Remember Saturn Corp., the division of General Motors, whose slogan was, “A different kind of company, a different kind of car”? They were known for their unique culture that was embraced by both employees and customers. And for body panels made of plastic that wouldn’t scratch or dent. The seller has a 2001 LW300 station wagon that runs, but we can only surmise for how long. That’s why it’s priced as “cheap wheels” at $800 OBO in Lancaster, Kentucky, and also here on Facebook Marketplace. Our thanks go to “Sam61” for the tip.
The LW300 was the V6 version of the L-Series station wagon. It was produced from 2000 to 2005 in Wilmington, Delaware. Most Saturn assemblies are associated with the Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant that opened in the late 1980s to build Saturns specifically. The L-Series had quite a few production problems that led to customer dissatisfaction. Though more than 400,000 L-Series sedans and wagons left the assembly line, the “L”s are not considered a shining star for Saturn.
When the U.S. economy went into a severe recession in 2008-10, Saturn was one of the entities that GM gave up on (which also included Pontiac). So, the last Saturn was built in 2009 as a 2010 model. The seller has a well-used (225,000 miles) LW300 from 2001 that looks good, but is at least tired mechanically. We’re told the automatic transmission “shifts hard” and the car is a “bit noisy.” But it does run and drive (but for how long?).
The body wears gold “paint”, and there is no visible rust since plastic doesn’t corrode. The interior presents well, too, which is surprising for the mileage. Perhaps this could serve as a donor if you happen to already have a damaged LW300 wagon. Or maybe it’s worth rebuilding the engine and tranny given that you can acquire the orphan brand car for a song. The car has been listed on behalf of someone else, so hopefully striking up a deal won’t be a PIA.
This is not a “true” Saturn anyway. The L series were rebadged and retrimmed Opels, whereas the first Saturns were their own plastic-paneled models that shared a lot of American GM pieces. This unit doesn’t look horrible , it runs (sort of) and the price is much cheaper than a Mopar rust bucket missing its drive train and interior..
I felt both Saturn wagons gave off a Corvair wagon “vibe” due to the greenhouse. Another “stupid money” idea, if I had some, would be to re-skin a Saturn wagon with Corvair sheet metal …fenders, hood, grill, door panels and rear tail lights. Yes, it would be a total waste of money.
Ah, Saturn! Another GM blunder. Started off good, then gradually were turned into another badge engineered brand, before being axed on the altar of govt.
Uh huh, I kind of agree. I had bought a ’96 Saturn SC-2. good looking “little” coupe in ’97 with 10, 000 miles on it. Ran it for another 262,000 miles, most of it “highway” miles for a courier company. The last long run was from Orlando to Miami on New Year’s Eve, got 32 MPG and was home in time to see the ball drop on Times Square. Even though it did use oil, as it got closer to that 260,000 mile mark, it started to “nickel and dime” me replacing the water pump, radiator, AC compressor, a starter and a couple alternators. Loved that car, but it was time to go when I sold it for $300 as it stood in my driveway!
One of the worst quality modern vehicles ever sold. As someone else said it’s a re-badged opal that uses the same junk engine that the Cadillac Caterra used. Amazing it has 225,000 miles on it. I’ve never seen one run that far. Luckily for the buying public, there weren’t a whole lot of them.
I had a1993 sl2 good car got about 30 mpg. I asked about discount collision because of the polyamory panels and their wasn’t anything available. It could have saved hundreds in minor accidents would have been a good selling point.
Had an L300 from this era…leather seats, electric everything, 6-cyl DOHC. Bought from a family whose grandpa had passed away; luckily, Grampa had just had a new timing chain installed. Lasted for 4 years driving all over Western Canada until the tranny totally failed (250K km). Towing company gave me $300. Good basic cheap transportation