2003 Saturn ION Review

it can happen

Written by: rodknee on 10/25/2009

Vehicle

2003 Saturn ION 2 4dr Sedan (2.2L 4cyl 5M)

Review

ready for this,, 285000 miles on mine saturn. yes,,now here;s the deal. problems,, interior,, well cheap,my power windows worked when they want to ,, fixed that, just move the wire in the door heading into compartment engine power locks stink.. pain sometimes, horn not so good., have a couples .brakes pads rotors, doesnt like the cold weather either,, have to warm up before the car will turn over, but in general this car been pretty good,,simple wear and tear. inside looks kinda crappy outside still looks good.

Favorite Features

like the 5 speed that many miles same clutch.it is what it is,, 13500 paid for, i think,, 285000 miles plus,, no real complaints

Suggested Improvements

interior... sounds.. noise,,, eletrical..

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A good car

Written by: AJ on 08/03/2009

Vehicle

2003 Saturn ION 1 4dr Sedan (2.2L 4cyl 5M)

Review

My dad bought the car new in 2004. And the two of us have put over 70,000 miles on it sense with very few problems. The greatest one being the starter, a factory problem, that we have had changed out twice (its a $30 part, with labor being at least 3 times the cost of the part). Other than that simply doing the basics, oil change, alignments etc. One notable experience was when i drove through 1 mile of flooded road over a foot of water and i made it through, no stalling or problems after exiting the water.

Favorite Features

dent resistant paneling, nice pick-up for a 4 cyl. Still has pep power while traveling 60mph.

Suggested Improvements

better gas mileage like every other car on the market, air/heat control gets stuck when i want heat!

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Would buy another

Written by: azgirl on 07/07/2009

Vehicle

2003 Saturn ION 2 4dr Coupe (2.2L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I like my Ion. Six years after purchasing, it's a great value. I don't drive it hard. Maybe if I drove it more, it would have more issues. Six years and less than 37K miles, the only issues I've had are a drivers side power window issue (fixed under warranty), and I now need new bushings. Love the interior and exterior styling and would buy another if they were still in production.

Favorite Features

Instrumentation in the center of the dash, instead of behind the steering wheel.

Suggested Improvements

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Owned this car 6 years, 89,000 miles

Written by: Cher on 03/26/2009

Vehicle

2003 Saturn ION 2 4dr Sedan (2.2L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I enjoyed owning this car 6 years. However, I wish I would have bought the 04 Ion instead of the 03 one. Never buy a new model of car the first year it comes out, too many little glitches. Saturn did fix many of these glitches and the transmission in 04, 05 models. The automatic transmission was too bumpy in the 03 model. No major problems with this car. Only broke down once. Bought 100,000 mile/7 year warranty. Wish I hadn't because the Ion was pretty dependable.

Favorite Features

very smooth-responsive steering, sporty exterior, great handling around corners, peppy engine for a 4 cylinder, love the plastic exterior that doesn't rust or dent easily (however, my bad driving did manage to dent it, but you have to hit something really hard to dent this car)

Suggested Improvements

Smoother automatic transmission (however, my relative who is a Saturn mechanic said transmission improved in later models), better seat cloth that doesn't stain so easily, better gas millage

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6 Satisfied Years with the ION

Written by: mcgregwood on 03/17/2009

Vehicle

2003 Saturn ION 2 4dr Sedan (2.2L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I must say that this car was fun to drive. It handled better than any car I drove, even my new 2009 Cobalt. I really liked having the dash in the middle, you just have to get used to it. Of course I had little problems here and there, nothing major. I shouldn't have bought a new model of car the first year it came out. I should have waited till 2004 to buy the ION after all the little kinks where worked out. Overall I was pretty satisfied with the ION. Only broke down on my once in 6 years. The car still looked great when I traded it in last week. I love the fact that Saturns don't rust. I would recommend this car to anyone, but it's better to buy a 2004 or newer model.

Favorite Features

Handles great, fun to drive, okay on gas, extremely safe car, Saturn's customer service is great, great in the snow (only if you get snow tires), sporty exterior, doesn't rust, very roomy for a compact car and a great overall value. Putting dash in middle was a great idea.

Suggested Improvements

Interior is cheap looking with too much plastic, cloth on seats stains easily, wind blows it around on the open high way and automatic transmission is bumpy sometimes. Other than that, great car for the money.

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