There are no TAATs w 85K on them to be rebuilt.

Maybe a rebuild with 85K on it being rebuilt a 2nd time.

​​​​​​Personally, I would not put that kind of $$ into this vehicle. Given it's age and without a thorough examination of the subframe and other parts prone to decomposition, let alone oil usage and I believe you still have not tested the compression...

Is the engine in good enough shape that this is worth it, or are you possibly putting an expensive Band-Aid on something that really should go to hospice?

Don't get me wrong, I love my Saturns. But that chunk of money is a good start towards another vehicle down payment. Until and unless you can prove (to yourself, not me) the rest of the vehicle is up to snuff, I would put the money towards another vehicle.

Again, 85k on an original taat? 20 years after?
I call bull****.

The above is with the intent of giving you a somewhat objective opinion of the overall situation to ensure that you are taking everything into account that you probably should before committing to this. The wording may be a bit rough, but I tend not to sugarcoat things.

Of course, ultimately, the choice is yours.
There is no wrong choice. Money is not the only thing in the world.

 

I gotta agree with derf as to the amount of money you'll be putting into this car. NOT WORTH IT. You should be able to find a decent used car on craigslist for that kind of dough. Just make sure you check it thoroughly. Take a DRB II scan tool with you like I do. If it pisses someone off that you want to scan the car for codes, walk away. That means they're hiding something or trying to cover things up. I usually take a magnet with me too and check body panels for bondo. Of course if you look at a used Saturn, the body panels are plastic.

 

I think he meant OBDII scanner. Especially with the newer vehicles, it's nice to have a scanner that shows body control module abs SRS and transmission codes. Merely reading the emissions p codes is not enough. So either read them yourself or definitely take it to a trusted mechanic for a full featured scan and a once over on the lift but only for a car you truly want to purchase.

Depending on which scanner you have, there is a PID you may be able to access which shows you the amount of time elapsed since codes were cleared. That one is the dead giveaway as to people hiding ****. I'll look it up online and see if I can figure out what it's called. I think it is a universal SAE PID. If any of you know which one I'm talking about feel free to chime in.

 

There is
" Time since trouble codes cleared"
" Warm-ups since codes cleared"

And may be others