djtidebuck
Hang on Sloopy
I am looking for an economy car. Right now I am test driving a Saturn Ion. Can anyone tell me anything about their Saturn experiences. Also any other suggestions about an economy car would be appreciated. Thanks.
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- Thread starter djtidebuck
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BuckBackHome
Wolverine is largest member of weasel family
A couple of people I work with have Saturns. One has a Vue and he likes it. The other has a wagon, I believe it is an Ion. She bought it used. It has had some brake problems, but I think it was time to replace the brakes based on the age and mileage.
Check out www.edmunds.com for reviews.
Check out www.edmunds.com for reviews.
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Drive the Toyota (Corolla(sp?)) and the Honda (Civic) before you buy anything. The Honda has the better engine, but the Corolla (in some of its trims anyway) is a bit more refined.
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CleveBucks
Serenity now
How much are you looking to spend? Check out all three Scions, plus the Civic and the Mazda3. They should all be reliable and all are in the 14-19k range.
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StooGrimson
He drives around, all over the town...
Saturns are absolute garbage. I made the moronic mistake of buying one in 2001 (I thought the fact that I was getting the GM discount would make it a great deal), and I've had problems every year. Between crappy reliability and poor service from the company, I couldn't dislike the car more. To add insult to injury, the resale values of Saturns are pretty awful. I'd suggest you look at Honda or Toyota. Their cars are the top performers, most reliable, and maintain their value longer than anything available. If my testimony isn't enough, just pick up any magazine from Consumer Reports to Car and Driver and they'll happily confirm all of that.
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gbearbuck
Herbie for President
Every single person I knew in high school or college that drove a Saturn had problems... every single person!! I'd stay away from Saturns like the plague...
As suggested above check out the Scions (it is Toyota's economy line), as well as civic's and corolla's. Hyundai's have good warranties, you might want to check them out as well (I don't know anybody that owns one, so I cannot speak in regards to quality issues, good or bad).
As suggested above check out the Scions (it is Toyota's economy line), as well as civic's and corolla's. Hyundai's have good warranties, you might want to check them out as well (I don't know anybody that owns one, so I cannot speak in regards to quality issues, good or bad).
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StooGrimson
He drives around, all over the town...
The warranties on Hyundai's are very good, but they will require more out of pocket expenses for routine maintenance to remain compliant with the terms of the warranty. My buddy has a Santa Fe and he just had to drop $700 as part of the routine maintenance for a service that wasn't necessary yet (I don't remember what the service was). Honda, Toyota, and Subaru have shorter warranties, but there's no maintenance requirement and the cars are excellent. The only drawback is that many dealers do not have weekend service hours (especially with Subaru).
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gbearbuck
Herbie for President
Tibs,
If the car was a piece of crap, I'd think the manufacturer would want a shorter warranty term (if it knows it will break, why would it want to be on the hook for the repairs?)... Yes, it is a "new" player in the US market. Yes, it is a marketing angle to help grab market share... however I wouldn't think quality was too bad... again, I don't know any owners... it very well could be junk...
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StooGrimson
He drives around, all over the town...
Hyundai's warranties aren't exactly what you think they are. In order to meet warranty you have to make sure you follow the mandatory maintenance requirements (which you pay for out of your pocket) that pop up regularly. That maintenance is essentially prevention of a lot of the things that would go wrong with the car in the very long term (post 100,000 miles). Basically, you'll be paying for maintenance that isn't necessary at the time in an effort to extend the car's life past the warranty period whereupon you'll be stuck with the maintenance costs anyway. It's not a scam, but it isn't exactly the most straightforward approach either. I have a few friends and co-workers who are currently being burned by the Hyundai warranties. Each of them has vowed that they would never buy a Hyundai again b/c of the mandatory routine maintenance. Even with that maintenance they've still had numerous problems with the power steering, brakes, and electrical systems.
Extended or lengthy warranties are rarely worthwhile or cost effective anyway. You're almost always much better off purchasing a product of excellent quality like a Honda, Toyota, or Subaru that only has a 3 year warranty. A quick survey of almost any auto or consumer magazine will confirm that for you.
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My wife and I bought a used Saturn wagon from a Saturn dealer a few years ago. I believe it had 55,000 miles when we got it. Within 8 months, it needed a new engine.
Suffice to say, I'll never buy another.
Suffice to say, I'll never buy another.
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BuckBackHome
Wolverine is largest member of weasel family
My wife is on her third Subaru and her parents have owned them for years. They are actually very reliable (knock on wood), however, I believe the JD Power survey takes into account interior vehicle layout, which seems pretty subjective. I cannot stand the interior of Subarus as they are not functional at all. For example, if you put a drink in the cup holder you block the air and heat controls and also a portion of the stereo.
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StooGrimson
He drives around, all over the town...
As someone who is a respondent to the JD Powers Initial Quality Studies every year I can tell you their study is complete garbage if you're looking to use it to buy a car. For one, there is no testing of the vehicles involved. It's simply just a series of questions directed at everyday slobs like myself who know very little about automotive engineering. Also, their study is based on short term quality only and focuses on things like how happy you were with the purchasing experience. Therefore, things like appearance and price incentives tend to factor in far more than long term reliability and overall quality. Using JD Powers Initial Quality Study to buy a car would be like using the USA Today Preseason poll to determine who should be in the BCS...okay, not eactly like it, but I'm assuming you get the point.
Maybe it's just me, but I'd prefer to stick with publications that actually put qualified engineers in the driver's seat to do tests before a poll of car owners who may easily be influenced by the need to justify the money they just put down on a vehicle.
Yeah, my dad had his for 15 years and it was running perfectly the day he sold it. That thing was a f'ing tank. We just bought a Forester last year after researching the auto rags and hope we have the same luck. The interior work on them has definitely improved over the years, but they still aren't as nice as the Hondas or Toyotas we drove. <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
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