For the price, this 1995 Saturn SC1 coupe may be one of the best deals out there right now, and the seller says you’ll be driving away with the gas tank 2/3 full! The Saturn S-series was available in two tiers, with the “1” moniker indicating the entry-level cars, and the more expensive “2” offering a few more perks. Just about any operational auto is likely to set you back at least a thousand dollars or more these days, and with this one said to have been well-maintained and still running great, a two-door red coupe for under a grand certainly sounds worth considering for those on a budget. Barn Finds reader Curvette spotted this SC1 here on Craigslist in Auburn, Washington, and we’d like to thank him once again for yet another great tip!
Initially, the Saturn Corporation’s corporate headquarters and main manufacturing facility were located in Spring Hill, TN, just a few miles south of where I lived in Nashville. In the early nineties, these cars were all over the place in Middle Tennessee, and I liked the look of the coupes and test-drove a new SC2 in ’93. It was also red and fairly zippy with the 5-speed manual, but ultimately, I opted for a red Mustang instead. Saturn was proud of its dent-resistant polymer used in many of the panels, and dealers would pound the door with their fists to show how the material would bounce back undamaged. This one still appears pretty good overall outside, with a bit of damage up front on the passenger side and a few areas of peeling paint coating.
Unique to the S-Series was a Saturn inline-4 cylinder engine, with the base-model cars receiving a single-overhead-cam version. The seller lists the mileage here at 192,000, but says at the 100k point that the original 1.9-liter motor was replaced with a factory-rebuilt unit, so the existing powerplant has 92k. Regular oil changes at 5,000-mile intervals are reported, and the seller claims that his car is still running great. This one is also equipped with an automatic transmission, which the owner points out has both normal and performance modes.
With nearly 200k miles of use, the parts of the interior that are visible appear to be in decent condition, although some holes in the driver’s seat are stated to be present, along with a few other minor cosmetic issues. The tires here are mentioned as having good tread, and the last set I installed on one of my vehicles cost more than $850 out the door. You can drive away in this 1995 Saturn SC1 for that amount! For a functioning red coupe, is this one as good a deal as I’m thinking?
My brother bought one new. He drove it to 250,000 miles. Had the head rebuilt at 125,000. Best car he ever owned.
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I miss my 4-cyl 2000 L. Roomy and fun to drive. Gave it to friends at church who were facing financial difficulties and needed reliable transportation and replaced it replaced it with a 2005 Vue – another good car!
And do not forget the “Send off”. In the beginning, when you bought a new one, the dealership staff would assemble as you drove off and applaud or cheer as the case may be. Really weird.
My neighbor has one of these in good ol’ 90’s GM self-shedding blue. It gets parked outside, and a little too close to my house for my liking. Fortunately, it’s slowly disappearing behind a little formation of emerald arborvitae I’ve installed.
The old joke about cheap cars was from the Malcolm Bricklin import era.
“How do you double the value of a Yugo?” “Fill the gas tank”.
Saturn was a decent idea that never got much if any support inside GM
not profitable enough?
Saturn never took off, too different in too many ways and being separate company and dealer network you couldn;t lead them to something more profitable.