Saturn SL

Price Paid:  $14040.00 from Saturn of Raynham

Year / Model Reviewed:
2003 ION

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.

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.

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

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...

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')

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

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.

Strengths:
gas mileage

Weaknesses:
everything breaks

Similar Products Used:
nothing

Price Paid:  $12000.00 from Saturn of Wauk

Year / Model Reviewed:
2002 SL

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.

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

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 Saturn of York, PA

Year / Model Reviewed:
2002 SL

Summary:
First off, I like the car in a reluctant sort of way. It fits my needs for good gas mileage and has air - my first with that option. It's pretty comfortable. It doesn't fly like my old civics with smaller engines but hey. The brake rotors had to be turned at under 30K and I drive nearly all highway. They need it again I'm afraid. I'm not sure how long this clutch and shifter are going to hold up - feel shaky. My civics held up forever driving the same way and NEVER needed rotor or shifter attention. When I close the door on the '90 Subaru you can hear the difference in quality. You can see it in the way the panels fit. Still, I have my fingers crossed.

Strengths:
pretty comfortable good mileage nice to have air... it looks nice across the lot

Weaknesses:
cheapness of the materials / construction don't feel very confident this thing is going to last already having to get work done on it at under 40K

Similar Products Used:
'87 Subaru wagon (305K) '90 " Loyale (225K) '80 & '81 Civics (200+K when "finished")