Used 2002 Saturn S-Series Consumer Reviews
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Never Again
lisa towchik, 04/20/2002
2002 Saturn S-Series SC2 3dr Coupe (1.9L 4cyl 5M)
4 of 6 people found this review helpful
In the year I had my saturn it was towed in 4 times. I had at least one flat tire a week and the entire dash board would shake when I hit 60mph. The vehicle was in the shop all the time, and the problems were never corrected. The staff at the dealership would laugh at me when I would say what was happing. Calling the owner of the dealership with no return phone call did get the service manager to put new tires on my car for free.However I did find out that the only thing that had been done to my car in the past was charging the battery. For a company that advertises and prides themselves on good customer service they sure have a lot to learn.
02 SL1 Commuter
mattmk, 06/22/2013
2002 Saturn S-Series SL1 4dr Sedan (1.9L 4cyl 5M)
7 of 14 people found this review helpful
I bought my SL1 with 26 miles on the odometer. Had doubts about this car from the outset; the car I was supposed to get had trans. failure on the way to the dealer. At the moment, I'm just shy of 260,000. I'm hoping to make it to 300K. The car has been very reliable, the only major issues I've had: 1) Front driver side wheel bearing ($400) 2) Back up lights stopped working at about 200K 3) Emergency brake (which I used every time) went at about 250K 4) The engine goes through about 2 qts of oil every 4k miles. I also used 10W30 instead of 5W30 and still averaged 38mpg I finally replaced both front headlamps ($34) with a little brighter lamp. Heat and A/C still work (surprise!)
WORST CAR EVER
not_happy2, 09/01/2012
2002 Saturn S-Series SL1 4dr Sedan (1.9L 4cyl 4A)
4 of 9 people found this review helpful
I;ve had this car for a few years and have had problems since day one. Breaks squeak, has no pick up, have had to replace the transmission at 80,000 miles, constant front end issues, always have a hard time passing state inspection, have an idle problem that I just cant get fixed because no mechanic can figure it out. I;ve put more money into in replacing sensor/valves trying to figure out the issue than I should have. Over all I cant remember when I didnt have some sort of problem with this car other than for a month or two. I HATE MY CAR! I HATE SATURNS!
13 years on 2nd SC2. Good, but glitches
Amanda, 09/09/2015
2002 Saturn S-Series SC2 3dr Coupe (1.9L 4cyl 5M)
5 of 12 people found this review helpful
This was my 2nd Saturn sc2. I have 14 years exp with these cars! Fall in love with this cars acceleration, it has torque power that the Google search doesn't mention. It reliably blew all V6 sports cars off the road in the 1/4 mile. This car will do 140mph, and goes to 60 in about 8 seconds! The engine seized on me completely at 50k miles (8 years old), but that might have been due to negligence on my part. Replaced engine. Everything else on the car kept going strong for 13 years, never even needed ac recharged. Complaints electrically were most frequent, grounding, fuse and voltage issues were a regular problem. Electricity in general was a constant issue. These cars handle like complete, tee-total #### on wet roads, there is no help, avoid driving in rain, no handling!!! Safety is pretty good, 2 of mine were totaled by at-fault drivers in wrecks but nothing came into the interior. The airbags should have deployed but didn't. The car is built solidly under its plastic exterior, its skeleton is built like a drag racer, it's reimbursed by solid steel rodding. Can't bust that. You cannot bust the tranny on these either, they will go forever even with abuse. All-together, a good, reliable, performance-ready, safe, nice car but with frequent glitches. I would buy a 3rd one if they were still being made.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
The Underdog
HenryD1981, 05/25/2003
2002 Saturn S-Series SC1 3dr Coupe (1.9L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I have owned this car for over a year now. While I really wanted to get into an SC2, I had to make do with an SC1. This car is not bad at all. If you are looking for a car that is economical yet fun to drive, you should really look into this Saturn.