Re: S-Series burning oil, wasn't this issue fixed by GM sometime around 2000-2001?
I'm currently driving an '01 SL1 and love it. Only major-ish problem was a busted air intake manifold that made the car run like a dying horse until i got it fixed. I don't check the oil enough though, this thread has made me realize that (140K miles).
QFT...my former 1996 SC2 had this issue...Marvel Mystery Oil helped it alot, but I still had to add a quart every 1500-2000 miles.
My wife's 2000 SL2 doesn't burn a drop at 100k really. She changes it every 3000 miles though religiously (I don't agree with 3000 mile changes personally, but it's not my car).
She loves her Saturn, she bought it in 2000 when she came here for a 6-12month visa job. She thought it much more reliable than the Porsche 924 she bought 5 years previously with 'low miles' another time she was here.
All that said, most of these cars are like $2,000-3000 tops. You really can't expect major reliability at that age and the mileage...most are probably turning 150k or more and as more or less economy cars had little maintenance.
My wife's is in need of a clutch. Not a quick job at all...most pay $1000 or more for this. That's about 30-50% of the car's value...her's would be worth it for someone looking for reliable transportation. Everything has been kept up on, even the headliner was redone when needed. New factory mats were bought around 50k, any plastic cosmetics issues were replaced...car looks like it has half the mileage it does.
Unfortunately that doesn't change the selling price, only the value to someone that gets it.
To the OP, if they said the oil pan was fixed and it's leaking they should stand behind that. The muffler strap thing too. Some say they can do one in 5 mins above??? I am not sure how the Saturn is set up off the top of my head. If it's just a rubber hanger than 'maybe' 5 mins would be close...I am willing to bet in reality this is closer to 15-30 mins for most.
If it's a welded piece then for some, yeah 15-30 mins still; but most don't have welding gear at home or do but requires breaking it out and setting it up again.
In the end though if you paid for that and they didn't do it, you'd be an asshat to re-do the job for free...if you do do it at least get your money back or better yet leverage service like tire rotations, oil changes, coolant flush, etc in lieu of it.
I recently found out my hubcentric spacers were somehow left out. I wasn't sure where it happened since I didn't drive much over the last year (averaged out to about 15 miles a day)...I thought I lost a wheel weight.
Anyway I called the tire guy I last used to ask if he had an extra set of spacers turn up ever. I have been going there a long time (since 1988). I told him I wasn't holding him responsible or anything, just if he had them I wouldn't have to buy another set ($40).
He was willing to cover them even though I told him there had been a couple other places that rotated my tires and was at another tire shop getting new tires installed from Tire Rack instead of him (I needed tires that week and he was 40 miles from my office)
In the end he insisted next time I was in for new rubber, he'd do my synthetic oil change at no charge.