2004 Saturn ION

Pros: Acceleration, Recaro front seats, exterior styling, rear seat access
Cons: Poor visibility, tachometer location, gear ratios, heavy clutch, busy ride, rear seat comfort

My review of the 2003 ION was very negative. At first I received many critical comments and emails from Saturn fans. Then the professional reviews appeared, and they similarly panned the car. So why I am driving another ION? Well, this time around I ...

Pros: Saturn's customer service is simply amazing. The Ion's modern interior is also a plus.
Cons: Awful steering, vague clutch, irritating shift light.

My Experience I test drove a Saturn Ion 2 5-speed sedan at a local dealership. My test drive lasted over half an hour, and covered city streets, winding secondary roads, and the freeway. Performance A theme which you'll quickly ...

Pros: Driving position, visibility, go-kart like handling, engine noise. Standard CD plays R/W media.
Cons: Can't program keyless without dealer. No passenger assist handles. Rattles, crappy service from dealer.

Let me start this review by stating that since I was a teenager, I wanted a Saturn. When I was in college, I was very close to buying a metallic purple '97 SC2. Looked again in 2000, and was thrilled when the L-series was released on my birthday! ...

Pros: Dual Rear Access Doors, Polymer Panels, and Nice Styling
Cons: Plastic Parts of Dash, Rear Seat Room, and Sub-par Tires

I purchased my Silver Nickel 2004 Saturn ION-3 Quad Coupe in late October of 2004. It was a spur-of-the-moment action. I traded in my Blue 2002 Saturn SC1, which had well over 40,000 miles. It was a great little, which I still miss. Anyway, one of ...

Pros: Price, look and feel, rear doors, dealer experience.
Cons: Drivers side blind spot.

I had a used '99 SC1 that I had purchased in 2002 and intended to drive into the ground. I had a great experience at the dealership and enjoyed driving the car, even though it was fairly basic and didn't have any upgrades or power anything. The car got ...

Pros: Good gas mileage, great safety, affordable and spacious
Cons: I have not found anything that I do not like about this car.

I just purchased a 2004 Saturn ION 2. I did much research and found that this is the car that best meets my needs and criteria: reliability, warranty, durability, safety, and it has to get good gas mileage. I talked with many other Saturn owners, and a ...

Pros: value for the dollar, dealer service, plastic exterior panels. ease of maintenance.
Cons: fit and finish, overly sensitive steering, small steering wheel, noisy cabin.

This is my third Saturn. I had a 1994 SL2, a 2000 SL2 and now this car. I bought this car based on the experience that I had with the previous two Saturns. Living in western Canada and using the car for day to day getting to work and then off to the ...

Pros: A lot of car for the money: good overall performance, interior/exterior quality, styling, roominess
Cons: Lower gas mileage vs. some competitors, but little else to complain about.

We recently went car shopping for my son, who will be heading off to college next year. After investigating the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Chevy Cavalier and a few others, we ended up with the ION, and so far, we are very happy with it. At first, we ...

Pros: Smooth shifting of the transmission. Good handling. More room than previous Saturn coupes.
Cons: Huge blind spot on the passenger. Worse gas mileage than I expected.

I have had two Saturn's before this one and have had different opinions of both, but generally both have been reliable for their condition. I was not looking for another Saturn, but ended up making the last minute decision and bought the Ion 2 Quad ...

Pros: Power, corners well, Price, Polymer Sides, No Haggle Pricing, good cash back/financing incentives.
Cons: Firestone Tires, Front tends to float at highway speed, excessive wind noise, handles feel cheap.

PRE-PURCHASE: I compared the Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra, Honda Civic, Kia Spectra and of course the Ion. Mostly what I was after was the most power for the smallest price tag. Anything else was just icing on the cake. The Ion has the largest engine ...

Pros: Affordable, good sound system, SAFE!, sleek, good first car, nice turning ability.
Cons: Not a "sports car". Four cylinder engine. Needs care in poor weather.

How do I know this would be a good first car? Because I'm a teen, and I have one. If you have a teen that needs a car that's 1)cheap, 2)sleek, and 3)safe, then this is your car. Parents, this is a great answer to your safety concerns. Highest rating in ...

Pros: Atractive styling, great handling, VTi transmission provides smooth ride, great dealership expierience!!
Cons: Small cheesy steering wheel.

I just recently purhcased a 2004 Saturn Ion Quad 3 Coupe. The car had everything that I could have wanted in it. Black, upgraded stereo, spoiler, power everything, all the little trinkets that the three carriers, and it was a manual. It get's great ...

Pros: Body style is nice looking, good truck space
Cons: Seat fabric, transmission, plastic interior, cheap carpet, A/C whining, interior noise

I purchased the ION 2 back in November of 2003 when they first came out and the main reason was because it was the cheapest on insurance. I originally went to the dealership to look at a used SL but, as a typical salesman will do he talked me into ...

Pros: Stylish 4$, Great $, ok gas mileage, good handling, good eng for V4.
Cons: Interior finish is poor & seems cheap. Interior noise is loud over 25mph.

I have a 2004 ION 2 with @ 11K miles. Overall a pretty good bang for the buck, however it is by NO means a great car or value. I have had the car in once this first year because both front struts were loose and one actually came off (& I needed to get ...

Pros: reliable, perfectly decent car
Cons: cannot jump other cars, no open-door indicators

We bought our 2004 Saturn Ion two years ago, have put about 30,000 miles on it, and are still happy with it. The only problems we've had: the front passenger door would not unlock with the remote (it turned out something that had been left inside ...