98 SL2 w/ 5spd - questions

Never owned a Saturn, but am impressed with the gas mileage an SL2 can
deliver.

I have my eye on a 98, 5 spd with 62k miles on it. I think the price is ok,
but have some questions.

I drove the car and it felt fine, for a 4 cylinder, stick. Are these cars
smooth like Hondas, or are they a bit buzzy?

The one I drove had some buzz/vibration, but not that bad.

What should I look for in terms of tell-tale signs of problems?

The shift lever had an awful lot of side-to-side play in it, even when in
gear. Is this normal? Can it be adjusted or corrected? Also, the clutch
did not appear to slip at all, but it does grab real high -- same
questions...

It's a handsome car, I would like to go back and get it tomorrow, but just
need some feedback.

Thanks

Oh -- CarFax was clean...

 

I always felt hondas were just has buzzy/wheezy as Saturns. It's in the
nature of small displacement 4 bangers.

 

You too? I've driven so many 'amazing' 4 bangers, and they all were
buzzy/whiney and underpowered. I really wish Detroit would get the
message and stop trying to force them on us. I've NEVER driven a 4
banger that was as smooth or nice as a 6. And I've driven some shitty
6s before.

 

I should have said Accord. You must have driven a Civic...

 

Whatever. I wasn't that unimpressed. I went ahead and bought it...

 

We own a five-speed 1998 SW2 - IIRC that has the DOHC V4 - also for the
fuel efficiency.

I've never driven a Honda, nor have I really noticed "buzziness" in
anything I have driven, but our SW2 drives fine. The stick-shift's
remarkably forgiving, actually - it's always easy to get into gear
with a smooth transition.

We had some temperature sensor problems that made it idle too high
when the engine was warm (maybe the automatic choke was confused or
something), but other than that there's been nothing too surprising.

(snip)

I didn't notice anything strange about ours but, alas, I don't have it
to hand right now - my wife drives it. Sorry I can't be of more help.
(Her parents have a 1996 wagon, but that's an automatic - no problems
with that either. I can't compare with my Subaru because the stick in
that is /very/ different to our Saturn.)

-- Mark

 

V4? You mean I4.

 

Gosh, they're all in a line or something? I shall have to look again.
Thanks!

-- Mark

 

Well, it's 1/2 of the V, anyway! ;+)

Ken

 

The shift lever had an awful lot of side-to-side play in it, even when in
gear. Is this normal? Can it be adjusted or corrected? Also, the clutch[/QUOTE]
(snip)

I tried my wife's 1998 SW2 this afternoon - that lever also has lots
of side-to-side play in it, even when in gear, so maybe it is normal.

-- Mark

 

Compared to Honda they are a lot lower geared. I've driven a couple of
Civics and they take a little longer between shift (from 1st to 2nd, etc..)
On the other hand the Saturn has more pull from a stop.
I've had my 98 SL1 for three years now and I wouldn't even think of trading
it for a Honda.
The only time I've had vibration with mine was when the original AS tires
were on. After I replaced them it's run fine.
As far as the shifter it does have a little play to it and I guess this is
normal. The only problem with mine is that sometimes the shifter "sticks"
going up through the lower gears (1 -2 -3 then 4 and 5 are fine). It seems
to do this a lot more in the summer with the heat. During the winter months
it works great.
Hope this helps with your decision.

 

Thanks to everyone for the responses.

I brought it home on Friday and I'm already used to the shifter and I hear
from a few sources this is normal with cable shifters regardless of brand.

Did a lot with the car yesterday -- tune up, oil change, new tires, wheel
alignment, lots of cleaning and getting familiar with Saturnfans.com. This
car will spend a lot of time on the highway and I've found it is not buzzy
at all at highway speeds. Early impressions are I'm going to like this car
for a while.

-Fred