Saturn Ion troubles?
- Thread starter ApacheBob
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Dean
Pattern Altitude
Just remember that Saturn is no more and re-sell value will be nothing, so plan on driving it until the wheels fall off.
SteveR
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I've got an '06 that I bought for $5,700 that has been trouble free for two years and is very cheap on gas. Good beater to save money for more important things...like airplanes.
ScottM
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iBazinga!
Bob everyone I know who got a Saturn was pretty happy with the reliability. That GM is getting rid of the brand may be of a little concern to you. The price you are looking is not too bad and if something were to go very wrong I would assume that the cost of repair approaching the cost of acquisition would mean that it is time to get a new vehicle. Most parts should not be an issue for a while as many of Saturn's wear items are the same as in other GM products.
RJM62
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Geek on the Hill
I owned a 2004 for a few years, which I traded in for my present Saturn Vue. The ION was a pleasure. Trouble-free, great on gas, comfortable, and well laid-out. I don't recall anything about it that would make me hesitate to buy another.
I think there was one recall on it for a turn signal pigtail or something along those lines, which Saturn fixed for free and which took about six minutes to do. Other than that, all it needed was routine maintenance and a brake job or two.
I put about 25,000 miles a year on my cars, by the way, mainly in stop-and-go NYC Metro Area traffic. So a couple of brake jobs in two years isn't out-of-line.
-Rich
I think there was one recall on it for a turn signal pigtail or something along those lines, which Saturn fixed for free and which took about six minutes to do. Other than that, all it needed was routine maintenance and a brake job or two.
I put about 25,000 miles a year on my cars, by the way, mainly in stop-and-go NYC Metro Area traffic. So a couple of brake jobs in two years isn't out-of-line.
-Rich
flyersfan31
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My MIL has an ION. Pretty much basic transportation. I found the inst. panel annoying, what with everything stuck in the middle. Like most GM products it will likely soldier on for years, looking and driving kinda crappy, but never dying.
RJM62
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I personally liked the center instrument panel. But yeah, others who drove my ION hated it.
-Rich
Ghery
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Ghery Pettit
Toyota Yaris has that, too. Rented one ONCE. I do not care for the arrangement, but that's personal preference. If you like it, great.
AggieMike88
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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
As one of the auto recyclers* who haunt the aviation discussion boards, I can tell you that the quantity of good quality replacement parts (both mechanical and collision) for the Saturns is still very high. So availability of what you need to keep your Saturn happy and continuing to save you money will be good for many years.
And you're correct that some of the Ion's parts appear on other vehicles. The Cobalt shares some, and I believe GM sold more of those than they did the Ion.
I also agree with driving a paid for vehicle until it doesn't make financial sense to keep repairing it. And even when replacement car is warranted, still sticking with a decent paid-for beater. I very much want the money I make to stay in my pockets (for aviation and other pursuits) than to pay interest and depreciation costs on a new vehicle. (that is the Dave Ramsey fanatic in me talking)
*In business to purchase wrecked and non-running vehicles to harvest the good parts for resale. We do our best to provide the same part you would get at the new source, with an as good or better guarantee and quality, but at a much reduced price.
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