L300 by mistake
#1
11-19-2018 | 11:09 AM
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Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 1
L300 by mistake
I'm in the market for a reliable, low mileage car had three ebay auctions open on my dashboard last night that all ended at exactly the same time down to the second. I decided on, and bid on a Nissan Maxima. This morning I found out that I actually bid and won a 04'Saturn L300 wagon with really low miles. Now I need to know what I have.
My family has been Saturn fans for years. My mom had a Saturn for years that had a Toyota corolla engine in it. My dad is driving a Vue that has an Accord engine in it. They have both been awesome cars.
But I don't know anything about the L300 wagon. Not the best looking machine in the world but is it at least very dependable? Is the 3.0 made by Saturn or someone else. Any input on this car would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Was considering it for Uber...
My family has been Saturn fans for years. My mom had a Saturn for years that had a Toyota corolla engine in it. My dad is driving a Vue that has an Accord engine in it. They have both been awesome cars.
But I don't know anything about the L300 wagon. Not the best looking machine in the world but is it at least very dependable? Is the 3.0 made by Saturn or someone else. Any input on this car would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Was considering it for Uber...
Last edited by ob1coby; 11-19-2018 at 11:12 AM.
#2
11-19-2018 | 03:02 PM
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Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,599
From: Willamette Valley, Oregon
First off, welcome to the forum! A 2004 Saturn Lw300 can have either engine. Both engines are made by General Motors. The 3.0 was used in Saturn L series from 2000 to 2005, it was also used in the Cadillac Catera and certain Saab models sold in the US. All these were European GM designed cars and some were assembled here in the states.
The 3.0 is a belt engine that is interference between the valves and the pistons if the belt breaks. So replacing the belt is critical to long life. The interval is 100,000 miles or 7 years which ever comes first. So low miles is not always a good thing if the maintenance has been defered.
I have had a v-6 wagon in the past, now I have the 4 cylinder cars. I do have a good v-6 and transmission for the same, just waiting for the right deal on a nice v-6 car with a bad engine.
Feel free to ask any questions, I have a factory service manual set for 2002 L series cars.
The 3.0 is a belt engine that is interference between the valves and the pistons if the belt breaks. So replacing the belt is critical to long life. The interval is 100,000 miles or 7 years which ever comes first. So low miles is not always a good thing if the maintenance has been defered.
I have had a v-6 wagon in the past, now I have the 4 cylinder cars. I do have a good v-6 and transmission for the same, just waiting for the right deal on a nice v-6 car with a bad engine.
Feel free to ask any questions, I have a factory service manual set for 2002 L series cars.
#3
11-19-2018 | 04:19 PM
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,496
From: Wellington, NZ
Since I didn’t know until now that the 04 LW300 can have either engine, I’ll give my share of knowledge on the 2.2, it was an Opel designed engine that was used from 2000 (in the Saturn L series), through 2006 (in Cobalt, HHR, Malibu, Saturn Ion) before it got its first major upgrade... only main issue with the older 2.2 was the timing chain tensioner, which can cause the chain to break or jump, causing severe engine damage, though by 2004 they had changed the tensioner once and had less problems... the final revision to that part came in 2006 or 2007...
the engines run pretty efficiently and have enough power to sufficiently move the car...
i also drove for Uber and it’s a pretty harsh environment for an older car, but I can speak for the dependability of the 2.2/4T40(or 4T45) combo; it never let me down, and during commercial use it gave me about 20mpg in the Malibu I had before, and 22-23mpg in my Ion(though my Ion has a manual trans)
the engines run pretty efficiently and have enough power to sufficiently move the car...
i also drove for Uber and it’s a pretty harsh environment for an older car, but I can speak for the dependability of the 2.2/4T40(or 4T45) combo; it never let me down, and during commercial use it gave me about 20mpg in the Malibu I had before, and 22-23mpg in my Ion(though my Ion has a manual trans)
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