2006 Saturn Ion Quad Coupe

If you're looking to buy a used car, and you find a 2006 Saturn Ion Quad Coupe, I suggest you pass it by.  Our Saturn Ion was the first new car that Mark and I bought.  It's red, and it has doors that open backwards!  While those characteristics make the car sound amazing, it has some problems.

1.  Power Steering

• The car's power steering went out less than a year ago.  Unlike most cars, there is no power steering fluid.  The problem was not one we could fix.  I am happy to report that it was fixed at no cost to us, as it's a recognized problem with the Ion series.  At the same time, it's still a pain.

2. Radio

• We actually had the entire radio panel replace in our car once.  Even having that done, it still doesn't work right.  We have a place to plug in a cord so we can listen to our iPods in the car; the only problem is that you have to wiggle it around and mess with it for the audio to be acceptable.  Before you assume we are just using a bum cord, we got another cord to try.  There are times the sound just gets very quiet.  The good news is that a quick punch to the dash will usually fix it; the bad news is that you have to punch the dash.  We've also had the lighting go out in that panel, as well.

3. Transmission Sensor

• We have a brand new problem with the car, one that causes panic.  Our Saturn is an automatic, and it has decided that shifting is hard.  When the car shifts, it shifts hard.  It is violent enough that you can't fix it.  Generally, if your transmission goes, you're better off buying a new car, rather than repairing it.  Let's just say that is unacceptable, as it's not even paid off yet.  After spending time on the phone with my dad and some time with Google, we have come to believe that it is the transmission sensor.  You can essentially "restart" the car's system by pulling out a particular fuse for about twenty minutes.  I'm happy to report that this fixed the problem...for about ten minutes.  After that, it started again.  After sitting overnight, it appears to be fine again.  Needless to say, it's frustrating.  Our warranty is no longer valid, and Saturn is just the tiniest bit out of business.

In all honesty, I actually like our car quite a bit.  That being said, I wouldn't recommend buying a used one, especially if it has over 75,000 miles.  If you decide to buy it anyway, good luck!  You're taking a gamble, and I hope it works out.