Ion - dissapointing

Checked out the new Ion's this week. The car was ok. They were not
especially striking or loaded with features for 15-18k. But, NONE of the
cars on the lot had anti-lock brakes. The salesman gave me some cock and
bull story about how the ion has 50% of the weight on the front and back so
you don't need anti lock......sheeeezeee!



The other thing that ticked me off was that the dealer had the old paint job
sealant scam on every can on the lot. $600 for something that is = to
waxing your card a couple times a year.



I guess I'll have to get the A/C fixed on my old 92 SC. 145K and still
going strong... except the compressor is dead. 2nd one too. This time I'll
have to do compressor, expansion valve, drier and convert it to 134.



Thoughts on the A/C job?

 

my dealer has an 04' quad coupe with 100 miles on it its blue has all the
options including abs and traction control. has aftermarket 16 inch rims
with low profile tires. factory ground effects kit. and they want 17,600 for
it the origional price is 23,000 but they are tryin to get rid of it. im
thinkin about tradin my ion 2 in for it

 

Install a filter before and after the compressor. Not sure how your last
service was done but if you had r12 and r134 mixed or the wrong types of
oil mixed it can cause a compressor failure. Have it the evap and
condensor flushed out and do as you mentioned above and you should be
fine.

 

Sounds like you got stuck with a real winner for a salesman, he should be
working for dodge, lol. The ION does have a 60-40 split weight balance, but
that does NOT replace ABS nor TC which ARE available on level 2 and level 3
IONs.

Either that salesman didnt know his keister from his head or they were out
of such cars, either case he was mis-informed.

Also, different dealers offer different variations of the "Protection
Package", which varies from just a box of expensive wax to an actual
warranty on the paint and interior materials beyond the factory warranty.

The best bet is an upper level ION.2 which is hard to find, but many dealers
have them. You can get all the features of a level 3 for less, including TC
and ABS (which are always packaged together).

marx404

 

Yeah you are rights, sheeeeezeeee. The 50/50 is at rest.


Now I'm not a an ABS fan, infact I don't look for it cause it
lengthens the stopping distance, but being customer who wants it, you
have teh final say.


I have to say Saturn goofed going to the ion, when they finally got
the SL right.

Take your money else where.

Tip, if a ever compressor fails, have your system flushe, orifice
replaced and inline filters. Compressors fail and sent foriegn
particles in the system, that crap out new ones. Some people don't
flush, since it's money having you come back a year later. So I've
heard!

Yeah, what failed?

later,

tom @ www.ChopURL.com

 

Yes if the had just stuck with that design and put the Ecotec in it, it
would have been a excellent car.

 

Has anyone ever ordered a Saturn rather than buying off the lot? I would
think that would be safer with a fixed price car than a regular dealer that
could jack up the price after you dropped a deposit on a car you wouldn't
see for a while.

ron
94 SL1

 

No, last compressor replacement I was able to stick with R12. This time it
will have to be flushed and changed to R134.



Still on the fence as far as fixing my beloved old SC or getting a car made
in this millennium.

 

I ordered my SC in 92. I got every thing but the sun roof and leather
seats.

Power windows, locks, cd player, cruise control, abs, air bag were all
options.

 

It was disappointing to have a salesman giving me that kind of crap.
Especially with a company that gives you a "different" experience.



The last 3 cars I bought, 95 camro Z28, 98 venture van (totaled), 2000
ventrure van, I just went in with the factory invoice and said: this is what
I'll pay, is that good with you? If so, we can proceed.



Don't get me wrong, I love my 92 SC. Saturn had a real winner with the
SC's. It is amazing how many I still see on the road today. Its just
something about the ION I can't put my finger on that doesn't grab me.

 

It's ugly?
It's butt ugly?
Personally I can't seem to get past the funky name and weird commercials.
And what the heck does "designed for what ever comes next" mean?????????

and how come Saturn doesn't make a wagon any more?

ron
94 SL1

 

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 10:24:01 -0500, "Ron Herfurth"

Because wagons cut into more profitable SUV and minivan sales. It was
a conscious decision to make more money at our expense.

 

But the 4 cylinder LW was about $2,600 more than the LS so they seemed to be
profiting some from the wagon(?)

oh well

looks like a Ford Focus wagon will be my next ride, can't afford a subaru or
VW wagon.

ron herfurth
94 SL1

 

Maybe the government should mandate they type of vehicle that is sold.
I hear that the Lada will satisfy your every need. There was a seven
year waiting list to get one of those Soviet produced cars when the
Union collapsed, and theser were people that had paid up front to get
on the wainting list.

Perhaps you should look at the well heeled class that can spend 40 to
50 k for a car. Last year they bought 400 BMW 3 series station wagons
in the US. Yeah that is right, 400 of them. The X5 outsold the
station wagon at better than 100 to 1.

The fact is the ameracan buyer will buy the largest piece of crap they
can afford to put gas in, and to buy a station wagon is to admit they
are a suburban dork, so they buy a station wagon on a truck chasis.
GM is merely responding to market demands.

 

typed until their fingers bled, and came
up with:

There was a quote in AutoWeek a few months ago from a car manufacturer
(can't remember who - I think Subaru) that went something like "In the
'80's, we built station wagons, and people bought them because they
needed station wagons. Now, we build station wagons, call them
'crossover sport activitiy vehicles,' and people buy then because they
need station wagons"

 

Auto makers usually are responding to the market from 3 years ago. Now all
the maker are stuck with gas guzzling SUVs while we want good gas mileage
now.

 

Actually the Ford 500 should be what the market needs if the quality is
decent. Check the mileage on a darn big car.

 

Yeah if you want to work on that Duratec 30degree V6 POS and if you
actually think its going to hold up lugging around that 3800lbs sedan.

My car, made in 1998, is roughly the same weight,
..8 liters more,
12 valves less,
2 hp more,
30 Lbs more torque,
uses a "timing chain" (not sure if duratec uses a belt but its likely),
same highway mileage while I'm doing 75mph with it seldom dipping below
24mpg combined highway/city and its design came out nearly 10 years
ago!!!

I hardly call the Ford 500 revolutionary. If you want a car now in its
price range, with a warranty, and that is easy to work on after the
warrenty is up then you better grab a new Bonneville before they're sold
out or a Grand Prix. Either one with a 3800 would be far better than a
car with an engine compartment that looks like it was thrown up in.

 

The problem I have with GM Grand Prix and Bonneville is that whenever I rent
one I just cannot believe how many annoyances GM can build into the interior
of a car. It is beyond me why they can't fix the darn interior. It is
quiet but annoying as hell.

 

Yes let us ignore the those petty internal workings of the car for the
much more important annoyances in the interior that effect only the most
hypersensitive people driving those pesky rentals... <roles eyes>