I just had my 95 SW1 in for its 345,000 km oil change yesterday.
Although it's had a few repairs over the years, it's been the most
reliable and trouble-free vehicle I've owned. It uses about 1/2 a
litre between oil changes (every 5000 km) although over the past month
it went through two litres (probably a stuck ring - I'll deal with
that at 350,000 when Ithe plugs are replaced).
Most of the repairs include:
oil pan (welded nut broke off) ~200,000 km
head gasket (minor leak) ~ 200,000 km
quill bearing (did clutch for cost of parts at same time - clutch
wasn't worn out - preventative) ~300,000 km
The car has been maintained almost exclusively by the Saturn dealer.
Its oil is changed every 5000 km (and that seems to be the biggest
secret to longevity with these cars). Other maintenance/wear items
have included:
ball joints/tie rod ends (I think they've all been replaced once)
muffler (3 - salty Nova Scotian roads)
tires (I'm on my third set of Michelin X-One's - and I'm hoping these
ones wear out while they're still under warranty, too!)
brakes (front done twice, rear... original equipment)
lights (a half dozen side marker lamps, one brake lamp and one low
beam headlamp - everything else is original)
battery (once -original died last winter)
The biggest thing I have to deal with at the moment is some rust:
perforation in the rocker panel under a door sill and some surface
rust on part of the space frame (I'll be breaking out the POR-15 in a
couple of days)
All in all, it's been a really good car.
Tim Delaney
'95 SW1 5-speed 345,000 km
'84 Mercedes 300SD 208,000 km
'97 GMC Safari 166,000 km