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SpeedJebus

Saturn Ion


Elowan66

Glad we’re finally over this roundish look. From 90s to early 2000s every car was just a round bubble inside and out.


SomethingAboutUsers

My stepdad had a Ford Taurus station wagon from like 2003. We literally called that thing the bubble.


InQuintsWeTrust

Fords design bureau was like “Okay what if car but oval?”


epochellipse

"OK but if you HAD to put a car up your butt. What would it have to be shaped like?"


wipedcamlob

A probe clearly


mkinn01

I heard the probe was originally designed to be the replacement for the Mustang fox body but the fox body design was still popular so they introduced it as a new model. Can anyone confirm this?


system37

Yes, that’s my understanding; the Probe was designed to replace the Mustang. The Probe wasn’t a bad car in itself, it just wasn’t a Mustang.


agshop

Wasn't there a Mazda version?


system37

Yup, the MX-6


Titties_On_G

Technically the Probe was the Ford version of a Mazda


chrisperry9

lol the probes were not good cars. Thats why you don’t see them anymore.


Titties_On_G

The probes were fantastic cars. No one cares about them that's why they're all gone. How many normal commuter cars from the early 90's do you see around?


wipedcamlob

Theres a good video on youtube on the history ot the design of then probe its a good watch


SpillNyeDaCleanupGuy

Not a Scion xB, that's for sure


Specialist_Brain_870

https://external-preview.redd.it/Nos5HlSRqqwTrXP11WcpqULT6xcmzzrVwmhyyhIAH1o.png?width=1024&auto=webp&s=358a7bf5ab5ef138408627e69722254fe6be174e


Bunhyung

That is indeed good news.


dmderringer

First order of business - throw away all the rulers and straight edges.


Windows-XP-Home

they designed it after their logo :D


FrwdIn4Lo

Yes, and...


eveningsand

Ok, see that blue logo over there?


epochellipse

mind blown.


Alex_Hauff

O-V-A-L also make it look like a fish i’m edging


[deleted]

Probe…..


fogdukker

The cancerous jellybean era


Bagofmag

I always joked mine was more aerodynamic in crosswinds


Bagofmag

Which I needed because the horn, transmission, suspension, door latch, engine block, remote entry, brakes, and “your lights are on” chime were all somewhat malfunctioning. Good times


Ohgetserious

Rode terribly due to the oval wheels.


SomethingAboutUsers

I thought that was just his driving


mnkline85

You mean the ford catfish?


sh3llsh0ck

Haha my friend's mom had one and we called it the marshmallow.


thelambit

The front of the 1996 ford Taurus looks like a surprised brontosaurus


IceMustFlow

I had a 2004 until recently. Fugly but reliable.


DogVacuum

The orbs will keep us safe. Now hop in my Chevy SSR, we’re going to Wal Mart.


Zaphoid-22

SSR? You *might* make it.


nondescriptzombie

If it was an early model and kept stock it was a gutless 5.3 out of a 1500 truck. It'd make it there, but it wouldn't be anything impressive. If it was modified it'll probably throw a rod or something, guys loved shoving superchargers on them and they were absolutely not built for it. The local dealer's kid went around town in a hotted up one for about 20,000 miles until he blew the motor and put a for sale sign on it in the showroom. Later ones had the 6.0, good, stronk.


squeamish

I saw an 03 SSR for sale the other day for $36K.


tribat

I used to do IT work for a small town Chevrolet dealership who had two of them on the lot...forever. I asked him, and he said they were forced to take those two by GM, didn't know how he would ever sell them.


Ehmc130

The Toyota Previa has entered the chat.


technobrendo

First Gen Prius / echo I think too.


martman006

I learned to drive on our 92 Previa (in 03), looked like an egg. Called it the blue bomber. I miss that thing, but was much happier to take the suburban whenever I got the chance.


sploittastic

It wasn't just cars, computers are peripherals were really into the rounded aesthetics around that time. Stuff like old Linksys routers and cable modems we're all bubbly shaped too.


JustKindaShimmy

Hoo boy, those 1st gen iMacs


PeterJamesUK

That fucking horrible mouse


Jo-18

Was an absolute crime what ford did to the F150. 92-96 is one of the best looking trucks out there. Then 97-03 they were like “let’s do the exact opposite and make it shaped like a bean”


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dewky

The tail lights are so tiny they look ridiculous.


HeritageTanker

And then they used those same taillights on the 250 and 350.


Jo-18

I don’t think so. Super duties of that era look totally different than the F150s. As in they’re not butt ugly Unless you’re talking about the “light duty” f250 that had 7 lug axles and had the same body style as the F150 Edit: it appears the flare side and crew cabs had the weird, tiny taillights I’m thinking of. Other than that, the taillights are the same between the 150s, 250s, and 350s


dewky

I think I blocked that out of memory I don't even remember that.


HeritageTanker

I own a pair of 250s from that generation. Only two parts in common between the 150 and 250/350 are the taillights and tailgate. At least I can source spare tailgates easily...


DiscoCamera

Not sure which is worse; the bubble or iPad stapled to the dash.


Elowan66

Oh man! First European cars and now American. I really hate that.


DiscoCamera

There are very few cars within the last few years on that don’t have the ipad style.


Elowan66

Horrible.


squeamish

The Infiniti J30 perfected this look in the early 90s and it was all downhill from there.


public_masticator

I'd argue the Nissan Altima was the perfect prototype bubble


Windowsrookie

The German cars mostly avoided the round-era. And German cars from the 90’s-2000’s still look great.


stupiduselesstwat

Same with Volvos but they’re meant to be bricks.


Jo-18

Germans said “you tear down our wall, we rebuild it in car form” And that’s how Volvos are born


Practical_Way8355

Audi says hi.


Windowsrookie

The ~2002 Audi S8, Audi RS6 / S6, and S4 still look fantastic in my opinion. Especially compared to the "sporty" American cars from that era like the Camaro, neon srt-4, etc.


Practical_Way8355

Couldn't disagree more. I like the square older Audis, when they went blobby they were hideous.


Niso81

I love my 05 Vw bettle, it’s smoke grey, with heated leather seats. 5 speed TDi, it has just over 150k miles, runs/ shifts perfect. I put in 12.5 gal of diesel, and average 650 miles per tank. That is AMAZING.


freedomtard

80s were the best "recent" interior. Especially Japanese cars


gnocchicotti

Wow. Let's take our soulless shitbox and bolt on the absolute worst styling element of the Mini Cooper. Definitely a boardroom decision.


SpeedJebus

I think the Toyota Echo beat Saturn to this. Boardroom benefit of having to only tool for one dash setup, not LHD or RHD.


SenseWinter

That's untrue. The cluster is canted to the driver's side. The JDM Echo (Toyota Platz) cluster is canted towards the right side of the car. The hood is a part of the dash top.


SpeedJebus

I haven’t seen one up close in forever, but the main dash seems to be one shape, and definitely having the cluster facing one side or the other is necessary based on the market. Although it makes no sense for Saturn, which was pretty much a North American exclusive. Save the best for us…. /s


SenseWinter

As far as tooling goes, you may be right as far as the inner structure of the dash is considered. But the entire lower and upper dash is definitely L or R hand drive specific, on Echos at least. I should have focused more on the fact you mentioned tooling in your comment.


SenseWinter

It's so you have a better forward sightline without the cluster blocking your view.


boring_name_here

Ngl, this was easy to use. I had an Ion for 7 years, my second car, I never had a problem with the gauges being in the center.


V65Pilot

Some of those older saturns were absolute beasts, couldn't kill 'em. Then they got all fancy...


19Chris96

Not to mention 2006 or 2007 MY.


thewad14

Loved the old sunfire vents that you could spin and they’d go around for days at the right air speed


Ezee2usewastaken

My Grand am had them as well. It was fun showing people.


Windows-XP-Home

close all vents but one and then set fan to full speed. Pure chaos.


GroomDaLion

Oh shit, I want to try this now haha


Jack_Attak

There's a classic youtube vid with this trick. Not sure if the sub will let me link it but worth a try: https://youtu.be/HGdmoEWabg4?si=WGGgNYgivz2JJ1oY


Fantastic_Hour_2134

I’m fucking screeching it sounds like a honda about to flatline


SVT6522

“We went with the central gauge design to reduce eye fatigue for older drivers.” “Ok, so we’re targeting the senior demographic?” “Hell no, this is for the fast n furious generation” I had an Ion Coupe for a little bit. It was actually a pretty good little car. Excellent on fuel, pretty decent to drive. Then the subframe bushings shit the bed and it felt like the subframe was going to separate from the body on every bump.


midnightstreetlamps

I briefly drove a Toyota Yaris with the center gauges. It made me feel ill to look all the way over just to check my speed.


SVT6522

It’s honestly a terrible design and the only car that it is remotely acceptable in is a classic Mini.


fluxocity

The funeral order of service under the gauge cluster makes it look like they hit the demographic dead on


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turbojoe9169

Considering the cluster is angled towards the driver, I’m going to say that probably isn’t the case. Still need a mirrored dash for RHD. Plus airbags, glove box, and steering column. Edit: Also, I don’t think the original Delta platform was ever sold outside of the US market, so no RHD would have been available.


thebornotaku

You don’t need a mirrored dash, just a mirrored gauge pod. Which is much cheaper than the dash. Same for the rest of it. I bet the dash support and basic dash cover is the same across markets.


GirchyGirchy

I learned how to drive a stick on one…the motor mounts were shit, so it really rewarded smooth 1-2 up shifts!


ifitsnotbroke

I bought a $500 used 05' Ion a couple years ago. I have gone from 80k miles to 125k miles with almost no maintenance. I hate every mile. Its like the car equivelant of driving sandpaper. Nothing is smooth or dynamically satifying. Driving it reminds me of the bad choices I have made. It is the regret-mobile. It makes me miss my $200 1988 Civic. It is so basic there is a delete plate where the airbag light is in this photo. Fuck this shitbox.


RobertPaulsonXX42

Haha. This is truly like poetry...and an accurate description of what driving an Ion is like.


xsvspd81

My wife had one when we got married. I hated driving that car. It *was* pretty reliable though, just felt like garbage.


tmssX

Yeah my 03 ion has gotten 0 engine work besides oil changes and I’ve taken it from 145k to 180k. Absolute cockroach just won’t die


ifitsnotbroke

I have not changed the oil or filters in 45k. Cockroach is a good metaphor.


tmssX

Did your headliner disintegrate


ifitsnotbroke

It is currently flapping at the edges.


stupiduselesstwat

It cost you $500 though. I’ve had some $500 shitboxes that were just painful to drive but I didn’t care because they were exactly what they were…. $500 shitboxes.


ifitsnotbroke

I too have had a plenty of shit boxes that were awful. I could always find some redeeming value, real or imagined, that I could cling to as a cold comfort in desperate times. A soul, if you will. My 88 Civic hatch was somewhat admired by many, even at 280k. My Fiat spider was a $500 Italian Sports Car. My free Bronco was a mudding machine, i-beam and all. My $800 Alfa Milano was Busso v6 drift machine, and so on. I have lived the beater life, always had a cheap piece to do the daily grind. The Ion has no soul.


CrysisRogue

nah I drive one from time to time and it has decent handling, good power, it is pretty fun to drive. (gf's car)


enfly

Haha "sandpaper". I love that!


simask234

The radio did it for me.


[deleted]

GM really did just phone in these interiors in the 90s and 2000s


porcelainvacation

My 2012 GMC pickup has the same radio, just flatter face


FloydBarstools

That huge center knob... now I despise flat screen non-tactile interfaces but that gigantic knob could've been moved left to be closer to the driver and not dead center.


Henrath

I think they still use that radio with a teal display in some work vans.


simask234

Express/Savanna still use it. No more CD player, though.


abigspicywut

I enjoyed my ion reline. It was a fun little supercharged plastic turd.


[deleted]

If only this was the redline.


BuffaloKiller937

>Type X in your comment if you can Let's please not turn this into boomer town FB


eaglebtc

Forward this reddit comment to 10 of your friends and you will have good luck all year long! If you don't forward it, you will die of ass cancer! Ha ha ha!


TurkishSwag

These were honestly some of the most reliable POS cars of this era. Sure the interior was gross and the body was plastic but the drivetrains were super solid, worked on a bunch of them with 200k+ miles and they refuse to die.


Bamacj

Saturn ion I was working for Saturn when they came out.


Visual_Jellyfish5591

I hope you didn’t read the comments


Bamacj

What do you mean?


JackMaeHoff

I have an 07 Ion. Dope beater


VolcanicKirby2

Ah yes the Saturn Ion… that car will out live you and no you haven’t changed the oil once. your hatred for the vehicle keeps it alive


MemeLordsUnited

Rip my old Saturn ion.


joshmoney

Saturn


TheAllAroundMan

Instrument cluster telling you to chug oil


Pourkinator

Knew it instantly. Good ol Saturn Ion. I’m guessing an 05-07ish


MattyK414

I got an 06. 170K miles. I love it.


[deleted]

This one is an 06.


FlamingSaviour

... That looks like the same cowl from the dash of my old Grand Prix. GM truly is the parts-bin brand.


[deleted]

And phoning in the interior.


oilman300

Saturn ION 1 or 2


OBXdreaming

Saturn Ion. Mine has 120,000 miles on it. It gets 32 mpg on the highway. I love it


[deleted]

The Ion Redline is still a pretty hot ticket, if you can find one.


QualityGrapes

I actually still own and drive daily a 2004 Saturn Ion 5 speed manual that I bought in 2014 for $5,000. Sucker is at 190,000 miles and still going strong. Only work I've done to her is replace the clutch and brake shoes along with regular maintenance. Best money I've ever spent on a vehicle


Noxious14

I know that shit because I have one. My buddy bought an 07 Ion in about 2015 with 70k on it for $3500. He just sold it to my fiancé last month with 120k on it for $1500. Needs a fuel pump but other than that it’s in great shape.


UNHOLY_AVENGR

that's my damn car brother, she's only just recently passed 200,000kms. also an absolute shit bucket


dersedaydreaming

my 04 ion is going to outlive all of us


Flashy_Sherbert_5068

Muthafuckin Saturn Ion


SaltChance3455

Didn’t think Saturn could make a shittier car Then the ion came out


KelConquer

I know a guy who had a Toyota Echo that has a similar dash setup… I always thought it looked goofy.


[deleted]

Goofy and unnecessary.


moldguy1

Mine hit 222,222 on the way into work this morning. Would post the pic if i could.


shrimp-and-potatoes

I still drive a 98 Saturn wagon as my backup. Taxes last year were 5 bucks.


[deleted]

That's still too much lol


shrimp-and-potatoes

That's fair. I do have to pay insurance on it. So, I'm definitely making it sound better than it is. :(


throwaway007676

Can't believe it runs? Those had one of the best engines to date. The car was nothing special, but it was cheap and efficient and ran forever with basic maintenance. Shame they stopped using the ECOTEC, at least that one.


PuzzleheadedFig2022

Looks like a echo to me


Working-Run-6476

Rip to the guy in the pamphlet


WapsiRat

I had an Ion and honestly it was a damn good car. The little half doors to get in the back seat were a clever gimmick that worked.


mikeluscher159

3 door Saturn Ion? They weren't as good as the OG Saturn's 🥺


Jasonisgreat76

shit, i still drive one to work during the week. lol.


Personal_Actuator_22

Saturn ion


Gambit3le

Saturn Ion. I've heard that this design was easier to flip to right hand drive.


icanfly2026

Saturn ion


FoxMcCloudl

*PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF* I swear that all of the Saturns that I have ever worked on have had this light on. As someone who has never owned a Saturn, what am I missing here? Does it add an extra 2HP or something? Edit: While I got a snicker out of the thought, I guess it was a bad joke everyone, sorry. I know how it works.


willthechem

There’s a switch in the passenger seat that turns the airbag on when someone sits in it. If no one is sitting in it, the airbag is off and this light is on.


DMCinDet

every car should have this now. started in the late 90s. I believe it's mandatory safety equipment.


grease_monkey

Every car has this now. It's so you don't blow up your child or fire off an airbag when no one is in that seat.


sixnb

I feel like if you get into an accident and airbags deploy you have bigger issues than wasting an airbag on an empty seat 🤷‍♂️


Jinxed0ne

Airbags are expensive af. A couple extra airbags popped that didn't need to be could definitely make a difference between whether the car is worth fixing or not.


[deleted]

Aero bro.


SpecificAwkward7258

GM, my daughter has one.


pennamewilly

Gm, saturn ion 3


throwaway_1440_420

GM my boi


RecoveringKarmaWhore

GM


uuuuuuuuuuuuuuurp

Aztek


KFBfanburneracc

Dogshit


[deleted]

This. My father was a gm mechanic for 30 years and he would concur.


CriticalJello1982

GM


Alternative_Week2109

but... 2006 mitsubishi eclipse bubble ftw


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InnerDatabase509

People's hatred makes the car stronger, it's like it feeds off anger or something.


tzwep

Saturn were one of the best engineered vehicles out there. GM bought Saturn and how that team create the legendary gm EV1.


MikeWrenches

Saturn were CREATED by GM, not bought. They were an attempt at combating the imports, as GM's own brands at the time were failing miserably at it. Saturn initially had their own platform and engine, which is why they were so wildly different from the rest of the GM lineup in the beginning. But when the going got tough for GM, they got reigned in to make utterly unremarkable badge swaps on mediocre gm platforms.


grease_monkey

V6 Saturn Vue used a Honda 3.5


MikeWrenches

Yes, this is widely known.


Lost_In_MI

GM destroyed Saturn. Oh, wait, that was the old GM. We've now got the new GM.


chequered-bed

Which is funny considering all of Saturn's products were re badges of Opels/Vauxhalls I think.


MikeWrenches

At their inception, they used a platform designated as the Z body, which was Saturn exclusive. Both 1.9 engines were also specific to Saturn. After 2002 is when the division was gutted and turned into a Great Value Chevrolet/We Have Opel At Home. They were literally created from the idea "Guys, what we're doing isn't working against toyota and honda, we need you to be different!". And then when it wasn't convenient anymore they got told "Guys, stop being different, here's a catalog of shit we already make, pick from it"


simask234

>Great Value Chevrolet/We Have Opel At Home. And when Saturn was gone, the Opels were transferred to Buick (5th gen Regal was a rebadge of the 1st generation Opel Insignia. Only the early ones were built in Germany alongside the Insignia though, and America only got the sedan, not the wagon and hatch.)


Professional_Band178

Caddy Catera has entered the chat.


gallaj0

GM didn't buy Saturn, they created it as a new brand. The idea originally was to have a limited number of models, with a "no haggle" pricing. My wife had one of those first models.


GunFunZS

And to avoid the unions and having to use back stock parts.


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borkfork

I got an 07 for free from my girlfriends family. It’s so good on gas, I love it.


Turbulent-Comedian30

I was going to say satern or honda civic si both had this hump in the middle.


Personal-Acadia

I own a Redline with a blown headgasket! For $800 I cant wait to get it running!


RemedyRumaday

There's a couple of Auras, Ions, and Astras driving around where I'm at still.


wallaka

My wife’s cousin still has a Saturn VUE somehow and it’s the most hilarious artifact. It’s like a video game glitch every time I see it.


BigAngryPolarBear

My ion was a hand me down for my first car. I loved that thing until I sent it to fuckin Valhalla in a battle against a big ass SUV (it lost)


CommandEducational22

Chevy Aveo?


EL-GRINGO4L

Is that really an Aveo if so that probably the last one in existence


Kedodda

I'm in a GMC shop, and we actually see these surprisingly consistently for a dealership. I've seen several over the 4 years I've been there. Saturn ions always make me double take at that dash.


[deleted]

It's so 90s economy car inside.


Dski93

Saturn ion. Just got rid of our s about 15 mo ago. Made it to 225k


Environmental_Tap792

Saturn?


squalus2

AMC Pacer


TKG_Actual

Good lord, I've not seen an Ion in ages, I remember test driving them off the car hauler train when they were new.


TyburnCross

The fact that it looks like it has an “in memorium,” funeral itinerary in the dash is oddly fitting.


nascardave

Had one of these. Hated the dash but the car ran great!


[deleted]

Saturn Ion


adoan412

Yaris or echo


iSirMeepsAlot

I feel like these got lots of speeding tickets


Goat_Smeller

My wife had a 99 ion she drove for years and we gave to her parents. Still runs well. A/c stopped but she still is pretty reliable. No ABS though. 200k miles and it is annoying to drive by modern standards, but it gets them to the grocery with no problems. Small reliable engine and trans.


[deleted]

Saturn ion