I''m thinking of buying a S-series. I''m not sure what engine to seek out though.

My gut instinct is to go with a SOHC engine, since I tend to enjoy low-end torque more than revving things up to find some horsepower up around 5-6000 rpm. The slightly better mileage is a bonus, too.

Any reliability difference between the two engines? Other considerations that I''m not considering yet?

I''m looking for a 5-speed, if that matters.

Any things that I should look for (or look out for) as I look for a Saturn?

Anything you can tell me would be great, and much appreciated. Thanks.

The Twin Cam out performs the single cam in evey way.

Service records that indicate the car had regular oil changes. Be aware that most S car engines develop oil burning issues as the mileage racks up.

go with a twin cam... i had a single cam and they do not have any torque really. and i have heard that the twin cams get about the same millage as the single cams... but one thing i have to say is the single cam engine looks alot better than the twin cam...

at the end of the day it comes down to what you really want and what you can find...

Thanks for the comments so far.

So, neither engine is necessarily worse than the other then as far as reliability, or head-gasket failures, or oil consumption, etc? That is my main concern, over performance and even fuel economy.

I live in Michigan, and we drive on salt in the winter. Are there any common rust areas that I need to look for? I know the body is plastic...

Hey how goes it, i have a SL2 with the DOHC motor and my girlfriend has a SL2 with the SOHC motor, on the DOHC the valve cover gasket went bad but for $25 and 15 minutes you have a new one. another problem is the coolant temp sensor those go bad and you have a hard time starting the car but a gain a cheap fix. other than that i see no difference in reliabilty they both burn oil they both make some odd noises but thats all in a saturn. some rust spots to watch out for are the door jams and trunk thats it so far, i also live in mi. so i feel your pain.

I didn''t know that you could get the SOHC engine in an SL2. Or was that a swap?

Thanks for the heads-up on the rust spots. Good to know that the valve cover gasket is a breeze, too.

im sorry she has a SL1. but yeah right now im looking for like a saturn heaven where i can get used parts cheap so if you know or hear anything let me know, ill do the same

SEARCH the internet .... so easy.

not so easy you only get regular junk yards that carry saturn parts, im looking for strictly saturn junk yards