New member here, new (owner) to Saturn.

[John99SL]

*Warning: Long Post!*
Hey guys, I just bought (on eBay) a 1999 Saturn SL. Its a basic model, no A/C, no power anything, AM/FM only. Its a sedan of course (yea, I know the differnce between an SL and SC lol), and a 5-speed manual.

I bought the car because my previous car (which I still own) is almost compleatly worn out. Its a 1993 Ford Taurus with a little under 300,000 on it's original 3.0L V6. I have certainly gotton my use out of the car, and since its barely drivable now, I've parked it.

I've been driving my project car, which is a 1992 Ford Tempo LX V6 (if you didnt know, a V6 LX Tempo is a fairly rare car, and a fast one too). I started work on this Tempo a while back but since it did run/drive, I had to throw it back together so I could make it to work. I've been driving it for a few months with no seatbelts, no heater core, no radio, and a slipping non O/D trans (its going to be swapped out for a 5-speed, but I'm not that good of a mechanic and finding somebody to do it is turning out to be quite the search).

Needless to say, I'll be very happy to get into the Saturn and actually have heat when its 30 deg outside! Getting 35-38 MPG is going to be great too, as I commute about 50 miles a day to work and back. The Tempo gets about 22 MPG (it used to get better), and the Taurus was getting about 20 when I parked it (remember, almost 300K!).

This '99 Saturn has 125,000 miles on it. The previous owner states that the Saturn dealer recently replaced the transmission linkage (which, apperently, is made of plastic). They recomended front brakes and said that an oil seal was leaking. He says the car uses between 1/2 and 1 quart between 3,000 mile oil changes. That sounds perfectly normal for a car of this age/mileage, so I'm not too worried about it. The brakes will be done pretty soon, though.

I dont mind it having no A/C, even though I live in Mississippi, because I dont mind being hot in the summer. Most of the time, even in the A/C-equipped Taurus, I just drove with the windows down anyway!

I have owned a Saturn before, but not for long. Let me explain: I bought a '94 SL from an auction (base model, similar to the '99 I just got). It was vandalized (had broken windows) but ran/drove fairly well. I paid about $100 for it, IIRC. I gave it to my (then) best friend who drove it for about 25,000 miles (it had about 140K when I picked it up, and we both put new/used windows in it, along with new brakes and a tune-up).

He proceeded to loan it out to some crackhead who was burning out with it by going in reverse, slamming it into 1st (while the car was still moving backwards) and then poping the clutch (while holding the parking brake to lock the rear wheels). It only took a few of these massive burnouts for the clutch to start slipping, and a few days later, the car got stuck in third gear. I managed to get it out of third gear but then it wouldnt go into any other gear (just grinded). I sold the car, running but undrivable, for $250 to a guy who had one with a bad engine. The engine in the car I sold him ran ok but smoked on startup and had a slight, but ever-present, lifter tick.

With my short time in that car, I realzed that:
A) Saturns are a lot quicker than his previous car, a '95 Prizm.
B) They get better mileage than the Prizm, and are MUCH more reliable (can you tell I hated that Prizim?)
C) They seemed to be built better, though engine noise was harsh (not that the Prizm was easily mistaken for a Lincoln, lol)
D) I would considor a Saturn (esp. a base model) for future use as a commuter car.

Oboviously, letter D recently came in handy as I just bought this '99. I've been searching for a suitable car for quite a while. I came close to buying a couple of Honda Accords (one '91 EX and a '94 LX Coupe, one was a scam and the other was at a dealer who wanted to charge me $599 for the pleasure of selling me a car), another Ford Taurus (the guy wouldnt call me back), and 1995 Ford Contour (it sold before I had a chance to make an offer on it).

I spent more than I wanted to spend on a car for this one, but I think I got a good deal. I am paying $1,300 for it. I had planned on spending $1K or less, but this car has a lot lower miles and is newer than any of the others I looked at.

I'm a car guy, and yes I've owned quite a few (about 60 thus far). I've had mostly Fords, but I've had Hondas, Toyotas, Mercurys, GM, Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth (NEVER AGAIN). The worst car I've ever owned was a 1996 Chrysler Concorde LXi. I had about $3K into this car (buying and fixing all the problems the engine had) before it decided to lose third and fourth gear one day....and then the engine threw a rod hours later. Both engine and trans were shot..in the SAME day. I had to GIVE the car away (a scrap hauler had it crushed, he got $115 for it which barely paid his fuel to come and get it). I really lost my ___ on that car. I had a choice between it and another Ford Taurus (I was looking to replace the '93 because it had about 250K at the time and was showing its age). Turns out, my old war-horse '93Taurus outlasted the newer Chrysler, and is still (somewhat) running!

My plans for the SL is basicly just to drive it. I do want to do some upgrades, including a CD player, tinted windows (will help since there is no A/C), and proably alloy wheels (15" or something would be acceptable). No major mods, no body kits, no neon lights, no ironing-board "wing", lol.

Ok, enough rambling, lol. I just wanted to introduce myself and hopefully have a part in your club/fourms. About me personally, I'm a 25 year old white gay male working at a Hotel (nights usually) in Mississippi, but I've lived in Seattle for a while and also several other states. Mississippi is my home state.

Below are some pics from the auction (yes, these are my car, but I havnt picked it up yet, so I havnt gotton a chance to take some myself).

[John99SL]

Oops, I forgot to ask (one of the reasons I looked you guys up tonight):

Will a CD/Tape combo deck, stock, from a Saturn L series fit in my SL? I found one for $40 and it seems very reasnoble compared to $150 or more on other sites.

Thanks again!

pic of the center stack to refresh anyone's memory:

[mgordon1100]

Originally Posted by John99SL

Oops, I forgot to ask (one of the reasons I looked you guys up tonight):

Will a CD/Tape combo deck, stock, from a Saturn L series fit in my SL? I found one for $40 and it seems very reasnoble compared to $150 or more on other sites.

Thanks again!

pic of the center stack to refresh anyone's memory:

See that space right underneath the radio? That's a separate piece. Radio's come in two flavors, one will just replace the radio you already have in there, and the other will replace the radio space+the storage space underneath.

Sorry, didn't see you found a radio from the L series. Probably will not fit. I think the L series cars have a different console.

Mike

[John99SL]

Originally Posted by mgordon1100

Sorry, didn't see you found a radio from the L series. Probably will not fit. I think the L series cars have a different console.

Mike

Thats what I was afraid of. Thanks for the info.

[1999greenSL2]

I saw that car on ebay just yesterday! I'm not looking for another car but I'm always checking out the S-series on ebay. I remember looking at that 4-wheeler in their garage.

Good purchase. You should get unbelievable gas mileage. Have fun.

[John99SL]

Originally Posted by 1999greenSL2

I saw that car on ebay just yesterday! I'm not looking for another car but I'm always checking out the S-series on ebay. I remember looking at that 4-wheeler in their garage.

Good purchase. You should get unbelievable gas mileage. Have fun.

Thanks! I think I got a pretty decent deal. I plan on buying a larger, more comfortable vehicle later (probably a loaded 95-97 Ford Aerostar van, I love those things), but for a daily driver/commuter, I think the Saturn will do well.

I have decided to sell off my other cars, except for the 1992 Tempo LX. I had a guy offer me some cash for the other three today, and we negotiated for a little while so it ended up that I got to keep my 15" alloy rims and newer tires I put on the Taurus, and its brand new battery, and he gets the rest, plus the parts car and the beat-up 1988 Tempo. I wanted to fix up the Taurus, but Ford only made about 350,000 of them per year, so I'm sure I can find another one in better condition for less money than it would have cost to fix mine.

Anyway, with the money I'm getting from the car sales, I'm probably going to lace the Saturn up with a new CD player and some aftermarket speakers (probably just the stock size but a better quality brand than the base Saturn speakers). Nothing special, just probably Pioneer brand. IMO its about the best quality in relation to the price. I also like Kenwood, Alipine, Rockford Fosgate, etc., so if they're avalable for a compedative price, I'll get one of those instead.

I'm going to buy a wiring harness and "do it right", no cutting and splicing with electrical tape if I can help it, lol.

I am going either tues night or wed. night to pick up the Saturn. I cannot wait! But, I have to work around the seller's schedule, after all, he is driving the car 58 miles to meet me 1/2 way so I dont have to get a ride as far.

I am very excited, and I'll post some better pics when I can!

[1999greenSL2]

It's a good sign when the seller is willing to make a trip to get you a car... Meaning they trust it to go that far. I think you'll really like the Saturn.

An Aerostar van? That's strange. I guess it really would be comfortable, though. I'm getting a truck at some point.

[John99SL]

Originally Posted by 1999greenSL2

It's a good sign when the seller is willing to make a trip to get you a car... Meaning they trust it to go that far. I think you'll really like the Saturn.

An Aerostar van? That's strange. I guess it really would be comfortable, though. I'm getting a truck at some point.

I posted a responce here, and its not here now. I dont know what happened. I just wanted you to know I didnt ignore your responce. I'm going to keep this short incase it dissapears too.