My first domestic car and my first impresions.

[michaelluscher]

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
Generally these various cars were easy to work on and one doesn't need to read manuals to do the maintenance on those.


I think your logic here is seriously flawed. I would not own a vehich without owning the factory service manual.


Got the worshop manual, wiring manual, and PC/ED manual for my '01 VillaQuest for $20 total on eBay.
Nissan versions are available online for free, as are the later Ford CD's for newer vehicles.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: supton
To be fair, my "import" lacks a dipstick on its automatic.

My import lacks a dipstick on its engine.


LOL, my imports were always cheap cars.

 

[friendly_jacek]

I thought I would update the thread.
I didn't want to do it too early and I wanted the car to prove itself.
Well it didn't. There are so many little things wrong with it, but I'm making some progress fixing some.

The highlights:
-even though it's a small car (the world longest compact), it drives like bigger American cousins, soft suspension and not nimble at all.
-the sitting position is ridiculously low and there is no foot rest for left foot. I got pain in leg a few times from driving it.
-the blower fan has annoying high frequency chirping. To replace the motor/fan, one has to cut them out from the housing (seriously).
-I already replaced swaybar bushings and end links, both sides, it helped with clunking suspension, but unmasked clunking steering shaft and possible clunking steering rack.
-I learned that there is a defect in timing chain lubrication and the chain can snap anytime.

The positive things:
-The car was cheap.
-Odo is almost impossible to cheat (unlike toyotas).
-City MPG turned out to be 25 so far, better than EPA's 21, but way behind the peer group. I got 28-30 on the same commute in corolla.
-Parts are cheap.
-My son likes the shape of this sedan, he dislikes hatchbacks for some reasons.

On a side note, the friend who has has 2002 Saturn SL2 and recommended Saturn to me in the first place, got stranded in his this weekend and plans to get rid of it soon.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I've owned the following brands, in alphabetical order:

Acura
Cadillac
Chrysler
Dodge
Honda
Nissan
Oldsmobile
Saturn
Toyota

I've found the Acura/Honda cars we own now to be more serviceable and maintainable than any other, which is but one reason we still own them. None of my domestics (save possibly for the Saturn) had a transmission drain plug; transmission fluid changes seemed to be discouraged (don't worry: they all had "lifetime" fluid). Much of the wire harness in our current cars run in plastic trays/wireways that keep everything tidy and organized. Our other cars' wiring harnesses were tied to spots with Christmas tree clips embedded into electrical tape. Many of my other cars did not have radiators easy to service or drain. Both Cadillacs had radiators that were so hidden, they had the pressure cap on the expansion tank rather than on the radiator itself. Even if you could see the radiator, you had to remove underbelly trays and chase the clips around (and replace the ones that inevitably break). Our Hondas have built-in hand and drip access for getting to the maintenance spots.

Your Saturn was designed at a time when GM thought that for a car to look good, it had to have a low roofline and a low seating position. My Cadillacs were the same way. Intermediate shaft issues were common problems with all GMs of that era (my '01 STS suffered such). Our Chrysler/Dodge minivans required stabilizer bar bushings (and sometimes endlinks) constantly, so I can commiserate with you on that.

Our Honda and Acura have been somewhat more reliable, in general, than our other cars, but they've needed some parts, too. The satisfying part is they're so easy to work on and maintain. It's like they were designed for the DIYer in mind, so you don't feel as if you're fighting the car when you're replacing a PCV valve or even changing a timing belt (in our Acura). Even larger jobs are just easy.

 

[sciphi]

Ahh, you're discovering what so many others have discovered! Namely, that the Cobalt/Ion is horribly made to get people to buy more expensive cars, just the way Al Sloan intended.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Ahh, you're discovering what so many others have discovered! Namely, that the Cobalt/Ion is horribly made to get people to buy more expensive cars, just the way Al Sloan intended.


if that's the case, the strategy backfired. the disgruntled customers "upgraded" to import cars and the company went under (before it got revived by government).

 

[dishdude]

I had a Cobalt, I liked it. Drove nice, had enough power, it didn't give me an trouble, rode nice and it was quiet inside. The center console armrest could have been better designed, but otherwise I was happy with it.

As for the Ion, it's probably the worst looking exterior and worst interior GM has done in a long time. I refuse to buy a car that has the gauges in the center of the dashboard.

 

[friendly_jacek]

the center cluster is the least of my concern. i have the same in yaris and prius and it's actually more ergonomic than the cluster you have to look down through spokes of steering wheel, LOL. it takes a week or so to get used to. I admit the first impression was negative though (years back in rental yaris).

 

[artificialist]

I was sure GM finally caught up to Toyota back in 2003. I was totally wrong, and my 2003 Saturn ION was one of the biggest regrets of my entire life.