine oil change, a certain "service center" drained my transmission fluid and failed to refill it (not Saturn's fault), so I must bid my old friend adieu. Obviously, I won't be getting my future car "serviced" there anymore but I wouldn't be surprised if my future car is another Saturn.
Excellent commuter
Mike, 07/24/2007
Saturn S-Series SL1 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I bought this car as a graduation present for my son 5 years ago for under $5ooo. I talked him into getting another car about six months ago since I was worried about the reliability of any car with well over 130Kmiles. I've been using it as a second car and I'll have to admit that I was wrong. It has been extremely reliable with nothing done to it but normal maintenance. I recently took it on a 400 mile trip and averaged 38mpg at 70mph. In my opinion it should have no problem making it to 200Kmiles. Even if it doesn't, it has served us well. At nearly 140Kmiles, it uses about a quart of oil between changes, but I'm not complaining about that.
Didn't expect this from Saturn
sunshinegrrl, 07/18/2007
Saturn S-Series SL1 4dr Sedan
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
I've had the car for three years now and I finally have the money to get rid of it and I will! First, it makes an awful rumbling and vibrating when it idles, especially when it's cold. Apparently this is normal for Saturns and there's nothing they could do. Then, due to shoddy design the interior plastic panel under my steering wheel just fell off one day. My spark plugs, brakes, rotors, air conditioner, and now heat sensor on the engine all had to be replaced before 100,000mi and it hasn't been reliable on starting at all! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to be rid of it.
Too many problems
on the fence, 08/26/2002
Saturn S-Series SL1 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
At 31,000 miles we have twice run low to no oil between oil changes! The dealer can't explain why. My hope is that the engine has no permanent damage. We are currently performing an oil consumption test where we go in every 1,000 mile so they can check if it's down any oil./ We have a click in the clutch that the dealer can't detect./ We have two adults in our family and two children, one of whom is a teenager, and driving with all four of us in the car at once is definitely not a comfortable experience. The back seat has too little leg room. / The exterior paint of the car looks much duller than our Taurus '94 Wagon. /
A crude but reliable car
Rich's saturn, 03/29/2002
Saturn S-Series SL1 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The car is great for local trips to the train station or grocery store. I would not recommend it for any other purpose. Rear seat room is woefully deficient, seating position is too low, the drivetrian is noisey and the transmission constantly hunts for the appropriate gear. The suspension is too soft. The buying experience was great and dealer service is top notch. However, if you need a car for longer trips, check out the Civic.