2000 Saturn L Series | Retro Review

Saturn steps up to the mid-size class with the sleek L-Series
Show 1903 | Original Airdate 09-22-1999
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[@dimaslopez-dejesus2371]

R.I.P. Saturn (1991-2010) L-Series sedans and wagons (2000-05)

[@ziondawson1041]

Actually, Saturn Corporation was founded in 1984, and the first Saturn prototype was finished not too long after that. Photos can be found pretty easily.

[@RetroKingOG]

Saturn was crap from the beginning and the sales proved that; is why they didn’t even last 30 years.

[@fernandorocha901]

​@@ziondawson1041I love Saurn cars, wagon is my favorites

[@magnanimous1940]

The engine was underrated, a guy in Bmw 323 was racing me back in the day and couldn't believe it. When he caught up with me, he gave me the thumbs up.

[@albear972]

Damn boy! I had no idea that the L100 with the V-6 was that fast. 0-60 in 7.4 seconds? Impressive! I still have my gutless silver 2002 L100 with the 4 banger, it currently has 106,000 miles. It also looks about 90% the day I drove it off the dealer lot with 2 miles back in June 2002. Plastics make it possible. And not lying, this has been the most reliable car I have ever owned. It turned 21 years old last month. Let's see how long it lasts. Also, no car payments is a beautiful thing.

[@handymanshandle]

Yeah, those L300s were surprisingly quick. Definitely one of the torquiest DOHC V6s of the era, which definitely helped both in combating the 4-speed automatic and in making them quick. 2002 and later L-series sedans and wagons with the V6 would get 215 width tires instead of the 205s that the 2000 and 2001 models came with (IIRC, anyways), which helped them in putting the power down just a little better. I could never get my 04 wagon below the 8 second mark in a 0-60 run, but that was still plenty quick for a wagon of that era and it still kept up with the likes of the 3rd gen Nissan Altima with its 4-banger.

[@LongIslandMopars]

My first new car was a 2002 L200, silver with the black (charcoal) interior. 21k out the door. Picked it out on the dealer lot Sept 8 2001 and was scheduled to pick it up on 9/11. Got it a few days later. The dealerships used to take a Polaroid of you picking up your new car. I took my USA sweat jacket and put it on the windshield when they took that pick. I had the car for 10 wonderful years and 127k miles. Got great mpg, handled great, and was very comfortable.

[@albear972]

@@LongIslandMopars My 2002 Saturn is still my first new car. It doesn't burn any oil nor leaks. It's an always California garaged car. So no rust at all. The bottom of it looks brand new. Gawd! I remember Saturday September 8, 2001. I was visiting old family friends outside of LA. On that day we were driving all around, and I was taking silly pictures of our friend's children testing out my very new high-end, at the time digital camera. Sept 11. sigh. The future plan was to visit NYC early the following year and see NY from the World Trade Center.

[@tkewrestler2662]

One cannot help contemplate what might have been for Saturn.

[@kellenniles4581]

I saw one of those wagons driving through my neighborhood a few months ago and I thought it was the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life

[@Andyface79]

It's certainly rare.

[@BrendanW0214]

My grandmother had an L200 sedan for the longest time and it was a super reliable car. It got her almost 600k miles (from new too!) before the block split and it was sent to the pull a part yard.

[@williamegler8771]

Still, daily drive a 2001 LW300 I bought new with 350,000 miles on the original engine and transmission. Maintenance by the book has resulted in years of reliable service. Issues have been few and far between with the most serious being an ABS pump failure. Never failed to start or left anyone stranded. If they were available new I would gladly buy one again.

[@Andyface79]

Good for you! You got lucky.

[@Andyface79]

@JDns-we4fw Oh please these were junk. Most GM cars didn’t last this long.

[@Andyface79]

I'm going based on statistics. Compared to the Camry and Accord it was much less relaible. I wish GM did make better cars, we need jobs for Americans. I grew up in a factory town and it pains me to see what's happened to Michigan and the upper midwest. @JDns-we4fw

[@williamegler8771]

​@Andyface79 Several groups portray high-mileage vehicles that have been driven 250,000 miles or more and GM vehicles are very well represented.

[@williamegler8771]

​@@Andyface79Not really. When Saturn ceased selling vehicles the Master Mechanic for local dealership started an independent shop specializing in their maintenance and repair and routinely sees L-Series with 250,000 miles or more. They did have problems when they were first introduced but those were quickly rectified and with routine maintenance they are very reliable and durable

[@handymanshandle]

I've been waiting for this video to come out for a while. I had a 2004 L300.2 wagon for a couple of years that I really enjoyed. Yes, I know, "it's not a real Saturn", but it had a lot of pep for a V6 that wasn't rated for a lot of power. The wagon's visibility was also absolutely insane and it handled pretty well for what it was worth.

[@retiredsnowbunnyhunterx5106]

I can imagine the pep on that v6. I still have my 2004 l300 1 with 4 cylinder an that got a little pickup on it and handle well.

[@MadeUpUserNem]

Looking for a hobby beater. Would you buy one today with 150k mi? Saw one listed 1500. Seems like a steal... or a money pit.

[@handymanshandle]

@@MadeUpUserNem If the timing belt's been done in it somewhat recently and it doesn't have any coolant issues, then it might be worth it. Always worth taking it out for a spin beforehand.

[@TruckingShooter]

I worked for Saturn when these things came out and while they sold okey (truthfully the vue was a much hotter seller) we referred to these in house as the loser series.

[@michaelgoldberg8038]

I miss my L300 sedan, I raced an '04 G35x sedan and almost had him I couldn't believe it, we were nose to nose through most of the race.

[@JuggrnautWraith13]

My driving school car was a L-Series sedan. They were really comfortable and drove nicely. The driving instructor said they never had any issues with it either outside of routine maintenance.

[@AndresSalazarAutos]

7.4s for under 200hp and only 4 speed auto, that's quick

[@eVerProductions1]

Not even 200hp!! And that’s crank not bwhp

[@addiewinnie]

I actually really like this car!!!! But I never really knew much about it, I have always just bought Honda Accords, and when this came out I had just purchased my 3rd Honda Accord…. Honestly this seems like a great car and was never on my radar!!!!

[@leotide1990]

Not a real Saturn, but not the fault of Saturn themselves, only parent GM. Absolutely abhorrent what they did with such a cool and successful company

[@austinfrazier7325]

I heard that many of GM execs were threatened by the initial idea and success of Saturn so they sabotaged.

[@allentoyokawa9068]

@Jonathan-mp7xg junk

[@SmangItDrums]

@Jonathan-mp7xgIt’s not necessarily that the underpinnings were “bad”, per sé. The problem was that this and 1st gen Vue represented the point when GM went against the very ethos that Saturn stood for. The original Saturn S-Series cars shared next to nothing with any other GM car of the period. The engines, platforms, and practically rest of the cars were original and unique to Saturn. Why does this matter? Because they were evidence that a US automaker could make a genuinely good, original small car without (1) relying on somebody else to share development costs (like Ford and Mazda did with the Escort and Protégé) or recycling age-old platforms with little to now change (the GM J-bodies and Chrysler’s K-car variants). The Vue? Based on the Chevy Equinox. Then, that changed in the blink of an eye. The L-Series? Based on the Opel Vectra/Saab 9-5. The Ion? Based on the Chevy Cobalt. Hell, from the mid-to-late 2000’s on, every “new” Saturn was either a badge-engineered clone (the Relay and Outlook) or a rebadged/reworked/imported Opel (the Aura, Sky, and Astra). The originality and from-the-ground-up ingenuity that the original Saturns were known for were gone starting with the first gen Vue and L-Series.

[@SmangItDrums]

@Jonathan-mp7xg Yes, the Cobalt came out after the Ion. That doesn’t change the fact that they shared platforms and powertrains. Also, the original Delta platform was never “European”. The only cars that rode on the original Delta platform were the Cobalt, Ion, Pontiac G5, and Chevy HHR. Yes, there’s also the Delta II platform, but that was a completely different variant developed for the Chevy Cruze/Buick Excelle (which were co-developed with Opel and GM Korea) and GM’s PHEV’s (the Volt and Opel Ampera). Lumping them together as the same thing (ie “European”) is incorrect. I also didn’t “share the wrong info” because the order of which came first doesn’t change my point, that Saturns lost what made them so unique and game-changing for the US and manufacturing compact cars. If anything, that’s on you for calling the first Delta platform “European” (which is wasn’t). And while we’re on it, I’ll also chime in and say that the 9-5 was dated, fairly unreliable garbage. I like Saabs, they’re fun and quirky, but they’re not the last word in reliability. It was also the second Saab that GM more or less kneecapped after they bought Saab (after the 900/9-3).

[@SmangItDrums]

@Jonathan-mp7xg Fair enough, the resources I pulled from were incomplete, considering the Delta also underpinned the Opel/Vauxhall Astra. I’d advise you not to assassinate people’s character like a petulant child next time you want to have more informed conversation. My info may have been wrong, but your behavior was also.

[@johnl3230]

Love the look of these, and the 3 litre sounds sweet!

[@PhillyDee215]

Crazy how fast Saturn came and ended......

[@bluefever02]

All on gm.

[@okenwa1983]

That's what she ....nevermind

[@kz1000ps]

@@okenwa1983 Niceeeeeeee

[@PhillyDee215]

@@okenwa1983 .....🤣

[@RoadCone411]

And the fact the division had almost a 10 year gestation period...we were hearing rumors of the new Saturn car and brand throughout the 1980s. GM couldnt seem to get their act together, yet when they did, the SL1 and SL2 were pretty good little cars! Not flawless but a viable domestic competitor to the all-conquering Civics and Corollas of the day. The styling was fantastic and the performance was quite good for the period. Let downs were fragile interior plastics and noisy engines, criticisms common to many other GMs of the time. It seems 1990-95 was the halcyon period for Saturns. The larger LS cars of the early 2000s were, to be fair, not bad but they felt forced into being Saturns as opposed to GM investing in the brand and designing Saturn's own car as they had done with original SL series. But things got worse, much worse, with the Ion, Vue and Aura. You can point fingers in a lot of directions but GM lost the plot with the entire brand, also managing to see off Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Isuzu and Saab with equal indifference and incompetence. The loss of Saturn and Saab still makes me sad.

[@gene978]

I had a 2001 Saturn 2.2 4 cyl. Same colors and interior as shown here. It was my dads car that I bought from my mom when Dad passed in 2009. That car was impressive for a 4 cyl of it’s time. I had zero complaint the 2 years I owned it before I sold it to buy a new loaded 2005 Impala LS SPORT package. Part of me missed that Saturn.

[@retiredsnowbunnyhunterx5106]

Wow this actually popped up. I own a 2004 Saturn l300 wagon 1. Got it this year from a friend who kids said they didn't like it so I bought it for $200 from her. It definitely had a rough life with the owners got it back running right. Not a bad car and good on gas too. I drive this more than other cars. Right now it has 210k on it. No lights on the dash at all. I'm gone keep it till engine or tranny go but stay on the maintenance for it to give it longer life.

[@Vicky-Hugh-Martini]

I still see some Saturn vehicles on the road. Shame it went out along with Pontiac.

[@spenzalii]

I owned s 2001 L200 for 11 years before the engine ate itself. My wife just found and bought a 2001 LW200 wagon. Gonna try and keep that another 11 years...

[@carexpertandy]

Seeing an LW always reminds of the Vauxhall Vectra Estate that the Dursleys and all of their neighbors owned in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

[@itstherealsethallen]

Well, it’s the same car…

[@carexpertandy]

@@itstherealsethallen Yeah I know

[@williamegler8771]

Reminds me of the Opel Vectra which Vauxhall Vectra is just a rebadged version of.

[@fiiv3s]

There is something about Saturns that i just love. Never owned one but man i want to

[@HCHHilton23]

My first car was an 02 L300! Never knew that they did a video on this car, very cool!!

[@KenanTurkiye]

2:07 That looks so much like the 2002 Subaru Legacy rear end.

[@matthewbowen5841]

3:30 Geeeeez look at that build quality.

[@isaac24]

GM at their finest.

[@AUSTiNKiNSER]

I was just about to comment on the flex of the panel 😮😂

[@fooleos]

I remember I bought a salvaged Saturn and salvaged it again on a highway accident. I hit the brakes and that thing slid like a sled, no anti lock brakes, crashed in back of another car. Then friend helped me fix car with sledge hammer, bent it back into place and held it with wood screws, which improved the looks. Still drove for years after.

[@Lrules364]

This was the beginning of the downfall of Saturn. GM threw away what made the brand so successful, and started pumping out rebadged junk. This car didn't stand a chance at being successful, when the competition offered so much more. They certainly did take a big fat L when they released these rebadged Opels. And it continued to be that way up until the brands demise in 2009. They took the sporty, affordable, and unique cars away from the brand, and people went elsewhere. Such a shame.

[@fv7765]

Thanks for the info!

[@johneddys2351]

Big brass was jealous of Saturn autonomy. That and GM corporate structure dictated the spreading of product and parts. Amortization of everything everywhere. Unfortunately almost every company has this problem. Off topic, that's why I'm struck by the miracle of the corvettes new DOHC engine that isn't used anywhere else in the corporation.

[@RoadCone411]

Hold on....rebadged junk? I don't consider this car junk, in fact it might have made a compelling alternative to the larger Taurus of the era with some better advertising and competitive pricing. The fact it felt more European than American was actually a selling point - I recall the power window switches being in the center console, for example. By modern standards, the LS is plasticky and the overall styling too bland, but it wasn't necessarily that way in 2000. It wasn't a 'true' Saturn, I agree, and there were questions about where the brand was going by this time but the LS (and later Astra) weren't completely terrible cars. Things really came off the rails with the Ion and Vue models, they were far worse than the LS ever was. Those cars signaled a huge step backwards for the brand, in my opinion, as did the Relay minivan rebadge (anybody remember that one?)

[@sjhudon386]

​@RoadCone411 At the end they somehow had really cheaply made cars with cool engines.

[@johneddys2351]

@@sjhudon386 cant have it all.

[@Jakek200]

And here we see the beginning of the end for Saturn... Thanks GM.

[@mattg8369]

The beginning of the end for what Saturn was created to be.

[@patbrown463]

My cousin had a Saturn coupe and he drifted it off of every exit ramp.

[@BigWheel.]

I used to skid mine around, they're really good at it, very balanced cars with athletic handling.

[@nedaCFilms]

Motorweek, let’s see some late ‘90s - early ‘00s “ZR2 off road” S-series features!

[@Wiseman189]

I towed some equipment out of that old GM plant and it's crazy to think that there still was cars on the assembly line brand new Pontiac solstice just going to scrap, few months later guy died there when they were demolishing the building to make way for the Amazon building

[@bghoody5665]

It looks like if the guy pressed that A/C button any harder, he would have pushed the entire climate control unit right out of its housing.

[@cortezmiller1899]

I saw that, and wonder if anybody else saw it.

[@karols432]

Nothing like cheap GM plastics 😂

[@CynicalBastard511]

The American Vectra.

[@gsxellence]

I love Saturn. Bless you 🙏🕊️

[@frisco-2.0]

The original car "Opel Vectra B" was pretty reliable and looked much better. I still drive my 2001 Opel Vectra B 1.6 daily.

[@austinralf5150]

That’s subjective. I’d take the saturn and Saab over the opel. Bias here as I’ve only owned Saturns and Saabs.

[@kurenai-gf7rj]

You know how most people would freak out and get really excited when they see an expensive supercar? For me i would even react that way with Saturns, and Civics Ever since i was a a little younger, and even now as a teen, i still react with " *NO WAY A SATURN ION YOOOOOOO* " I just really Love the late 90s to early 2000s sedans and compact cars, they just have a oddly wholesome and lovable aspect to them :)

[@hakeemsd70m]

What a wholesome and relatable comment. Like you, I always go "OMG a 2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi" or "Olds Intrigue," dating back to my childhood love of GM cars. The LW300 wagon is my personal favorite Saturn of all time, and actually one of my dream cars. I love the 2000 model, didn't care much for the '03 facelift but still a cool and rare car nonetheless.

[@theKevronHarris]

My cousin had a ruby red Saturn L200 with the updated exterior design.

[@David..]

I worked with a guy who had one of these with a bajillion miles (and this was deep in the rust belt in WNY). Remember he bought a used Corolla with like 140,000 miles to replace it and something very minor broke (I think door lock actuator) and he was like “they don’t make these damn fancy new cars like they used to” nice guy. Pretty sure he never went more than 65 mph kind of like if an old relaxed dog was a person.

[@wackywolven6192]

Good car, quick and light

[@KenanTurkiye]

Not many people liked these, but I still do especially the wagon. Well I do like wagons. : )

[@eVerProductions1]

Damn 7.4 seconds?? And just slight under 16 in the quarter! That’s a sleeper family car

[@tjackson686]

I loved the refresh one for 04-05 and wanted one so badly

[@claybarnett6350]

The lack of quality at your daily touchpoints (HVAC panel moving substantially, for example) is a lesson that took GM literal decades to learn. Having extensively driven a 2001 Saturn SC1 for several years and a 1999 Suburban LT (ex owned both), at the same time as my 1996 & 2002 Honda Accord LXs, there was no comparison. The GM vehicles rattled, squeaked, and had broken plastic interior bits after 5 years of daily wear; the Honda had none after 13 and 15.

[@cappelcar]

I’m on my second L-Series car and I’d still have my first one if I hadn’t wrecked my last one. They are actually a lot more reliable than one might think IF you care for them and do your regular and preventative maintenance. They will go hundreds of thousands of miles. Sure they have their quirks and are plagued with some electrical gremlins. But overall they’re solid cars.

[@mattmroz4905]

“Fine HVAC controls” then the hand in the video is shown pushing the plastic bezel in with every turn of a dial.

[@bbc_junior4863]

Passed my driving test in one of these :)

[@nolimitsnuttbusts4u]

Damn these cars must weigh right at 3,000lbs. That 0-60 was 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@lukasfoster7515]

I remember my aunt had the last year that Saturn made the SC2 coupe car.

[@lovesnoopy127]

My dad just sold me his a 2000 standard ls1. That’s my baby now!

[@friendlymods6567]

Just bought a 2000 saturn Wagon, 95k miles on it 🙏 really liking it so far hope it runs well for awhile.

[@brandonfrancken5955]

Update? looking at one with 66k miles 1 owner

[@friendlymods6567]

@@brandonfrancken5955 honestly? It runs really well. Big thing to check for is transmission and computer issues. Check if the transmission slips, or thumps when switching gears( like a noticeable one) transmission and computers are the biggest worry with these cars. Only issue I had with mine was a leaking radiator. Overall loving the car though, parts are cheap, and easy to work on. Just did a two and a half hour drive on it and it ran like a beauty

[@mollari2261]

Only GM and MW could call a 0-60 time of 7.4s "rocketing." *Optional* ABS in 2000 🤦‍♂

[@MPMeterman]

For a 2000s mainstream family car it probably was.

[@sjhudon386]

Most v6 sedans had about 200hp in those days.

[@christopherlopez9458]

I remember the v6 wasn't the best engine, at least when used on the catera

[@williamegler8771]

The engines were fine as long as they were maintained properly. They require a timing belt change at 100k and it was a pricey job a lot of people didn't do it and then complained when the belt snapped and the engine was destroyed.

[@handymanshandle]

@@williamegler8771 Pretty much this. They had more issues early on, but by the time the L-series was launched, most of its issues had been sorted. Give it oil changes and change the timing belt, it'll last, but pretty much no one did, so high-mile L-series with the V6 aren't common. The electronics are another story entirely.

[@williamegler8771]

@handymanshandle Mine has 350,000 miles and runs perfectly. If you look at the few for sale the available V6 models outnumber the 4cyl models by quite a bit. Many for sale have more than 250,000 miles.

[@wp8022]

ABS as an option in 2000?!

[@DS-wo8wr]

ABS was standard across the board at GM by the mid-nineties… except for Saturn.

[@JohnEvans-ct6mz]

These cars were comfortable and nice when they worked. They had so many control module, transmission and here in the north east, suspension issues. Problem was, this chassis and powertrain were used in cars that were twice as expensive (Saab 9000 for example). They had to cut so many corners to make this car and they still lost money on it.

[@austinralf5150]

Saab 9-5, the 9000 was the Lancia, fiat and Alfa platform. Close, but not quite the car you’re thinking.

[@JohnEvans-ct6mz]

@@austinralf5150 1997-2010 Saab 9-5 was a GM 2900 platform shared with the Opel Vectra. That was the same platform as the L-series, and a few others. The original 9000 might have been what you speak of, but after GM bought them and changed the model numbers they started using Opel platforms.

[@autojogi]

this car was the opel vectra b in germany

[@Wv8675]

When u moved the ac nob the hole control panel moved

[@timothyhh]

I had to pick between a 2002 L-200 or L-300 and a 2003 Malibu LS. I picked the Malibu, which was good to me, but I always sort of wished I had gone with the Saturn.

[@RS-lfdkb]

How come all these retro reviews look they were all filmed on VHS? I would love to see all the 80's and 90's cars in detail.

[@boss12]

Saturn was like Oldsmobile’s son.

[@Nihaofoo]

Saturn seems like a good name for GMs EVs

[@austinfrazier7325]

If GM was going to name a car the LS1 and LS2 it should have been mandatory that both cars come with LS1 and LS2 V8s respectively.

[@dohc1067]

I had the L300 sedan. It was roomy with reasonable power. My V6 equipped one was a junk pile: fuel pump, alternator, transmission, and the rear tail light issues. It was documented the 4 cylinder ones were more reliable or at least owners kept them for a long time. Saab engineered junk from GM and never looked back.

[@patcurrie7808]

My daughter's first car was a 2002 L200 in gold. She liked it a lot. Her 2nd car was 2014 Focus, big disappointment.

[@douglasb.1203]

Tweaks ❤ Saturns

[@drawesome821]

My high school girlfriend had one of these. Was absolutely thrashed but was an absolute tank.

[@rushmatic]

Didn’t Ford make a big deal out of Saturn using LS because of the Lincoln LS?

[@infernoking7504]

I got a question how many of these do you see nowadays barely any how many Toyotas and Hondas do you see most of them

[@codycrawford2385]

I had a fully loaded purple V6 a while back, it was nice but the seats where eh

[@bethanyw.3558]

My first car was a 2001 LW300

[@PeugeotRocket]

I really hated American cars of the era but to me, Saturn felt like an import. The early ones more so but even this this one wasn't bad, even if it was the beginning of the end.

[@BigWheel.]

I dont think some of the American cars of this era are half bad. The Bonneville, lesabre Park Ave. Crown vic (Tc/Gm too) A lot of the full size stuff was pretty decent. The Midsized cars all sucked, and the compacts usually sucked. Interiors really aren't much worse than any German car of the era. The Japanese Interiors around this time were very good though.

[@fv7765]

I am sure one in UK is Opel Vectra look like this? Must be same chassis?

[@MPMeterman]

Same car basically.

[@angryshoebox]

The Saturn That Didn’t Zig ;-)

[@sjhudon386]

Boy I am glad they didn't create a Cadillac from that parts bin.

[@nathanbugbee1569]

My neighbor had the silver sedan.

[@lookitsrain9552]

The start of the death of saturn by turning into typical low quality GM parts bin.

[@chikidd24]

I wonder what frank Mitchell thinks of this 😂 (moesha's dad)

[@kellyvariste4831]

These were some very cars at the time it really how gm really forth a good effort to make Saturn a decent contender, but I kinda chuckled when he referred to Saturn as friendly when it's a car company literally named after satan himself.😂😂😂

[@TonicofSonic]

It is nothing short of a conspiracy that ever other automotive manufacterer does not implement much of what made the saturn cars great.

[@callum4035]

Opel vectra

[@RyGuy900The2nd]

It's a damn shame what GM did with Saturn. It was such an eccentric car brand with good ideas, but GM threw it all away. If by some chance it does return, I hope Saturn choses not to be with GM.

[@cs1992]

Starting price of about $26 in 2023 dollars.

[@MadeUpUserNem]

Would anyone buy one used?

[@chrislincoln4330]

Everyone knows the OG S series is a goat car. Basic AF, but reliable. My 02 SL1 is better than my Dad's 09 Elantra with reliability. It's spartan though.

[@victorhugocarrizo1511]

Its.latin american Chevrolet Vectra or European Opel Vectra. 👍👍

[@albertogambino2562]

It was just a rebranded Opel Omega.

[@pokest225]

The Omega was the Cadillac Catera.

[@lucyfan1976]

GM MESSED up as usual. They screw everything up. They had a great line with Saturn and if they BUILT upon the original models and REALLY moved forward not stay the same and then loose their way they could have made something big of Saturn. These were pretty decent comfortable cars. Such a shame!!!

[@Slevin-Kelevra]

Kind of expensive for 99/00 as you could still get a simple basic new car for under $10k and a simple new basic full sized truck for under $20,000 still at that time. Just barely, but still.

[@MPMeterman]

These cars were within a few hundred dollars of the Honda Accords they were competing against.

[@thetinysideoftiny7625]

This car is about as exciting and innovative as a fat-free, dairy-free bowl of vanilla yogurt. A faceless, generic, phoned-in attempt at a midsize Saturn. GM had a good thing and they screwed it up badly. To quote one of the Bourne movies “We gave you a Ferrari and you treated it like a lawnmower.”

[@jackson4274]

The editing on this video is very Y2K

[@travis6996]

I wonder why the v6 was a good engine in this but so unreliable in the Catera?

[@user-cj4sm8hv9y]

Saturn’s Bigger Rings

[@andrewholland9097]

The powertrains, chassis and interior efficiency deserved far better plastics and build quality - shamefully cheap-looking and feeling hard plastics, especially compared to the Opels and Saabs it’s related to

[@landyachtfan79]

0:10.....................WRONG, JOHN, it was the fall of 1990!!!!!

[@MPMeterman]

Incorrect. The cars didn’t come out until 1990, but 1989 was when the first ads appeared, dealers appointed, etc. That is what he’s referring to.

[@davidlittle4971]

It's still sad how GM 🙄🙄🙄put all that damn investment in Saturn and just drove it to the junkyard, typical GM

[@mossow71]

This was such a junk compact car lol Saturn cars from 1992 to 1998 were the best.. The first gen 2.2 4 cylinder gm motor had its corks that were later fixed by the year 2005 when the Chevy cobalt was released the 2.2 ecotech was considered a good motor and had all its faults fixed by 2005.

[@JeffSpehar-ov1cn]

I had a 1991, it was total junk.

[@Andyface79]

Man they could've made these in solid gold and nobody would've bought one. Yeah the Accord and the Camry are boring but they don't break much. This? Yawn yawn engine failure yawn. Even when new no one cared. And I lived in flyover country where people liked buying American.

[@rlowle1228]

So GM accidentally made a good product. No wonder they canceled it and went back to producing shit.

[@runoflife87]

Eww, they built such a horrible car using good Opel platform.

[@allentoyokawa9068]

Opel?? junk!