Saleofcar.com :Saturn

Saturn S-Series (2000)
for sale

Price: US $1,000.00

Description:

Please rest assured that I am telling you *EVERYTHING* that I know about the status of this car. I will withhold nothing. I just trusted the car for a 600 mile trip, and it did not let me down. As far as I know, the car is reliable and will run fine for another 50, 000 miles, but like any car, it could stop working the moment you get it home. I purchased the car with 95, 000 miles on it, so I have put 50, 000 miles on it. It has never failed. I have maintained it well and will provide extensive (but not complete) maintenance records to the buyer. We are getting rid of it because we recently moved to Canada, and it makes more sense to get a Canadian car than to import this one. Otherwise, we would keep it. It should make a good commuter for somebody, but we have still been using it for long-distance travel. Much of its life has been spent on mechanically gentle long-distance trips.
If you have any questions about the car, would like to see a picture of anything, or would like to make an offer, please feel free to contact me through eBay. I'll do my best to answer questions.
DESCRIPTION
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- Seats 5.
- 4-cylinder engine.
- Manual transmission.
- Front driver and passenger airbags.
- Our gas mileage (we're conservative drivers) - Highway: 39 MPG @ 70 MPH, City/Highway Mix: 28 MPG
PLUSES OF THIS CAR
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- 100% reliability. It has never failed.
- Excellent gas mileage
- New battery.
- Almost new accessory belt.
- Brakes replaced recently.
- Muffler replaced last year.
- No irritating odors. We do not smoke, and to our knowledge no previous owners have smoked in the car.
- Good maintenance record. I have changed the oil and filter every 3-5 thousand miles. I put new spark plugs in it 3 years ago. Other maintenance has been done as required.
- Good tires. 60, 000 mile tires have half of their life remaining.
- Cruise control. It works.
- Clutch. It works. It doesn't slip.
- Never wrecked. I have a CARFAX report that I'd be happy to share that verifies that all previous owners never wrecked the car. I also have never had a wreck in it.
- Plastic panels; no body rust. Most of the car has plastic panels that make it very hard to bump or scratch. Even after scratches and scrapes occur, rust is very little worry.
- The previous owner wired it for an aftermarket sound system with a removable front face. It features a CD-DA (audio) and CD-MP3 player.
MECHANICAL ISSUES
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These are listed in roughly decreasing order of severity.
- Rear main seal. The rear main seal on the car leaks oil slowly. The rate depends a *lot* on the amount of high-RPM highway driving that is done. It does not leak any oil while sitting. If you drive around town, it will leak almost nothing. If you drive on the highway at 65 MPH or less, it will leak very slowly. Highway driving at higher speeds will cause it to leak pretty quickly. It does not at all make the car undrivable; just check the oil on long highway drives. Repair estimates have been between $500 and $700 in case you would be interested in fixing it. One mechanic previously misdiagnosed this problem as a leak from the valve cover gasket, so I personally replaced that gasket, which means you won't be having any trouble there for a long time.
- Air conditioning. The air conditioning system works, but it has a slow leak. The compressor is fully functional, but each season, it needs to have refrigerant forced into the system. You could either drive it without air conditioning, add refrigerant each season, or have it fixed. It is not currently charged.
- Once every approximately 5000 miles, the car will briefly throw a P0442 (evaporative emission control) code, and the Check Engine light illuminates. It goes away on its own after about a hundred miles. This has no effect on the car whatsoever and is not worth diagnosing. I have already tried a few of the cheaper solutions, but they did not work.
- Rear passenger-side window. The window is stuck in the up position and does not respond to either its own control or the driver's control. I think it's an electrical issue.
- Sun roof window. The sun roof door opens and closes, so you can look out the window. The window does not open and close, however.
SIGNIFICANT COSMETIC ISSUES
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I tried to document these in the pictures.
- The plastic front fender has a couple areas of peeling paint and a small perforation. The damage is purely cosmetic and is featured in one of the pictures so that you can inspect it.
- There is a small crack in the front windshield. This was there when we got it, and after 5 years and 50, 000 miles, it has not grown. I think it's safe to assume that it won't grow in the future.
- There is a moderately deep scrape on the back of the trunk about the size of a dime.
- There is a minor dent on the top of the hood.
- The driver's seat has a white mark near the front of it. This was on the seat when we got it, and it does not seem to be cleanable.
- A small plastic piece covering the carpet in the back on the driver's side does not stay in place well. It could simply be thrown away.
- When we got the car, there were white marks around the sun roof. There is still a white ring of something around it. It has never leaked since we have had the car, so I don't know the cause. I see no signs of mold or water damage.
OTHER ISSUES WITH THE CAR
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- The center storage area has broken hinges. It has been a minor irritation that it sometimes needs to be reseated, but it mostly stays in place well.
- The dashboard has one burned out light, but it does not affect the visibility of important information unless you commonly go over 100 MPH.
- The plastic around the steering column is a little loose.
- The dashboard occasionally rattles a bit.
- The fog light control does not work.
- There is a little place on the left driver side arm rest (on the door) where the plastic is broken underneath the upholstery. Actually, its effect is to make the arm rest more comfortable.
_{update: 2016-05-24}