Looks like it's not bye bye for Saturn but just for the LW300.
We spent the day looking all over the county and were willing to settle for
several ones we saw from all different manufacturers. At the end of the day,
we went to GM and wound up driving a very nice 2009 Saturn Vue, 2.4L. A
little under powered but fits our needs nicely. Averaged 25 mpg on our test
drive, has a roof rack and a decent amount of space. First question I asked
was to make sure it didn't have the CVT.

"Oppie" > wrote in message
...
> The '01 lw300 has almost 203K miles on it. Last few weeks, something was
> clunking when I started it up though it went away after a second or two.
> Was thinking possibly time to use a heavier oil. Now, at 3K to 4K RPMs,
> the sound comes back. I'm leaning toward a main rod bearing that is
> failing....
>
> If this were not my only car and I could take time to try rebuilding it.
> Alas, Saturn is no more and parts are becoming scarce as is my available
> cash reserve. So, it is inevitable that I'll have to say goodbye to my
> beloved Saturn. I had an offer of a 2004 Subaru wagon in so-so condition
> that needs a cylinder head gasket. If that's all it needs, it's a days
> work. I can drive the Saturn while making the repairs. My dad had a subaru
> in the days that they rusted out, looked horrible but kept on going and
> more importantly, kept their value. Guy wants $4K for this but I'll offer
> 3. Looked it up and for perfect condition, goes for $8K.
>
> ~Oppie~
>