Due to financial reasons, I need a cheaper car. For my price range, I think an older Saturn would be my best bet. I generally do most of my own car maintenance and repairs. I talked to someone once who was ranting and raving about how great old saturns are to work on and the longevity of them. Is there anything, except the usual, that I should look for? Any bad engines/transmissions/years or anything? I guess I'm just looking for the best car for $2000, the only cars I am seeking out are Subarus, but they tend to be a little more expensive.

 

I have three in that price range. Where are you located?

 

Wisconsin, so far from you. Do you work at or own a car dealership?

 

It's more of a hobby-I have a Saturn junkyard, and I do lots of repair work on them.They are an easy car to work on. I prefer the SOHC with a manual transmission.

 

Do you generally get a lot of miles out of them?

 

Yes, one of my favorites is a 97 SL1 5spd with 233K. It still has the original clutch, and the ac is still ice cold. I did have to top off the ac about three years ago, replace the ECTS,replace the muffler, and now the radiator has a small crack in the usual spot.. The only maintenance has been regular oil changes. All of the front end parts are still original. I would not hesitate to drive it to California tomorrow.

 

A friend of mine owned a wrecking yard a couple of years back that made him quite wealthy! One of the side businesses was a rent to own or lease deal on used cars that was quite successfull and his comments on Saturns was;
I love the things, easy to repair, reliable as a brick and will run 400,000 miles under neglect.
Of course he was a mechanic. But I can't argue with that.
Keep an eye out. With Saturn out of business, low mileage late model S cars are comming up available with good well maintained prices on them.
Those are my favorites. May of the later models were re-badged GM corporate cars and in some cases you are going to be better off buying something else due to parts problems.

 

Long live the S car! I'm stocking up on the parts cars every week. The S car was the best and the only pure Saturn. Subsequent Saturns are impostors. The Astra is a nightmare to work on. L cars aren't much better. The S cars even smell better under the hood.

 

In the for what it is worth department, a Chevy Colbalt in my opinion is a worthy alternative to a Saturn S car and also is an inexpensive car to purchase used. Others may have a different opinion on them, but they have always impressed me.
I also heard a story one time that they were designed as a replacement for Saturn S series but GM in the infinite wisdom decided to sell them as Chevroletes instead.
Another fine decision on the road to bankruptcy!

 

Thanks everyone. I think Saturn is my best bet. Someone did offer me a Cobalt the other day, but he wants more than I can afford and I'm sick of car loan payments.