1996 Saturn Sw2 Base Wagon 4-door 1.9l on 2040-cars

I purchased the vehicle from a longtime friend in July 2012. It was purchased for the express purpose of providing transportation for a serviceperson for a few months. Through November 2012, the vehicle was in active use in my hands. I serviced it and drove it roughly 2900 miles. In December 2012, after the serviceperson was deployed, the car went into inactivity in my driveway.

For the last year, it has not been used, save to run it a bit from time to time to check on all systems. I have reached the point where I have decided to sell it. I had planned to do some more repair work on it, and possibly to keep it as a backup vehicle. However, I just don't have the time to work on it, nor do I need it sitting around. It would be put to better use in someone else's hands!

The car is in solid shape mechanically. It has always run well, and I had some work done on it in July 2012 when I purchased it. I have all of the receipts and they detail the work done: the brake system was completely overhauled. The lines were flushed, and brand new rotors and pads were installed. Two of the tires were in excellent shape, and I had two brand new ones put on to replace the others. So, all four tires are in great condition. The coolant system was flushed and refilled, the coolant temperature sensor was replaced, and the wheels were re-torqued. The oxygen sensor was replaced, as was the horn. This made the car completely reliable for regular use, and enabled it to pass motor vehicle inspections in the state of Delaware in December 2012. The car currently has a valid Delaware registration, although that expires later this month (December 2013).

Since then, I have only identified one issue: something was drawing on the battery power. When the car was in daily use and the alternator was running, no problem was apparent. But, sometimes, if it sat for days on end, the battery would be drained. I installed a brand new battery. Eventually, I realized that the connection on the power locks was loose, and was prone to engaging when the doors were swung shut. I removed the inner panels on all four doors and disconnected the power locks (the manual locks function perfectly, with keys from outside and by manipulating the switches inside). This seems to have solved the problem.

It is possible that there is still a small drain somewhere on the battery; I am not sure. Once, half a year ago, the battery was drained after having sat for weeks. I put a small charge into the battery about two months ago, however, and in that time have only run the car for a few minutes here and there. Rain or shine, two months later, the engine turns over immediately. It was slow once, but started, and that has so far proved to be the only hint that there may yet be a slow drain on the car. I am just not around enough to look more deeply into the issue.

The inside panel on the left rear door is still off. While disabling the power locks, the arm which connects the manual lock to its switch slipped off; I wasn't able to reconnect them as I didn't have needlenose pliers which could reach the pin. I tie-wrapped the arms to prevent them falling into the door frame, but haven't yet got the tools to fix it appropriately, so I've left the door panel off.

Cosmetically, the car shows a little bit of wear. Everything is evident from the pictures. Externally, there is a bit of wear, primarily on the frame above the side windows. There is a little bit of rusting on the bottom of the right rear door frame. The car is just fine inside with a few exceptions: the fabric on the driver's sun-shield is torn. The fabric hanging inside the roof in the cabin is loose and sagging on one side. There is a little bit of crud in one of the coaster areas (I like to list everything about a vehicle's condition), and a button or two on the radio is broken off or damaged, making it hard to use. One light on the dashboard shines through; its overlay is missing. The glove compartment opens fine, but one of the supports is loose or a bit messed up, so when it is being closed, it must be supported at the bottom as well, or else it will not catch and will fly open again. The radio cannot be turned off, but can be turned all the way down, and works fine. ALL of the things mentioned in this paragraph are exactly as they were when I purchased the car; I did not deem it necessary to have them addressed.

The car functions very well. It's clean and in good working order under the hood. At low speed and high, at low RPM and high, the engine runs smoothly. The car handles well; steering is nice and snug, and the wheel is balanced and responsive. The transmission shifts smoothly, and the car is overall a pleasure to drive and of an agreeable feel. Heat and air conditioning work immediately and well. The blower motor is nice and strong.

Please feel free to contact me with any other questions you may have. The winning bidder is responsible for payment in full within seven days of the auction's end. The winning bidder is also responsible for picking up the vehicle. I have both bought and sold a car on E-bay prior to listing this one, however, I have never used a shipping service. I am happy to work with a buyer who would like to use a shipping service, but the buyer will incur all of the relevant shipping charges.

Thanks for looking! :)