Looking for a sub $3k mommy-mobile. There are a lot of good looking 100-150k mile saturn SC's and SL's in the area in the $2-$3k price range. Slushbox is a must. My mom owns a 2000 or 2001, and while it felt cheap and GM-ey, I was amazed at how simple and roomy the engine bay looked for a newer car.
Anyway, what say yee? Reliability, cheap parts, and 'easy to work on' (as I'll inevitably get a call when something breaks) are a must. Trouble spots I should look for? Interferance or Non? etc., would all be helpful.
Thanks d00ds.
EDIT: For reference, this is the kinda stuff popping up:
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/cto/1787119803.html
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/1783476133.html
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/1782409940.html
teach me? Anyone? Bueller?
Soma007
New Reader
6/14/10 10:07 a.m.
We had a '97 SC2 in our family as my brothers first car. It was quite good on gas and easy to work on. The downside is that it was pretty slow (automatic), the engine is really buzzy, and the interior is very, very cheap. Like all the bad stuff you've heard about GM interiors X2. Various parts of trim would start to vibrate at different RPM's. From 2-3k it was the radio surround, from 4-5k it was something in the dashboard etc... The engine mounts are a common failure point so that makes the buzzing even worse. It got much better once I replaced the big on the passenger side.
I think they are good appliance cars, but I don't think I'd pay more than 2k for one.
Jason
You need to grill the Colonel....
I've had 2. A 99 SL2 (Auto) and a 2001 SC2 (Manual).
They are pretty solid cars. They get good mileage. My SC2 gets 35-37MPG.
Get a DOHC car, they have enough guts to be fun and come with cooler toys. Saturn engines are oil burners; Keep the oil levels up. Check and to them off often and a Saturn will run forever.
Pretty much, what's been said. Common, cheap, easy to work on. Uses a timing CHAIN, and I've never seen one wear out, even on high mileage cars. I picked up a 94 SW2 for $400 last fall to keep the Miata out of the snow. Sold it in slightly better shape than I found it for $800 in spring. Much cheaper than a Miata hardtop. 
Oil consumption can be an issue. This is not a given, though. Some never had a problem. Some do. And some were SO bad that the engines were rebuilt under warranty to fix it. One of my 96 SL2s fell into that category, and it never burned a drop of oil - not even on a road course.
I don't know where, geographically, you are, but the only other issue that comes up is the differential pins sometimes launch themselves into the transmission after abrupt hook-up from wheelspin. This is mainly a problem in slippery driving conditions like snow and going back to bare pavement. (This is what ultimately killed the $2004 Challenge SL2. 
It's possible to weld the pin into place to prevent this if you're serious enough to pull it apart to do it, but transmissions are cheap, too. 
For an economical grocery getter, get a SOHC (1) model. For a bit more fun, power, and better handling, go with a DOHC (2). They're about the same price these days, so just pick whichever one best fits your needs.
I can take you for a ride in my girlfriends 99 SL2. I might be able to talk her out of it, if I get something slightly nicer for her.
They run great, they burn some oil (Usually 2 quarts between oil changes), they get good mileage (especially the single cam cars), and the parts are CHEAP! I did a rod bearing swap in about 5 hours for less than 100 dollars in parts.
