[SkyKick]

Hello everyone. I am new to the forums.

I have been lurking here for some time ever since I ran across the Sky on the Internet a couple of months ago. I have enjoyed reading everyone's informative posts.

I am seriously considering purchasing a Sky and if I do so it will most likely be a Red Line. I do have a major concern about the car however, but please do not be offended by my following comments as I think the Sky is an amazing looking car.

My major concern is about the quality of Saturn vehicles. This would be my first Saturn purchase and also the first time that I have purchased a first year production car. I tend to keep my cars longer that most people (7-10 years) and I am worried that the Sky may start to fall apart after a couple of years. My current car is a 1999 Nissan Altima SE and it has been a fantastic car. It now has 160,000 miles on it and it has never had a single mechanical problem (knock on wood). If I could be certain that the Saturn would hold up that well I would feel much better about the purchase.

I have not actually seen a Sky in person yet so maybe once I have a chance to sit in and drive one I will no longer be concerned. My local dealer called me this week and invited me to an open house in which they will have two Skys available for viewing so I will get my chance then.

Thanks for reading and again I hope that I did not offend anyone.

 

[RMFNSKY]

Remmeber any car can have problems even Saturns, Nissans, Hondas whatever. But I can only tell you about my experience with the Saturn I own. I bought SC2 in 1995 brand new. $17550.

I now have 252,000 miles on this car and the most expensive repair has been $600 for the sunroof. The engine has never been opened as in head gaskets, rods piston etc. I have the orginal clutch. I still get approx 36 MPG.


One big thing that I think contributed to my car success iss I maintain it with regular scheduled maintance. I changed the oil faithfully ever 3000 miles.


The car still looks good but is starting to show some wear and I do hear a few more rattles. But I will still be using the SC2 as a nasty weather runner after I get my SKY.

Every company makes good cars, well maybe except Kia but not every car will last over a 1/4 million miles. you have to be lucky sometimes.


P.S. My son has a Saturn with over 170,000 miles and has had no major problems. Also still has orginal clutch but did have to replace the head gasket.

 

[Carnut]

Remmeber any car can have problems even Saturns, Nissans, Hondas whatever. But I can only tell you about my experience with the Saturn I own. I bought SC2 in 1995 brand new. $17550.

I now have 252,000 miles on this car and the most expensive repair has been $600 for the sunroof. The engine has never been opened as in head gaskets, rods piston etc. I have the orginal clutch. I still get approx 36 MPG.


One big thing that I think contributed to my car success iss I maintain it with regular scheduled maintance. I changed the oil faithfully ever 3000 miles.


The car still looks good but is starting to show some wear and I do hear a few more rattles. But I will still be using the SC2 as a nasty weather runner after I get my SKY.

Every company makes good cars, well maybe except Kia but not every car will last over a 1/4 million miles. you have to be lucky sometimes.


P.S. My son has a Saturn with over 170,000 miles and has had no major problems. Also still has orginal clutch but did have to replace the head gasket.

Wow! Glad to hear these kinds of mileage numbers.
I am also a big believer in regular oil, filter, and air filter changes.
I also try to rotate the tires and keep an eye on tire pressure.
It sure seems to have helped me get good long life from my vehicles.....

 

[SkyKick]

Thanks for the reply RM. I know that Saturn has a pretty good reputation for quality and service. I am looking forward to seeing a Sky in person this week and giving it a close inspection.

 

[Rick Tinley Park]

My major concern is about the quality of Saturn vehicles. This would be my first Saturn purchase and also the first time that I have purchased a first year production car. I tend to keep my cars longer that most people (7-10 years) and I am worried that the Sky may start to fall apart after a couple of years. My current car is a 1999 Nissan Altima SE and it has been a fantastic car. It now has 160,000 miles on it and it has never had a single mechanical problem (knock on wood). If I could be certain that the Saturn would hold up that well I would feel much better about the purchase.

I do not know where this "Saturn is poor quality" rumor came from. :deadhorse Nearly EVERYONE I know (and that includes me who will own his 4th Saturn when my SKY is delivered) raves on the indestructibility of a Saturn.:cheers:
My current 1997 SC2, beyond maintenance costs that would be oil, tires and brakes has cost nearly NOTHING to maintain. Before you think this is some kind of stripped down simple car let me tell you it has all the extras, power everything and it all still works. In fact, in the 9 years I have owned it only 1 light bulb has burned out.
I had said many times that I would never buy a first run car -:nono:- Until Saturn showed me the SKY. :thumbs: Now -- of all carmakers - this would be the ONLY one I would accept for a first run.:drive:

 

[motocrash]

A friend of mine is not so good with cars. She put 97,000 miles on her Saturn and seized the engine. I asked her when she last changed the oil... She told me the light had not come on yet, so she had not changed it yet... I think that is a testament to a well built engine. She is much better about changing her oil in her current car. :nono:

The mechanic said there actually was a little oil left in it, although it was rather thick. :thumbs:

 

[1994SC2]

I was a LUNATIC to my 1994 SC2...

it was a loving kind of Hell I put her through, but if you want to talk about a car that got pushed to the limits -- I'd go off roading with her, jump curbs, pull the E-brake to slide around turns (things I would never do in the Sky). But really, I grew up with that car and all my hellish teenage years and poor maintenance history never landed the car in the shop, she never failed me when I needed her most, and really the only reason she died is because I refused to fix her coolant system. Friends would be amazed and say "YOU STILL HAVE THAT SATURN!? AFTER ALL THAT!?". None of my friends had the kind of track record with their car I had any many are on a 3rd or 4th car. I was convinced for life that a car like that was just fine in my book, combine that with one the friendliest sales and service mentalities (though some outliers clearly exist) and give me a beautiful roadster for under 25k... I think you call that love.

 

[SkyCrzr]

SkyKick:

Another Saturn Lover here! We have only owned our first Saturn L200 4dr for 4 years and have about 45,000 miles on her. Have never had to have anything done to her except regular oil and filter changes. Have had a new set of tires put on but the exterior is still like new (DH put one scratch on the rear bumper when he did not pull in the garage far enough and put the garage door down). No scratches or dings in the doors because they are polymer. I still love her! I now drive our new SKY and lover her more every time I drive her!! Our next car will be a Saturn Vue next year! All Saturn Family now!!

 

[Calgal]

Concerns

I have enjoyed reading the posts here, but especially appreciate the comments on quality because I, too, had concerns since I know nothing about a Saturn. I've caught some flack at work about buying a Saturn and have been told they are poor quality. I feel much better now - except I haven't stopped laughing about the person who did not change the oil!

Once I saw the Sky, I had no choice but to buy. I was in love. I had been monitoring it for a couple of years on the Internet, but pictures do not do it justice. I never thought I would give up my Miata, but guess what. It cannot begin to compare! I wasn't supposed to get mine until Oct/Nov; however, I got a call yesterday and was told they have one ready to be imaged and the person cancelled. They said I can have the slot. I should get it this summer. How do you get all the stats on when they are born, etc.? Thanks.

 

[SkyKick]

Thanks for all the replies. Please do not think that I was bashing Saturn because that was not my intension. I simply have never owned one so I appreciate the reviews from those of you that do. And I agree that regular preventive maintenance is the key to a long life for any vehicle. I can relate to the girlfriend not changing the oil story. One of mine did the same thing. She ran her Ford Escort until there was only a small amount of dark brown sludge in the oil pan when the engine blew.

 

[dmbdlatc]

Hello everyone. I am new to the forums.
My major concern is about the quality of Saturn vehicles.

1994 Saturn SL2 with 248,000 miles. My concerns are already taken care of.:thumbs:

 

[CdnSkyGuy]

It is not uncommon to see the SL series with 400,000 Kms on them.

 

[Magna Sky]

Saturn Quality

Just jumping on the bandwagon here! SATURN = GREAT CARS!!

My first car was a Saturn Sedan and it was FAR better than the damned Escort GT I eventually was convinced to buy. But now I have the SKY and I'll be damned if I buy from another company. (I'm superstitious)

 

[GRinLRAR]

My SC2 is 11 years old. It only has 75,000 miles on it but it has been a great car. My only major repair was $400 replace a broken stick shift cable that happened this year. Back when I bought mine there was a 100,000 mile club of saturn owners still driving and loving their saturns.

 

[Calgal]

That's great news! I jsut answer the ones who make negative comments to me that's what extended warranties are for. Most of them haven't even seen the Sky so they have no clue.

 

[qwack]

As you can see from my signature, We love Saturn!

I just sold the 2001 SL for $5000. It had 74,000 miles.

The 2004 ION was truly a life saver, and the main reason I'll never buy anything but a Saturn. My wife was driving with my son in the front and me in the back. She fell asleep and we went off the road. After hitting 3 culverts, the car turned over on the driver's side. My wife turned the engine off and we said a prayer of thanks that no one was hurt. I then reached down by my leg and felt something wet and gooey. It was the spaghetti that we had brought home from the restaurant. I pushed the window button and the window rolled down. I shoved the spaghetti out the window. About that time someone who had seen the wreck came up and asked, "Is anyone alive?" Whew...the fire department arrived within minutes and helped us out of the upper windows. They righted the car and we had no front end or back end...the tires were gone and the car sat flat on the ground. BUT...the passenger compartment was totally intact. Airbags had not deployed. The doors opened and shut with no problems. The only injuries we had were sore chests from the seat belts. Ok...maybe other cars would protect us as much...but I'm stuck on Saturns.

We replaced that ION with a 2005 VUE and my wife just loves it! Nearly 45,000 miles so far.

My son turns 16 in July and we bought the 2006 ION 2.4L for him. It's basically the same engine that's on the SKY and he really wants to race me.

So the SKY is my 5th Saturn...and not my last.

 

[richmcc]

The Sky will be my fifth Saturn. Those that say Saturns are poor quality either are not familar with Saturns or

 

[SkyBaby]

I just want to add my 2 cents worth... for what it is worth.... My daughter and I were driving an SC 2 a few years ago..... and it was in the middle of the night.. going to omaha, nebraska from rockford, illinois.... well..... as it just so happens.... there is NOTHING in IOWA but cornfields... and i can say this because i lived there most of my life....... well...... FROM NOWHERE.... a damn deer came from the opposite side of I-80 and ran right in front of us.... OMG...... i was so scared...... IT TOTALLED THIS CAR...... My daughter and i were perfectly fine..... the impact completely smashed the grill up almost to the steering wheel!!!!! the airbags..... worked fine and not one inch of INSIDE THIS CAR WAS DAMAGED........ i was SO impressed that i remember saying to the volunteer fireman who stopped to help us..... OMG.... WE ARE FINE... BUT THE CAR KILLED THE DEER........ i was crying........I WILL ONLY BUY SATURNS FROM NOW ON... THE SAFETY RATING IS EXCELLENT... and the fact that we could have been killed by the accident if we would have been in another type of vehicle with that impact to it...... Saturns are such SOLID built cars..... There should be no concerns about it.. SkyBaby-07

 

[reedred]

My 2003 L200, built at the Boxwood plant, has 66,000 miles. In addition to religious regular maintenance, I've had the following replaced:

Steering rack (twice) and hoses- I waited to do the second one until just before my extended warranty ended.

Cooling system fan solenoid- the fan was staying on all the time in the dead of winter and killed my battery on one of the coldest nights of the year. The dealer originally thought I just needed a new battery, but I was able to convince them to find the truth. I wanted a new battery too because I'd noticed the fan staying on for really long periods for about a month and was concerned about wear, but they declined and I had to buy a new one 6 momnths later after the car mysteriously died in the shop.

Passenger door switch- light wouldn't come on when the door was opened.

Three speakers- uh... that was probably my fault...

Plastic piece on the side of driver's seat- came loose because it was missing clips from the factory.

4-inch molding strips on either side of the rear window near the roof- they were fading really fast over the first 6 months and looked ridiculous. They replaced and painted them and now they look fine, but I've seen others that look terrible.

Driver's door weatherstripping- torn after they swore my car could go through the automatic car wash with the roof rack installed. I watched a cloth strip get wrapped around it and jerk the rack halfway off the car before the strip finally tore. That was the only time in my life that I was truly apoplectic.

All that, and I'm still buying a Sky. Why on earth would I ever do such a thing? Because it was all fixed properly without much hassle. My car hasn't been so great, but dealing with the company has really been excellent. I've had problems with every car I've ever owned, but the Saturn people have really gone out of their way to stand behind the car better than any company I've ever dealt with. When I was ready to dump the car because the 3/36 warranty was ending, they went above and beyond to keep me happy in that car. I have every confidence that my Sky will be supported just as well.

 

[nscrbug]

As you can see from my signature, We love Saturn!

I just sold the 2001 SL for $5000. It had 74,000 miles.

The 2004 ION was truly a life saver, and the main reason I'll never buy anything but a Saturn. My wife was driving with my son in the front and me in the back. She fell asleep and we went off the road. After hitting 3 culverts, the car turned over on the driver's side. My wife turned the engine off and we said a prayer of thanks that no one was hurt. I then reached down by my leg and felt something wet and gooey. It was the spaghetti that we had brought home from the restaurant. I pushed the window button and the window rolled down. I shoved the spaghetti out the window. About that time someone who had seen the wreck came up and asked, "Is anyone alive?" Whew...the fire department arrived within minutes and helped us out of the upper windows. They righted the car and we had no front end or back end...the tires were gone and the car sat flat on the ground. BUT...the passenger compartment was totally intact. Airbags had not deployed. The doors opened and shut with no problems. The only injuries we had were sore chests from the seat belts. Ok...maybe other cars would protect us as much...but I'm stuck on Saturns.

We replaced that ION with a 2005 VUE and my wife just loves it! Nearly 45,000 miles so far.

My son turns 16 in July and we bought the 2006 ION 2.4L for him. It's basically the same engine that's on the SKY and he really wants to race me.

So the SKY is my 5th Saturn...and not my last.

Qwack...I'm curious about something. Having never been in a car wreck, you say your airbags never deployed...why is that? Is it because there was no front end impact? I would figure that they would have deployed when the car flipped?