Used 2004 Saturn ION Sedan Consumer Reviews
Great car!!!!!!!!!
This car is so dependable and great on gas. I had previouser purchased a saturn. I would say it's up there with Honda and toyota.
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
First Impressions
Just purchased an '04 Ion 3 Special Edition Package. Very plush interior and amenities for under 20K. I actually traded in an '02 Subaru Impreza WRX (Expired Warranty, EXCESSIVE Ins. Premium) and will save $1800 in insurance a year. ...Anyway, about the Ion. Positive dealership experience and "Damn near give 'em away incentives" (GM Supplier Discount - $900 off of MSRP, $1500 Down Payment Assistance, and 0% financing) were exceptional incentives. Exceptional options on our Ion included a power sunroof, SHARP Tan & Black interior, Unique 16" Alloy Wheels (Replacing STD/OPT Wheels), and Anti- Lock Brakes w/ Traction Control.
Thought it would be better
I bought my Saturn based on friends who owned older ones. But, my Ion reflected GM's usual utter disregard for customer loyalty. The front suspension rattled @20,000 miles, the ignition switch froze in 20 deg. weather, the wiper gear case broke off, front wheel bearings began to make noise at 60,000 mi. After 4 yr my $2,000 warranty, 5 year warranty, "applied from the "day" the car was "assembled", so did NOTHING! The morning the 'check engine' light came on, and I could not discover why on my own, I went directly to Toyota, and, bought a Corolla. End of story. See other reviews listed here on this site, if you can get a used Ion, cheap, it's probably going give you good service, but beware.
Consider other options
I wish I'd bought a different vehicle. It just wasn't made well. I drive it minimally and I've had to repair it twice in one month. It does have almost 120k miles on it, so some of the repairs weren't entirely unexpected. But a day after picking it up from the shop for the second time in two months, the torsion bars in the trunk just fall out for no apparent reason. I haven't had any major mechanical problems, but all the little things have added up to almost the resell value of the car. It's also been sluggish the entire four years I've had it. The shop I took it to recommended replacing the throttle body. Basically, expect frequent repairs. I had more power with my 2001 Dodge Neon. Also, the interior is not comfortable. It's fine for short trips, but your back will hurt if you drive for over half an hour. You don't want to put yourself through a long trip. It's awful. Also, the installed headlight system is dangerously dim on dark roads, so test drive it at night first if you're considering buying a Saturn. It is fuel-efficient, but it's not fun to drive and mine has required frequent repairs, which have not been worthwhile considering the low resell cost. If you have other options, It would be better to save up and buy a car that is made well. I don't think it's just me getting unlucky with my car because when I look up how to fix the weird issues I've had with it, there's always a few other Saturn owners with the same, stupid problem, like the keys not coming out of the ignition (that one is fun).
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Car Won't Start
I bought a Saturn because I thought they were reliable and Saturn always made such a big deal of their great service. What a joke! I have the same IC chip problem in the ignition as lots of others. Before I knew this I contacted Saturn and they were absolutely not helpful. Told me to take it to a local GM dealer or drive and hour to the nearest Saturn dealer. No wonder they went out of business. I will never buy and never recommend a Saturn to anyone.