Used 2004 Saturn Ion for Sale

2.5

(2 Reviews)

Overall Rating

2.5

(2 Reviews)

Value

3.0

Performance

2.5

Comfort

2.5

Fuel Economy

2.5

Reliability

2.5

Owner Reviews

2.5

2 Reviews


Overall	2.5

Value	3.0

Performance	2.5

Style	3.0

Comfort	2.5

Fuel Economy	2.5

Reliability	2.5

2004 Saturn Ion - It's been a good commuter.

I like the manual transmission, the power options (windows and sunroof), and cruise control. I'm a bit disappointed in the fuel economy, but it's much better than my previous vehicle. The car is in pretty good physical condition so it's decent looking, too.

Story

My little granddaughter likes to climb in and pretend she's driving. Of course, she presses all the knobs and buttons so that leads to some surprises the next time I get in and start it up :)

Pros

With a 65-mile round trip for work, I was looking for a more economical commuting vehicle to replace a minivan that was getting about 18 miles per gallon. So when I found this car with a four-cylinder engine and stick shift and only around 94,000 miles on it, I test-drove it and bought it. It needed two new tires and front brakes, but the seller had replaced the coil packs and had it running well, plus it had no fluid leaks. I also liked the fact that it has a timing chain instead of a belt, so replacing that shouldn't be a concern for me. The seller gave me a discount on the price, an... (more)

Cons

A big disappointment was the car's sound system. It has a 6-CD changer, but it seemed to suffer from overheating so it would play for a while and the sound would deteriorate and then quit totally. Eventually a couple of CDs got suck in it and wouldn't eject. I had to pry them out. I do have a Sirius/XM receiver that I could use in the car, but since Saturn bodies are not made of steel the magnetic radio antenna will not stick to the car's roof. It also had open recalls for the ignition switch and power steering, but I got those fixed for free at the local Chevy dealer. Also the power... (more)

2004 Saturn Ion - The car that gets you from A to B

This car is primarily from getting you from A to B. This is moderately comfortable... for those sitting in the front of the car. The car is compact and leaves little to no space in the back for additional passengers. The battery is located in the back of the car which is beneficial, as it is the only car I know of that has the battery in that location, so it's easy for others to jump you. The car was a four cylinder, so it was slow of course. The least satisfying aspect was the mileage. Over time the car became less and less efficient, only averaging around 15-20 mpg now at over 150,000 miles.

Pros

The most positive aspect was that it is comfortable for single drivers and that it gets you from point A to point B. There were very little positive qualities about this car.

Cons

The worst part about this car was maintenance. The car was relatively healthy for the first 75,000 miles with the typical tune ups and maintenance. However, after that I began experiencing many mechanical issues. First, it was the alternator that had to be completely replaced as it locked the key into the ignition even after turning the car off. Then every window mechanism to raise and lower the window broke in the car. All the plastic pieces just snapped and needed to be replaced. Now at around 150,000 miles, the starter needed replacing. One of the other things that irked me was the posi... (more)