History, why I bought my Saturn
I owned a 1995 Saturn SL1 before I bought my 2002 Saturn SL1. I loved my 95 Saturn SL1. It was virtually trouble free, extremely reliable, and one of the best cars that I have ever owned. After 6 years, I decided I wanted a newer model...and my wife wanted me to buy an automatic, because she could not drive the manual transmission in my 95 Saturn.

My experiences
I have been driving my 2002 Saturn SL1 since October 2001. During this time, I have had one minor problem, which was fixed very quickly at the dealer and under warranty. The car has been virtually trouble free.

I added the ABS and traction control option to my Saturn, and this last winter I got to test it out. I drove about 17 miles to work and felt like I had complete control over the car. I passed many cars, trucks, and vans who were sliding and losing traction. I remember smiling and chuckling as I passed by an SUV that was sliding all over the place. The traction control enabled me to climb up hills that some people were not able to get up in their vehicles. I highly recommend adding the ABS and Traction control feature to the Saturn vehicles.

I have owned Saturn vehicles for 7 years, and I have never had a dent in my doors! The polymer doors are a great feature on the Saturns and they allow your car to look brand new for a long time. I have owned my 2002 SL1 for more than a year and it still looks brand new. No dings or dents in the doors or fenders.

My 2002 Saturn SL1 gets about 30-32 MPG with my mixed highway and city driving. Overall, I believe it gets good gas mileage, but my 1995 SL1 got much better gas mileage.

My Complaints
The seats in my 2002 Saturn SL1 do not have any adjustable head rests. The head rest is built into the seat. This really is not a big deal, as I normally do not adjust the head rest, but I would like the option to do so.

I understand that many automobile manufacturers are implementing the daytime driving lamps, but I wish there was an override ability. Once a year, I like to drive through the Christmas light displays, which frequently ask you to turn off your lights. If you turn off your headlamps, then the daytime driving lamps turn on. While the daytime driving lamps are not as bright as the headlamps, they are still bright enough to take away from the Christmas lights.

My last complain is another minor complaint with what is supposed to be a feature. About every 3,000 miles the Change Oil indicator light comes on. The indicator can be reset by opening the fuse box and pressing a button, but most quick oil and lube places do not know about it. Therefore, if you take your car to a place like Jiffy lube, you Change Oil indicator will stay on until you figure out how to open the fusebox and reset it.

Conclusion
The Saturn SL1 is a reliable and dependable car that is great for commuting to and from work. The polymer doors are perfect for anyone with kids or the perfectionists who does not want any dents or dings in their doors. However, it is your typical small car. If you need to fit more than two big adults in your car, then you probably need something bigger than the SL1.
Amount Paid (US$): 14000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: SL1, ABS and traction control, Automatic