I suspect I was a member of this forum about 2 computors and a few years ago. Life changes things but I still have my Saturn. A 1994 SC2 coupe, only it is now back in service. I parked it as excess a few years back. Too good to throw away and not worth selling. Untill gas hit $4.00 a gallon and something in decent shape paid for made it worth while keeping and using again. So
Repainted it, a Black Gold paint a 95 color I found out on a 94 car except the metalic in it now has reds and blues and silver along with the gold and when the sun hits it- BLING! 4 coats of Clear over 3 coats of color. Repaired the interior so it is almost fresh. Replaced rear speakers (what a pain) solved overheating problems that were plagueing it, partially caused by damaged catalytic converter. Stripped clear coat off the wheels and polished the aluminum and adjusted and tweaked and twiddled and drives and runs like new again. It was parked for 4 years. Damn, it is a nice car. Except the heat here in the valley of the sun and the plastic are not compatible. Also spent money on the sun roof getting it back to snuff. I have always liked the car. Bought it as a used car in 1996 and it now has about 100,000 miles on it. Everything is functional except the odometer. It quit at 96000 miles. I guess I need to purchase a whole new instrument panel to fix it and if I can ever find one from the snow belt I will do it. The advantage of plastic bits and pieces is not an advantage where it is 100 + degrees for about 1/2 the year as the plastic is now brittle and you have to be careful of it.
Putting it back into service cost about $1500.00 and about 100 hours of work. Dang few cars are that easy to work on succesfully and give that much pleasure when done.
Too bad GM in their infinite wisdom has forgotten that the method automobile companies used to use to be financially successful was to build cars people wanted and then sold them to those same people.
I would like to buy a new coupe or a 2DHT but some where some one has decided I would rather have a more door model. NOT! So I think I will hang on to this for a while yet. It's flat too much fun to own and drive now that it is back in service.
SeeYah

 

Welcome back ....................

 

Welcome back I think

Gas is under $3.00 a gallon
Rear speakers are easy to swap out
I live in Arizona and never had a problem with the body getting brittle including my 93 SW2
I've owned 10 S-Cars and never had an overheating problem

 

Welcome back I think
-Oh gee, thanks for the sentiment.
Gas is under $3.00 a gallon
-Wasn't
Rear speakers are easy to swap out
-Aren’t when all the interior pieces are so brittle they turn into plastic dust when touched.
I live in Arizona and never had a problem with the body getting brittle including my 93 SW2
-Got small cracks in one door, black plastic tape covering chrome exterior trim lasts about 6 months and every interior piece, window trim, console, etc. that is in the car, the snaps and hold downs are broken and missing. So are the ones in wrecking yards. You touch things very gingerly.
The heat damage also included destruction of the head liner, sun roof slide, sun roof mechanism, all plastic bits and pieces cracked and broken, visors, top of seats exposed to sun in windows and discoloration of light tan parts and seat belts.
That does not even mention the clear coat destruction.
The car has been parked in the driveway for 14 years, still is.
I've owned 10 S-Cars and never had an overheating problem
-ur, lucky, subject of big forums in the late 90's, mostly an illusion caused by defective calibrated sensors used in the engine. Covered by service bulletins at the time although a partially plugged catalytic converter will do it every time.
Does not deter though that it was a dang fine car when purchased and represents an automobile that the GM accountants had no clue how to market.
Still is unless I decide to by a new Caddy Coupe.

 

Interior bits rotting ............. yep seen that. I'll ponder that rjion was playing on what you said and that is "I think I am back!" Cars that are not maintained have problems that lead to other problems, I guess my cars have been taken care of so problems did not arise. I'm sure if we were to go to any car forum we could find a 8-10 things that go wrong with those brand of cars and go on about it. As far as what GM did with SATURN we can't do anything about it now so whats the difference.

 

Yuh, I knew letting it set was not going to do any good for it. At the time the choice was to sell it or just hang on to it. I kept it liscensed and insured though, just pretty much stopped driving it. Some problems had developed just from use and was not worth at the time figuring it out. It was just that the car was good looking, drove nice, felt spiffy when in use and like I said, it had 100,000 miles on it then. Can't say it wasn't maintained, just well used.
The fun part was when gas got so expensive I just stopped a restoration project and got the Saturn out and started with the Badge on the front and went straight back to the rear bumper. I liked the style and the way it ran and the slectable shift option for the automatic and the gas milage. They are an easy car to work on as a full bottom breather and quite contemporary in appearance. I never could get really enthused about models that came after though so never really contemplated replacing it.
Now that is is all back together with fresh paint and parts. It is almost as if it was new again. Now if I can find an instrument cluster from the snow belt where heat has not frizzed it all up and save a few bucks I will have the front seats re-upholstered and the top of the back seats re-done and drive it another 100,000 miles.

 

"I think I am back!" Your not sure?

 

I'm back but the rest of you....its all so unclear to me

Unc -- I hope you have at least a car port for your real resto project

 

Well, a while back I was an active member of a Saturn forum and I think it was this one. But computor blew up, world changed. Saturn got tired and parked, yadidi yadidi. Things looked to have change significantly though!
Now the Saturn is back up to snuff. Problems taken care of, motorvation back to normal, new paint buffed out, most of interior replaced and the seats will probably get done by summer, windows are now tinted. Needed something spiffy to drive and
There sat the forlorn Saturn I could not bring my self to throw away.
so fixed it.
I might add that I bought and sold three vans while the Saturn was parked.
It's a driver and a survivor. But as a driver it sits in the driveway still, I have two other collector cars in the garage and two more under construction.
The only real problem I ever had to deal with on the Saturn was that it was a really nice car
and
it never stopped being one.
Does anyone know of some one parting out early Saturns in the snow belt anywhere, I sure would like to buy an instrument panel so I can get the odometer working again?

 

actually you can just buy the end gear (the one with the broken teeth) , open it up, and replace it. no need to replace the whole cluster -- nor the odo)

And Rj was just funnin ya

welcome back