New to me 2004 Ion 5spd

[Barkleymut]

per my quest to find a new to me car https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/best-used-car-for-5k.149923/

I just purchased a 2004 Ion 5 spd. I drove 7 cars today and this one by far was the smoothest and best driving car. It has 105K miles and had only 1 owner before me according to carfax. After checking all the fluids very very thoroughly it was clear to me that this car has been taken very well care of. Now, I just have to find a way to make this baby last a few years while enduring the northern Virginia traffic and at least 25K miles per year. If anyone has good working knowledge of these cars then please let me know. Also a good Saturn forum recommendation would be appreciated.

 

[Barkleymut]

BTW it has the 2.2L Ecotec

 

[jumpr]

I've always liked http://www.saturnfans.com. My wife had a 2005 Ion with the 2.2l. Great car; she gave it to her brother last summer and it's running strong today.

I always used whatever dino oil was on sale. I put QS GB, Havoline, and Castrol GTX in the vehicle and it never seemed to sound or feel any different on any of them.

Be careful of the ignition problem that sometimes crops up on these cars; more info at the site above. It was annoying but nothing super serious on our car.

Engine seems pretty bulletproof with 5000 mile changes (or you can use the GM OLM on the car -- it's equipped with one; read the manual for details).

Have fun! The car never gave us any trouble while we had it.

 

[mpvue]

www.saturnfans.com is the ONLY forum to consider, any others are full of ricer wannabes.
check to see if the '04 ecotec was affected by the timing chain recall; I forget when the cutoff year was for that. there was an issue w/ some of the electric power steering units also, don't know if there was a recall or not.
I think the ION is a pretty good car, but very unloved in the saturn community. the best part is the ecotec IMO.

 

[Barkleymut]

as soon as I opened the hood and saw that glorious 2.2 Ecotec staring at me I knew I had a winner. Coupled with a 5 speed I knew that the engine and trans. should give me basically a lifetime of service. Of course the test drive was great as well . I will check out the other things you suggested. Thanks.

 

[eljefino]

Hooray! As a transportation appliance there isn't too much to do to improve its beltway commuting safety besides choosing tires and possibly better brake pads (like Hawks). Though there are redline parts if you want to get serious about performance with stiffer struts and sway bars and stuff. But the roads aren't getting any less potholey.

 

[JustinH]

I've had my 2003 Ion Level 1 for over 5 years now. Mine has 76k on it right now. The 2003 and 2004 were terrible years for automatic transmission, you did well getting the getrag manual transmission. Mine is a stick also.

They are pretty basic cars, and pretty bulletproof. I just change fluid and filters in mine, also did brakes.

I dumped the transmission fluid, and replaced with Mobil1 fluid, no difference, and the fluid looked brand new when dumped at 60k.

The 2.2L ecotec is a very good engine, I run whatever 5w30 I can find on sale, and it loves it. The only real problem I have had with the car is a gummed up key switch, causing the passlock icon to come on and the car wouldn't start.

I bought the part from rockauto, and replaced myself. No more passlock issues.

Mine is good for 30mpg in mixed driving no matter what I do to it. This is the same chassis and almost the same car as a 2005 cobalt. Many of the parts from GM fit the cobalt also.

$30 fills the tank, and insurance is $240 for six months of full coverage. Tough to argue with that.

 

[mrsilv04]

Congratulations!

However, this thread is nearly worthless without *PICTURES*!!!

;-)

 

[ddean]

Originally Posted By: mpvue
www.saturnfans.com is the ONLY forum to consider, any others are full of ricer wannabes.
check to see if the '04 ecotec was affected by the timing chain recall; I forget when the cutoff year was for that. there was an issue w/ some of the electric power steering units also, don't know if there was a recall or not.
I think the ION is a pretty good car, but very unloved in the saturn community. the best part is the ecotec IMO.


Only 20000 or so mid '01 Saturn L series Ecotec were recalled for a "bad" timing chain. The problem was actually caused by a poorly designed timing chain oiler nozzle which was prone to clogging up and even when clean at low speeds would under lubricate the timing chain in an interference engine. The GM corporate roll out engines in '02 as well as Saturn made engines still used the same timing chain oiler nozzle until early '03 model year. GM has never admitted to this problem, recalled any other models or even done a TSB on this problem. The internet is fulled of stories of trashed early Ecotecs from this problem.

Last I read was that GM was not recalling the Saturn Ion steering boxes, but that may have changed.

 

[Barkleymut]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Congratulations!

However, this thread is nearly worthless without *PICTURES*!!!

;-)


Sorry bud, its a Saturn not a Mustang. I am however very excited because it has a sunroof. I havent had one since 98. I will also enjoy rowing through the gears instead of letting an AT do it for me. The gold paint is in really good shape and there are only a few small imperfections but I did not buy it because of the sweet looks.

 

[mrsilv04]

To me (and others) it really wouldn't matter if it was a something that you paid $500 for.

However, that is your decision.

Enjoy!

 

[addyguy]

Yeah, we'd love to see it, no matter what it was!

 

[GMFan]

Barkley, good choice on the manual transmission. I think the autos had issues on the Ions.

The 2.2L Ecotec should serve you well!

And yes, Saturnfans.com is a fantastic resource for Saturn owners. There are posters on there who know everything there is to know about Saturns.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Yeah, we'd love to see it, no matter what it was!


+1