Owning my second SL class a total of seven or eight years now with over 400,000 miles acquired . I ain't so new . Over the years I have learned much from the forums and of course everbody's fav tube ! These cars are an enigma , not much to look at , however they succeed at competently meeting the most fundamental expectations an owner would have for their everyday vehicle . All that , and the simplicity of replacing infrequent failed components far outweigh turning heads and making impressions . In perfect tune my 94' SL2 easily achieves 40 MPG or better ( manual trans ) on my too often trips between northern NYS , and GA . This car is slowly turning my relationship with my X3 from hate to love , to love to hate . Both 97 SL and 94 SL2 , driven mercilessly over hundreds of thousand of miles in all kinds of weather extremes , have never failed to get me home .The 94 is equipped with all contemporary technology , less the needlessly distracting video monitor crap . But with hands free connection ability and real time traffic cloud recording a must . Minor suspension tweeks and 215 70 15 Nitto's make these little cars a true drivers vehicle ( auto trans cars excluded ) .
1997 SL sedan 5spd
1994 SL2 DOHC sedan 5 spd
2007 BMW X3 3.0

 

 

Welcome.

Been driving S cars exclusively since 1992.
Had a 2nd gen Vue in the mix as well.

Seems like people either got great Saturns or lemons from the factory. Either very little goes wrong and you replace "consumables", or all sorts of nasty stuff happens before 75K. The TAAT A/T was unfortunately prone to several failure modes but even that could usually be fixed for a few hundred.

Is that 400K mi across both cars? If so, you'll need to chase me -- I'm right at 500K mi between a 95 SC2 (236K gave to nephew) and 97 SC2 (265K daily driver).....

 

My 1994 SL2 was purchased in 2013 with 186,344 on the odo .Since then it has accumulated over 250K miles with no major repairs , and unbelievably , not even a brake pad/shoe replacement . (However I did install new ceramic pads shortly after purchase of the 1500 dollar car )
) The majority of these miles are of course interstate travel . and with a girlfriend living 110 miles from me . The mileage rack up continues at a fierce pace . My super Saturn is starting to feel a lil' "loosey goosey" but in no way weak or tired .

 

No brake work b/c you obviously never stop moving!
I assume you are religious about oil changes, What are you running (weight) and how often do you change? Does it burn much?

I was trying to ascertain if it was the original engine in there. Early 200k's they tend to give up the ghost with burned valves, excessive oil consumption, etc. I'm thinking someone did a full rebuild on it not too long before you bought it. That would explain the $1500 price tag. Or at minimum rebuilt the entire head and redid the rings.

Have you lost your shifter bushing yet?

 

You guessed it 3k oil/filter changes 10-30 winter , 10-40 summer . Exclusively Valvoline hi-mileage , or Castrol GTX . This engine is all original . I do use a wear inhibitor which actually lets the engine run smoother and a tad cooler , That product is RESTORE , which I apply every other LOF . The kicker here is this car not only gets Sunoco premium grade fuels exclusively , but also a custom blend of STP octane booster ( orange bottle ) and old faithful Marvel Mystery Oil top end lube in it's fuel . With a cold air intake pirated from a wrecked BMW 328 and Denso U groove plugs , Effortless 80 - 85 mph cruise speeds are hard to stay away from . Probably the most critical wear reduction factor with these tiny engines is making certain they do not exceed specified operating temperatures . Some thing I am manic about . Cool intake air and proper t-stat control are a must . Regardless of the peanut galley chorus . ALL fuels are NOT created equal . There is nothing like the look of shock on the faces of euro-cruiser guys when a 94' Saturn blows by them at 85 + ! Total LED lighting , lower profile Nitto rubber upgraded ball joints and rear links , and factory exhaust replaced from manifold back .( I was carelessly backed into a concrete abutment while observing a tasty female a-butt-ment walking by !) Shifter cables had just been replaced by the previous owner when purchased , and except for a squeaky , grumpy clutch pedal . Trans issues are nil . Probably because as a retired OTR guy . I prolly shift as much without the clutch as I do with it .I am currently ISO a Saturn S class wagon with manual trans but seems nearly all of em' are afflicted with slush box syndrome (automatic trans) . Mileage covered today : approx 225 just over 1/4 tank of fuel ( filled into the neck ) with the A/C in operation for at least half of those miles . YES the a/c works perfectly . Even though I wish I could say the same for the defroster (hinge point on blend door cracked/broken can't find a replacement ) . An old muscle car and import guy . I never thought I could fall in love with a domestic econo-box . But beauty sometimes comes in deep disguise ! One thing MUST be taken into consideration ALL internal combustion engines burn oil . Hi mileage engines more than those without . Due to the mileages I accumulate , and extended hi-way driving speeds I expect my engine to consume oil . Typically I top up about 1/2 quart a 400/450 mile week . Not bad at all considering Ford and GM tell their owners to expect their new vehicles to consume a about a quart every thousand miles . I tend to think the previous owner ( replaced the car with a truck for his welding business) had no idea of the gem he was basically giving away .