hi well the time has come to replace our trusty 1992 sl-1 with a newer model. my wife has picked a 1997 sl-2 at a near by dealership(not saturn) that was originally bought and traded at our local saturn dealership. our old one was as plain as they come with the sohc engine and very little else. the new(to us) saturn has a near full load(less sunroof). the few questions that i have are as follows:
1: are these motors still subject to head cracking/oil burning(like the older sohc models)this is dohc motor. 2): is there anything specific that i should look for that could/would be a trouble point. 3)are the alternators still prone to early failure due to heat/position. 4)are the front seats more durable/comfortable. 5)how are the automatic transmissions in these models(ours was 5 speed std.) are the prone to failures(like my ford taurus) 6)any recalls or tsb that i should know about.our old 92 was very trustworthy and reliable throughout its life with one alternator replaced,one oul pan and a belt tensioner. any input would be greatly appreciated. tia ,jeff