Saturns: S-Series vs. Ion

[ifcar]

Which do you prefer?

[Champ]

I actually like the SL2 which was made from like 97-2002?  Very nice car actually for what it was.  The coupe was pretty fun too!

[TheIntrepid]

Both among my least favourite cars out there. I'd prefer the L/LS series.

[280Z Turbo]

They're both pretty horrible, but I figured the Ion was better because it's newer.

[Madman]

Both of them suck.  However, the new Astra will rock!


Madman of the People

[Raza]

Ion.  Dent free panels!

[ifcar]

Ion.  Dent free panels!

They both have dent-free panels. Every Saturn older than the 2005 Relay has dent-free panels.

[chevyguy06]

ION.

[Raza]

They both have dent-free panels. Every Saturn older than the 2005 Relay has dent-free panels.

Oh.

Well, the Ion had better commercials!

[280Z Turbo]

They don't dent, but they do crack! I've seen it first-hand.

[Onslaught]

I don't know. But I hate working on the S-Series with a passion so I'll just say Ion.

[280Z Turbo]

I don't know. But I hate working on the S-Series with a passion so I'll just say Ion.

Because you have to do it so much?

My roommate who used to drive an S series laughed his ass off at this commerical when it came out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G05L-lCfVTE

[Onslaught]

Because you have to do it so much?

My roommate who used to drive an S series laughed his ass off at this commerical when it came out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G05L-lCfVTE

Well I do work on cars all day. But fortunately not many Saturn's. The plastic gets brittle after a few years and falls apart when you try to work on them at times.

[CMan]

Both cars suck.

But if I had to get one of them, Ion.

[Eye of the Tiger]

S-Series... duh.
An SL-1 can get 40mpg on the highway, and an SL-2 can probably out-accelarate an Ion while still getting better gas mileage. Plus the S's actually handle pretty good too, though the interiors are nothing fancy, they're no worse than an Ion.

[MidnightDave]

We had one of the original coupes, in 94 maybe, before the suicide doors, bought it new from a woman, Dorsey Gay Howzer, funny how that name stuck with me, who was in a print ad with a canoe, this was the early days when they really kissed your @ss--in fact, we had some trouble with the car and they bought it back from us, for more than book value!

[the Teuton]

Somehow my brother's 1999 SL1 has been indestructable, so I honestly have to recommend Saturn SLs and SCs in used car shopping.

[goldenlover1101]

If you had a gun to my head...ION, otherwise I fart in their general direction.

[Payman]

Yeesh... this is like what do I like better, piles or crotch rot.

If I had to pick an early Saturn, I guess it would be the SC2.

[Champ]

Why all the hate?  The SL's and SC's were great cars and can be had for very little money.  Everything was so simple in them, just a nice reliable car that got great gas mileage.

I also worked at a Saturn dealership for 3 years back in college, and guys trust me when I say the Ion was a step in the wrong direction.

[CJ]

Ion.

[the Teuton]

Anyone else remember when C&D called the Ion the biggest letdown in a redesign ever?

[ro51092]

Neither of them. If I had to choose, I would walk.

[the Teuton]

Neither of them. If I had to choose, I would walk.

Your loss.  The SC/SL was actually a decent economy car.

[Payman]

They were junk, designed and developed in the GM corporate boardroom. Decent cars compared to what? Cavaliers and Sunfires?

[ifcar]

They were junk, designed and developed in the GM corporate boardroom. Decent cars compared to what? Cavaliers and Sunfires?

And Corollas, and Escorts, and Sentras, and Civics, and 323s/Proteges.

No economy cars available in 1990 would be decent by today's standards, and the Saturns were strong compared to the competition of the time.

[Payman]

And Corollas, and Escorts, and Sentras, and Civics, and 323s/Proteges.

No economy cars available in 1990 would be decent by today's standards, and the Saturns were strong compared to the competition of the time.

Sorry, my experience says otherwise.

Back in 1990 when the first ones came out, I test drove an SC1, and was unimpressed by the buzzy engine and enemic acceleration. The interior seemed impressive though. I ended up buying a '90 Golf, which gave me 320,000 trouble free kms. A friend of mine bought an SC2 around the same time, and had the engine replaced after 22,000 km. My sister's '93 had it's engine replaced twice. These cars LOOK to holdup well, because they don't rust on the outside. They tend to rot from the inside out. I see early '90s Civics and Corollas on a daily basis, but I never see a first gen Saturn driving around that isn't blowing blue smoke out it's tailpipe.

[ifcar]

Sorry, my experience says otherwise.

Experience with what?

[Payman]

Experience with what?

See my edit above.

[ifcar]

I see early Saturns running fine all the time. You chose a much pricier competitor that was better, as it should be. Reliability stats based on surveys rather than anecdotes show the early Saturns as equals to Honda/Toyota/Nissan/anyone.