Saturn SL

Price Paid:  $14040.00 from Saturn of Raynham

Year / Model Reviewed:
2003 ION

Strengths:
The look, the price, the options, The styling is awesome.

Weaknesses:
starter probelms, alloy wheel cracking at 6000 miles. interior colors are to lite and easily picks up dirt.

Summary:
When I bought my 2003 ION, I have to say its is the most appealing car I have ever seen Saturn make. She is an excellent car. However my biggest mistake was to buy a car the first time they come out. {because there still trying to work the bugs out} I have had a started problem with my car already brought it back three times. Even though Saturn is excellent with there service I was upset about this problem because I just got rid of my 1995 Toyota Corolla with the same problem. At my 6000 mile check up My alloy wheel was cracking. Saturn replaced it with no problems. They have been very good with the starter situation I must say. We'll see what happen, but if it keeps doing it well I will return back to my foreign cars.

Similar Products Used:
1995 toyota corolla{ had 185,000 when I traded it in, but it had its problems too

Price Paid:  $11000.00 from Saturn of Santa Ana

Year / Model Reviewed:
2003 Saturn/ Ion

Strengths:
Strong responsive engine A/C works great! Tight turning radius Smooth riding Large spacious trunk

Weaknesses:
Seats may be uncomfortable on long trips (have yet to test this though) No map lights on this level trim Funky interior fabric choices Rear seat leg-room could be better (I'm 6')

Summary:
This is our second Saturn and we are even more satisfied with this one than the first...We purchased a SL1 the first year the cars were introduced(1990)and never looked back. We traded that car with 120k miles for a VW Jetta (what a mistake!) and even got a great deal on the trade! Then when our Hyundai Accent was recently totaled, we decided to take a look at the new Saturn Ion. What a great improvement over the previous SL vehicle. A much improved and quieter engine with additional horsepower that pulls this car along very competently and it still has the stainless steel timing chain so no additional maintenance there... We bought a 5 speed manual which shifts very smoothly and easily. There have been some unusually hot days here in Calif. lately and the AC system works great! Our Ion 1 has very little in the way of "luxury" features but some of the features it does include are 60/40 split rear seatbacks which are lowered via handles in the trunk, a trunk-located battery which extends the life of the battery due to the lack of exposure to engine heat (you can jump-start from the engine compartment or truck..what a great idea!),adjustable steering column,dual 12 volt power outlets, timed rear window defogger and daytime running lights. We picked the Ion 1 due to the fact that we preferred the interior fabric with this vehicle more than the Ion 2 (although I liked the options more on the Ion 2). The center dash-mounted speedometer etc. is different and I wasn't sure how I would like it. Having driven the car for a while now though I DO like it because it totally clears the field of vision in front of the driver. Too soon to tell on the gas mileage but looks to be close to the advertised #'s - 26 city and 33 highway. So far so good based on our experience with Saturn the first time around, I don't expect any problems with this Saturn either...

Similar Products Used:
Saturn SL1,VW Jetta,Daewoo Leganza, Mitsubishi Mirage, Hyundai Accent

Price Paid:  $13000.00 from Saturn of Roseville

Year / Model Reviewed:
2002 SL2

Strengths:
gas mileage

Weaknesses:
everything breaks

Summary:
I hate this car and the service. I have a 2002 and have nothing but problems. First it was leaking everytime it rained. Bad seal on windshield. Then the rotars at less than 36,000 miles. The regular maintence is expensive. Then at 49,000 miles I had to have the ignition housing replaced. Now at 50,000 miles I have to spend a lot of money to have a leak from the tranmission fixed.

Similar Products Used:
nothing

Price Paid:  $12000.00 from Saturn of Wauk

Year / Model Reviewed:
2002 SL

Strengths:
Fantastic gas mileage, reliable, cozy (I like smaller cars), keeps me out of trouble, it's offered in stick (most companies aren't making them anymore), you can always upgrade, a great starter car.

Weaknesses:
looks could be better (looks like it has a unibrow), O2 sensor, the Check engine light will come on in really cold temps

Summary:
I have had my Saturn now for 2 years-bought brand new. It was my grad present and the second saturn my family has bought. This car is very cute--I love it. And the gas mileage it gets is outstanding-especially for long highway trips (40 miles to the gallon!!) Plus limiting me to 100 hp is a very good thing. I do recommend the stick shift though. It feels like a little more hp with a stick. I've only had one minor problem in the cable for the O2 sensor--the sensor in the tailpipe that checks the emissions for the correct amounts of oil, fuel, and condensation. If it wasn't under warranty, it would have been a b**** to repair. But other than that it's been a good car. All three we own are, in fact.

Similar Products Used:
had a chrysler concorde (stupid car-couldn't run for anything), and a hundai excel hatch back (you ever really want to hate SUVs)

Price Paid:  $12000.00 from Dealership

Year / Model Reviewed:
2002 sl

Strengths:
Great gas mileage, wow.

Weaknesses:
Everything else. Engine, transmission, clutch, ect....

Summary:
Car has been a total pile. I have owned it for 18 months now and it has been nothing but problems. I have gone through 2 transmission rebuilds, 3 clutches, a gear box, a crank shaft and rods in the car. The crank shaft is going bad again, it will need another her in a few thousand miles, same with the clutch. I do not drive it hard, race it or anything like that. I dont know what the deal is. When the car did run and work properly (the first six months or so) it had decent power, especially concidering it is an econo box. The engine has good torque, driving around at lower speeds is pretty easy. However, there is now highway power at all. Pass on a 2 lame highway at your own risk. It cant climb a hill in 5th gear on the highway, so you have to down shift to 4th to climb it, and then unless you want to wind the motor up like crazy, you better only go about 60, b/c above that it is really spinning. This gets to be a hassle when the speed limit is 75. Handling is ok, nothing too exciting. The seats however, are awful, easily the worst I have ever had the displeasure of sitting in. At first they seem fine, but take it on a road trip and your back and legs will hurt. ugh. I am trading it in asap. Never will own another Saturn of any kind.

Similar Products Used:
70 GMC Pickup 72 Dodge Polara (a real car) 95 Plymouth Acclaim