Hi everyone,

I wanted to introduce myself and maybe share a few stories of my old Saturn. I live in Michigan, although I constantly drive between Michigan, Chicago, and Connecticut. That's probably why my old Saturn started spewing out oil from the tailpipe.

My old Saturn was a 1996 SC2 in a nice green. It had a manual transmission and was always fun to drive. I got it while I was still in high school in 2005, and my dad came with me to test drive it. We met some guys in the middle of nowhere in a warehouse and we were pretty concerned but once they showed us the car and let us drive it, it was a done deal. The check engine light was on from the first test drive and almost never went off the entire time I had it. I started to worry when I DIDN'T see it.

The alternator died a few days after I bought it, so my dad always thought it was unreliable. In truth, it never stranded me anywhere (for long) and now almost ten years and 100k+ miles it took from New Mexico to Michigan to Connecticut and back.

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SaturnVrocket
Michigan-Illnois-Connecticut
1996 Saturn SC2 191k (ex)
2015 Ford Fiesta 400

 

The first quirk about my Saturn was discovered by the auto shop while replacing the alternator. When rev'd hard, the injector fuse would occasionally blow. This only happened 3 times while I owned it, and no shop ever came up with a reason for it. (Anyone have a guess?)

The first time was at night at a friend's house, and I had to bother her to give me a ride to the store for more fuses and to stick around while I found the fuse box. This was all good training however.

The fuse was fine until I moved to Michigan to be with my girlfriend (now my wife). I was following my father-in-law and his friends in their BMW's and Jags and such, and of course they take off and leave me in the dust at a highway on ramp. I have great faith in the Saturn, so I floored it and took off after them... for about 3 seconds. Then the engine is off, and I'm left on the side of the road.

My wife is on the phone with her father (the POS car broke down, can you come back and get us?), but I know what to do. I'm already in the glove compartment looking for the fuses. My wife has no idea what I'm up to, and no reason to think I can fix it. I jump out and pop the hood, get the fuse out and a new one in just as my father in law pulls up.

I get back in, start it right up, and it's good to go. My wife told me later that that's when my father-in-law said I was OK.

 

Things I liked about the SC2: Spoiler!

 

And flip up lights. Only problem I ever had with them was that once they completely iced up on the way through Ohio.

 

It's mighty easy to strip out one of those motors if you don't break the ice free around the light before you leave the driveway. I had turned my 95SC2 lights on, having forgotten to check for ice---that's a grinding I never want to hear again.

Still have those motors in the car and they still work, though I've had to butch-fix the wiring to the headlight bulbs every seven years or so---but Rube scored me like 5 of the full wiring harnesses in pretty much mint condition from a Pic n Pull so I'm set for life -- or can share the wealth if need be. No need to be selfish about it. You just have to thank Rube as one of the conditions to get one.

Congrats on your 10th post, V-Rock

 

No need to thank me more than once, derf. You thanked me and that's good enough for me, bro.

 

I had a 94 SC2 back in the day that I used as a commuter car. Great car. One day I was trying to teach my wife to drive a stick (not sure why I thought that would work) and she managed to lay a patch of rubber for what seemed like 50 feet. Have to say I was pretty impressed, didn't really think that car could do that. Needless to say, the stick shift driving lesson was short.

 

and your tires were unevenly worn till their end (can't believe Saturn never offered FWD positraction as an SC2 option......)