2000 Saturn LS1 5000 Mile Road Test

This car has been more fun to drive than I ever imagined. I purchased it "pre-owned" with under 2000 miles on it, so I only paid $15,500 for it. The LS1 cloth seats are very comfortable and supportive. The seats are very adjustable for hard driving. This car loves to be driven HARD! It has a supposedly lowly 4 cylinder engine. But the engine has plenty of power if you are not afraid to let it do it's thing at the higher RPMs. It is at home in stop and go traffic during the daily commute, as well as blazing up a mountain road on weekend jaunts to Lake Arrowhead in Southern California. During the nine months and 5000 miles I have owned the car, the only necessary maintenance has been the regularly scheduled oil change, and a not so regularly scheduled passenger side view mirror replacement. A Ford Excursion brushed up against the mirror and snapped it off like a brittle piece of plastic that it is. However, there was absolutely no other damage, not even to the paint on the passenger door where the mirror dangled until it was fixed! I didn't realize until this unplanned maintenance moment, that the side mirrors were not designed to bend like almost ALL other cars on the road! This car has very stiff suspension. It feels rumbly when driven on bumpy SoCal freeways, and silky smooth when driven on freshly paved roads. When cornering hard on city surface streets a little tire squeal from the front will be heard, but the rear sticks to the pavement even after a light rain. On twisty mountain roads with banked curves, this car shines. Plenty of power if your'e not afraid to make the engine growl, nice auto transmission gearing, very good handling with good road feedback to the steering wheel. Nothing mushy about this car, very solid. No rattles, squeaks, or unexplained bumps. Speaking of bumps, the trunk space is cavernous and could use a standard "stuff" net to hold down little heavy things that get thrashed around when having fun. I hear there is one available as an option from the dealer. One heck of a pleasant surprise so far.