Just bought a new (used) car!

[VTEC_Inside]

Congrats

I was once handily beat in my 1st Accord by a stock SL2 wagon. The cars are freaking quick cause they're light as hell, and they're pretty popular in the auto-x scene.

That would have made it an SW2..

[omicron]

Hooray! (Hooray?) A Saturn! (Saturn?)

[Eye of the Tiger]

He will have to borrow Nick's swift.

That car laughs in the face of bad weather.

Swift floats on snow, water, and air.

[Tave]

Wired up CORRECTLY, a remote start on a manual transmission will require you to perform a specific sequence when shutting the car off or it will not allow a remote start.

Usually that means you have to "activate" it prior to shutting the car off, it keeps the car running while you turn the key off, get out, and then shut the engine off via remote.

At the least, you'd have to take it out of gear, right?

So you couldn't use it if you park on a hill?

[BimmerM3]

So you couldn't use it if you park on a hill?

Depends on how much you trust your parking brake, I guess.

In addition to VTEC's post, the "incorrect" way to wire it would just be to bypass the "you have to push the clutch to start the engine" thingy and always leave the car in neutral.

[Submariner]

FWD!?  Oh no!  What if it rains or is a bit cold?

He will have to borrow Nick's swift.

That car laughs in the face of bad weather.

[The Pirate]

Cool beans!

[2o6]

It was dark.  Here's what I got from Autotrader.

I was going to post the Craigslist ad. It looked to be a good car. I hope it serves you well.

[the Teuton]

I was going to post the Craigslist ad. It looked to be a good car. I hope it serves you well.

Don't, but thank you anyway.

Getting this car titled is going to kill me.  Long story very short:  The 'rents have to come into town to title it on Saturday.  I have the receipt, and it's paid for.

[the Teuton]

Didn't your borther have a Saturn?

He has a 2000 SL1 with 160k miles on it or so.  I wanted him to sell it to me so he could finally get his BMW, but he's saving for more important things right now.

Cool, congrats.  Sounds like my Ibiza when I got it.  Cassette head unit which I replaced for a CD player.   Besides PAS and EW, manual everything (no ABS)!  Less to go wrong, which is important on a car of this age because plenty will go wrong anyway.

Simplicity = good.

This car has the redesigned dash from the newer cars and manual seat belts.  It's like the best of both generations of SL.

Congrats

I was once handily beat in my 1st Accord by a stock SL2 wagon. The cars are freaking quick cause they're light as hell, and they're pretty popular in the auto-x scene.

Why no Sentra SE-R though? Those are pretty gnarly.

FWD!?  Oh no!  What if it rains or is a bit cold?

STFU!

I'mma miss the AWD.

Congrats, fellow unthusiast!

Things you'll have to watch on that car: oil burning (check every 1000 miles), engine coolant temp sensor (ECTS), upper motor mount. Also, don't do one wheel burnouts - the end result isn't pretty.

If you're like me, you're probably close to broke, so this forum will help when stuff needs to be fixed on the car.

http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/

I have an '01 SL1 5-speed...you were smart to buy the SL2 - that extra 24 horsepower is sorely needed.

Explain thyself.

[Vinsanity]

congrats

to be honest, the car looks alot better in the pic than what I prepared myself to imagine.

does this mean that you're going to be a Saturn troll? I don't know how anyone in their right mind would manage such a thing, but if you could troll half as much for Saturn as you did for Subaru, that would make you the biggest Saturn fan the brand has ever had

[AutobahnSHO]

are those hubcaps or Rimz?

I drove an SL1 on my honeymoon- the in-laws drove it a long time without any problems. Kinda gutless, but a well-built car nonetheless.

Yours looks like a sensible (not super fun,) choice. May you have many miles of stress-free motoring.

[3.0L V6]

Explain thyself.

About the mechanical issues?

Engine coolant temp sensor: The factory one has a plastic tip that is immersed in coolant to give a reading - it is prone to cracking and failing, causing erratic/false reading, resulting in a poorly running car, as the PCM needs that information to calculate proper fuel/air ratio. A new design (in 2002, made of brass) fixes the problem permanently. The part costs about $20 at the Saturn dealership and can be changed in 30 minutes.

Oil burning: The oil control ring on the pistons are known for getting gummed up, hence letting some oil into the combustion chamber. The best solution here is just to watch and maintain the oil level properly. Check it when you fill the car with gas.

The upper motor mount is known to wear quickly, but it won't break. If you have lots of annoying rattles and whatnot at idle, check to see if the mount looks weak (see forum link I gave you). It's about $120 to buy the mount, and about 1 hr to install it. The 'How to' part of the forum gives you a step by step replacement method.

If you do something like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITiUWTBuo9E&feature=channel_page) you will cause the differential pin to fail and destroy your transmission. The differential pin is located inside the transmission and cannot handle excessive wheelspin. It's one of the weak points of the car.

Also: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=richpin06a

A step by step walk-through on how to fix many things on Saturns. It could come in handy.

[sportyaccordy]

are those hubcaps or Rimz?

I drove an SL1 on my honeymoon- the in-laws drove it a long time without any problems. Kinda gutless, but a well-built car nonetheless.

Yours looks like a sensible (not super fun,) choice. May you have many miles of stress-free motoring.

Yea this is a good car for a college guy.

[the Teuton]

congrats

to be honest, the car looks alot better in the pic than what I prepared myself to imagine.

does this mean that you're going to be a Saturn troll? I don't know how anyone in their right mind would manage such a thing, but if you could troll half as much for Saturn as you did for Subaru, that would make you the biggest Saturn fan the brand has ever had

Thanks.  The only rust I could find on it was on the front A-arms, but it just passed inspection this month, so all's well.  The car looks pretty much awesome, sans droopy roof fabric.

And we'll see.  I'm still pretty well smitten when it comes to Subarus.  This might just be an intermediary before I get a WRX in a few years.

are those hubcaps or Rimz?

Hubcaps, with 15" tires.  My bro's SL1 has 14s.

I drove an SL1 on my honeymoon- the in-laws drove it a long time without any problems. Kinda gutless, but a well-built car nonetheless.

This one has nothing in it, and it has 24 more hp.  I'm stoked.  This thing probably doesn't weigh any more than 2,400 lbs.

Yours looks like a sensible (not super fun,) choice. May you have many miles of stress-free motoring.

And thanks.  I need something that will get me through college and not embarrass me on job interviews or dates.  I think this will work.  It looks like a wonderful car for what it is.

[Tave]

Teuts, you've got a good head on your shoulders. Congrats, I hope she treats you well.

[Vinsanity]

Thanks.  The only rust I could find on it was on the front A-arms, but it just passed inspection this month, so all's well.  The car looks pretty much awesome, sans droopy roof fabric.

And we'll see.  I'm still pretty well smitten when it comes to Subarus.  This might just be an intermediary before I get a WRX in a few years.

It sure does. Word is the 1st generation Saturns are the highest quality and best-made ones; they actually gave people hope that GM could sell a competitive compact car. But alas, we know how the rest of the story goes.

[2o6]

It sure does. Word is the 1st generation Saturns are the highest quality and best-made ones; they actually gave people hope that GM could sell a competitive compact car. But alas, we know how the rest of the story goes.

Both Gens were fine. It's the L-series (So boring) and the ION that destroyed the brand.

[68_427]

2.0L turbo swap?

[2o6]

2.0L turbo swap?

The chassis flex will bend the plastic.

[68_427]

That makes it 2x cooler.

[the Teuton]

It sure does. Word is the 1st generation Saturns are the highest quality and best-made ones; they actually gave people hope that GM could sell a competitive compact car. But alas, we know how the rest of the story goes.

To its contemporaries, it's the closest thing the US has gotten to making a homegrown Civic competitor.  On paper, it was very close for its day, and I'll be darned if it wasn't just as reliable.

[Eye of the Tiger]

You need crazy cams so Saturn can go blub blub wAAAAAAAA nlub blub.

[hotrodalex]

Swift floats on snow, water, and air.

He will have to borrow Nick's swift.

That car laughs in the face of bad weather.

ZOMG hole in the space time continuum.

[the Teuton]

Today's the first whole day I've ever spent driving stick, and I have to say this:  There are some inherent flaws about this car (stereo sucks, headlights don't go off automatically, etc.) but I absolutely love my plastic car.  It's fun to drive.

[2o6]

Today's the first whole day I've ever spent driving stick, and I have to say this:  There are some inherent flaws about this car (stereo sucks, headlights don't go off automatically, etc.) but I absolutely love my plastic car.  It's fun to drive.

Yay!

[the Teuton]

The former owner is quite possibly the flakiest guy I've ever met.  He called me to say that the sooner we get the Ohio plates on it, the sooner he'd give me an extra $50 just because.

I've purchased the car, the title is transferred, it's sitting in my neighborhood right now, and my dad is driving the Subaru home right now.  This guy has no reason to be so flaky, but of course, he is.  He drove this thing a total of 2,000 miles over the two years he owned it.  That's it.

Very nice guy, though.  Owner of three Subarus, a 1996 Impala SS, and a '70 Chevelle Malibu.

[the Teuton]

I was going to pick James Blunt's "Goodbye My Lover," but this song is just so much more catchy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz5ljtYgA5g&feature=related



That's the last I saw of her today...


...and this is the first I saw of my new car!



Iffy, please add that to the "What We Drive" section, please, until I get a better picture.  I'm going to be taking out the remote starter and stereo of the Impreza sometime in the next few weeks when I go home.  Then, it's time to put the Impreza up for sale.

[The Pirate]

Today's the first whole day I've ever spent driving stick, and I have to say this:  There are some inherent flaws about this car (stereo sucks, headlights don't go off automatically, etc.) but I absolutely love my plastic car.  It's fun to drive.

Yeah, there's always going to be a few quirks, and economy cars always have shitty stereos.  The stock one in my car is simply terrible.  I upgraded the head unit, and that made a big difference.  I'll get around to the speakers one of these days.

What do you mean by automatic headlights?  On every car I've ever owned, you forget to turn them off (though, there is a chime that sounds), they stay on.  Pretty cool if that wasn't the case with your Impreza.

As far as winter goes, that car with proper snows will be as good as (if not better) than a Subaru with all-season tires.  It's also a fairly common size, so you should be able to find them easily on CL for good prices.

Thoughts on driving a stick daily?  The only times I ever want an automatic is when I'm stuck in traffic.  It's so annoying to be moving 5 to 10 feet at a time, and never being able to get the clutch all the way out.  But as soon as the road opens up, all is kosher again.

[the Teuton]

Yeah, there's always going to be a few quirks, and economy cars always have shitty stereos.  The stock one in my car is simply terrible.  I upgraded the head unit, and that made a big difference.  I'll get around to the speakers one of these days.

I have to find an adapter since my HU is a weird off-DIN size.  But the Kenwood will be going in soon.

What do you mean by automatic headlights?  On every car I've ever owned, you forget to turn them off (though, there is a chime that sounds), they stay on.  Pretty cool if that wasn't the case with your Impreza.

No, the Prez's went off automatically.  For the longest time, I couldn't figure out why the car was dinging at me. LOL.

As far as winter goes, that car with proper snows will be as good as (if not better) than a Subaru with all-season tires.  It's also a fairly common size, so you should be able to find them easily on CL for good prices.

I think they're 195/65R15s.

Thoughts on driving a stick daily?  The only times I ever want an automatic is when I'm stuck in traffic.  It's so annoying to be moving 5 to 10 feet at a time, and never being able to get the clutch all the way out.  But as soon as the road opens up, all is kosher again.

It wasn't that bad, even on the hills.  I thought I might be riding the clutch a bit, but I really wasn't.  Traffic jams suck ass more than usual, though.  I am going to miss that about my slushie.

I drove a good 50-60 miles today, if not more, and I only stalled once.  I'm catching on quickly.