Regular Car Reviews: 2000 Saturn L-Series

Take me back to 1999's cherry topping. The year 2000 was perfect. The music was payola-fueled and I had a 56k PCI modem. The Saturn L-Series was the last bare-palmed handy before it was time to go to work forever.
Thank you to powerofktulu for bringing his Saturn wagon out on a beautiful Sunday. I hope your indie film goes well. Here is his youtube page.
/ powerofktulu
Take me back to the 90's. I want to wait thirty minuets to burn a cd. I want to wait for mom and dad to go to sleep so I can go online without tying up the phone. My Game Gear doesn't work anymore.

[@akeeperofoddknowledge4956]

A good friend of mine naught a new Saturn back in the late 90s and when I drove him to the dealership, we were blown away by how nice the salespeople were. Most of them were firmer school teachers and aircraft mechanics. We commented on how laid back everyone was and as it turned out, Saturn would not hire anyone who was a car salesperson. They wanted salespeople with no bad car sales habits or mannerisms. Apparently these people did not work on commission but drew a salary, hence, no pushy sakes people. My friend was pleasantly surprised by the experience, especially since it was his first NEW car. I was tempted to get one myself but couldn't't bring myself to spend all that money on a new car with front wheel drive.

[@Mr009mm]

ya i use to go to the saturn dealership that closest to me. i use to buy parts and what not and just go down to bullcrap and talk cars witht hem. there was two guys and one of them i cant remember what car he had. but the other guy had a saturn with a bunch of am parts on it. i'd talk more about cars with him then the other guy. we would give the other guy carp for not having a saturn, we were pulling his leg. but ya everyone there was really nice, when i would go pay ofr the part the lady at the desk was really nice as well. sucks there not around anymore, esp now its harder to get parts for them and harder to turbo them, well at least with cp pistons and crower rods and cant get any lsd that i know for them now.

[@liljuz1981]

@@Mr009mm the Saturn aftermarket support is nowhere near as heavy as it has been but there are still some options. I'm pretty sure there are Saturn specific 1.9 "fashion it yourself" type turbo kits. They definitely have performance intake and exhaust manifolds for that motor.

[@PliskinHK]

I wish Saturn still existed today with the love that GM used to give it.

[@darthdarthbinkss]

Sounds like Scion but done right... At least at the beginning

[@nfullenwider]

Honestly, the 90s were the best decade to be alive. Our society wasn't perfect, but it was the closest we've ever gotten.

[@bcat010]

The way I see it, those who don't like Saturn fall into 1 of 2 categories: either you have never owned a Saturn, or you owned an Ion.

[@robertrosselit8241]

Bwahaha! Having owned both an SL and an Ion, I couldn't agree more.

[@CrypticCorruption]

SAMMMME. fucking hated the ion, on the upside i own the best model of the vue. Love my saturn.

[@192mickey]

Well, you're certainly correct about the Ion. Fuck that car.

[@CookedTickabc]

Took an ion for a test drive after my sl2 rusted out... The dealer had to tow it back

[@Bahraini_Carguy]

GM never sold the Saturn in our middle eastern markets but I always wondered what makes Saturn different from let's say Chevrolet or Pontiac or Oldsmobile and such? I have seen some of these 2000's and 90's cars driven by Expat and US Navy's around here before in Bahrain but not sure what to say about them.

[@luker5749]

God, what I wouldn't give for midsize wagons to come back to the U.S.

[@3lb4n4n3r0]

Quick reminder that the RS6 Avant will be available on US

[@clothestravel]

Daniel Neyra The RS6 is badass, and as a wagon aficionado, it’s a dream car. But for me, that’s it - a dream. The cost is far too prohibitive for most people. With the VW Golf Sportwagen and Alltrack variant now gone, we have no more affordable wagons.

[@Bailey_54R]

Buick makes one now

[@clothestravel]

Bailey O. Yeah, the Regal X, but they no longer make it.

[@cucumber42]

@@clothestravel Volvo makes two wagons. One in between small and mid-size and one between mid and large

[@scottcooneymusic6736]

It's the parsley of interior trim. I like that analogy.

[@Jeremy_plays_sax]

So completely accurate

[@L00PdeL00P]

I love parsley and I cannot live without it

[@ryantkelly]

I had this car, it was fantastic. Comically underpowered - in order to have any sort of acceleration on the highway I had to turn off the AC (which I called "engaging turbo mode")

[@yanuchiuchihaanimegamesand3907]

I mean... could be worse... *looks at a Yugo attempting to drive up a mountain*

[@twotailedavenger]

DIVERT AUXILIARY POWER TO WARP ENGINES, MR. LAFORGE

[@CadgerChristmasLightShow]

I have a 2004 Saturn vue that has the same 2.2 eco tech engine this L series Saturn had. It’s even slower when it’s in a compact SUV, even with the manual transmission

[@RustyVigero2005]

The v6 had 200 hp. Not bad at all for a 20 year old car.

[@ccecchini8355]

@@RustyVigero2005 I have the L300 with the 3.0 v6, 182 hp for a light car

[@Darksyne]

He's right 1999-2000 was a really good year for the world

[@MuscleDad420]

krauser979 lol nahh

[@bille5960]

If 9/11 never happened, what kind of President would George W have been?

[@TheMW2informer]

I was born in 2000

[@hulkhatepunybanner]

@@bille5960 A one-term president whose VP kept looking for a war anywhere.

[@skarceoneafd9609]

Saturn still seems like that new car company still to my eyes.. I was 18-19 years old at the time and it was great

[@nealpatterson629]

Saturn was a great car company that got completely screwed up by GM's shortsighted business model. When gas was cheap and the economy was booming, all GM wanted to do was sell Yukons and Suburbans and make just enough economy cars to placate the Feds. Saturn was a victim of that. My Saturn SL1 was a great car from top to bottom. My LS1 was an Opel with a Saturn engine and transmission. The engine and transmission held up great. The Opel suspension, not so much. I'll never buy another GM vehicle because of how they destroyed Saturn.

[@JL-sm6cg]

I remember when Saturn started just becoming another "division" of GM. Their minivan was just a carbon copy of the ugly af Chevy Uplander and Buick Relay. I got a Vue (my only GM car ever) which I loved, but it was technically just a better designed, better valued Chevy Equinox back then. Then there was the Solstice and Sky, which I think should've been kept and moved over to Chevrolet and Buick, respectively.

[@dodecahedron1]

the L61 and L81 were developed by opel, the transmission comes from either saab(manual) or gm parts bin(automatic)

[@nealpatterson629]

@@dodecahedron1 I stand corrected. I thought the engine was the original Saturn twin-cam with the cylinders bored out to 2.2 liters. I had the L61 engine in both my LS1 and Ion and it held up well, but the suspensions on both cars were garbage.

[@hakeemsd70m]

@@JL-sm6cg To be fair, the VUE was released in 2001 as a 2002 model. The Equniox was at least 2 years away, and the Tracker was holding down the compact utility segment just fine at the time. That makes the VUE a true Saturn product.

[@JL-sm6cg]

@@hakeemsd70m maybe the Equinox based itself off the Vue. I dunno. It just looked like a less cool looking, less powerful version of the Vue. People used to say you're better off with a Vue than an Equinox.

[@WolfestoneManor]

Starts with a 9/11 joke. You have my undivided attention.

[@CWINDOWSsystem32]

+ShadesofCascades Not really a joke, more of an observation that, after 9/11, America has never been quite the same. Everyone is more paranoid now...

[@PERILEX]

+CWINDOWSsystem32 This "unlimited optimism" people in North America and Europe had... after 9/11... all of it was just gone... Nowadays most people have become quite pessimistic when it comes to everything especially their future.

[@CWINDOWSsystem32]

PERILEX Exactly. I imagine that's what it was like in 1941 after Pearl Harbor, except the US bounced back right away in hopes of winning World War II...

[@JeffDeWitt]

+CWINDOWSsystem32 I don't think it was right away. From what I've been told there was a real fear we would lose that war, we bounced back as we realized we were going to win. A lot of the pessimism of recent years is directly related to the behavior of the government.

[@Robert-goose1]

CWINDOWSsystem32 It's just not the same anymore. Now the government is too intrusive and we're worried about our fellow citizens deciding to shoot up the office or crash a car into a crowd.

[@robw3872]

All your base models are belong to us

[@wiliambanquiter8039]

*s l o w c l a p

[@wiliambanquiter8039]

Dardue sandstorm

[@nomadben]

This just made me laugh out loud

[@MrBacchus18]

Saturn cars always got killed by car magazines because of panel gaps. Those plastic panels could never fit as well as classic sheetmetal. You had to allow for expansion in the plastic.

[@spacepirateivynova]

Saturn: The AK-47 of American cars :)

[@jacobwebb8818]

It do what it do nothing else

[@justsumguy2u]

The first gen Saturns really were different. GM had been getting crapped on for a long time by the Japanese imports, and so they thought they would engineer something to sway the opinions of the foreign car buyers. The Saturn engines at that time were cutting edge for GM...closer to the Japanese than say, a Quad 4. But then GM decided that Saturn didn't really need it's own identity, and made it a badge-engineered division. We know the rest of the story.

[@Oldbmwr100rs]

Closer to Japanese? I remember seeing cutaway engines and transmissions at a big car show when the line came out. The automatic transmission internally was a Honda Hondamatic from the early 80's, Literally! The first gen cars were actually such good copies if Honda that they were just as good and if cared for and kept clean and serviced they had a better than usual lifespan, and got decent mileage as well. But we're talking about GM here, the corporate kiss of death, and it was being planned within the first few years of the Saturn line's release. Was a sad thing.

[@KanishQQuotes]

So basically GM wanted to create a new kind of company from scratch and then when they successfully did, they killed it

[@DodgeCharger251]

saturn: the cars from gm that are actually made well

[@1MotoXRacer1]

+theETHANwrightHD kinda. They're made cheaply with cheap shit for the right reasons. To help last in certain aspects.

[@mongoose2040]

+theETHANwrightHD Clearly never owned an Ion (Which was a wise choice on your part). I WILL ALWAYS HATE SATURN AND ALL who worked with/for them because my grandmother was sold that death trap, NO ABS (2007 mind you!), no LS-D, no Stability Control, AND SPUN OUT 3 TIMES ON HER (63y/o with no Traffic Tickets (Not Exactly Mad Max driver here)). I was laughing so hard when NO ONE wanted to buy that "Company" and it finally and JUSTIFIABLY was torn apart. SHE PAID $19k for it and allow me to put this into perspective. The Chevrolet HHR had ALL these Safety features STANDARD on the EVEN THE MOST BARE BASE model "LS" (Minus the Limited Slip) at $2K less!

[@1MotoXRacer1]

+mongoose2040 Hahaha that may be the driver there bud b ut I do agree that Saturns are definately laughable. My car has no ABS, no TC, and FWD with an open diff. Never had an issue with its safety. If you learn on ABS and TC cars you'll never be as good of a driver as you can.

[@mongoose2040]

+Violetta Like I said "no traffic Tickets". She never was an aggressive driver (High speeds, Power corner, Ebrake Over Steer). Being born in 1947 means she learned to drive W/o ABS, T/SC, Auto Trans, Open diff RWD, (3rd Car was a 62 olive green Chevy Corvair!) and that Ion was the car to proved to be to much of a handful? What car do you drive? JC

[@DodgeCharger251]

mongoose2040 my dad hat a 1993 saturn sc2 that went 302,000 miles and never had problems (until the tranny died at 302k)

[@CordovanSplotchVT]

Aww shit... I remember listening to Evanescence on my Koss CD player.

[@Siknik64]

+Christian Friis Sørensen WAKE ME UP WAKE ME UP INSIDE MY SATURRRNNNN

[@lucidtickle8347]

One of my earliest memories is Listening to Evanescence in the back of my Mom's Saturn L200 on the way to a baseball game when I was like 4

[@stevenhenning9470]

I would fuckin' LOVE to get stoned and go test drive cars with this dude.

[@dustinjm100]

that devils lettuce is gonna go put holes in your brain!! stick to the healthier alternatives like cigarettes and booze.

[@meteor_smash]

dustinjm100 you're- You're an idiot

[@dustinjm100]

Yoshi Makes BROWN You're the idiot if you thought i was being serious.

[@Destraight]

you weren't funny enough

[@michaelschlegel8585]

I'm buying a Saturn as my first car in a few months, just like pretty much everyone else in my extended family. All because my Grandma walked into a Saturn dealership in 1991 and had the best car buying experience of her life. Funny how something simple like that lead to 5 other people in my family buying one. Wish Saturn was still around!

[@tylercarrell]

Michael Schlegel i would recommend against it, my friend blew up 2 engines in 3 months in his saturn

[@dpmusic7175]

Back here in 2022 after my beloved LW200 got totaled by some kid on his phone. I miss mine already!

[@Redbikemaster]

I'm a huge Saturn fan (own two), and at first, I thought I was going to hate this review. "Oh, another person here to dog the Saturns." But I stayed. And I ended up enjoying this video alot. You really did a great job. By the way, both of my Saturns are well over 200,000, with my daily driver pushing nearly 300,000.

[@nx_Exe]

I own a 2001 Saturn l200 (sedan) and recently my gage cluster broke, this being my first car and ive only owned it for half a year: ive already replaced all the break lines, id rather torch it than put another $400 into it.

[@Redbikemaster]

thetreeshaveads Stuff like that happens with any car, man. Have you tried local junkyards? You might be able to find a cluster to swap in, though the mileage would probably be inaccurate.

[@jonathanwhiteacre5394]

But... you still drive a Saturn, and I, personally would't be able to get over that.

[@Redbikemaster]

Jonathan Whiteacre OK. Is that your Subie in your profile pic? If so, congrats man.

[@jonathanwhiteacre5394]

Yes! Thanks man. My first car was a 96 Honda civic hatchback. Bought it when I was 16 because that's what I could afford and it was slow. However I loved that car because I could make it different the vast majority of the cars on the road, and it could do something an unknowing person wouldn't think it could. (At 6'6" tall I fit just fine, and at one point I had a washing machine in the back, of a two door, 1700 lb car) So that marked the blueprint of what I need in a car, unique, and unassuming in a different kind of way.

[@nyansugoi]

The nostalgia took me back so hard I forgot I was watching this video in 720p from my own place. What simple and wonderful times we had. Thanks, RCR. Thanks, Saturn. God bless.

[@avneanderthal7953]

Cadillac's "Chris Gaines" album... I'm dead.

[@CardboardSliver]

AV Neanderthal Only some people will get that joke.

[@BurlyMammoth]

I wish you were.

[@BurlyMammoth]

Tom E ooohhhh gatekeeping

[@MongooseTacticool]

Oh look a Vauxhall/Cadillac Omega.

[@JendaHrbac]

As a european I like my window operating switches on the doors too. But the hazard lights (four something something), I don't care. VW used to have them right between the steering wheel and the instruments which was uncomfortable. But slap bang in the middle is too close for the passengers to meddle with. And yes, they'd meddle. They are assholes.

[@Doctor_Robert]

God, I never thought I'd be obliged to be nostalgic about the year 2000 (this video assumes I am). I am not. My grandma's last car was a 1998 Saturn SL. It was awful: cramped seats (for a kid even), garbage upholstery, a motor with that specific whine which still haunts my dreams, a painful ride, and the smell of stale plastic. It was handed down to my mom, who never put oil in it, and then my sister, who took it up to 100 mph (so the speedometer said) with no oil. When we took it to the crusher, though, I really just felt sorry for it. It wasn't that little white Saturn's fault it sucked so bad (and that it was treated with hatred by people with... *issues*), it had tried to give an enjoyable driving experience for 15 years but only delivered garbage. It had tried so hard but nobody noticed it. I gave it a pat and tore off the front-badge bit of plastic (which was REALLY hard, by the way) and gave it my last goodbye.

[@lsswappedcessna]

if it lasted that long without being given an oil change, and it took a would-be felony speeding case with a bone-dry sump to finally kill it, I'd say awful isn't the right word, cheap is.

[@MrCudaar]

I own a 2000 LS2 Saturn and in my mind is an unbelievably good car. i have the 3.0l and it has never given me issues... oh and the performance from that little v6 is just amazing! if Mr.Regular wanted to do a v6 sedan version of the l series i would be happy to throw him the keys so he can relive the early 2000s again... well until i want the car back 3 hours later :P

[@Xarazith75]

subscribed in 8 seconds

[@RegularCars]

I am way east in Pennsylvania. Don't give up hope, the RCR Roadtrip will happen!

[@BadDriversOfTheIllawarra]

So Mr Regular knows what a Holden is...

[@RomainSandt]

SAAB modified the chassis and didn't used GM engines (except diesel later). That is why they were great cars compared to others GM cars, but it is part of why they died... theyr greatness made them too expensive to produce for the selling price. Driving a SAAB 9-5 is a very different experience than driving an Opel/Vauxhall/Holden Vectra. As driving an 9-3 is very different than driving an Opel/Saturn... Astra. Same for the 9000 nothing to do with the Lancia Thema. The bad SAAB's were the ones made 100% by GM and were not developped in Sweden (9-2, 9-7x). GM is only starting to respect it's remaining brands but still uses too much common visible parts. SAAB tried to hide the steering wheel GM, but you can find it on 80% of GM cars, even the Camaro has the same steering wheel than a Chey Sonic since 2012, when it has lost his retro styled wheel. GM has a way to kill personnality (except for his two favorite babys, Cadillac and Corvette). The cabin design in every GM cars (not trucks) except Corvette, Camaro, Opel Adam... is the same! same shapes, vents, wheel, stick, gages... Driving an Opel, a Buick, a Chevy, a Cadillac looks too familiar. The difference of price tag between a VW (seen as upmarket in US, everybody's car in EU) and an Audi is more visible. GM is slowly taking out Buick of it's personnality, in the same brand you have RWD american cars and The FWD Opel Insignia rebadge. WHAT IS BUICK philosophy? When Ford had Volvo, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Jaguar... they didn't look a like! (they waited a few years before trying to put a idious Aston Grill on every Car). After being on the edge, american manufacturers came back with really good cars, Ford manages now to use his European/German experience worlwide. The Fiesta and Fusion/Mondeo as best exemple. GM has still some work to do if they want to last. They make good cars... but they have to be great for every one, not just Motor Trend on a Track. Chevy is leaving Europe, and Opel is on a edge (not a Ford). The main reason? None of Opel, Chevy cars is the best in any category, always defeated by french or germans.

[@okletsskate]

***** The 9000 shared that platform to cut costs but in the end was made of thicker steel and and a completely different rear axle since Saab's safety standards were way higher. All cars Saab built were on a modified platform and is one of the reasons GM also let them go (yes there's tons of others but this is actually one of them) Top Gear even had a segment on how they kept modifying each platform to the point were the wheel bases where different. Sure there's GM DNA in Saabs but would I call it a pure GM car? no way. drive one, you'll physically feel the differences.

[@TheGuyFromUme]

***** Whoah- The first generation 900 was a great car! It didn't make Saab any money, but for the consumers it was a great car! It was after GM took over and gave the 900 the Vectra platform for the second generation it went to shit.

[@TheGuyFromUme]

***** Ah, the single-carb 99 BHP 2 liter. You're right. They were horrible. They were busy at speed, slow off the line, and slow top speed. I think we can fit the dual-carb 105 BHP in this category too. You're right. These engines deserve to be taken out and blown up, given they don't blow up themselves before that, my dad can relate to that. But now we're talking about the worst engines that were available, and they do not stand for most 900s. They were the most sold, but they are not the majority of 900's you see on the road. The majority of 900's you see are the fuel-injected 116 BHP 2 liter and up. And these cars were the true greats. What you have been doing is saying that the E36 BMW is a horrible car because of the 1.7l diesels.

[@SoloDallasII]

The 9-2 is actually an Impreza, not a GM model.

[@essekaye]

***** In theory, all five/six cars are identical, and all the divisions diligently reported that they were. Now roll them onto their roofs.

[@Budgettechbro]

I miss the 90s so much. A simpler, better time.

[@spenzalii]

My first car was a 1996 Saturn SL2. Bought it new off the lot. Still have the picture they took with all the salespeople around the car (that was a real thing, and a big deal, apparently). Kept it for 7 years before someone totaled it. Bought a 2001 L200. Kept that for 11 years. Replaced the engine once (timing chain snapped), couldn't do it again when the chain broke in the 2nd engine. Fast forward to the grim landscape of 2021 and my wife's Focus is totaled when Bambi tried to hurdle the front fender. We needed something in cash. Lo and behold, she finds a 2002 Saturn LW200. One owner, under 160k miles, still had all three keys. I have never felt deja vu that strong as when I first sat in the car when she went to pick it up from the car lot.

[@FLABEX224]

It has the taillights from a Vauxhall Astra G estate!

[@miloskujovic]

GhibliDisco More as Vectra B estate

[@ggabixx99]

Milos M Power Or Opel Vectra :DDD

[@MeDicen_Rocha]

+gabber apple or a saab 9-5

[@justingalante5052]

+El Gamer No tan cutre or a ford focus!

[@gokartbuyer]

+GhibliDisco More like a Mazda Tribute

[@Twinspinner]

Saab is far from the rest of those cars listed. They were like Saturn in the sense that they were kinda left apart from the rest of GM. Saab was owned by GM, but they pretty much did their own thing until they drove themselves into the ground

[@Sekushiwolf]

Regardless they used the same body for their overall construction. In car manufacturing terms that makes them related.

[@hulavaultboy5935]

DRIV3R24 And now Saab automobile is in some kind of limbo. Not even Saab AB either can't or want to get them back.

[@darxcide7375]

TwinSpinner Saab notoriously upset GM when they only used 60% interchangeable parts in the Saab 93. One GM executive was stunned by how great the sat nav system was before realising it wasn't a GM satnav. Saab had individually programmed and designed their own satnav at GM's expense, much to their chagrin. Times that tale by a thousand and that's why Saab went kaputt.

[@supafrancis]

Darxcide.. You are totally correct. I have heard a tale that the sat nav issue was the straw that broke the camels back as far as the Saab/GM relationship went. Something like GM gave Saab their generic Sat Nav system to be installed in all their vehicles and behind GM's back, Saab went ahead and spent millions n redesigning it because thy wouldn't be caught dead having such a piece of crap GPS system in their Swedish masterpieces.. When GM found out, they flipped and it was the beginning of the end for the Saab division at General Motors. Saab had high standards being a company that built jets and refused to put crap components in the cars that they put their heart and soul into. sucks because if GM had just let Saab do their thing, the cars that saab would be making today would be some of the best on the road. just like back in th day of the 900 SPG and the 9000 Aero. Maybe someday there will be some Swedish billionaire who will revive the company and those brilliant swede's will be back in business.

[@EmyrDerfel]

SAABs were GMs with proper engineering.

[@snackpup]

i stopped in front of my neighbor's L series(same color as vid btw) in my saturn aura i smiled

[@Contempt805]

Oh Saturn, how I miss them. Hands down the best dealership experience I have ever had was taking my ION to them for maintenance, you could tell the just genuinely cared for you. :/ I miss them!!!

[@delorean00]

This is so well written. I really love the 'madness' of your other videos, but these regular reviews really show your field as an artist.

[@GeminiWoods]

Man I miss my 98 Sc2... Was a great car. I kept that thing nice and clean till I sold it in 2014. Then he wrecked it... That son of a bitch...

[@markmorris5285]

HAHAHAH I actually did borrow my mom's '01 Saturn SL..(something) to take my younger brother and his girlfriend to the bowling alley and I'd bet money that limp bizkit was pouring out of those horid cardboard speaker cones. I got a good laugh when I heard that at 45 seconds in to this! awesome!

[@EpikSeoul]

GM: All your saturn belong to us! 2:44

[@alexbiehl4641]

I own one of these Saturns that you are talking about, and I have the Sedan model with the 3.0 V6. It's funny because my buddy bought a 2015 mustang GT with a 6cyl engine and with my Dual Cam year model 2000 Saturn, I beat him by a long shot! GM almost put too much power into these cars in the year 2000, and I like that!!

[@rmick66]

I have an '02 LW300, and agree. If you turn off the traction control it will just smoke the tires all day.

[@DESUDESU24]

Mr. Regular should have found an S-series. Those were great cars. Especially if you had a 2 at the end. Like my friend's SL2. If he ever gets rid of that thing, I would so buy it off him and fix it up.

[@Squib_Lord]

Totally agree. I have an 01 SL2 and love it. I emailed Mr. Regular about it already

[@MrJab4309]

I've got a 96 SL2 that needs a new steering rack. Rebuilt the engine myself (correctly) at 155000 miles, had the transmission replaced at 170000 miles. Currently has 180000 miles on it. Love that car!

[@MrJab4309]

The SL1 is a solid dependable car, and with the gearing of the auto trans its slightly better on gas than the SL2. I have both an SL1 and SL2. However, I'm parting out the SL1 to save the SL2. The 2's are a bit less reliable but its worth it to have 25% more power from the same 1.9L block by using twin cams over single. The SL2 however can be more equipped and has 4 wheel disk brakes and it accelerates noticeably better than the SL1.

[@Darksyne]

You should try and review the 2004 Saturn Vue with the 3.5L Honda Engine :o

[@Trainman2177WS]

I roadtripped one of those once, way faster than it has any right to be but it was not put together well

[@cesar604xfm]

That was my first car, 2002 v6 sedan version made me reminiscence on all those crazy high school days. Never knew Saturn was so special to GM.

[@DriveBreakFixRepeat]

I love when you do reviews detailing vehicle/manufacturer histories. I would consider myself a pretty well-read car nerd, but for whatever reason, I never knew much, or cared about the L-series (shocking, I know).

[@blindrider38]

99 saturn sl was my first car, so damn reliable she never died on me

[@RegularCars]

sure :)

[@ExistUNDRGROUND]

That was actually really informative.

[@javd007]

The L series in 2016 is the quintessential blue collar mobile.

[@TheAnoxias]

2:41 behind the Hyundai, is a gold Saturn L-Series Sedan.

[@007BlackGuy]

Anoxias not a l series

[@BigWheel.]

It looks like an s series ://

[@brysonkuhn3290]

That's an s series sedan. Sl1 or Sl2 based on the fact it has body matched bumpers

[@mudlark4099]

I'm sorry but NO Saturn is a "REGULAR" car. My first Saturn went 18 years with no major mechanical problems. WONDERFUL cars, wonderful people.

[@Viva93]

Mr Regular, i have been a fan of yours since pre miata days, i stumbled upon you around the accord episode. Your views offer a sleugh of comfort watching with a trifling amouny of personal favorites duking it out. All of these pertain to a mood that is ever so conditionally perfect. This review is among them, it offers me a cathartic slice of bliss and relaxation, to hear your warm voice describe in admirational nostalgia of an era not by any means 'long ago'. Paired with a carefree (yet lyrically contradictive) 'feed my girl' by the slackers. A island esque care free melody carrying with it lyrics of excess of the world around it confined within a video that conveys listful nostalgia and comfort food memories when things felt like, no matter what, it'll be fine. It's rough right now but tomorrow with an upkept chin, tomorrow, that'll be a new day of any possibility. A perfect use of a bastard brand, a perfect use of a contradictive two tone brooklyn song, and perfect use of placing everything within the era. You glorious bastard; carry on like the soldiers at Malvern Hill. You're making every monday a warm embracement of the week as opposed to its bitter conceived notions once begrudgingly held against it. I'll keep binge watching over and over.

[@RarelyReplies]

Didn't SAAB change pretty much everything about the car? Even lengthen the. Fame? That's why SAAB cost so much money. (THANKS TOPGEAR!)

[@Moyerboy78]

I love it! LOL...the year 2000....I was graduating college and headed into adulthood and all the post 9-11 craziness that has since been life. I miss the 90's too man!

[@JSTRonline2]

My family had a Saturn L100 I think, I did not like that car, the plastic drove me nuts, and then it was totaled, but I walked away without a scratch, if the radio didn't fall out at impact so would have my sister.

[@ChargedTTq]

Haha i actually understood the chris gaines reference!!!

[@minivanmaster]

this is my favorite of your videos so far that I've seen... I loved the year 2000 :) also that car is actually really cute!

[@Xtoxinlolinecronomicon]

Fuck, brought a tear to my eye.

[@wrxrob]

This review really brought back some of the best years of my life. Thank you RCR!

[@carladolphson3731]

Loved our 2003 Ion till we responded to the ignition switch recall. The steering locked up my wife rolled it, the air bag did not go off, now we're w/o a car. My wife is still very sore. Owners BEWARE!

[@RegularCars]

Don't you DARE! ....When they turn the lights out in Crystal Cave. They're not throwing a switch. They're opening the brrrRRRRRRGGHHHHHGGGGOIOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@flippytomtom]

Got myself a L300 from 2004 and boy i love it

[@RegularCars]

Hendo, You didn't do anything wrong. I just want to keep future cars a secret. That's why I removed your other comment.

[@janhertog645]

Ehm, the Vectra/ L-series was the same as the Saab 900, later 9-3, not the 9-5. There is my bit of random and useless car-knowledge.

[@gertjanmoens4188]

+Jan Hertog Wasn't the 9-5 also based on the Vectra?

[@janhertog645]

I don't know, I could not find anything about it with a quick google-search.

[@Kochiha]

+Jan Hertog The 9-3 and 9-5 shared the platform, though that said only 1/3 of the platform's components were shared between the Vectra/L-series and the Saabs, because while Saturn was the favored son of GM's overlords, Saab was the adopted rogue that refused to conform.

[@40blank]

A very entertaining homage to the greatest decade!! Very enjoyable, and learned a little about the car too LoL

[@ywe3]

Saturn is GM's Scion it was decidedly Meh but the cars aren't too bad or good...I miss Pontiac Saturn they are what GM needs today...but...we'll never see these again...

[@stevethepocket]

+ywe3 That's a good comparison. Not just the forward-looking designs but the flat-price sales pitch. And now Scion is getting the boot as well.

[@ywe3]

stevethepocket it's actually very sad as scion actually was a VERY popular company for a while...

[@WizardMower]

My father owned a 2003 Saturn L200, Fully loaded (Without V6) When I was a kid I thought it was amazing, Now... Very close to be a driver... I never felt so disgusted with that car! It had so much maintenance issues, And was plain dump... The A/C Broke, Causing the upgraded climate control blast out heat in hot summers, And yeah... Our center console copartment door broke too, Don't you live cheap plastic? Man. If there was a saturn I owned that was the last reliable Saturn they made before GM Harassed them would be a 2000-2002 saturn SL1 (Or SL2) More reliable, Yeah.. They're kinda ugly. But Hey! They're cheaper then. Why I want a 2000-2002 Instead of a 95-99? I found the interiors very ugly, So ugly I'd rather have a 94 SL. The 2000 SL Has a decent dashboard and simple, Apart from swapping the radio...

[@ronaldcolman6211]

Lake Nockamixon?

[@blakewixom2893]

GM killed Saturn because they were jealous

[@brunoignaciogi]

saturn, is *OPEL* for usa

[@jrc1041]

+brunoignaciogi Not really. The Saturn S-Series were 100% Saturn, designed and built in-house from the ground up back when Saturn was a stand-alone subsidiary of GM, not just another division. However, GM ultimately controlled Saturn's purse strings and severely limited Saturn's budget for ongoing product development. Saturn was launched with the promise of money and freedom to design and build their own in-house midsize cars, and in fact a full line of vehicles to complement the S-Series, but the retirement of Roger Smith (the patron saint of Saturn), several changes of GM leadership, internal corporate squabbles and reorganizations, and GM losing billions of dollars on other projects in the '90s (example, the W cars) meant Saturn never got the go-ahead to design a follow-up or to even significantly improve the S-Series. In the end, GM forced Saturn to take an existing car from the GM European line (Opel) and rebadge it as a Saturn. Other than a few cosmetic changes, the L-Series was almost entirely from the GM corporate parts bin, and like most other Saturn models after the S-Series, it wasn't even built in a Saturn factory. Later Saturn models (post '00) were a mix of existing models from other GM sources including but not limited to Opel and Vauxhall , but also with only cosmetic changes and new name badges stuck on them. In other words, everything after the 100% Saturn S-Series was the opposite of what Saturn was born to be ("A New Kind of Car Company").

[@scottcooneymusic6736]

+J Rc holy tangent

[@bandombeviews6035]

My neighbors own a Saturn (vauxhall) Astra

[@brunoignaciogi]

RandomReviews vauxhall for uk (LHD), opel for rest of europe (Righ Hand Drive)

[@ThesexyMrX]

I drive a SL, and i resent that comment!

[@billieaschmeller5524]

I just bought a 2000 saturn lw2 it's 23years old and RUNS just fine! I didn't pay much for it, so I don't EXPECT anything fancy. The engine mounts have "hardened" from age, so it vibrates, and it is kind of loud. But, it is getting me around JUST FINE!!! I didn't know the reason the car looks so good is because her panels are plastic 😂 I LOVVVVE my "granny" car. She definitely sits VERY LOW to the pavement, good leg work out! Don't dis my old beater.

[@NarfBLAST]

I am looking forward to when I can order a new car online and have it delivered without having to deal with a sales person.

[@johnleibowitz9546]

That's basically Carmax. Go online and find your car. Go to the store and tell them the car you want. They bring it around...you check it out....they take you in back to do paperbook and whammo! You are now the proud new owner of a 2007 Ford F-150 XL 5-Speed ex-work truck and life is good. Limited Human Contact involved.

[@NarfBLAST]

John Leibowitz Neat! Looking forward to that coming to Canada.

[@OffGridInvestor]

They tried to bring that here to Australia. Would've saved like 5 grand off the price. The feds stopped it because apparently you need to go to a dealership for problems so they'll maje excuses and fob you off. And get it serviced at a dealership so they can do unnecessary maintenance like a guy I knew who had the dealership push him to grind the rotors or replace them EVERY SERVICE and his ungodly daft wife who would only trust the dealership because "they are ford people" not knowing that ALL MECHANICS HERE know fords better than anything else because they're more simple than the European imports. But she literally didn't trust mechanics because they didn't SPECIALIZE in particular brands. Seriously....

[@FunkatronicDingus]

After watching so many of your videos, I still want to say this is my favorite review. The tangents in regards to the late 90s attitudes, the in depth tech talk, it's the perfect video.

[@KGVB757]

"The Saturn L-Series, Nothing Says 'I'm a Busdriver' Better"

[@ee003]

I died when the center console lid was broken off. That’s exactly how my car is.

[@kinghock]

Wait, '4 ways' - is that the American term for Hazard Lights? Whoa!

[@ronaldcolman6211]

Yeah, some call them flashers or four way flashers, Everyone I know says hazard lights.

[@FierceMotorworks]

It's a European move cuz it was a re-badged Opel... This car isn't the iconic saturn. for that you'd need something from the S series (SC, SL, etc) 50 mpg, reliable as a dog, heat, air conditioning, and can fit a family of five for church on sundays.

[@OffGridInvestor]

That's why the 1990 Chev Lumina APVs still ALL LOOK NEW outside. Plastic panels.

[@cappelcar]

I’m on my second L-Series Saturn. If they’re properly maintained, they will last and run very well. I totaled my L300 about a year ago and walked away from the accident. I of course purchased another L-Series this one being a wagon. They are good vehicles regardless of what people say.

[@vanessaverner8480]

I had 2000 Saturn LS. I drove it 475,000 miles. 4cly 5 speed, 41 mpg. It would not hold a clutch anymore. I miss the car.

[@WOAHthatwascool]

THAT. WAS. AMAZING. As much as I dig the absurdity, this was actually an incredibly well put together narrative. Good job man. Work more of these into the lineup if you could.

[@GTVAlfaMan]

I paid just over $16,000 USD for my new 1996 Saturn SL2 on Nov. 29, 1995 from Saturn of Southgate, Michigan, It has all the options except CD player and fog lights and has been a great reliable car. Pros: seats five, good fuel economy good visibility, AC, heat, electrics, great handling, good in snow, rust resistant body panels, easy to work on and replacement parts are inexpensive. Cons: electric windows tend to stick and break in cold weather, large door gaps lets cold air into car when driving in cold weather, only mediocre/ adequate braking system performance, no spring or tensioner mechanism on rear trunk lid always means your trunk will slam hard if you're not careful and they use a small bit of oil each month, you must keep a careful eye on your engine oil level.

[@tra-viskaiser8737]

I haven't even watched the full video yet... but my step-dad had this same car, even the same sad brown. He delivered newspapers in geneva fl for a year or two with this car. He went through about 18 vehicles in 15 years of doing the paper out there on mostly dirt roads. That saturn got tortured. It was right after 08 and we were poor and teetering on losing the house. It had like 112k on it when he got it from a buy here pay here on payments. The routes were so bad, that at 132k the odometer stopped at 132k... he drove it for another 6 months to a year. It eventually started making a sound like 2 plates rotating in opposite directions while being pressed together. It drove for about a month like that. When the transmission died, he took it back to the carlot in the middle of the night with a tow rope. Left a letter saying we didn't have money to fix(this busted up car) the car, so we were saving them the repo. It is hilarious in retrospect. Lol

[@ergodoy7741]

Looking back at regular car reviews... so much more earnestness and attention to details in the video. Newer reviews (cx650 review excepted) are so full of bitterness and stupid fart crap. I miss the mood of this review. This makes me feel you’ve been going through some personal problems, and I feel bad for you. :(

[@RegularCars]

Do I really? Should I do an entire review as Prot from X-PAX?

[@RegularCars]

Credit goes to Powerofktulu there. He was at Bonnaroo, not me.

[@RegularCars]

I am looking for a BRZ! Everyone who has one is way far away!

[@edim108]

Classic GM. Why do something the right way if we can undermine OUR OWN BRAND...

[@WarrenZevonFan]

I wish I was just that 5-10 years older than you so I could vividly remember a pre-911 world. Sadly it happened when I was in second grade and I grew up in the blughhhhhh 2000's. I can't believe there was a time when domestic manufactures made a WAGON and not some "crossover" that probably won't ever see a dirt trail.

[@louyork8379]

I just picked up a 2001 sedan. 5 speed with the 2.2 and It’s pretty alright. Especially for $800

[@RegularCars]

Is that the one with the 1/2 passenger door in the back?

[@bigsmoke8256]

Starts fun, ends sentimental

[@dougiemurder]

Man i miss my L series wagon...best car ive ever owned...as lame as it sounds. Phenomenal gas mileage and epic reliability.

[@firebird890]

The most perfect analogy of the Saturn brand of the 90s and believe me I worked as a contractor in a local Cleveland Ford plant to know those familiar factory highway-style electronic billboards lol they even made PAC-MAN sounding noises to let you know if the parts were valid or not lol

[@Sphierro]

These are hands down my favorite videos on the internet right now. Keep em comming!

[@7stringscotti453]

my first car was a 2002 saturn sl, beat the fuck out of it because i was young and had a car. then i had a ford taurus which is now dead, and i ended up finding my saturn for FREE and it still runs great, i can't kill it

[@Dark0Strike]

Parents got a SL2 as a family car. Took that sucker on a 3500km road trip at 19. Good old Susan.

[@tpbriplahey7384]

Classic , Vintage, whatever you wanna call it, that was some god damned RCR at it's finest !!!! Ahhhh so satisfying

[@Jpk516]

SNOOD!! You're my favorite KZbinr now.

[@ryanconklin1440]

Golden years of RCR waxing poetically about 1990.

[@AMGmeister]

Limp Bizkit LOL

[@zacharyguyach2200]

I don't think it is. But there's no concrete evidence

[@buddy8225]

Saturn, GM's gifted child they spanked like a red headed step child all the way to its grave.