I got to go to LA for the weekend and it is gonna be a 6 hour drive ( I'll be coming from up north, so I got to go through a really steep mountain). I got a 98 Saturn sc2 automatic with 196k miles. Just last week I went to San Francisco (which was a 2 hour drive) and I had no problems. Everything is up to date and in great condition, other then a bit of oil leak, but that's because of a leak in the back of the head gasket, and it's ok, it's dry on the inside/sparks plugs. Never had overheating problems, with the worst being a bit over the half mark on heavy traffic. Any thing else I should check or do before I go or is this just to much for the car.
Have your car checked by a mechanic. He will tell you if it can make it or not.
Don't forget to change the coolant and engine oil
For safety check your tires and brake pads
And get it inspected by mechanic who know what he is doing
Check hoses and belts, replace if there's any doubt about their condition. You don't need to blow a hose in the middle of a 6-hour drive in extremely hot weather, or have an old cracking serpentine belt let loose. Check tires for pressure, tread, and any signs of dry rot. I'd replace them if older than 6 or 7 years old if going on a long high-speed drive.
The external head gasket leak is a bit of a concern. On some engines it won't necessarily go any further, on others it's a precursor to complete head gasket failure. I don't know which category the Saturn falls into, so all I can say is keep an eye on it.
EDIT: Looking at dates though it looks like you've probably already left - good luck!
No I haven't left yet, needed to do some planning first. As for the head gasket I hope it's just need to reajust the rubber, although I had to already. Anyways thanks
It's quite possible the leak at the back of your engine is just the valve cover gasket rather than the head gasket. If so it is not a serious condition.