Saturn ION

dlp314

I liked the side impact bars, and the the crumlple zones in the front and back- dlp

dindak

Crash tests haven't been done, but I would be very surprised if the ION didn't do fairly well. Most new cars are doing much better and the VUE which came out last year is very well rated.

vocus : There are 2 steering systems on the Alero. The variable assist system if you had it, takes some getting used to.

vocus

I don't know, this was a rental car and a 1999 model with the 4-cylinder engine. It might have been standard, not variable. It was very twitchy feeling to me, it took me awhile to get used to it.

himiler

News Flash -- EVERY passenger car sold in the US has door beams and front and rear crumple zones. They're mandated by the Feds.

It's just that Saturn makes a huge deal over them.

vuefor2

Vocus :: I have no issues with the steering. It seems to work just fine.

Dlp314 ::: The Ion is a great car. Even in base form, I think it's a really safe and inexpensive car with a lot of space and features.

Regfootball :: I used to play football in high school and I run every second day. Am I a typical Saturn nerd also?

dunworth

I think the Ion would be a fine choice for a young female. The small Saturns have been very reliable and dealer service is probably the best (period), especially for small economy cars.

The only thing is that not all areas have dealerships close by and regular GM dealerships do not always know the cars as well. Also in Canada, non-dealer service on my previous Saturns was sometimes a problem since they did not have the parts (for the first 6 months of ownership I lived far away from a dealer). If your daughter is going off to college/university soon, dealer proximity might be a consideration.

aveman

Dip314 the Ion should be a fine car. How does your daughter feel driving it. If she is comfortable with the feel of it go for it. It has pretty good weight for a small car. I would think it would inspire confidence on the highway.Has she driven it yet?

dindak

vocus : 4 cyl models can have either steering system. Depends on whether it's a GX or GL.

dunworth : Most medium size cities have a Saturn dealer. You could say the same thing about a Honda dealership though. Small towns generally just have GM /Ford or Chrysler though.

uga91

Found an Ion 2 with auto, convenience package and alloys in silver-blue this weekend. GMAC came through with 0% APR, so we are going to get it after work tonight. This will be our third Saturn after our 1995 SL2 and 1999 SL2, but the first with an automatic! I look forward to years of good service from this Ion like I got from the other two Saturns.

regfootball

I dunno, I don't think I made the nerd comment? or did I? In any case, I would not profess no know if you are a nerd. All of us are nerds in some way.

dip314, the Saturn will be a good choice for your daughter, but do yourself a benefit and go check out all the competitors as well. There are so many excellent cars in the compact class. Saturn Ion has unique attributes that your daughter will either love or hate. If she likes the car though, that's all the reason you need to buy it. You know how teenagers are though....they may want something entirely different then what you think they would want.

I would highly recommend you check out the Focus, Corolla, Protege and Protege5, Sentra, Jetta / Golf / Beetle, Civic, Aerio, Lancer, and Neon as well.

If you want something for her while she goes into college, consider something with more cargo space like the Vibe / Matrix, PT Cruise, Outlander, and the wagon or hatch versions of some of the cars above. In two years she may need to haul a ton of stuff to her dorm.

dindak, did you drive the manual or automatic?

Anyone know how the GM loyalty thing works? My dad has a 83 Chevette he could sell to me for a dollar, would that qualify me for the loyalty rebate? That and my GM card would pay for a supercharger on a new Vibe. Or Ion if they ever make a supercharger for it. Even though I have major issues with the Ion, the current discounts may make it attractive. BTW, I priced out L series on Carsdirect and oh my are there some good deals right now. I configured an L200 manual with leather and sunroof and special edition that was 17 grand or so.

dlp314

While at the dealer on saturday, we told them I have a Monte Carlo- They didn't ask for proof, and we got and additional 1000. off for this GM loyalty. I would call the dealer and check. Thanks for all the suggestions- keep them coming. I've had a Sentra, which had lots of problems. I've never been crazy about ford or Dodge- Neon seems pretty small to me. Toyotas are always good, but I think they're more expensive and not much of a rebate offered. The Protege , once I added all the features we wanted (auto, CD, ABS) was more expensive also.
Thanks again!

vocus

The Ford, VW, and Dodge are unreliable from what I have heard. I have a VW now, and have had some rattle troubles with it and the coil problem, but that's it in 35K miles.

I also had 2 Proteges, both of which suffered small transmission problems that were never solved (one with 38K, the other with 20K). A friend had a Sentra which he totalled, and he had alot of small problems with it too (mostly brakes). My co-worker used to have a 93 SL2, and she eventually blew the engine because it burned oil like crazy.

Toyotas are more expensive (like Hondas are), but you get a nice return on them upon trade-in time. If you trade alot, be wary of choosing a car with a large rebate. You will definitely feel that later upon trade-in time, in the form of increased depreciation.

dindak

" If you trade alot, be wary of choosing a car with a large rebate"

So long as you get the rebate, it's really not an issue. You pay less so you get less at trade in time, real simple actually.

Reg : Drove the 5-speed automatic.

uga91 : good luck on the ION purchase.

vocus

Been there, done that. Got a car with a rebate and below invoice on top of it, still ended up negative after 2 years on the loan.

In addition, have you checked trade-in values of 02 L Series Saturns yet? They are in the $8000s...

dunworth

Actually, with all the really cheap financing and the longer terms (especially in the US) I understand the average car buyer in the US is now taking 26 months to break even on a loan. This is with vehicle afforbalility at 20 year lows - it only take 18 weeks salary in the US to buy an average car.

When I switched my '01 SL I just broke even only because I was able to use the full CDN $3500 from my GM visa towards the original pruchase, and I got low financing and a decent trade on my '92 SL. This low purchase cost allowed me to take a lowish trade value. Otherwise I could not have bought my '03 Civic.

Resale does matter if you do not keep your cars for very long. Ask any Ford or Hyundai owner. Saturns used to have decent resale until the current bunch of rebates and financing deals.

saturnfreak01

"Resale does matter if you do not keep your cars for very long. Ask any Ford or Hyundai owner. Saturns used to have decent resale until the current bunch of rebates and financing deals."

   Well Said.

vocus

As I said, rebates wreck resale value. Thanks for making my point for me.

regfootball

yeah but if your cars are overpriced then you need rebates to adjust the price to what customers really think the car is worth paying for.

dindak

Selling a car after 2 years doesn't make a lot of cent$ anyway no matter what you drive... Unless you have to of course. Keep in mind, the 0% financing is part of the incentive and I'm assuming incentives don't go any higher over the course of ownership. If incentives go up, you will loose in resale also. I'll bet that's what happened to you.

vocus

I had high mileage on the car (38K, and it was 2 years old), so that didn't help either.

dlp314

We are contemplating purchasing the Saturn Ion for my daughter, as I have said, and are hopeful she'll have it for 6 years until she graduates from college. So resale really isn't a problem. I routinely drive over 35000/year, so I buy cars new for myself, and buy a new one in 5 years. Resale again not an issue. HOWEVER, after being at the dealer saturday and impressing upon him how this car was a SURPRISE birthday present for my daughter, he called yesterday while I was at work and left the message that "He had found the Saturn Ion I was looking for and to contact him so he could put me in the car" Want to guess the first person to hear this message? I am sure my daughter realizes whats going on, and I'm extremely disappointed in the Saturn dealer. Actually we hadn't even 100% decided to the purchase the car at this time- he really messed up.

shouldionone

I have been looking at Honda Civic, Suzuki and Saturn Ion. Can't decide between the three. Anyone out there who can help...please!!! Give me your best argument for/against ION. I appreciate all/any help.

(by the way, I plan on keeping this car for as many years as humanly possible)

vuefor2

We looked at the Civic as we had one, but we were not all that impressed with the car or the prices. We narrowed it down to the Protege, Corolla and the Ion and went with the Ion because :

1. We liked the looks of the car and the center IP is cool
2. Big trunk, polymer doors (no dents ever) and a peppy engine
3. We really like Saturns sales/service, always treated well there
4. 0% financing for 60 months was the clincher.

No problems or issues for the car at all after over 2 months. We have an Ion 2 with ABS.

dunworth

I bought the '03 Civic which in my opinion is a vastly better built, better looking and more refined vehicle than the Aerio or Ion. The latter two have more power but use more fuel.

I liked the way all of them drove, but disliked the Ion's looks (inside and out) and the Aerio's interior (digital dash - yuck). But this is my personal taste.

Each of them would be a good choice however assuming you like the style/ dealer etc. The Civic will be worth more when you go to sell it. Even if you keep the car a long time or with high mileage you will still be able to get something reasonable for the Civic.

You will probably get the best price on the Ion, but Civics have lower overall operating costs (better fuel economy, higher resale, fewer repairs etc). Civic are more expensive to buy due to fewer rebates and can be more expensive to insure in a urban area.

Happy car shopping!

lngtonge18

I'll try to make this as simple as possible. If your priorities lie in fuel economy and high resale, buy the Civic. If you prefer a high comfortable seating position, strong low rpm performance, extremely roomy interior, big trunk, long powertrain warranty, high feature content, and unique looks, buy the Aerio. If you prefer dent resistant door panels, large trunk, big incentives, and unique funky styling, buy the Ion.

dindak

I would agree that the build quality of the Civic is better, but the driving dynamics are not as good. I also found the front seat of the Civic a little cramped. Honda's are always known for their quality and resale, but they are also a dime a dozen on the road so you get zero in the way of anyone even noticing your car. Maybe that's a good thing with the police, but young women like to be noticed.

vocus

I found the driver's seat of the Civic very cramped for me. The ION was a tiny bit short of legroom for me too. Of course, I am 6'3, so that happens to me alot.

Never drove an Aerio, but I sat in one. I felt like the car would collapse if I were in an accident in it, so I didn't bother with it.

dunworth

Dindak, you are correct that you get noticed in an Aerio and the Ion much more than in the conservative Civic which is the best selling car in Canada and one of the top selling in the US as well.

I am a guy as is shouldionone (I think) so I don't know if getting noticed for my car is important(it is not to me).

Oddly,despite driving a really common car, I do get noticed for my car because of the unique "Galapagos Green" color which is new for '03, a kind of jade colour not generally found in this price class. Also most young men (not like me in my thirties) who want to get noticed drive some sort of Civic albeit with modifications.

With regards to the driving dynamics and seat comfort - I prefer the Civic in both regards. But of course everyone is a different size. I found the Ion steering a bit odd, not terrible, but nowhere near the responsiveness of the Civic. Plus the Civic has a nice big normal looking steering wheel of high quality as opposed the smallish "chicken pot pie" (great description)steering wheel on the Ion (both of my old S series had better steering wheels). Both the Ion and Civic have a nice quiet ride. The Ion's front seats are OK but the rear seat comfort is like the old S series with a lowish seat cushion. It is not comfortable as a Civic or Corolla which place the cushions higher (plus give you much better upholstery. The Ion is bigger than the Civic but for me the Civic is more comfortable overall.

Actually, if you want to get noticed spend a little more and buy a Hyundai Tiburon - the best looking coupe on the market, or a Acura RSX (radar bait). The Ion coupe is also unique looking (I don't like it as much as the old Saturn SC).

dindak

ION is definitely a more quiet ride than the Civic. I personally was not impressed with the Civics handling though it was ok. The green color would certainly be nice as 80% of the Civics I see are black or gray.

Don't like the Tiburon much though its a huge improvement over the old which is hideous. The RSX is real nice and the ION coupe is also.

aveman

Do yo do alot of highway driving. the Aerio is tall and some people mention it being sensitive to crosswinds. Any of the cars would be fine, which drives best to you.Take a nice long test drive and don't answer any stupid questions while driving. Don't play the radio while driving.If resale is not an issue buy whichever you like best. I think the suzuki may have the best warranty of the bunch right now.

dunworth

I know you have an Alero. Definitely one of GMs better designs. Do you or have you owned Saturns in the past?

Out of curiosity why did you choose the Alero over the L series Saturn.

uga91

We got $4k for our 1999 SL2 with 57k mi., 5 speed and manual everything toward our Ion yesterday. Plus we got the $1000 GM loyalty rebate, free floormats ($80 on the sticker, $120 at the parts counter), and a $250 mall gift card for using the internet salesman. We can't complain at all!

dindak

Bot out Alero 11 months ago. The L was more expensive (at the time anyway) and didn't have all the features the Alero has. We got a base Alero with automatic and ABS / 4 wheel discs for the same price as where the L-started with a manual and no ABS (just under C$21K) with the same motor. At that time there was no cash back on Saturns and the finance rates weren't as good either. The Saturn sales rep just couldn't do anything at the time either. Alero has been a real good car, only issue has been a fogged up head light.

If the ION was around, I would have looked at it seriously as it's not much smaller (if at all) and would have been a little less expensive.

wwhite2

Ion 3 should be offered with a wheel delete option so we can bring our own aftermarket wheels

regfootball

yes indeed. I'm more than sure it would be a popular option. They could promote the option by handing out tire rack coupons at the door! LOL! Those Ion wheels would look great on a Toro or Cub Cadet (flames!) except they are a little large. I think the Ion 3 wheel design is a leftover option from the base Pontiac Fiero back in 84 or something.

uga91, only 4 grand for a 99 Saturn? I know used values are taking hits right now but 4 grand seems at least a thousand to 1500 low even for wholesale value.

vuefor2

Dunworth ::: I wouldn't say the Civic is "vastly" better built. The panels have a tighter fit, but the Civic does not have polymer panels that expand and contract either. Quality if the paint on the Ion is just as good. Materials on the dash of the Civic are a little better but it's all a trade off in the end.

Regfootball ::: You just move from one part of the Ion to another in your burn campaign don't you? Oy!

Uga91 ::: Did you buy an Ion? What did you get?

debdoozy

"Ion 3 should be offered with a wheel delete option so we can bring our own aftermarket wheels"

I guess it all depends on your own specific taste. I've had several good compliments on my Ion3, including the wheels. I like everything about my car.

uga91

It was a 1999 SL2, but it had a manual transmission and crank windows. The only option the car had on it was the premium sound system (2 upgrades better than the stock radio the SL2 would have had standard). Kelly Blue Book gave it a trade in value of about $3995 and a local Honda dealer offered less toward a new Civic LX. Since it has been a long time since I even heard of anyone being offered what kbb.com suggests, I was happy. Plus, remember that brand new 2002 SL series are $4000 off sticker, so I would think the market for a 4 year old SL would not be too great right now. Like I said before, I'm not complaining.

uga91

I did get a new Ion. It is a slver-blue Ion 2 with automatic, convenience package and upgraded alloy wheels. They even threw in the floormats. We thought about an Ion 3 to get fog lights, automatic headlights, 16" wheels with performance tires and an arm rest; but, in the end we decided the cloth pattern of the seats and the wheels were not things that we could get over enough to warrant the extra toys of the Ion 3. This is our third Saturn and I'm hoping it holds up as well as the first two--I don't know why it would not!

uga91

No offense meant to you about the wheels of the Ion 3. Obviously, there are many people who like the pattern--otherwise it would not be offered! I would have liked have the Firehawk tires your car has over the Affinity tires mine has, but I like the wheels offered on mine better. I'm glad to hear you like your car and get compliments on it!

debdoozy

No offense taken. I hope you enjoy your Ion2. I love the color that you got. That was my first choice, but our Marrietta dealer didn't have the silver-blue in the Ion3 and I would have gotten the 2, but I really wanted all the upgrades that came with the car. I did get the cranberry color, which I'm very glad now that I did get. Enjoy!

dunworth

uga91- Congrats on the new car. I am sure you will enjoy it.

vuefor2 - the paint on the small Saturns has always been as good as the Japanese stuff. I know about the wider gaps on the plastic body panels having owned two SLs.

My comment about the Civic is that they have sweated more of the small details (consistent character lines, better quality interior, vastly better ergonomics). I notice it more having grown up mostly with American cars. Only my old Volvo was better but it was more expensive.

I think the Ion is as good a car (reliability and durability etc) and will serve its owners just as well as any of the Japanese stuff.

himiler

I think the Ion's paint quality is superior to that of the Civic's.

dindak

Interior materials of the Civic are better than the ION but I like the driving set up of the better (steering wheel aside). Reliability of the cars should be similar.

aveman

Well, I think the owners of Ion 3's can take comfort in the fact that you probably would be hard pressed to get a better performing wheel for a resonable price. OEM wheels tend to give a nice mix of width and weight that is hard to match in the after market. You can find cool wheels but probaly not wheels that will offer better performance.I find that many of the nice looking wheels always seem a little wider than needed or heaveir or don't fit your car or are just too damm expensive.Also some very respected wheel makers have features simalar to Ion. Ronal comes to mind.

himiler

It's just too bad they look like something lifted off a John Deere.

At least their relatively open design keeps plenty of air moving over the brakes.

bigdaddycoats

announced.

ION quad coupe 2
2.2L 4-cylinder manual, $14,595
2.2L 4-cylinder VTi, $15,495
Standard equipment: air conditioning, AM/FM stereo with CD and four extended range speakers.

ION quad coupe 3
2.2L 4-cylinder manual, $16,095
2.2L 4-cylinder VTi, $16,995
Standard equipment: power windows, remote keyless entry with alarm, power mirrors, cruise control, 16-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, AM/FM stereo with CD/cassette, auto tone control and four coaxial speakers.
Taken from GM media site.

uga91

I like the way the Ion seems to be set up for less maintenance than the S-Series was. On the automatic, there is no transmission fluid dip stick as the sealed transmission is not meant to have anything done to it at all until the fluid gets replaced at 100,000 miles. Electronic steering means no power steering fluid reservoir. The coolant and the plugs are good until 100,000 miles as well. The only bad thing is the cartridge drop in oil filter. I guess until these cars get more common I will have to get service at the dealer. Not that that is such a horrible thing, though.

uga91

I like the cranberry myself, but I had the dark red (maroon-like) color on my SL2, so I wanted something different. Black was actually my favorite color; but, it is so hard to keep clean and it gets very hot here in Atlanta. So, we went with our 2nd choice, silver-blue.

debdoozy

Yeah, I liked the black alot also, but I totally agree with you. It's just gets way too hot here in Atlanta to deal with a black car. Plus with all the pollen right now, yuck! My car already looks funny with all the yellow on it. My last Saturn was black, so I wanted something a little different as well.