I'm not up on your Transmission code; however, as far as the water pump, timing belt, spark plugs, etc. involved with a 100K mile service, none of that is difficult (and our Saturn is literally the second Saturn I have ever sat in and the very first one I ever worked worked); it is just procedural with one having to remove at least three things for every one thing needed to work on, which will lead to frustration. So, if you have the time and patience, it is actually not a difficult or bad engine to work on. It will certainly make you wonder why anyone would design one thing or another the way they did, but you know it will keep things interesting for sure.

The power steering pulley flange, so far, is the only exception to that. However, that turned out to be a machinist/manufacturer QA issue more than a design issue.

Now that the L300 is back on the road (and we only drove it less than 120 miles after we bought it and before I started the 100K mile service), we really enjoy driving it. It handles really well and is a lot of fun to drive. Only one real issue remains, being I think the left front wheel bearing is noisy, so I will likely replace the front wheel bearings next month.

 

I have been reading about the Ion Redline and they sound like fun. I have found a 2003 Saab 9-3 Vector at the auction. It is the high boost 2.0 liter Ecotec, about 205 hp stock and a 6 speed manual tranny. It is the Epsilon chassis not the 2900 that the L series are. So the mounts and axles are unknown. I know you were waiting for it " but" if I find a stick shift L series car and use the 5 speed.... The Saab guys love to make big horsepower with their high boost Ecotecs and tunes are readily available for their cars. Just thinking out loud, what do you guys think?

 

I think parts for any Eurotrash are very expensive and often very hard to find. Personally, I'd steer clear and keep searching for the Saturn. But Saab used to make a pretty decent automobile, so the choice is ultimately yours. Any import from Europe is going to be twice as costly to maintain. That's all I'm saying about it.

 

You guys do realize that General Motors bought Saab in 2000 and sold it in 2010. The early Saab 9-3 uses the same chassis as the Saturn L and the 03+ 9-3 is a Saturn Aura is an Opel Vectra C is a Chevrolet Malibu.

 

Sheesh. Didn't know it had been redressed, reconfigured, reshaped, and relabeled so many ways

Tunes are available for the Ion Redlines, which include a factory supercharger under the hood.

How are the Saabs generating boost? I thought it was via turbo.

If I am correct, then it's not an apples to apples comparison.

Goaliemo and 19Bonestock88 are the two Ion Redliners around here. I have no experience with turbos or superchargers, but these guys have taught me a lot about the supercharger setup---the good the bad and the ugly)

I'm sure one or both will chime in

 

The Saabs are turbo cars, I would probably run a Saab ecm and factory software. Just looking, I haven't bought yet. The Saab does have some very nice factory 17" wheels and new tires. I put a Suzuki Swift engine in my 91 Metro and it became an enjoyable car. A little research will show lots of available options. I wasn't trying to pick a fight, just looking at my options.

 

who said anything about picking a fight? I don't think I came off that way---if I did, I apologize. I was simply pointing out that the engine+boost producer combos were different. Not that one was better than the other. I find "car x is better than car y" spats silly. The car that's better is the car that YOU decide you want -- not numbers on a page.....

 

I passed on the Saab, they run their own ecm system, not delco electronics. I am still looking for the ideal L200 for donor parts. Probably going to stay automatic, there are so many more out there. Hurry up and wait!

 

Used Saturn L-Series For Sale - CarGurus, if traveling is an option....here's 10...a bit pricey as they are retail/dealer...several have been on the market quite a while so I assume hey have issues---hopefully not serious.

Must set mileage range to unlimited , tranny to manual, and clk 4 dr L200, and the 2.2 eng (though they are all 2.2's anyway)

just tryin to help. What do these go for at auction?

 

I paid $1000 out the door for my car including $200 dmv. The only reason I paid that much is because it had about $200 worth of tow bar mounts already installed. I had just sold my Metro for $2400.