When General Motors was looking to launch the new Saturn division, it was said to be a “different kind of company.” And when the Saturn S-Series debuted in 1991, it was marketed as a “different kind of car”. And it was, with its plastic body panels that likely ticked off all the scrap metal dealers. The seller has a 1996 SL model, which is a basic automobile with a 5-speed stick and just 47,000 miles on the odometer. Looking like it just left the Saturn showroom, this simple survivor is available here on craigslist for the not crazy sum of $6,500. And can be picked up in Maywood, New Jersey.
Saturn was built on a culture of blending company, labor, and customer support as one. And cars like the S-Series were developed, sold, and serviced outside of the typical Detroit mold. But apparently, GM wasn’t as committed to the concept as the rest of the triangle, as the division was up on the chopping block when corporate finances went awry during the Great Recession (of 2008) and the subsequent bailout by the U.S. Government. How a company could go wrong after selling 2.4 million copies of the S-Series alone is hard to fathom for some.
The S-Series was around from 1991 to 2002, yet when was the last time you saw one? I don’t think collectability was ever a factor for Saturn or its customers, so when one of these cars got used up, it was simply discarded. Little history is provided on this car (perhaps a dealer is involved) because with such low mileage, it’s hardly seen any use in the last (almost) 30 years. It’s a very basic automobile with a 1.9-liter inline-4, manual transmission, roll-up windows, and few, if any, options.
A prior owner of this fine, but non-fancy little car, sprung for a snappy aftermarket entertainment system that includes Bluetooth and a backup camera. We assume it all works just fine, but if you want the Saturn to be 100% stock, the factory unit was saved and is in the trunk. You may not have wanted a Saturn back in the 1990s, but how about now? This little beauty is said to get 45 mpg (on the road, that is). Kudos to Rocco B. for this interesting tip!
This is unbelievably clean. My wife and I looked at the 1993 models. We wanted the base SL in the color Blue Black. But we just couldn’t quite swing it at the time. It was a nice driving little car, and we both loved it, and were a bit let down on the financing. We wound up getting a ’94 Escort sedan a year later. I knew a guy who had a base model he used for his job, he had well over 200000 trouble free miles and always got over 40 mpg. These were, at least in my opinion very well built cars. I just can’t get over how clean and well preserved this one is. If it were mine, I’d definitely drive it, but not as a daily driver, but definitely in the nice weather.
As the weeks drift by, we’re bound to see much more of these. These were the cars that stout USA buyers went for. Pa wouldn’t allow an Asian car, so choices were limited. Believe the excited hype of the seller( all caps) but this is nothing special. These will continue to surface as the owners that bought them new, now in their 80s, can’t drive. I guess this car sat inside for quite some time, 50K is nothing for these. This is the SL1 single cam, I had the SL2 twin cam and well over 240K until the odometer quit. I see the “guillotine” seatbelts are gone, and for a stick, it’s easily driven. I read, these cost about $12,000 new, or about $2,000 less than a Corolla, had a ton of dealer support. For folks that didn’t want a Chevette or an Escort, the Saturn was perfect. That waned some, as I read with recalls, Saturn operated in the red since 1999. I think the Ion was the worst. These were okay, poorly engineered and impossible to work on. Starter, almost impossible, had to take LF wheel off for access to oil filter, and don’t ask where the gas filter was. SIL had a Vue that he drove a lot, but they just couldn’t hang in there. Again, did everything the Asian cars did, for less money, but the Asians just had a better design. The poor folks of Spring Hill, TN. sure went through a roller coaster. 2500 workers, in a town of 1,000,( so they came from all over) were laid off, then called back for the Traverse, but laid off again when it moved to Lansing( another impoverished city from the loss of Olds) and called back for the Cadillac and now Acura ZDX, so hang on folks, WHEEEE,,
Nice! As Howard mentioned, this is the SL-1, the base model. Black bumpers are a dead giveaway on the early models. I had this same car but a third-generation 2002 model, also with a big, rubbery five-speed manual, and it was a fun car to drive. Mine had power windows and locks, which may have been unusual options for such an otherwise base model car. I put about 150,000 miles on it, and it started nickel and diming me to death, so I sold it.
First, a wheel bearing would go out, then a couple of months later, the next one would go out, then a front coil spring would break, then a couple of months later, the other side would break, then the starter, then the alternator, then some diode, then the wiper motor, then, then, then, then… It was one thing after another. It did get 45 mpg on road trips, but with only 100 hp, I had to be in the trucker lanes going over mountains, and I could barely keep up with the trucks. The composite body panels are still the best thing American car companies have ever come up with, in my opinion.
This is NOT a SL1. It is the base model SL. The SL1 was the middle model, slotted between the base SL and the top trim (with twin-cam engine) SL2.
And, for the umpteenth time, the wheel does NOT have to be removed to change the oil filter. (Sorry, Scotty, I know you didn’t say that part.)
As noted by others, this is horrendously, almost suspiciously clean for a base-model SL1, almost ready for a museum. Still, the price is a bit on the high side, depending on specifics such as the tires, any work done to stuff like AC and bearings, etc. If you have a college student, you may want to send them off in a car maybe ten years younger with more safety features. On the other hand, if you instead have a son or daughter that wants to LEARN about how to maintain cars hands-on and how to keep them in good repair forever, you could hardly do better than this–relative to a car even ten years newer, these cars are still “bare-bones basics,” with rather minimal electronics and fancy emissions doodads. (Remember, this came out in the Windows 95 era!)
There remains a cult of Saturn S-series loyalists out there online, doggedly keeping their examples alive, well aware of what quirks they have and constantly raiding the junkyards to pull every conceivable part to store away for the day when online sources can’t come through for them anymore. There’s one a few towns away from me with 405,000 miles, and there are lots of owners bragging about their 200K+ and 300K+ examples. Most of them tend to gravitate to the dual-overhead-cam SL/SW/SC2 models if possible, so this well may end up accurate as “best survivor” for an SL1.
I recently pulled into a “classic car show” that I just happened to blunder into at a local shopping center, and when I pulled in to park and look at an MGB-GT and Triumph Stag that caught my eye among all the Corvettes and “muscle cars,” the parking guys directed my “daily driver” 1997 SW2 station wagon–still with parts in the back stripped from a wreck up the road–into a display parking space. So what could I do? I raised and propped up the hood, and wished I’d sprayed off the dust from the dirt roads earlier………
Soft spot for these; I had a ’95 SL1- best $1500 I ever spent, bought it 2002 drove it 5 or 6 years. Bare bones but dependable. Fond memory of “not-so-great in the snow”; schlepping along on snow covered I-90 in Cleveland going to work with a friend, my Saturn randomly exited the freeway, seemingly on it’s own, like it was on rails or auto-pilot. I said “Al, I didn’t steer it that way!”
The 14″ wheels had followed the ruts in the snow. I deftly guided it back on the next on ramp and we made our way to work on time. It was like riding on a Ouija Board :)
Russ, this is a great write-up as usual!
If I was looking for a daily driver in which to log a lot of miles by myself, I’d buy this in a Don Johnson heartbeat. For now, my 2002 Chevrolet Prism (Corolla clone) serves my purposes.
My Dad had a SC-2 and it was a good car. The only problem I recall is that it would refuse to start on only the coldest of Wisconsin mornings occasionally. I don’t recall why.
the knock on these nowadays is that sourcing parts has become incredibly difficult – they just aren’t making replacement parts nowadays for defunct GM brand. Yeah Yeah, I am sure someone will chime in and say that they found this part etc at the Pep Boys etc – but dig into the Saturn forums and see that many drivetrain parts are not available.
put it in a museum before it leaks oil all over.
What a clean, unmolested Saturn S series! Like all cars, these had their fair share of pros and cons. Yes they used oil. Very rarely bad enough to foul plugs or leave a smoke cloud after taking off from a stop light, but if you were someone who never would take the time to check the oil, most likely you were going to spin a rod bearing or worse. I was a Saturn Certified technician for 15 years, right until the end. I have to completely disagree with the previous comment about these S Series Saturns being difficult to work on. After many years of working on other makes, I was amazed how well designed and technician friendly these cars are. Sure, some tasks are more difficult than others but once you found the tricks, very easy. They were also very dependable. I purchased these used, reconditioned them and resold them for many years. All my customers were very happy with them. I also still have 4 of them registered and use them regularly. There are alot of opinions of Saturn, the car company. Unfortunately alot aren’t based on facts.
All three of our kids had Saturns.I drove our oldest Son’s,
and it was a decent car to drive.Not great,but decent.I felt
the same way about the ’91 Accord that he had.
To me it’s sad that GM did away with the Saturn Division.
The owners seemed to be very loyal to the brand,and many
attended the Saturn Homecoming in Spring Hill,TN.
I used to sometimes see these with pieces broken off of
the plastic fenders.