Originally posted by MilTownSHO@Jun 22 2005, 07:25 PM
The Ion Redline is alot more performance for the dollar spent. With the GM employee discount they are cheap right now, about a grand over what my tC was.
Saying I will have a significant total cost of ownership is not a fair statement, depends who you know. Every car breaks, the tC is a brand new model so we shall see how that holds up anyhow. I also REALLY like panels that don't rust and don't ding.
Like someone else stated for the money I could have a new car that will outperform the tC in handling, speed, and comfort any day of the week.
GM employee discounts are not on a level playing field. That's like me saying "what computer should I get, a Dell because they are a corporate sponsor, or something else that's going to cost me an additional 35%?"
TCO is TCO. It matters not who you know or what you know. Things are either reliable or they are not. My Toyotas have been supremely reliable. You would not believe how little I have put into my Supra with 140k miles on the odometer. It still has all the original factory light bulbs in it. I've had to replace clutch, brakes, radiator, BOV, and power steering pump (my fault for using an aftermarket belt that was a tad too short). That's pretty hard to beat. While it's true I have replaced other things, it wasn't because they were broken. That car has been driven very hard, and it just keeps going. The same was true of my Corollas, MR2s, and Celica.
I don't even want to talk about my Corsica. It was a true nightmare, and the only car I've ever owned that needed a new steering rack. Or my infamous Pontiac J2000, or my Ford LTD, or...I'm not talking out my ass about TCO, I've been there and done that, and my experiences were typical according to what I found in the junkyards looking for parts.
I can really appreciate panels that don't rust. I was born in eastern Iowa, and the Midwest is hard on cars. For those of us in Sacramento, corrosion is something others have to fight. My '93 Supra still looks like the day it came of the production line underneath. Score one for the Saturn being in salty roaded Wisconsin.
Excluding the employee discount, you won't find another car in this price range that will OUTperform it. The entire class is a driver's race after you put any of these cars on decent rubber.
Sorry the ergonomics don't work for you. I have to agree on that one, if I can't get comfortable in a car, it has to go. I did have a Toyota like that briefly, it was a GTS Corolla with a sunroof. I had to drive with my head cocked to one side. I kept it three days before I returned it and said forget it, let's try something else.
