Having done a review on here on my 2013 Passat, it got me to thinking about taking the time to go over what what was good and bad about the 2003 Saturn L300 sedan which we still have. I have owned the car for 10 years and 3 months and it has 109,000 miles on it. It was always maintained with Mobil 1 oils and the inside of the engine viewed through the oil fill hole is squeaky clean. The car spent its entire life with PA registration but has been driven to Maine, the mid-west, the delaware beaches and New York State. The car was garaged until early May of this year when we bought the Passat.
So what was (and is) good about this ten year old vehicle?
1. No rust anywhere on this car. While the plastic body panels have helped, even underneath the car it is fundamentally rust free. It had a lot of PA winter driving but I always took the time to spray the underside after salt had built up.
2. Good German Opel V-6 engine with almost all Bosch electrical parts. Engine is a real autobahn and will run up the rpm scale with ease. Only problem was under warranty when the AC Delco battery shorted and fried the computer. Fixed free many years ago and no issues since.
3. Disc brakes at all four whells. Good stopping power.
4. Comfortable to drive and a good hand operated lumbar support on the driver's seat.
5. Back seat folds down to allow a pass through to the trunk which has been handy many times. The trunk is quite spacious given the size of the car.
6. Power steering, power windows and air condiioning have worked without issue since new.
7. The stainless steel exhaust ssytem is still working! All original and no issues. One of the great things GM did to the exhaust systems.
8. Mileage on the car has always been good. I average 25 mpg around town and can get over 30-32 highway depending on speed, road conditions and season.
9. This car has never used any oil between changes which run between 5-6000 miles.
What was bad or less than desirable?
1. A solenoid went out in the auto tranny at 94,000 miles. APpparently a common flaw and it was close to $700 to repair. No issue since.
2. Engine design makes it tough to change the thermostat and spark plugs. Had both done at 75,000 miles. The plugs are the four electrode Bosch plugs but they perform very well in this car.
3. The front end has a long overhang past the front wheels with a low hanging air dam. Makes it impossible to pull into lots with curbs without scraping the air dam. Lower part of the dam (1" black plastic) was rubbed off long ago.
4. The plastic tray under the windshield wipers on the driver's side collected water which would freeze. Right after this happened the first time, I drilled a small hole in this area to drain the water and no problem since.
5. For some reason, this car is "hard" on front tires. They seem to wear out evenly but rapidly across the entire surface of the tire. I average about 35,000 miles on a set of tires (Michelin, Cooper). Not a real biggy but somewhat annoying.
Now I know that Saturn is long defunct but I thought if there are GM folks who read reviews on here, it might help to know what was good and bad about this car. Also, I hope other L300 owners might find it interesting.
So what was (and is) good about this ten year old vehicle?
1. No rust anywhere on this car. While the plastic body panels have helped, even underneath the car it is fundamentally rust free. It had a lot of PA winter driving but I always took the time to spray the underside after salt had built up.
2. Good German Opel V-6 engine with almost all Bosch electrical parts. Engine is a real autobahn and will run up the rpm scale with ease. Only problem was under warranty when the AC Delco battery shorted and fried the computer. Fixed free many years ago and no issues since.
3. Disc brakes at all four whells. Good stopping power.
4. Comfortable to drive and a good hand operated lumbar support on the driver's seat.
5. Back seat folds down to allow a pass through to the trunk which has been handy many times. The trunk is quite spacious given the size of the car.
6. Power steering, power windows and air condiioning have worked without issue since new.
7. The stainless steel exhaust ssytem is still working! All original and no issues. One of the great things GM did to the exhaust systems.
8. Mileage on the car has always been good. I average 25 mpg around town and can get over 30-32 highway depending on speed, road conditions and season.
9. This car has never used any oil between changes which run between 5-6000 miles.
What was bad or less than desirable?
1. A solenoid went out in the auto tranny at 94,000 miles. APpparently a common flaw and it was close to $700 to repair. No issue since.
2. Engine design makes it tough to change the thermostat and spark plugs. Had both done at 75,000 miles. The plugs are the four electrode Bosch plugs but they perform very well in this car.
3. The front end has a long overhang past the front wheels with a low hanging air dam. Makes it impossible to pull into lots with curbs without scraping the air dam. Lower part of the dam (1" black plastic) was rubbed off long ago.
4. The plastic tray under the windshield wipers on the driver's side collected water which would freeze. Right after this happened the first time, I drilled a small hole in this area to drain the water and no problem since.
5. For some reason, this car is "hard" on front tires. They seem to wear out evenly but rapidly across the entire surface of the tire. I average about 35,000 miles on a set of tires (Michelin, Cooper). Not a real biggy but somewhat annoying.
Now I know that Saturn is long defunct but I thought if there are GM folks who read reviews on here, it might help to know what was good and bad about this car. Also, I hope other L300 owners might find it interesting.
