is a Saturn a good car?
well I'm 17 and I'm looking for my first car. I am aware that everyone's first car is usually a piece of junk.. so I'm not looking for anything fancy, just a mode of transportation. my budget is $1500 and I saw a post on craigslist of a 1994 Saturn 4 door sedan that has no problems and is $1100. I have heard that saturns are not great cars to own (mainly because they're not reliable). is this true?
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that is the one car on yahoo answers that I see the most questions about transmissions. Saturn is no longer made, The General Motors company stopped making them a few years ago, there are no new parts being made, and the ones out there for sale are cheap because they were not very good. Save your money, and have patience. You want to try and find a toyota, a honda, or a nissan thats it those three ONLY And do not buy a front engine tront wheel drive car. These were cheaper for the company to produce, they do not last as long as front engine rear wheel drive cars, and can cost two to 8 times as much to repair, which is why I do not recommend front engine, front wheel drive cars. sadly all the rest are pretty much crap.
a subaru all wheel drive makes the list. these are pretty sturdy little cars too. Nowadays, you have to be very careful about buying a used car. There are lots of people selling broken down wrecks these days. Please have patience, this is the hardest part, keep saving your money, the higher your price range, the better your car, I know its tough but people will lie and cheat and try to hide a problem, so I always do a cold start test drive, I discuss with the owner not to start the car, overnight and then show up in the morning to test drive it. Some cars with transmission problems just beginning, will not move when cold after sitting overnight for about the first 10 to 15 minutes. I open the hood, if the heat rolls out in my face I know its been started anyway I know the owner is hiding something , and walk away.
If its cold, I start it up listen for any loud bangs or rattles, and look for clouds of smoke out the tailpipe. The car should smooth into a high idle in 5 to 10 seconds , i GIVE it a minute or two to warm up, and then take off and drive it like you stole it. Any used car that will run, drive, and stop good cold, and get up to freeway speed (55mph) in the first 5 minutes or so may not be in too bad of shape.
Here is a web site with free information on how to buy a used car. www.samarins.com there is also a section on used car reviews that may be helpful. Try to test drive any used car for at least 30 to 40 minutes, it takes most cars 20 minutes to warm up properly..
And check all the turn signals the lights, the radio, the heater, all the windows all the way up and all the way down several times, make sure all the cruise control works things like that, before you call your mechanic. I talk to my mechanic ahead of time, and work out a deal where he gives me an hour of his time for 70 bucks, that gives you a better idea of what condition a car is in. Above all have patience, you may not know what you are looking for, but you will when you find it, pass on the worn out broken crap some kid owned. (I dont buy cars from teenage boys) and try to find an older adult owner, who did not beat the pee out of the car first, then try to sell it. www.nada.com also has prices in the consumer section for cars that are more than 20 years old in the classic section, be aware of what something is worth, so you do not pay too much.
A Saturn can be as reliable as most Hondas if you know how to take care of a Saturn. Problem is, many Saturn owners don't know how to take care of a Saturn and people like you get the idea that they are unreliable because of this.
I recommend that you look at Saturn forums (like Saturn Fans, if its still up) to see where the common issues are with these cars and see if its something you can live with. There is one thing nice about Saturns and that is they can be very cheap vehicles to own if you do your own maintenance work (and they are pretty easy to work on).
Look the saturn is a good car it depends who owned it before you. And there habbits. As a 17 new driver look for a car that's not going to kill inshurance aka a saturn . But use this car as a tool to help you hone you skills and learn on. Also 1500 for a cor can open a wide view shoot I bought my 98 jetta for 1300 with low miles and nothing wrong enjoy whatever you buy!
I have an S10 pickup as my first car .
What you must know and accept RIGHT NOW , is that no matter what vehicle you buy/own throughout your life , it will need maintance and some minor to major repairs .
So about your question , it depends on how many miles are on the car you buy . im personally not familiar with saturn but any high millage car you have to worry about an automatic transmission going .
Ive known a lot of people who have had a saturn for a long time .
Bottom line , if you take care of it it will take care of you .
Look at the millage , ask the owner how it was kept , ask if he did the 3-5000 mile oil change . ask if its ever gotten a tune up .. ask the owner how he cared for it . it really comes down to that no matter the vehicle .
It all comes down to how the car was kept . and how you are going to treat it .
I own a Saturn and it is the worst brand ever made which is why they went out of business... It has nothing but transmission problems. Don't believe any of these people saying they are good cars. STAY AWAY FROM AMERICAN CARS!!! They all break down quickly... Stick to Japanese cars that last longer based on what every mechanic tells me.
I have a 93 saturn SL2, it has 230,000 miles and is a good car. Its very basic but it has always run good and I like driving it, its also very comfortable on long trips. I think I paid about $1000 for it about 5 years ago. Probably the things I like best about it are that it has plastic panels so it wont rust out, the insurance is cheap, it is very good on gas, its been reliable and I love the convienience of the automatic seat belts, they are a really nice feature that make sure you are always strapped in. I would go for it.
Saturn is a GM product. An older Saturn can be compared to any small Chevy or Pontiac as far as reliability and economy are concerned.
Yes they are good cars.
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