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#1
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Do I stick with Saturn?
My lease on my 2001 SL2 (33K) is almost up. My dealer wants to place me
in a 2005 Ion2...although a long time Saturn fan, I have heard mixed reviews about the Ion....The only non-insurance problem I have had with my SL2 was a dead battery, though I thnik the motor is not as zippy as it was. Do I walk away and look for another brand (e.g. Hyundi), buy the SL2 (about 10k CND) or go for the Ion...Any and all advice will be appreciated. |
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#2
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On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 20:26:08 -0500, bosco took >
wrote: >My lease on my 2001 SL2 (33K) is almost up. My dealer wants to place me >in a 2005 Ion2...although a long time Saturn fan, I have heard mixed >reviews about the Ion....The only non-insurance problem I have had with >my SL2 was a dead battery, though I thnik the motor is not as zippy as >it was. Do I walk away and look for another brand (e.g. Hyundi), buy >the SL2 (about 10k CND) or go for the Ion...Any and all advice will be >appreciated. I have been a two saturn owner for a while, and only recently a single saturn owner(one of my saturns gave it's life to protect my wifey from a red light runner). Althougth I have had great experiences with one, 96SL2, and very mixed with the other, 97SL2, I have to say I would have probly continued buying SL's but saturn changed that. I think if you look up consumer reportings, they said saturn's SL act was good with the last few years of the model, but then erased learned lessions about quality and design with the whole new ion model. When my 97SL2 goes, it will be my last saturn, unless I can get a good used 2002SL2. imho, Tom @ www.URLBee.com |
#3
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See if you can negotiate a better purchase price for the SL2.
"bosco took" > wrote in message ... > My lease on my 2001 SL2 (33K) is almost up. My dealer wants to place me > in a 2005 Ion2...although a long time Saturn fan, I have heard mixed > reviews about the Ion....The only non-insurance problem I have had with my > SL2 was a dead battery, though I thnik the motor is not as zippy as it > was. Do I walk away and look for another brand (e.g. Hyundi), buy the SL2 > (about 10k CND) or go for the Ion...Any and all advice will be > appreciated. |
#4
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On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 20:26:08 -0500, bosco took >
wrote: >My lease on my 2001 SL2 (33K) is almost up. My dealer wants to place me >in a 2005 Ion2...although a long time Saturn fan, I have heard mixed >reviews about the Ion....The only non-insurance problem I have had with >my SL2 was a dead battery, though I thnik the motor is not as zippy as >it was. Do I walk away and look for another brand (e.g. Hyundi), buy >the SL2 (about 10k CND) or go for the Ion...Any and all advice will be >appreciated. Get a red-line :-) I recently purchased an ION 3 quad coupe when the lease expired on my LS 300 and love it. One of the biggest criticisms of the ION is the crappy interior. However, if you get leather interior it changes everything. I would have gotten the red-line but my wife didn't want a standard transmission. -- 10 things men know about women: 1)?2)?3)?4)?5)?6)?7)?8)?9)?10) women have breasts |
#5
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Biker Geek wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 20:26:08 -0500, bosco took > wrote: > >> My lease on my 2001 SL2 (33K) is almost up. My dealer wants to place me >> in a 2005 Ion2...although a long time Saturn fan, I have heard mixed >> reviews about the Ion.... > > > I had a '98 SL2. My mom liked it so much, she went out and > bought a new 2003 Ion 2 in the spring of that year. A year > later, she passed away. I inherited the car when it was a year > old and had 4,000 miles on it. I then sold my '98 when it had > 80,000 miles on it and have now been driving the '03 Ion for > about six months and 6,000 miles, including a couple trips from > Boston to DC and back. > > My biggest complaint is that the seats are nowhere near as > comfortable on long trips, and the material isn't as nice. The > adjustable lumbar support is gone from the driver's seat. The > car in general feels "cheap" where the SL2 did not, in ways that > I can't quite put my fingr on. > > The center instrument binnacle is goofy. Unlike some Ion owners, > I've grown accustomed to it, but I still think it's a mis-design. > > The HVAC control unit had to be replaced at about 8,000 miles > due to failure of the fan switch. My car needs the DRL recall > and the headlamp lens on the right side has started turning a > milky white near the top. By contrast, my SL2 had two minor > problems during its warranty period: as delivered, the right > hand headlamp assembly was loose (corrected next day by the > dealer) and the reverse light switch died at about 22,000 miles > resulting in failure of the reverse lamps (fixed under warranty). > > They did rearrange the dash so that use of the cupholders no > longer blocks access to the heater controls. The door > pockets are also now sufficiently large to hold a standard-sized > folded road map. Those were my two most-hated annoyances on my > SL2. > > On the other hand, the cigarette lighter^H^H^H^H^H^Hpower outlet > is in a place that's utterly useless. Try releasing the > handbrake while not whacking whatever's plugged in there. > > The car is peppier than I expected for a 4cyl with an automatic > (my SL2 was a 5-speed). It's pretty fun to drive, for a family > econo-sedan. > > I'm not sure what the Ion 3 would get you other than power > everything. > I understand that the seats have been changed in the 05 model...but all in all the few comments posted so far are not exactly overwhelmingly positive can one really negotiate a better purchase price? What happens if I just walk away from the SL2? |
#6
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bosco took > wrote:
>I understand that the seats have been changed in the 05 model...but all >in all the few comments posted so far are not exactly overwhelmingly >positive Well, add a positive vote for the ION 2. After driving a SL2 for 11 years, recently replaced it with a 2005 ION2. Prior to purchase had misgivings about the styling, center instrument cluster, and the misc. comfort & appearance complaints I'd read about the early year ION's. Depending on which ION (1,2, or 3) you buy, the various appointments are slightly different, but I'm VERY happy with the 2005 ION2 (manual tranny) I bought. I find the seats comfortable, the handling outstanding (equivilent to the SL2 with a better turning radius), & the car has a well made "solid" feel to it. The center instruments is a non-issue, takes very little time to adapt to, and in fact I now like better because it makes the driver's area seem more roomy & you don't have to look through the steering wheel to see it. The only problem I had test driving the car (a 31+ mile test drive), was my elbow smacked into the center armrest/storage box cover whenever I went to shift gears. At my request the dealer replaced the armrest/storage box center piece with the open top tray configuration. Problem solved. I really liked my old SL2 (may she rest in peace ...), but the ION2 (so far) has been an outstanding replacement. My 2 cents ...., Bill Davis Colorado |
#7
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On Thu, 16 Dec 2004 09:28:19 -0500, bosco took >
wrote: >Biker Geek wrote: >> On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 20:26:08 -0500, bosco took > wrote: >> >>> My lease on my 2001 SL2 (33K) is almost up. My dealer wants to place me >>> in a 2005 Ion2...although a long time Saturn fan, I have heard mixed >>> reviews about the Ion.... >> >> >> I had a '98 SL2. My mom liked it so much, she went out and >> bought a new 2003 Ion 2 in the spring of that year. A year >> later, she passed away. I inherited the car when it was a year >> old and had 4,000 miles on it. I then sold my '98 when it had >> 80,000 miles on it and have now been driving the '03 Ion for >> about six months and 6,000 miles, including a couple trips from >> Boston to DC and back. >> >> My biggest complaint is that the seats are nowhere near as >> comfortable on long trips, and the material isn't as nice. The >> adjustable lumbar support is gone from the driver's seat. The >> car in general feels "cheap" where the SL2 did not, in ways that >> I can't quite put my fingr on. >> >> The center instrument binnacle is goofy. Unlike some Ion owners, >> I've grown accustomed to it, but I still think it's a mis-design. >> >> The HVAC control unit had to be replaced at about 8,000 miles >> due to failure of the fan switch. My car needs the DRL recall >> and the headlamp lens on the right side has started turning a >> milky white near the top. By contrast, my SL2 had two minor >> problems during its warranty period: as delivered, the right >> hand headlamp assembly was loose (corrected next day by the >> dealer) and the reverse light switch died at about 22,000 miles >> resulting in failure of the reverse lamps (fixed under warranty). >> >> They did rearrange the dash so that use of the cupholders no >> longer blocks access to the heater controls. The door >> pockets are also now sufficiently large to hold a standard-sized >> folded road map. Those were my two most-hated annoyances on my >> SL2. >> >> On the other hand, the cigarette lighter^H^H^H^H^H^Hpower outlet >> is in a place that's utterly useless. Try releasing the >> handbrake while not whacking whatever's plugged in there. >> >> The car is peppier than I expected for a 4cyl with an automatic >> (my SL2 was a 5-speed). It's pretty fun to drive, for a family >> econo-sedan. >> >> I'm not sure what the Ion 3 would get you other than power >> everything. >> >I understand that the seats have been changed in the 05 model...but all >in all the few comments posted so far are not exactly overwhelmingly >positive > >can one really negotiate a better purchase price? What happens if I >just walk away from the SL2? I tried that with my car and they wouldn't go for it. They wanted $11K for my 3 year old LS 300 and, as much as I liked that car, it just wasn't worth it when I could get a new 2004 ION 3 with all the dealer incentives for about the same amount. You can just walk away from your lease with no problems as long as the car isn't damaged, over mileage, or has excess wear. -- 10 things men know about women: 1)?2)?3)?4)?5)?6)?7)?8)?9)?10) women have breasts |
#8
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I had a 93 Saturn SL1, which was my favorite... Worked like a dream and
never costed me much at all for maintence.... Think all I put in it before I sold it at 300,000kms was an alternator, battery and the front control arms. Then I bought a used 98 SC1, which I just sold a month and a half ago. It was a great car as well, but it was going to need a head gasket soon (very slow leakage around the outside of the seal in one corner). Plus I was getting bored with it, wanted something new. My original plan was the Smart Fortwo, but Mercedes-Benz had awful lease prices on it. I'll wait a couple years. Then I was considering either an 04 Ion or 04 Echo hatch. I decided I really like the idea of a hatchback, and was very close on the echo. Then I found the Chevy Aveo (aka. Pontiac Wave, Suzuki Swift+). I leased an 04 Aveo LS, loaded with everything except automatic tranny. With all the rebates on 04's, and the GM gas card, my payments are much lower then the base echo hatch with air. Even after driving both, the Aveo is quieter inside, and drives much better, although the echo does have better fuel mileage and a little more peppy. Anyway, I'm very happy with my purchase, I'd highly recommend the Aveo/Wave/Swift+ to anyone. Also, if you want to buy, and want the coolest car ever designed, check out the smart fortwo. "bosco took" > wrote in message ... > My lease on my 2001 SL2 (33K) is almost up. My dealer wants to place me > in a 2005 Ion2...although a long time Saturn fan, I have heard mixed > reviews about the Ion....The only non-insurance problem I have had with > my SL2 was a dead battery, though I thnik the motor is not as zippy as > it was. Do I walk away and look for another brand (e.g. Hyundi), buy > the SL2 (about 10k CND) or go for the Ion...Any and all advice will be > appreciated. |
#9
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> >> 10 things men know about women: > >> 1)?2)?3)?4)?5)?6)?7)?8)?9)?10) women have breasts > > > >Well because they never salt them would be my guess. > > Plenty of salt, they just take better care of them. > They use more sand than salt. The roads around here are generally very good but there are pot holes that show up in places right after winter from snow plows breaking chunks out. The biggest problem with those tiny cars he mentioned is there isnt any crumple zones to speak of. They looked more like small caskets than cars. I want more than headlights and tail lights around me, I want a "hood" in front and a "trunk" in the back. |
#10
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