I have a possibility to buy a friend's '96 SW2. If I do, it would be my first
Saturn (and first American car, for that matter).

Anyone know of a good Saturn mechanic, both to do a pre-purchase
inspection and to service the car if I get it? I'm in Seattle's Ballard district
(zip 98107). If you're local to me, you'll know where that is! Thanks.

 

Wait a second...Stop. Those cars have many issues. review this forum to see that most complaints are about Saturn cars of that type and vintage. Get a newer Saturn (post remodel) and experience reliability!

Anything in the lower 2000's is now cheap, used, and reliable...more so than that thing. Don't do it!

Now , you say this would be your first American car???

Buy a newer model and be impressed; My '04 Vue has 71,000 miles on it and all I've done is replaced two front tires. Compare that reliability to whatever you used to drive!

Don't buy that older piece!, in my opinion.

Any car of that vintage is bound for issues. Only a Saturn dealership where you go behind the scenes and talk to the mechanics will give you the straight skinny if you want to buy that car. So try that first. In my opinion, that car is a heap, first model, needing the crusher.

Tom

 

I know there was a 2nd-generation SL/SW/SC at some point, and then the
Ion--which is probably still too new for me to afford. What model year did
the 2nd-generation cars come out?

BTW, thanks for the candor! Edited by: Staxman

 

There is absouletly nothing wrong with buying a 1996 SW2. They're not prone to more issues that a newer Saturn S-Series and they're just as easy to work on.

Also its a second generation Saturn. First gens ran from 1991-1995 for sedand and wagons and 1991-1996 for coupes.

But if tommydogg1034 want to make the payments on a newer car for you, let him.

But to answer your question, Saturn S-Series car are very easy to work on. Al you need is a set of basic hand tools and you can tackle just about anything the car might need. You could also do the inspection yourself. Look for leaks, let the car warm up and see how it runs and drives. Pay close attention how the transmission shifts if tis an automatic and see if the fan comes on when it reaches operating temperature. Also check to see if the service engine light is illuminated.

 

Well, I have some more info on the car from my friend, and I have to say
it gives me pause:

The car has 115K on it, and the owner thinks it's due for struts and
having the FI system flushed. Also, the driver's side window (non-power)
is a bit sticky going down. And then there's this:

"One of its issues is that it's burning some oil now. The car repair guy
told me that older Saturns tend to burn oil like this. He checked it out
and said there was no real `leak' to be fixed. I would say when I was last
driving it regularly I had to put about 1 quart a month into it. [At his
writing I don't now how many miles/month that is.]

"Now for the bad news. A few years ago I noticed that the car makes a
slight zhh zhh zhh sound when at a certain speed in a certain gear. [It's a
5-speed stick.] We took it to the dealership and they told us about an
expensive part that was causing that problem. I think they said the
repair would be between $1100 and $1300. It wasn't a part I had heard
of on other cars and I'm sorry I don't remember what it was. But they said
it was just starting to wear and that it did not need replacing at the time.
They suggested we have them check on how that part was doing from
time to time. They said they would be able to tell how worn it was. If
totally ignored when the part does finally go it would just break and the
car would not go. How is it doing now? I really don't know. It has been a
while since we've asked them about that particular problem. It doesn't
sound worse to me, but maybe you can't tell by sound. I think that one is
the biggest `issue' we are concerned about."

So there may or may not be a Saturn in my future, but I question whether
this is the one.Edited by: Staxman