Car Memories: 2001 Saturn L200

Jenni Hart
March 14, 2011

What was your first car?

A 2001 Saturn L200 sedan. Four door, black, charcoal grey cloth interior, and a power sunroof.

When did you buy it and why did you get it?

I bought it in 2004, and it had just under 60,000 miles on it. It was literally the first car I saw, and my first thought upon sitting in the driver's seat was, "This is the sexiest vehicle Saturn makes." I was going to graduate school at NIU and figured that it wouldn't be fair to put 400 miles a week on any car but my own. It was somewhere in the ballpark of $8000. I put $5000 down--a lot of the money I'd saved from my cruddy bookstore job. The woman at Saturn wanted to finance my remaining balance for 5 years. I looked at her like she was high and told her I wanted it paid off in 2 years the same amount of time I'd have guaranteed income. She thought that was wise.

What did you think of it while you had it? Likes and dislikes?

I loved that car. It had an upgraded stereo with a cd player, and the sunroof was a perk on nice days. The seats were very comfortable, even on long trips, and I loved not burning myself on vinyl seats. It got terrific gas mileage, which was balanced by a complete lack of acceleration, especially if I had the a/c on. If it was a summer day and I was merging onto the highway, I'd turn off the air conditioning to give my gas pedal a little more oomph. It gave me very little trouble the three years I had it. The brakes were starting to go by the time my car was killed. The only nitpicky gripe I had was that the windshield wipers never seemed to work right. During an oil change, the guys told me my car had the wrong size wipers on it, so I replaced them. After that, they worked better but still not great.

Anything really interesting about the car?

Not really. Just good memories. Ken taught me how to check my oil. I remember the long ride out to DeKalb with the windows down and the stereo cranked. I often tell the story about the time I deer jumped out in front of me only to slip and fall on his ass right in front of me. I stopped about six inches from his nose. I was so excited about my car the day I drove it home that I couldn't stop laughing and hugging the steering wheel.

Any problems with it?

No, like I said, the thing ran like a top. I took care of it with regular maintenance. That lack of acceleration was its fatal flaw. Literally.

Why did you get rid of the car?

It died protecting me. It was demolished by a wandering jackass. I got sideswiped, which made me run onto the median, and when I jerked the wheel to keep from going over said median, the car fell onto its side, then its roof and slid upside down down Schaumburg Road until finally coming to a stop in front of a Panera. Both wheels on the driver's side were bent inwards; the bumper was ready to fall off; the windshield was smashed; the roof and hood looked like someone took a giant belt sander to them. Miraculously, I was fine. All those safety features did exactly what they were supposed to do. I used the insurance money to put a down payment on a brand new 2007 Saturn Ion.

What do I think of the car now?

I miss it. I like my Ion, but I'd probably still have my L200 if that guy hadn't come into my lane while I was using it. My Saturn wasn't flashy, but it was comfortable and dependable. It was also my first taste of real vehicular freedom. It was the first space I had that was really, truly all mine.