97 sc1 coolant disappearance

my daughters car is a 97 sc1, noticed over the last few months of having to
add a little coolant every few weeks. there are no signs of leakage, so i
presume it is getting burned. also notice here lately that the car starts
rough then clears after a short time. i suspect the headgasket is starting to
give up. car runs great after about 15-30 seconds and doesn't heat up. has
anybody had this experience, and what kind of $ for a headgasket replace?

 

Its a sohc engine close to the period of head casting problems. Expect
more than just a gasket. See saturnfans.com forum.

 

Does the low coolant light come on, on the dash? I have a 97 sc2 that
started with the low coolant light coming on. I never saw any coolant
on the driveway, but kept adding a little coolant for months. Then I
did see drips of coolant on the driveway.
It was the radiator. It just took a long time for the radiator's
leakage to show up
on the driveway. At first I guess it was just drying up.
Dan.

 

I had a car with a tiny pinhole leak in the plastic pressurized
coolant reservoir ... it would mist-out when hot but not enough to
puddle - after turning off the hot engine - had to listen closely
& feel around to find the exact spot of the leak.
Good luck.
jt