Car Buying

I don't know anything about the Ion, but I would be hesitant about buying a vehicle made by a company that is no longer in business. Resale? Parts? Service? Just something to think about:)

Saturn ceased to exist as a car maker in 2009. This will eventually lead to a shortage of replacement/repair parts. I would lean towards something still being produced.

Get the VIN and get a quote on how much the insurance would be. Its always higher on cars no longer built because the parts will get harder and harder to get. Good luck!!!

You can check the safety ratings by the NHTSA at:
http://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle+Shoppers/5-Star+Safety+Ra...

If you are looking at older, used cars, I would go for something like Honda or Toyota with a good record of lasting long and parts availability, plus they are typically reasonably priced and highly reliable. Like others, I'd be wary of a car by a manufacturer that no longer exists. Honda even does certified pre-owned cars that come with a warranty.

I had 2 Saturn (not Ion) and both were good cars that ran well in New England weather. I got rid of them around 80,000 miles, so no I never had any major repairs.

I would avoid buying Saturn since the company went out of business. My mom had one and had to replace the transmission, so did one of her friends (they were different models not the Ion).

I drive a Saturn sc1 and love it. I have always been very happy with Saturn. I have a few friends who drive the Saturn Ion and they are happy with it and no complaints. One of the reasons I chose my Saturn is because if I ever get into an accident it is one of the safest cars to be in.

But again I've always been happy with Saturn cars. I might be a bit bias because my dad used to work for GM so he has driven a lot of Saturn cars but again no major issues.

Saturns were manufactured by GM, so I highly doubt that finding parts/repairs would be an issue. I would go for it, sounds like a great car! Anyone I've known that's had a Saturn has loved them.

On the other hand, I own a 2005 Honda Civic Coupe & have put so much money into it, on top of paying too much for it, that I would not recommend it to anyone, personally. Apparently my year of car was known to have issues, but Honda won't take any responsibility for them. Kind of b.s. when you spend that much on a "reliable" car. Major disappointment.

Oh, and kudos to you for not encouraging him to finance a car that will never retain his worth & that he will be committed to via 5 years of car payments & full coverage insurance. I think it's important for young people to know the value of a dollar & to save for big purchases.

Saturn is no longer made. I would go with a used Honda or Toyota. They retain their value longer and have less maintenance issues.

Use consumerreports.org and do some research there. They are an unbiased organization and will give you many answers.

I had a Saturn, not the Ion but I had an SC1 that I bought in 1999. I had it for 5 years and LOVED it!! It was the best car and the whole time I had it nothing went wrong with it at all. The only reason I got rid of it was because we needed something bigger because we were starting a family! I hated to get rid of that car!! I think it would be a good buy.

*** I read other people's answers and needed to add that yes, they no longer make Saturn anymore but you do still see a lot of them on the road and they are a GM vehicle so I am sure that at least some of the parts are interchangeable with other makes and models. And another thing I wanted to add too is people are saying that a Honda would be good but we have owned two Honda vehicles and had issues with both cars. I must say that I will probably never buy a Honda again. On the other hand my mother has only bought Honda and never had any major problems. I think it all boils down to the previous owners and hopefully they have kept up on the maintenance on the vehicle no matter what the brand is.***

I would buy a used Honda, Acura or Toyoto.

just have to chime in and say I LOVE my Saturn. I have an outlook. Have had NO trouble getting repairs taken care of, Insurance is no different than my other SUV was. Haven't had to serious issues, but there was a recent recall involving the headlights that we had taken care of, took less than a week for parts to come in, but they did have to order them. Only other thing we've really had fixed was the airbag sensor in the passenger seat, again less than a week to get the part in, and nothing seems to be any more expensive than it was for any other car I've owned.