A Rolls Royce, a BMW M6, and a Saturn SL2 show up and the Saturn is the star of the video. I loved those first- and second-generation Saturns. I briefly owned a 1997 SC1 5-speed. It was dark metallic green with a beige cloth interior and a clamshell 3rd door. The SOHC 1.9L by that point had 100hp, which doesn't sound like anything, but it was a pretty lightweight car, and with the manual, it actually had decent power and was fun to drive.
I owned a '97 SC1 and agree, it was fantastic, reasonably peppy, and with some minor tire and suspension mods, absolutely GLUED to the road. And it sipped gas. One minor nitpick though.... yours was a 99+. The 3rd door didn't exist before then.
I bought a ‘93 Saturn SL2 new. It was a great car and actually was fun to drive if you got the manual. Steering was responsive and the 124hp wasn’t bad since the car didn’t weigh very much. It was still running strong when I sold 10 years later.
Wow! I bought a brand new SLT-2 in 1994 and absolutely loved the car. The car drove great and the chassis was very tight. There were two design issues that absolutely drove me nuts. 1st, the hvac controls were not back-light, so it was very difficult to see what the hell you were doing at night. 2nd, when it got below 45 degrees, the compressor would not come on to help defog the front windshield. So then you had to switch to full heat or the windshield was fogged over! The defrost debacle was the design flaw that drove me insane!!!!!
I’m so glad you guys stumbled across this auction lot! You guys can do soooooo many videos with all the cars there. I would love to spend about a month just testing driving all those cars and doing videos! Keep it up TFL! You guys are the bomb!💣
I had two Saturns. A 96 SL1 and a 2000 SL1. Both were stupid nuts reliable. The only problem I had with either of them was with the 96; a body panel did shatter, but it was below freezing for quite some time and I got a bit too close to a brick planter. I actually want to find another one for around town trips.
Actually the S1, S11 RR Shadow, T & T1 Bentley is actually quite easy to work on. The SU's can be a little challenging. As you mentioned always buy the best one you can afford, not a project. Parts are the major issue. They are expensive and can send you bankrupt. Now the later 80's Spur, even a good one will break you. Others to avoid are early Jaguar XJS, XJ12. They fixed a lot of issues from 1979. For something a bit newer, avoid the 1984 to 1987 XF Ford Falcon\Fairmont\Fairlane\LTD. These are really badly built, though cheap to repair the Cam wares excessively, panels never fit. If you want something similar get the 82-84 XE. It's also better looking
It's bad when someone from the UK tells you they wouldn't buy a Rolls or a Landrover, they are the biggest POS going. Take that back, I ment going on a flat bed to the garage.
Saturn was the only car that would get rear ended at 10mph and get front end damage from the collision as the Shockwave from the impact would travel through the plastic
The RR is a pleasure to drive. But will eat you out of house and home to maintain. You have to make sure the brake fluid is not contaminated. There is a difference between Castrol RR 363 and the regular 363 brake fluiid. It turns all the rubber seals in the brake and suspension into. Bubble gum where it all leaks. If it is run dont walk.
I heard RVers loved Saturns, because you could flat tow them and the odometer wouldn't spin. I don't know if this is true or not and I'm curious if you guys know.
Couldn't tell you about the odometer, but they were very popular flat tow vehicles for RVs. A couple people I spoke to used them because they were lighter to tow, very compact (both for maneuverability of the RV when parking and also when day-tripping from base camp), and got great gas mileage.
This redhead....never listened to more of a non-car guy on a car channel. "...LS V8 engine." Is there a 4 or 6 cyl LS? If your argument is "well he said it for those that didn't know" you're just as bad. If anyone didn't know the LS is a V8 they wouldn't know what an LS is either!
In 1997 I toured the Saturn engine plant in Buffalo, which was next level for GM. One side of the building looked like the movie Gung Ho where it was a typical dingy GM plant where they were making the Chevy motors and the other half looked like a clean room science lab where they were putting together the Saturn motors. The guy giving us the tour was so proud of how much care went into every Saturn component compared to the other GM motors.
Saturn was never profitable enough to fund the development of a new model let alone a range of models. It only had the financial resources to perform facelifts and minor updates. Original owners were enthusiastic about their vehicles but eventually, a majority of them moved on. General Motors rebadged other models of vehicles to try to appeal to them and keep them loyal to the brand
It's just that Americans don't think on what's good for them anymore, just only on looks. Tons of Europeans, tons of sport cars and Japanese small cars. Luxury, speed and compact. Americans did try that but as always, no one pays no attention. And that's why they go to badge engineering cause the imports ' did the same ', I don't know if any of you notice that... Chevrolet Cavalier is one example....
I recently needed an extra car and bought an exceptionally well-cared for 2001 Saturn SL2, and I 100% agree. I paid a hair over $3k for it with 130k miles. It's fully loaded and has a 5 speed. It's absolutely brilliant and fun to drive. I've had to do very little to it and what few things I have had to do mostly cost less than $10 with pick n' pull parts and any work can be done by a novice with hand tools and TH-cam. I keep it in a garage and fully expect to still be surviving 20 years from now. It's really such a forgotten gem for basic transportation.
Those old Silver Shadow's are a bargain! A good condition one from the late '70's can be bought for under $10,000! Or buy a dead one under $3000! I've seen one guy who bought a dead Silver Shadow and mounted it's big luxurious body on a Chevy 4X4 Silverado chassis with lift kit and huge tires!
I was truly shocked to see a Saturn on this episode, I honestly have yet to find a video where people have lots of negativity to say about the s-series, I have had a few over the years and they truly are a robust cheap car. My first Saturn was a 96 SL2 auto and I tortured that poor car but it never ever gave up I ended up wrapping it around a light pole and it still Ran an drove. Now currently I currently own 2 1996 Saturns a sw2 auto and a SL2 5spd have had them for 7yrs and don’t plan on getting rid of them as they are way better and more reliable than my newer cars 🤣
If there ever was a negative review of the Saturn S Series, it would probably be all the minor nitpicks of the low cost build of the car, all of which the Saturn fans will counter in the comment section with all the positives of the car. The Saturn truly is a great representation of basic transportation vehicle.
@@nowiecoche I will agree with that and will add I firmly believe that the s-series was a great attempt by the american auto makers to compete with Japanese, I own a Toyota product from the same era as well and my S-series are mechanically as reliable as the Toyota just the build quality and fit n finish aren’t as good as the Toyota
All 3 are still 100% cheaper to keep running than that POS Audi S4 with the 2.7T you tried to tell people was a good buy. Maybe stick to reviewing TRUCKS......
I don’t agree with the Rolls, I’ve watched countless videos that say as long as they are maintained properly they are pretty inexpensive to run. You should never buy a car that needs tons of work period!
What a wonderful surprise! My first car was a 1995 SC2. It got me from age 16 until I was finished with medical school. I learned to work on cars with basic tools and had a great time. Thanks guys!
The bmw isn’t even a classic and they still don’t recommend buying one. Surprised. Lol And the Saturn? The title said classic which only had one. The other two was a typical problematic bmw and a plastic economy car . And yeah all those wild and crazy Saturn owners at cars and coffee. Lmao
Well there’s a reason why you would buy a roller or a beemer but those no reason to buy that ugly pierce of cheap junk even when new so there no sense in this review.
Had a 2000 sl manual and a 2000 LS manual, the LS was way more solid and tight! kept the LS for 8 years and sold it to a friend who kept it for 4 years, i traded the sl for the ls on the 30 days exchange program and never regretted it! The sl was light and fun but the ls was more comfortable and german feeling....I miss the saturn "experience"....
I actually learned to drive stick on a 2001 Saturn SL2. My 1st car. Was my older sister's 1st car purchase, then she gave it to me, I gave it to my brother and then he gave it to a friend. Reliable, lightweight and cheap! Also went through a deer or 2 and a black bear that ran into the side of it! It was a trooper!
The Silver Shadow sounds like an interesting project car if you're willing to replace the engine, transmission and braking system with more reliable GM hardware. The problem is that if you REALLY wanted to make it reliable, you'd have to replace the hydropneumatic suspension with coilovers. This sounds like an expensive proposition.
The problem would be finding a viable car in good shape for cheap. Less than 5k and 20k for the new engine, trans, brakes and suspension would be a steal at 25k to end. Now finding the right hardware is the problem. I am sure there is a forum out there with all the details. Just going to take you a month to sort it out. There appears to be a lot of these older models out there rotting away. No one drives them daily.
I had an '01 Saturn SC1 with the 3rd door. The back seat really wasn't meant for adults... Put about 200,000 miles on it and it was awesome the whole time. Loved it.
I had a 2002 Saturn SL1 and it was fantastic. Granted the moon roof went out after the warranty expired and started leaking at 150k miles but was fantastic mechanically. The headliner started drooping but I loved the 5 speed. Got 48-52 mpg driving to Cali from Az many times! Great cars! I would get another! Owned it for 8 years!
I looked at buying a used M3 with only 900 miles. It was equipped with an SMG transmission. Test drove it and it was absolutely terrible. I can see why it was traded in. Ended up buying a new 2008 M3 convertible with a manual transmission.
It's not just the engine that is an issue. The engines themselves are fairly reliable for what they are. It's the hydraulics that control everything from the injectors to the brakes. They never worked properly, they ALWAYS leak, and they are more difficult to learn than Arabic
Made in Britain. They didn’t know what a running car was until Toyota, Honda, and Datsun came to their shores. It has a nice presence to it though. Like the old American land yachts with more posh.😂👍
Made in Britain. They knew what a "running car" was when they built the Triumph TR-4A of mine that is still running. Honda wasn't even making cars when the TR-4A was built. My dad's Austin-Healey is still running.fine and it is 65 years old. How many 65 year old Toyotas and Datsuns do you presume to be found on British roads today?
Repeat after me, "There ain't NO bargain Rolls...or Ferraris/Maseratis/older Benzes/big Bimmers!!" PS - the headliner IS wool, from Wilton. Bimmer - gorgeous engine when it works right, which is seldom. These cars have a horrifying history of both electronic and mechanical catastrophic failures...which can quickly and perrmanently ruin your relationship with your banker. Saturn - average/mediocre cars by and large, but a wonderful dealership experience...from which GM learned precisely NOTHING!
Oh yes I AGREE!! If you own an "M6 or M5" from that era with the V10 DO NOT KEEP IT either!! You will regret every single day with it until you GIVE IT AWAY to your neighbor whom will take it off your hands and not even charge you to take it away!! NEVER NEVER buy one and just leave them all for guys like me who work on them and drive the heck burger out of them after I've put in the Getrag Manual 6 speed transmission. Thank you!!
No car payments!! Have a 2006 Sportage, 06 Element. 2000 Elantra and a 07 Elantra 5 speed. Except for the 07 they all havevover 250,000 miles and are still going well with few problems. No car payments is great. Some cars last.
Do the sane thing....rip out all that "wonderful" English or German precision or... Saturn(!!!) Ugh. Anyway if you really want a vehicle rip out the engine and Trans and put in a GMSB or if you really want to be evil a big block and that's the end of all this nonsense. Hey, put in some Sonny's 1000 cu in BB "reasonable" engine.....
The seats in the Rolls-Royce look very similar to the ones I had in the 1991 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Elite. I knew a mechanic that had a BMW M3, for it being new, he still complained about some of the features for the time. I worked with someone who had a Saturn car, they always had to get it repaired for the same things.
Skipped the BMW segment as not buying used BMWS goes without saying, they’re pure flashy trash once the warranty is up. Also THAT ISN’T A CLASSIC CAR. The Rolls Royce on the other hand I would buy, but only to restomod. I wanna put one on a Toyota truck chassis and overland it lol.
I get the impression ya'll don't really know what your doing. Just a hint, in the car enthusiast realm, it is VERY popular to swap problem child drivetrains with the cookie cutter sbc. Simple, easy and cheap. As for the others , don't know, after the RR content stopped watching. Do better.
94 SL2, absolute garbage. Engines burned oil from poorly honed cylimders, and valve guides. Motor constantly idled rough from vacuum leaks in nearly every component operated by it. Camshafts that were never ground to correct specs, and oil leaks caused by inadequate drain-back hole behind the front mainseal, that forced cold oil through it. And the transmission valve body crapped out every few thousand miles causing it to slam in reverse. Horrible car.
That Rolls-Royce is not the nightmare you let people belueve. The headliner in that car is West Of England Wool. The leather is from Connelly. The carpets are Wilton pure wool. The hydraulics are not the black art you portray. The system is almost idenyical to that in a Citroen DS. The engine is strong and tough. The transmission is a built under license GM Turbohydramatic 400 3 speed. All in all, if you know how, maintenance is not bad for either cost of labour. Most people get intimidated by them, but take your time snd they are robust and reliable.
That duel cam Saturn gave my 4.4 x5 a run for its money I finally got around it pushing 130mph plus it's hood was being held down by a ratchet strap, that Saturn earn my respect yesterday I'd buy one
“The SMG transmission, in this vehicle, will follow you home, and it might put a pillow over your face when you sleep. It is that bad. Period.” 😂😂😂😂 5:11
I thought this video was about classics, and you go from a 1978 RR to a 2009+ BMW and then to a 1992 Saturn, this is why I cannot stand this channel, they have no clue what they are talking about when it comes to anything older than 2020.
The daily beater you got for $800, a carton of Winstons, and a pair of 40oz Colt 45s *IS* the fastest car around town. It's driven with 0 care, and the gas pedal has 2 positions.
From the sound of it, it sounded like it was hitting even on all four cylinders. If you bought that, I would have all the fluids changed in it, new filters, and just have it as a daily driver. Very drivable. It's nice to not have to worry about a scratch or dent made by a shopping cart at the grocery store. I simply hate worrying about an expensive luxury car being damaged while parked. Not a concern, with this old Saturn!
Back in the early 90s, a semi-retired friend in the UK with engineering experience bought a cheap and well used early 60s Silver Cloud to renovate and work on as a hobby. He told me they were fairly easy to work on with generic service parts and even used componants being available. After he completed it, it sat in his store barn for a while. His wife thought it too ostentatious to travel locally in or take on a touring holiday. A neighbour asked him if he'd like to do a family wedding with it, which he was paid for, and word got round so he was asked again and again. Eventually he even bought himself a uniform to wear while driving to complete the image! Word of mouth brought in a surprising amount of weddings business. Eventually he was asked if he was interested in making some good money using it to ferry foreign businesspeople about starting with an airport pickup. He said the car earned it's keep and more. It was very reliable, but needed attention from time to time, especially proper regular servicing.
As far as the Rolls Royce goes... would it be cheaper to just install a 350 crate engine and create a semi daily driver for the summer.!?? I really don;t know I am genuinely asking.
Do some homework and look at a Euro spec RR. All of those hoses that scare you are from US mandated emissions equipment. I've worked on them, and you simply have to know what you're doing.
The Rolls Silver Shadow is a great car. It is very well made but more than this they are great to drive. The metrics these guys use are completely flawed. Assessing the value of a classic by its market value is completely misleading. A better measure is how much did it cost new because repair costs are much more likely to align. And so the issue is can you actually afford the car at all. The Silver Shadow has expensive hydraulics engine sspension and brake components. The transmission isn't an issue. But if your a classic car enthusiast it does have 2 really strong things in its favour 1. There were lots made and there is an excellent world wide supply of parts 2. It has the cache of a Rolls but not the cost. In fact of all the Rolls made it's the last one that is a practical proposition to own.
My eccentric sister-in-law has an covered undriven 88 Rolls slowing disintegrating on her mother's driveway now for a decade. 2nd law of thermodynamics in action.
I have seen a number of those Royal Roycs for sale in the range of 10 to 25k. The problem is that every single one of them has some form of leak or problem. To swap it out with a modern engine/trans and break and suspension would set you back what you pay for the car. Now does that make that car worth far more? It might interns of someone who wants to daily one of these, a collector no so much.
I had a 1999 SL1 with the manual transmission. The only option I ordered was the A/C. 233,000 miles before I finally traded it in (Honda dealer gave me $100 for it) I would take that car back in a minute as a utility commuter. Reliable, decent gas mileage and reasonably fun to drive with the manual. I didn't even mind the crank up windows. They really don't make cars like that anymore.
Ide take a bullet in my leg before selling my car for $100....wow, that is insane. I was looking at one of those saw one for 2000 but it had around 230 thousand miles on it, manual transmission. I don't need A/C was broken in my first two cars so I got used to not using it, and I live in the south.
I don't understand this concept of being afraid of putting more into repairs than the car is worth. Who cares how much others value your car? How does that affect your ownership experience? Other than lowering your insurance costs? Buy a cheap one, repair it as you want, and have an awesome car that you enjoy driving.
I often wonder if taking a car like a Rolls Royce and replacing the engine and some of the drive and suspension components with Chevy parts would make it more reliable and cheaper to repair.
You guys in the Saturn look like two bears stuffed into a one bear bag.
They maxed out the pay load of that poor lil Saturn with just 2 passengers lol
2 bears in a Saturn sounds like a jam band name.
@mediocreman2 just a regular bag. Holds a bear.
A Rolls Royce, a BMW M6, and a Saturn SL2 show up and the Saturn is the star of the video. I loved those first- and second-generation Saturns. I briefly owned a 1997 SC1 5-speed. It was dark metallic green with a beige cloth interior and a clamshell 3rd door. The SOHC 1.9L by that point had 100hp, which doesn't sound like anything, but it was a pretty lightweight car, and with the manual, it actually had decent power and was fun to drive.
I owned a '97 SC1 and agree, it was fantastic, reasonably peppy, and with some minor tire and suspension mods, absolutely GLUED to the road. And it sipped gas. One minor nitpick though.... yours was a 99+. The 3rd door didn't exist before then.
@@geoffreyreuther5260 you're right. It was so long ago and I only owned it for a short period of time.
I bought a ‘93 Saturn SL2 new. It was a great car and actually was fun to drive if you got the manual. Steering was responsive and the 124hp wasn’t bad since the car didn’t weigh very much. It was still running strong when I sold 10 years later.
Wow! I bought a brand new SLT-2 in 1994 and absolutely loved the car. The car drove great and the chassis was very tight. There were two design issues that absolutely drove me nuts. 1st, the hvac controls were not back-light, so it was very difficult to see what the hell you were doing at night. 2nd, when it got below 45 degrees, the compressor would not come on to help defog the front windshield. So then you had to switch to full heat or the windshield was fogged over! The defrost debacle was the design flaw that drove me insane!!!!!
I’m so glad you guys stumbled across this auction lot! You guys can do soooooo many videos with all the cars there. I would love to spend about a month just testing driving all those cars and doing videos! Keep it up TFL! You guys are the bomb!💣
I had two Saturns. A 96 SL1 and a 2000 SL1. Both were stupid nuts reliable. The only problem I had with either of them was with the 96; a body panel did shatter, but it was below freezing for quite some time and I got a bit too close to a brick planter. I actually want to find another one for around town trips.
Rolls Royce is the LEAST surprising to not buy. Everybody knows why buying an old RR isn't a great idea 😂
Atleast it's mechanical
The first rule of cars is don’t buy a NEW Rolls Royce.
Good luck finding parts.
The second rule is don't buy a used RR.
Why am I not surprised that Nate owned a Saturn? He probably owned a PT cruiser as well
Actually the S1, S11 RR Shadow, T & T1 Bentley is actually quite easy to work on. The SU's can be a little challenging. As you mentioned always buy the best one you can afford, not a project. Parts are the major issue. They are expensive and can send you bankrupt. Now the later 80's Spur, even a good one will break you. Others to avoid are early Jaguar XJS, XJ12. They fixed a lot of issues from 1979. For something a bit newer, avoid the 1984 to 1987 XF Ford Falcon\Fairmont\Fairlane\LTD. These are really badly built, though cheap to repair the Cam wares excessively, panels never fit. If you want something similar get the 82-84 XE. It's also better looking
It's bad when someone from the UK tells you they wouldn't buy a Rolls or a Landrover, they are the biggest POS going. Take that back, I ment going on a flat bed to the garage.
Saturn was the only car that would get rear ended at 10mph and get front end damage from the collision as the Shockwave from the impact would travel through the plastic
On the plus side, I sideswiped a Honda at a 50 MPH speed differential and neither car took any damage at all...
the m6 was so damn cool i always wanted one. Shame they never last in good working condition unless u got the money for it
I have to agree with the other people, an old rolls is one of the least surprising classics to never buy😂
The RR is a pleasure to drive. But will eat you out of house and home to maintain. You have to make sure the brake fluid is not contaminated. There is a difference between Castrol RR 363 and the regular 363 brake fluiid. It turns all the rubber seals in the brake and suspension into. Bubble gum where it all leaks. If it is run dont walk.
I heard RVers loved Saturns, because you could flat tow them and the odometer wouldn't spin. I don't know if this is true or not and I'm curious if you guys know.
Couldn't tell you about the odometer, but they were very popular flat tow vehicles for RVs. A couple people I spoke to used them because they were lighter to tow, very compact (both for maneuverability of the RV when parking and also when day-tripping from base camp), and got great gas mileage.
Nobody buys used BMW's. It's stunning anyone buys them new. Saturns bring about $950.
I once heard Rolls Royse has a lifetime warranty on running gear?
I'm still waiting for the 3rd classic to avoid!?
Wasn't Saturn powered by Honda?
Only the SUV.
@@shitloveaduck More accurately, only certain years and trims of one specific SUV, the Vue.
@@geoffreyreuther5260 - True! I was in a hurry when i typed that! Haha. Thanks!!
If the body is in good shape swap in a different drive train.
💪💯
This redhead....never listened to more of a non-car guy on a car channel. "...LS V8 engine." Is there a 4 or 6 cyl LS? If your argument is "well he said it for those that didn't know" you're just as bad. If anyone didn't know the LS is a V8 they wouldn't know what an LS is either!
In 1997 I toured the Saturn engine plant in Buffalo, which was next level for GM. One side of the building looked like the movie Gung Ho where it was a typical dingy GM plant where they were making the Chevy motors and the other half looked like a clean room science lab where they were putting together the Saturn motors. The guy giving us the tour was so proud of how much care went into every Saturn component compared to the other GM motors.
And the Chevy's are still running...
Interestingly, the Cavalier was a more reliable car than the first and second-gen SL/SC.
@@scottysgarage4393yes. Saturns budget became very little and eventually they were pushed out of the market
Ironically they quickly ended up using the same engines as the Chevys. And as a previous owner of a Saturn L300 3.0 V6, that was a wise decision
@@Rich-fr2yv The L-series Saturn wasn't really a Saturn. It was based on a shared Opel/Vauxhall platform which also used their V6 engine.
This old Rolls Royce is better than modern vehicles 20 years from now. Spending 5K on bad F150 tail light is no fun.
The brake pads & rotors are $4000 just in parts - that is if you can even find a set. And the hydraulic system can cost over $15k to fix.
@@ckm-mkc 15k you can get a cool set of fabricating equiptment and use it over and over again
Buick 3800.... Ultra reliable. What maintenance i did have to do I did in my driveway. No lift. No special tools. They're in other GMs too.
I had a 94 Bonneville for 8 years. (98 to 07). The thing was unkillable .
Same with the Crown Vics
I deeply HATE all Bangle BMWs and also the ones with the new, idiotically large grilles.
Nice video btw :)
Those old Saturns are cool! I wish GM would have let them keep doing their own thing rather than using badge engineering on the later models.
Saturn was never profitable enough to fund the development of a new model let alone a range of models.
It only had the financial resources to perform facelifts and minor updates.
Original owners were enthusiastic about their vehicles but eventually, a majority of them moved on. General Motors rebadged other models of vehicles to try to appeal to them and keep them loyal to the brand
It's just that Americans don't think on what's good for them anymore, just only on looks. Tons of Europeans, tons of sport cars and Japanese small cars. Luxury, speed and compact. Americans did try that but as always, no one pays no attention. And that's why they go to badge engineering cause the imports ' did the same ', I don't know if any of you notice that...
Chevrolet Cavalier is one example....
I recently needed an extra car and bought an exceptionally well-cared for 2001 Saturn SL2, and I 100% agree. I paid a hair over $3k for it with 130k miles. It's fully loaded and has a 5 speed. It's absolutely brilliant and fun to drive. I've had to do very little to it and what few things I have had to do mostly cost less than $10 with pick n' pull parts and any work can be done by a novice with hand tools and TH-cam.
I keep it in a garage and fully expect to still be surviving 20 years from now. It's really such a forgotten gem for basic transportation.
Shocked that a BMW would be a unreliable money pit
I love these auction walk around videos!
Those old Silver Shadow's are a bargain! A good condition one from the late '70's can be bought for under $10,000! Or buy a dead one under $3000! I've seen one guy who bought a dead Silver Shadow and mounted it's big luxurious body on a Chevy 4X4 Silverado chassis with lift kit and huge tires!
Retirees would buy manual versions of the Saturn SL/SW to flat tow behind their RV. Replace the wheel bearings and you have a great cheap vehicle.
I really miss Saturn. Really wish they were still around.
You guys SHOULD buy that rolls. It would be fun to watch the videos on that money pit.
I was truly shocked to see a Saturn on this episode, I honestly have yet to find a video where people have lots of negativity to say about the s-series, I have had a few over the years and they truly are a robust cheap car. My first Saturn was a 96 SL2 auto and I tortured that poor car but it never ever gave up I ended up wrapping it around a light pole and it still Ran an drove. Now currently I currently own 2 1996 Saturns a sw2 auto and a SL2 5spd have had them for 7yrs and don’t plan on getting rid of them as they are way better and more reliable than my newer cars 🤣
If there ever was a negative review of the Saturn S Series, it would probably be all the minor nitpicks of the low cost build of the car, all of which the Saturn fans will counter in the comment section with all the positives of the car. The Saturn truly is a great representation of basic transportation vehicle.
@@nowiecoche I will agree with that and will add I firmly believe that the s-series was a great attempt by the american auto makers to compete with Japanese, I own a Toyota product from the same era as well and my S-series are mechanically as reliable as the Toyota just the build quality and fit n finish aren’t as good as the Toyota
We had the twin of that Saturn . It was a tank . We put somewhere between 300k and 400k on it.
All 3 are still 100% cheaper to keep running than that POS Audi S4 with the 2.7T you tried to tell people was a good buy. Maybe stick to reviewing TRUCKS......
GM cancelling the Saturn brand was a big shame. They could have really done something good with them.
I agree, but they had already given up on the division and started selling rebadged Chevrolets a few years before.
I don’t agree with the Rolls, I’ve watched countless videos that say as long as they are maintained properly they are pretty inexpensive to run. You should never buy a car that needs tons of work period!
What a wonderful surprise! My first car was a 1995 SC2. It got me from age 16 until I was finished with medical school. I learned to work on cars with basic tools and had a great time. Thanks guys!
The bmw isn’t even a classic and they still don’t recommend buying one. Surprised. Lol And the Saturn? The title said classic which only had one. The other two was a typical problematic bmw and a plastic economy car . And yeah all those wild and crazy Saturn owners at cars and coffee. Lmao
I would exactly do that to the Rolls-Royce just because I like the looks of it and who cares at least it would be dependable
That Saturn needs a Seafoam treatment and some new plugs and an 02 sensor. After that it's 30-35 mpg and just tooting around for a few years.
Junkyard 5.3 is perfect for this car
Well there’s a reason why you would buy a roller or a beemer but those no reason to buy that ugly pierce of cheap junk even when new so there no sense in this review.
Anybody else look at their phone like "what just happened?" When this turned into a saturn video😂😂😂
Oh I was ready to scream at my screen if they were going to bag on an old Saturn... 😆
I LOVED MY 2 SATURNS. SHAME ON GM FOR KILLING THEIR BRAND.
Are there ANY 20 + year old European cars that you recommend for reliability and ease of ownership with the possibility of $$ appreciation?
Id get the Rolls and swap it to normal brakes and swap a LS into it.
That makes sense
It already has a GM TH400 transmission
As if changing it to normal brakes would be easy or reliable. The standard brakes are complicated but work fine if set up and maintained properly.
Swap to Wilwood...Run new lines...install booster. Done. Nothing Rolls left other than the iconic look. @@htimsid
Had a 2000 sl manual and a 2000 LS manual, the LS was way more solid and tight! kept the LS for 8 years and sold it to a friend who kept it for 4 years, i traded the sl for the ls on the 30 days exchange program and never regretted it! The sl was light and fun but the ls was more comfortable and german feeling....I miss the saturn "experience"....
I actually learned to drive stick on a 2001 Saturn SL2. My 1st car. Was my older sister's 1st car purchase, then she gave it to me, I gave it to my brother and then he gave it to a friend. Reliable, lightweight and cheap! Also went through a deer or 2 and a black bear that ran into the side of it! It was a trooper!
The Silver Shadow sounds like an interesting project car if you're willing to replace the engine, transmission and braking system with more reliable GM hardware. The problem is that if you REALLY wanted to make it reliable, you'd have to replace the hydropneumatic suspension with coilovers. This sounds like an expensive proposition.
The problem would be finding a viable car in good shape for cheap. Less than 5k and 20k for the new engine, trans, brakes and suspension would be a steal at 25k to end. Now finding the right hardware is the problem. I am sure there is a forum out there with all the details. Just going to take you a month to sort it out.
There appears to be a lot of these older models out there rotting away. No one drives them daily.
Thank you guys, great discussion. OH so many tragic classics, mostly 70-80s American made junk, and European trash
I had an '01 Saturn SC1 with the 3rd door. The back seat really wasn't meant for adults...
Put about 200,000 miles on it and it was awesome the whole time. Loved it.
I had a 2002 Saturn SL1 and it was fantastic. Granted the moon roof went out after the warranty expired and started leaking at 150k miles but was fantastic mechanically. The headliner started drooping but I loved the 5 speed. Got 48-52 mpg driving to Cali from Az many times! Great cars! I would get another! Owned it for 8 years!
I looked at buying a used M3 with only 900 miles. It was equipped with an SMG transmission. Test drove it and it was absolutely terrible. I can see why it was traded in. Ended up buying a new 2008 M3 convertible with a manual transmission.
LS swap? Like their Jag cousins, Rollers needed Chevy V8 swaps long before the LS generation was available.
I had the same thought.
It's not just the engine that is an issue. The engines themselves are fairly reliable for what they are. It's the hydraulics that control everything from the injectors to the brakes. They never worked properly, they ALWAYS leak, and they are more difficult to learn than Arabic
Roadkill Draguar
Made in Britain. They didn’t know what a running car was until Toyota, Honda, and Datsun came to their shores. It has a nice presence to it though. Like the old American land yachts with more posh.😂👍
Made in Britain. They knew what a "running car" was when they built the Triumph TR-4A of mine that is still running. Honda wasn't even making cars when the TR-4A was built. My dad's Austin-Healey is still running.fine and it is 65 years old. How many 65 year old Toyotas and Datsuns do you presume to be found on British roads today?
@@jerroldshelton9367 Loved my TR 4-A. Very easy to work on and fairly reliable.
@@jerroldshelton9367I think they preserve the British cars for the sake of preserving a piece of history.
Saturn's are still gm crap
Repeat after me, "There ain't NO bargain Rolls...or Ferraris/Maseratis/older Benzes/big Bimmers!!" PS - the headliner IS wool, from Wilton.
Bimmer - gorgeous engine when it works right, which is seldom. These cars have a horrifying history of both electronic and mechanical catastrophic failures...which can quickly and perrmanently ruin your relationship with your banker.
Saturn - average/mediocre cars by and large, but a wonderful dealership experience...from which GM learned precisely NOTHING!
Oh yes I AGREE!! If you own an "M6 or M5" from that era with the V10 DO NOT KEEP IT either!! You will regret every single day with it until you GIVE IT AWAY to your neighbor whom will take it off your hands and not even charge you to take it away!! NEVER NEVER buy one and just leave them all for guys like me who work on them and drive the heck burger out of them after I've put in the Getrag Manual 6 speed transmission. Thank you!!
No car payments!! Have a 2006 Sportage, 06 Element. 2000 Elantra and a 07 Elantra 5 speed. Except for the 07 they all havevover 250,000 miles and are still going well with few problems. No car payments is great. Some cars last.
Do the sane thing....rip out all that "wonderful" English
or German precision or...
Saturn(!!!) Ugh. Anyway if you really want a vehicle rip out the engine and Trans and put in a GMSB or if you really want to be evil a big block and that's the end of all this nonsense. Hey, put in some Sonny's 1000 cu in
BB "reasonable" engine.....
The seats in the Rolls-Royce look very similar to the ones I had in the 1991 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Elite. I knew a mechanic that had a BMW M3, for it being new, he still complained about some of the features for the time. I worked with someone who had a Saturn car, they always had to get it repaired for the same things.
Skipped the BMW segment as not buying used BMWS goes without saying, they’re pure flashy trash once the warranty is up. Also THAT ISN’T A CLASSIC CAR. The Rolls Royce on the other hand I would buy, but only to restomod. I wanna put one on a Toyota truck chassis and overland it lol.
I owned a 1st gen Saturn SL2 back in 97 when my kid was born, the X destroyed it...
I get the impression ya'll don't really know what your doing.
Just a hint, in the car enthusiast realm, it is VERY popular to swap problem child drivetrains with the cookie cutter sbc. Simple, easy and cheap.
As for the others , don't know, after the RR content stopped watching. Do better.
94 SL2, absolute garbage. Engines burned oil from poorly honed cylimders, and valve guides. Motor constantly idled rough from vacuum leaks in nearly every component operated by it. Camshafts that were never ground to correct specs, and oil leaks caused by inadequate drain-back hole behind the front mainseal, that forced cold oil through it. And the transmission valve body crapped out every few thousand miles causing it to slam in reverse. Horrible car.
That Rolls-Royce is not the nightmare you let people belueve. The headliner in that car is West Of England Wool. The leather is from Connelly. The carpets are Wilton pure wool. The hydraulics are not the black art you portray. The system is almost idenyical to that in a Citroen DS. The engine is strong and tough. The transmission is a built under license GM Turbohydramatic 400 3 speed. All in all, if you know how, maintenance is not bad for either cost of labour. Most people get intimidated by them, but take your time snd they are robust and reliable.
That duel cam Saturn gave my 4.4 x5 a run for its money I finally got around it pushing 130mph plus it's hood was being held down by a ratchet strap, that Saturn earn my respect yesterday I'd buy one
“The SMG transmission, in this vehicle, will follow you home, and it might put a pillow over your face when you sleep. It is that bad. Period.” 😂😂😂😂 5:11
Oh please. Everyone knows that Rolls Royces and BMWs are notorious money pits. Same with a lot of ultra and high end luxury brands.
I thought this video was about classics, and you go from a 1978 RR to a 2009+ BMW and then to a 1992 Saturn, this is why I cannot stand this channel, they have no clue what they are talking about when it comes to anything older than 2020.
The daily beater you got for $800, a carton of Winstons, and a pair of 40oz Colt 45s *IS* the fastest car around town. It's driven with 0 care, and the gas pedal has 2 positions.
From the sound of it, it sounded like it was hitting even on all four cylinders. If you bought that, I would have all the fluids changed in it, new filters, and just have it as a daily driver. Very drivable. It's nice to not have to worry about a scratch or dent made by a shopping cart at the grocery store. I simply hate worrying about an expensive luxury car being damaged while parked. Not a concern, with this old Saturn!
Back in the early 90s, a semi-retired friend in the UK with engineering experience bought a cheap and well used early 60s Silver Cloud to renovate and work on as a hobby. He told me they were fairly easy to work on with generic service parts and even used componants being available. After he completed it, it sat in his store barn for a while. His wife thought it too ostentatious to travel locally in or take on a touring holiday. A neighbour asked him if he'd like to do a family wedding with it, which he was paid for, and word got round so he was asked again and again. Eventually he even bought himself a uniform to wear while driving to complete the image! Word of mouth brought in a surprising amount of weddings business. Eventually he was asked if he was interested in making some good money using it to ferry foreign businesspeople about starting with an airport pickup. He said the car earned it's keep and more. It was very reliable, but needed attention from time to time, especially proper regular servicing.
I just bought my first car... a 69 VW Beetle. I like my car.. I picked a very simple car, one that I know I can learn to work on.
As far as the Rolls Royce goes... would it be cheaper to just install a 350 crate engine and create a semi daily driver for the summer.!?? I really don;t know I am genuinely asking.
My 89 SL2 did 200,000 family miles and did it while still allowing kid’s education fund. I actually miss a GM product ?
Do some homework and look at a Euro spec RR. All of those hoses that scare you are from US mandated emissions equipment. I've worked on them, and you simply have to know what you're doing.
BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Waaaaaay to complex, too many failure points and horribly expensive to fix. A recipe for endless stress
The Rolls Silver Shadow is a great car. It is very well made but more than this they are great to drive. The metrics these guys use are completely flawed. Assessing the value of a classic by its market value is completely misleading. A better measure is how much did it cost new because repair costs are much more likely to align. And so the issue is can you actually afford the car at all. The Silver Shadow has expensive hydraulics engine sspension and brake components. The transmission isn't an issue. But if your a classic car enthusiast it does have 2 really strong things in its favour
1. There were lots made and there is an excellent world wide supply of parts
2. It has the cache of a Rolls but not the cost.
In fact of all the Rolls made it's the last one that is a practical proposition to own.
I know they're not but those 70s to mid 80s Rolls Royces look cheap. They look like Daewoo trying to mimic Mercedes.
My eccentric sister-in-law has an covered undriven 88 Rolls slowing disintegrating on her mother's driveway now for a decade.
2nd law of thermodynamics in action.
I have seen a number of those Royal Roycs for sale in the range of 10 to 25k. The problem is that every single one of them has some form of leak or problem. To swap it out with a modern engine/trans and break and suspension would set you back what you pay for the car. Now does that make that car worth far more? It might interns of someone who wants to daily one of these, a collector no so much.
If you really want a Rolls-Royce just buy a Lincoln Town Car it looks the same and extremely reliable and extremely simple to work on...
IRC the brake pads & discs on the Rolls are unique and only available from Rolls. The price is around $4000 for a set.
I had a 1999 SL1 with the manual transmission. The only option I ordered was the A/C. 233,000 miles before I finally traded it in (Honda dealer gave me $100 for it) I would take that car back in a minute as a utility commuter. Reliable, decent gas mileage and reasonably fun to drive with the manual. I didn't even mind the crank up windows. They really don't make cars like that anymore.
Ide take a bullet in my leg before selling my car for $100....wow, that is insane. I was looking at one of those saw one for 2000 but it had around 230 thousand miles on it, manual transmission. I don't need A/C was broken in my first two cars so I got used to not using it, and I live in the south.
I don't understand this concept of being afraid of putting more into repairs than the car is worth. Who cares how much others value your car? How does that affect your ownership experience? Other than lowering your insurance costs?
Buy a cheap one, repair it as you want, and have an awesome car that you enjoy driving.
I often wonder if taking a car like a Rolls Royce and replacing the engine and some of the drive and suspension components with Chevy parts would make it more reliable and cheaper to repair.
I had a BMW M5 I could have bought a new Honda Civic for what it cost me to maintain it over a 4 year period.
Its interesting how in Europe especially, there is a cult following of people who daily old Rolls Royces and swear by their reliability.
Saturn is not a car anyone aspired to NEW, never mind 20 years later. AVOID.
From a Lake house down to the trailer park I seen nothing I personally would call a Classic 😂
It might cost a lot but changing out the engine, trans and braking system in that Rolls Royce would end in one very desirable motor car.
If nathan and Brendan drove around topless it would be the highest watched TFL yet.
Ive heard of people doing a LS conversions on those cars with good results ,just saying.
My favourite car is Saturn sl3 in 2000 is made out of plastic is kinda easy to broke
Woo i was thinking how badass the first Saturn's were still many one road burning oil but running strong dam union killed them
If money was no object , I would only trust Ian Tyrrell’s shop to restore classics!