http://lexington.craigslist.org/cto/4709225214.html
Very definitely mine- for now.
After 14 1/2 years of faithful service, it's time for me to find a new home for my 2000 Saturn SL2 sedan. It's been a great car over that time and has been very reliable and handy- it's ridiculous just how much stuff you can stuff into one of these little cars. But there just really isn't a place for it in our fleet of cars now that we have SWMBO's Mariner and drive it most places, and SWMBO doesn't want any more cars in the driveway- but selling one and getting another is A-OK. :P
It's the 'special' color of the year for 2000, 'Blackberry', which is a very, very deep purple that looks black in most lighting. Even though I only got into working on cars fairly hard-core about 7 years ago I've always kept up on its oil changes and kept the oil topped off- something important for any S-series. It regularly gets better than 35MPG on the highway and handles great no matter what the weather- the 5-speed is wonderful in the snow since you can limit the torque going to the wheels.
The front and rear suspension was re-done 3 years ago with new KYB GR-2 performance struts and springs that lower the ride height by about 2 inches front and rear to give the car a bit more aggressive stance and tighten the handling up a bit (and it just looks much better IMO). Clutch was replaced at the same time as the suspension because it was convenient- it had plenty of life on it so I expect this one will last almost another decade. Bushings were changed in the front and LCAs replaced- rear bushings were not. There is a 'clunk' in the rear-end that a shop told me (though I don't wholly trust them, they're the idiots who left the cotter pin off the steering knuckle bolt....) that it was because of the rear sway bar links which is like $20 combined- I'm not doing it myself because I more just want to sell the car at this point, but may do it if it turns out to be an issue with potential buyers.
The 1.8L inline-4 DOHC engine is stock except for having removed the stock airbox in favor of a high-flow cone filter intake (if I can find it, the original airbox will go with the car). ECTS was replaced a few years back with the sturdier all-metal version when the OEM one started to fail. A/C works but needs to be recharged, heat works perfectly. Manual transmission shifts easily- honestly this car has one of the most forgiving clutches that I've ever driven. Brake pads have plenty of life left in them. It's not a speed demon by any stretch, but with the 5-Speed can more than get out of its own way.
The paint & clearcoat are in excellent condition- the pictures should speak for themselves. I've been pretty good about washing and waxing it, and the original clear coat is still in great shape as a result. A few years back the paint was touched up with the factory color & clear-coat- it doesn't show up at distance but closer up you can see where it was touched up. The original alloy wheels are overall in good shape and have all their caps and the tires have plenty of tread left. There is professionally-installed tint on the side windows, back window, and a strip at the top of the windshield. It was installed by a local shop about 3 years ago and is still in great shape. The S-series were unique in that their body panels are primarily a composite plastic material that obviously won't rust, and the rest of the car is largely rust-free as well. The windshield got nicked by a rock a long while ago but it was professionally sealed and has not grown at all since.
The interior has some wear (primarily the carpet- under the pedals is worn and behind the driver's seat and at the passenger's feat is a bit stained) but is on the whole in very good shape. The driver's door panel was replaced several years ago after the plastic under the armrest broke- the replacement panel was reinforced with fiberglass on the inside before installing it. Comes with a Dual-brand mechless AM/FM/iPod/Bluetooth head unit which has a flip-down dock for 30-pin iPods/iPhones, hands-free Bluetooth calling, and an aux input. I had a sub in the trunk and have left the wire to trigger turning the sub on attached but coiled beneath the dash. The speakers are the factory speakers but sound very good.
On the whole, it's a very good example of the last-gen S-series sedans and will be a good-looking and reliable daily driver for another decade and a half if you keep it maintained. I'm asking $2000 for it, and it's in Lexington, KY. Might be willing to meet up nearby. Not really looking at trades, but if you have something interesting let me know- I wouldn't be able to add any money on top of trading it though. Thanks!
I tend to name cars, computers, etc. so in the cars' cases if it's something that will fit onto a license plate I get a personalized plate of it since it's not much added expense here.
