“A New Kind of Car Company,” so boasted GM’s newest division, Saturn, back in 1990. It was also one of GM’s shortest-lived companies, only making it about twenty years before the great carcalypse of 2009 sealed its fate. Today’s find, a 1996 Saturn SL2, courtesy of Curvette, is an example we have rarely covered here on BF, so let’s take a look at it and see if Saturn’s claim of being a different kind of car company rings true. Shoreline, Washington, is where you’ll find this plastic-slabbed compact, and it’s available here on craigslist for $4,995.
“It coulda been a contenda,” and for a while, Saturn was. The brand distanced itself from GM, was sold at a fixed price – no dickering, used plastic body panels (light weight and ease of replacement), and it even had its own powerplant – not shared with other GM divisions. The initial S-Series sold extremely well, but then things started to trail off. In ’96, the first-gen S-series was replaced with the second-gen, such as our subject car, and some of that Saturn-unique look was lost, leaving us with a generic-looking compact with cross-eyed daytime running lights. Still, Saturn moved 279K units in ’96 with 185K being SL1s or SL2s – pretty darn good! Other models followed, such as the L-series, ION, and of course, the Sky roadster. Early-2000s labor-relations problems steered Saturn back into the mainstream GM fold, and the General’s 2008 bankruptcy forced a game of musical chairs that excluded the Saturn brand. A deal to offload the brand to Roger Penske was pulled together, but problems sourcing engines put the kibosh on any Saturn future. Model year 2009 saw the last of Saturn production – an unfortunate turn of events. I liked the Aura and thought it would be a big sales success, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Our 60 K-mile subject is certainly clean; it appears to have been gently used and stored/parked properly. The listing doesn’t go into any detail, so the images have to do the talking. The surprising thing for me is that I can’t recall the last time I saw one of these out and about. Sure, it’s 30 years old, but I haven’t spied a much newer Saturn in as long a time; I think a Vue was my last sighting, and that was quite a while ago. Styling is always subjective, but I’d put this Saturn’s bearing in the innocuous and inconspicuous category.
A 100 net HP, 1.9 liter, four-cylinder “Saturn” engine powers this sedan, and it drives the front wheels via a four-speed automatic transaxle. The seller claims, “RUNS EXCELLENT,” that’s nice to know; unfortunately, the engine compartment picture was taken too far away, and details are not observable.
The interior images, also lacking closeups, reveal a clean beige, leather-upholstered environment. I questioned the leather claim, but it was, in fact, an option on SL2 models. If you review the several provided interior images and string them together, it paints a pretty good picture of an overall interior in sound condition and needing nothing.
Well, there you have it. I’m not sure what the likely market for a car like this is, and I don’t have a feel for the price; these just don’t trade very often. Some dead-brands-rolling do well, and others, not so much so. Regardless, there’s usually a beehind for every seat, and I imagine this Saturn will find one. OK, that’s all I got.
Nice find. In todays economy this is indeed a pretty good car with decent gas mileage and a lot of life left in it. They are asking ALL the money for it but try finding something in that price range with that kind of miles – you’d be hard pressed! I would drive it for a few years to save some cash if need be.
These were nice cars which fell victim to GM’s marketing and brand identity collapse Over time, GM stripped these unique elements, forcing Saturn to share parts and designs with other GM brands, which diluted its appeal. The were going to be sold off to Nissan at one point via the Penske Automotive Group but that deal went south.
Anyway – still a nice car for under $5000
The SL2 had the 16 valve DOHC 1.9 liter with 124 hp. The SL1 had the SOHC 100 hp 1.9 liter.
Nice find. Very hard to find these or 1st gens in good shape nowadays.
Our first gen SL1 got over 40 mpg, only had 85 hp. An affordable, simple, reliable car.
We had an ’00 SW2 (wagon) with auto (it even learned to downshift when I would tap the brakes on a downgrade!). In 120K miles it never once got over 40 MPG and wound up with an overall of 32.75 MPG. Nothing to write home about but was a comfortable car with a somewhat sporty handling. Traded it on a Focus ’cause of the Sat’s propensity to ralf the aluminum-blocked engines before ’bout 130K.
BTW, the Focus is ‘way more satisfying with over 40 on the road. No wonder so many Focuses (Foci?) are used in international rallying; they’re tough and go like stink. The info/entertainment systems? Not worth a d**n. Only bad points and they are BAD!
Oh, the Getrag/Ford 6-speed dual-path dry clutch gearbox? Along with the engine and handling, Gangbusters!
These were great cars. Had a 98 SL2. sold it in 07. I missed the car so much I bought a 99 model a year later.
Notorious oil burners. I had an SC1 5 speed that also got over 40 MPG and it was ridiculously slow. I bought it used and got 44 MPG then did a basic “tune up” that included a badly needed fuel filter change. It could then almost get out of it’s own way but fuel mieage dropped to a dismal 42 MPG! LOL! Don’t forget to check the fuel level and fill up the oil! LOL!
Was Saturn ever marketed as a fast car?
This is a good looking and well preserved Saturn. I certainly remember when General Motors introduced Saturn. There was a lot of fanfare. However, the division was a failure. Ever since spent on Saturn was wasted. This money could’ve been much better spent on building more efficient engines for their cars. General Motors went through terrible management decisions and still does. I would be surprised to see General Motors in five years. Mary bear has worked her magic on GMGM
the message I got when GM introduced Saturn was “we have screwed the pooch on every other brand we control” but you can trust us when we say that Saturn will show you
This is obviously a dealer in many ways, including the price.
There are Saturn “cultists” that seek out these things as they come on the market, and I myself have driven 500 miles to get the “right” one at a good price ($2K for an SW2 with 90K miles and impeccable servicing records).
The downside to this one is the automatic transmission. They get horrendously lower gas mileage than the manuals–25-32 mpg versus 35-40.If this had a manual, I could see some cultist negotiating this down to $4,500. More realistically, that’s a $3000-3500 car even with the low mileage. At 30 years old, you’re starting to replace all sorts of suspension bushings, fuel lines, brake lines, and the like, and we’re just getting to the point where we can’t count on RockAuto or other suppliers to have the parts. The metallic paints also have a reputation for flaking off about this time–I just bought three containers of matching paint from RockAuto because one of mine is that gold color.
my opinion GM made a big mistake closing down Saturn. i think they should have kept the brand alive with some redesign maybe even merging it with GMC i believe it would have been successful. this is a nice car at a fair price if i were in the market for a car i would be looking closer at this one.
I had one of these, with the 5 speed. First car I ever bought new. It was fun to drive, for an econobox. Typical horrid cheap plastic GM interior of the period was the only real downside. Looks nicely optioned, with the leather interior, power windows & locks, and factory alloy wheels. Not sure if it has ABS–that was optional on these. the switch would be in the center stack, right above the radio. (the switch in the middle is for the rear defroster.)
Sure remember Saturn but don’t think I’ve seen one on the road in years. Never had one myself but they seemed to be good little cars for what they were. Certainly doesn’t look as bad as that ’96 Ford Taurus redesign.
A neighbor here in the retirement community has one he bought new and is a daily driver,this morning at Sam’s Club i saw a nice V-6 Saturn VUE.
I’d have to agree with a lot of the other comments made. I had a ’96 Saturn SC-2 coupe bought with 10,000 miles on it in ’97. Great little car, put another 262,000 miles on it when I sold it for $300 in 20165. Still running strong, although it was starting to use oil. I drove it making deliveries for a courier company the last few years and on longer runs in Florida would get 32 MPG. “Almost” hated to get rid of it, but was starting to “nickle and dime” me crazy replacing parts, so bid “Sadie” a fond farewell.
Uh, that was supposed to read sold in 2015. Fumble fingers strikes again.
Maybe a good college kid’s car, can’t get into too much trouble with that little four-cylinder.
Just bought a1996 SL1 for $200. It needed brakes, tires and miscellaneous hoses, wipers etc.It also wants sway bar bushings and the a/c blows tepid. The ride is good, gas mileage is just over 35 on my last tankful. I’m feeling like I finally scored on a car deal. Same color as the one here; that’s what caught my eye. The huge difference is the odometer reading- mine is at 215k, but if even $3000 is a typical ask, I still have some room to fix it up before I’m in my usual upside down state