2000-ish Neon vs. 2000-ish Saturn S

Longevity, expense, ease of maintanence, driving enjoyment etc.

Please compare for someone who want to know.

Saturn is my choice. Lighter, cheaper, and easier to work on. Get a twin cam though. Bonus: Non-rusting body panels!

I own a Saturn SW2 but I've only driven it a few times so far. I like it a lot.

My dad had a later first-generation Neon. I believe it was a '98-99 model? That thing rocked. I've driven the second generation Neon and didn't care for it like I did the first generation. I'd look for the nicest Saturn SWx that you can find. If that doesn't work out, the SLx or a first gen Neon would be an awesome alternative.

Maintained well (read: DON'T LET IT RUN OUT OF OIL!), a Saturn will run for damn near forever, and in climates where salt is an issue, you don't have to worry nearly as much about rust. With a 5-speed and the DOHC engine they can be decently peppy. With the SOHC and an automatic they're a bit sluggish.

Gearheadotaku wrote: Saturn is my choice. Lighter, cheaper, and easier to work on. Get a twin cam though. Bonus: Non-rusting body panels!

This.

I'd pass on a 2nd Gen Neon. As much as I liked the last one I owned, you could hear it rust sitting in the parking lot.

Get the Saturn wagon for the most utility!

spend $800 and get both!

I kinda thought it turn out in favor of the Saturn.

I think the number I've seen in rallycross makes me like the Neons.

My $.02: the Neon's better at AX/RX etc, it also has the benefit of being able to swallow powertrains from the PT Cruiser (think cheap turbo motor upgrade). However, it doesn't stay screwed together as well as the Saturn.

Similar condition Neons and Saturns seem to side with the Saturns on price.

The orphan-esqueness of the Saturn is probably what's driving the prices so low.

Good-running Saturns SW's are going for $1,500-$1,800 up here in N.E. Mass

FWIW the wife and I owned an '01 peon and I'll never buy another.

I just drove a 02 Neon RT with a 4x8 utility trailer loaded with my daughters stuff 4400 km across the nation. It never flinched.

To be honest, when you are making a choice like this, what you need to do if buy whichever one presents itself best. A good Neon will be better than a bad Saturn, and vice versa.

I am selling a 2001 Neon R/T 130k. $1900 for a fellow GRMer. Fly in to jacksonville enter it in the challenge and drive home. Win, win!

I drove a Saturn S series, and it was terrible. It was in really rough shape, and probably the worst part of the car was that the 5 speed shifter felt like it was mixing a bowl of pudding.

there's a plastic bushing at the base of the shifter. Every NAPA in america probably has one in stock. It'll take 20 minutes to change if you've never done it before.

i love love love S-series cars. more so as time goes on, it seems. have owned a '98 neon ACR coupe too. would rather have a good saturn.

if i have a dissenting opinion about anything in this thread, it's that you have to buy a DOHC one. I've grown to like the SOHC saturns just as well. At anything below 4000rpm they have more power, they're geared to get better mileage, and for whatever reason I find their (cheaper, less adjustable) seats more comfortable.

So are the various types of Saturns really that different? SC, SL1, SL2, SW, L?

tuna55 wrote: So are the various types of Saturns really that different? SC, SL1, SL2, SW, L?

The L is a totally different car. Otherwise, they all seem to be legos.

Saturn S-series have only two Achilles' heels: they all burn oil, and the auto trans is prone to valve body problems. Neither is a concern for a car guy - top up the oil regularly and buy a 5-sp and it will run as long as you care to drive it.

You really want the twin-cam. In addition to 24 more hp, you get lower gearing, a better driver's seat (height adjustment and lumbar), and a rear sway bar that makes handling much more neutral. You can add all this stuff from the junkyard, but Saturns are so cheap, you might as well buy an SC2/SL2/SW2 to begin with and make your life easier.

I drove a late 90's early 00 Saturn 4 door (it was a newer leased car) in 2001 with no power steering and stick shift, it handled like a pig and shook at highway speeds. I owned a 2004 Neon that was a rebuilt title, it drove fine, had some pep, but is the typical crap American interior. At least with the Neon you can upgrade items as there is a SRT model. I would probably purchase another Neon if it was cheap.

I can't comment on Saturns as I haven't owned one but I can on Neons. I had a 155K mile 96 Neon street car I turned into a Spec Neon by myself in 16 days then raced it for 2 seasons with no serious problems. Never did anything but brakes and fluid/filter changes. I had $7200 for a full season of race fees,driver safety equipment,trailer and every part in or on the car. No DNF/DNS and I never finished last in class or run group in a big SN field even in my first season. That car is running today in Autocross and still is the same engine and trans with just a headgasket change as a precaution and more performance parts for the class.

I also had an 02 Neon RT that had 102K miles. I ran it as a daily driver year round and tracked for 2 years 5-7 events a year. I pulled the backseat,belts and gutted the trunk then moved the batt to the trunk to ease the work the front tires had to do. Minimal mods overall but it ran like a top. It did wear front lower control arm rear bushings which is an known issue. It also was not as tight,toss-able or fun as the Spec Neon but it also wasn't as focused build or caged.

For a high-level race car or fast street car, I'd choose the Neon. Power potential is huge compared to the Saturn. The Saturn will do well with bolt-ons and can be pretty quick, but no support for much beyond that. The motor makes great power with boost, but doesn't have the strongest internals and you're fabbing most of the stuff yourself. Neons you can do all sorts of crazy powertrain awesomeness. The Saturn isn't bad for a Lemons or IT type car.

DD/appliance: Saturn. The plastic body and wagon availability are both great. Parts availability isn't as much of a problem here. Having a 20yr old car with no dings & a straight body is pretty nice. From a modding standpoint, avoid the 99.5-02 cars. E36 M3ty head design, less parts, air pump system, etc.

tuna55 wrote: So are the various types of Saturns really that different? SC, SL1, SL2, SW, L?

SC was only 91/92, its the same as an SC2

SC = Coupe SL = Sedan SW = Wagon

1 = SOHC car 2 = DOHC car

You couldn't get a DOHC without power steering or a passenger mirror. You could in the SOHC cars. DOHC cars also had a rear swaybar, SOHC did not. Everything else was optional. I had a DOHC wagon that didn't even have a CD/Cassette player in it. But it still had ABS, Rear Disc, and A/C. Weird.

The SOHC produces a pathetic amount of power, doesn't rev worth a crap, and is very difficult to extract more from.

Never worked on a Neon, but a Saturn is really really easy to work on.

Given that I am constantly getting the E36 M3 out of me in FSP by a guy in a Neon ACR, I vote Neon.

But personally I would rather spend a little more and buy a Civic.

This is why I'm asking:

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/4717094639.html

http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/cto/4716309617.html

http://newlondon.craigslist.org/cto/4716969149.html

Very similar pricing and condition with the Saturns

Is this for appliance duty? Those don't look terrible aside from body damage. One advantage of the Saturn in this situation is that the body has much better chance of being in good condition.

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/ctd/4713960298.html

http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/cto/4702506521.html

In reply to ProDarwin:

Agreed. I am seeing NEWER Neons for the same price as 3-5 year older Saturns. I assumed it'd be the reverse.