5 very important ion red line questions!

[dp97sc2]

Im brand new to this board and I have 5 questions for those who have knowledge of ION vs. ION RED LINES....

Q1. Price the latest info I got is:
-3750 rebate
-1500 gms
-500 "2004 inventory adjustment"
=5750 off anyone know any more rebates besides these 3??? Anyone have a 1,000 olds owner loyalty coupon sitting around ; ) ?

Q2. fuel econ:
From what I've researched the max hwy. econ is around 32mpg for rl and 37 for the reg qc with manual? So the question is, does only a 5mpg drop sound right or is it more than that?

Q3. Insurance: Anyone know how much the premiums might go up from a reg. qc, to a rl? I've heard a range from nothing to thousands.

Q4. Maintainance: I know there are at least 3 higher priced areas: mobile one oil, bigger tires and premium unleaded fuel... are there any other higher maintainance costs I am not aware of besides these 3?

Q5. ANYONE have any other facts that might 'sway' my decision one way or another with ion rl vs the qc3???

Thanx in advance : )

[bobwill]

Well, the oil changes on the Redline are more involved as part of the supercharger's plumbing is in the way of the oil filter, and it takes 7.5 quarts of oil to top it off, so dealerships are charging close to $100 for oil changes.
The gas mileage difference is probably about right. I have an Ion sedan that I routinely get 31mpg per tank on.
If you just graduated or are a college senior they might have a college grad credit. I got that when I bought I just needed to show that I had a job and a copy of my transcripts to show the number of credits I had. Those deals generally only work if you're buying your first new car though.
The redline does require premium gas.
I'd say go for the redline.

[dp97sc2]

Bob, there are probably 2 things keeping me from it:
1. is the rl REALLY limited production to 5000 a year?
2. do you know if the 05 rl is upgraded in any way over the 04?

[Aeain]

There are 5000 2004 ION Red Lines, and the 2005 is not being upgraded except for Chrome bezel around the gauges and some minor interior brush ups. My Dealer has an 05 Red ION Red Line. Red is also a new color for 2005.

[TXRLU]

The rebates are great on the Red-line, and depreciation will probably be less on a red-line than on a QC. Case in point, the ford lightning and the ford taurus SHO that were out early in the 90s are good for atleast a few thousand more than their respective models. Insurance wise I'm paying less for my Red Line than I was an 04 Cavalier w/the 2.2. I'm thinking the insurance is less because they don't know there is a Supercharger on it yet. Maintenance-wise, with any H.O. engine premium fuel, oil, and general maintenance you expect a premium price. As far as swaying your decision, probably the best thing would be to see if they still have the 24 hour test drive thing, and take both out. Oh one other bit of info, it costs me (in TX) $22-24 dollars to fill-up on premium averaging about 230-250 miles per tank. Hope this was helpful.

[HiWire]

I'd like to repeat an above note:

** Premium gas **

It could end up costing a bit to run, considering the current gas price.

[BUBBLEMAN]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dp97sc2
[B]Im brand new to this board and I have 5 questions for those who have knowledge of ION vs. ION RED LINES....

Q1. Price the latest info I got is:
-3750 rebate
-1500 gms
-500 "2004 inventory adjustment"
=5750 off anyone know any more rebates besides these 3??? Anyone have a 1,000 olds owner loyalty coupon sitting around ; ) ?

GM Employee bonus cash of $500.

Get the red line or really step up to the plate and get a 04 SVT Cobra.

[Homeskiz]

Originally posted by dp97sc2
Im brand new to this board and I have 5 questions for those who have knowledge of ION vs. ION RED LINES....

Q1. Price the latest info I got is:
-3750 rebate
-1500 gms
-500 "2004 inventory adjustment"
=5750 off anyone know any more rebates besides these 3??? Anyone have a 1,000 olds owner loyalty coupon sitting around ; ) ?

I'm in Florida and all I've heard about is $3000 towards the down payment...that's what it says on Saturn.com too....I keep seeing on here that it ends up being like $5000 off though.
Are those rebates only offered in certain states or something?

[eRic 02sc2]

$5000 includes the $3000 downpayment for Saturn and various GM employee and/or supplier discounts.

[kylefarrar]

um $100. I don't think so man! The customers we have here pay real close to the regular coupe price as far a oil changes go. Some one has miss informed you. The oil filter is not that much harder to get to and dose not pay any extra time to get to it. The mobile one oil is just a little more expensive and so there is a adjustment accordingly but not near $100. Only high end cars like the 911 or MB charge that kind of money for and oil change but you get more than just and oil change!


P.S. If you have to wonder why you want to buy a RL over a regular coupe then that car is not for you!

[OhioVueBoy]

Originally posted by kylefarrar
um $100. I don't think so man! The customers we have here pay real close to the regular coupe price as far a oil changes go. Some one has miss informed you. The oil filter is not that much harder to get to and dose not pay any extra time to get to it. The mobile one oil is just a little more expensive and so there is a adjustment accordingly but not near $100. Only high end cars like the 911 or MB charge that kind of money for and oil change but you get more than just and oil change!


P.S. If you have to wonder why you want to buy a RL over a regular coupe then that car is not for you!

This has been found to not be true for all retailers. Run a search for this subject, and you will see what we are talking about.
~D.J.~

[JDRedline]

Originally posted by dp97sc2
...
Q2. fuel econ:
From what I've researched the max hwy. econ is around 32mpg for rl and 37 for the reg qc with manual? So the question is, does only a 5mpg drop sound right or is it more than that?

You will never see 32 mpg.

I average 19 mpg. 205 horses are very thirsty - especially when you use them frequently.

Originally posted by dp97sc2
...
Q5. ANYONE have any other facts that might 'sway' my decision one way or another with ion rl vs the qc3???
...

The QC3 is still an economy car. If money is a consideration, then the Redline may not be for you.

[gary p]

Originally posted by JDRedline
You will never see 32 mpg.

I average 19 mpg. 205 horses are very thirsty - especially when you use them frequently.

I get about the same in admittedly "spirited" driving. Previously had an ION3 with manual transmission and got ~ 26mpg. Factor in the $0.20 higher price per gallon for premium and the fuel costs on an ION Redline are about $10/week higher for the average driver (15k miles/year) than a 5-speed ION 1/2/3.

[dp97sc2]

several more wonders and worries now:

1.-fuel econ I get 35-40mpg hwy with my sc2 35 driving harder, 40 mpg being light on the gas pedal.... Also I saw one guy post here JKIRK who got 31 hwy in an ion rl....26mpg in an ecotec 2.2 WITH MANUAL TRANS????? WTF I've gotten 36 mpg with an olds alero with an AUTO TRANS BIGGER CAR AND AUTO???? ANYONE CARE TO EXPLAIN? Do you guys 'drive it like you stole it'?

2. premium unleaded....I was doing my calculations on reg gas being 1.80 and premium an even 2.00. Where I live reg is now 2.05 and premium 2.25....perhaps I am being too optimistic in gas ever being under $2 again?

3. 7.25 qts of mobile one per fill??? the regular ecotec uses 5 qts. Im taking there is an engine oil cooler????

[gary p]

Originally posted by kylefarrar
The mobile one oil is just a little more expensive and so there is a adjustment...

The oil is 3 times as expensive (~4.00 per quart) and you need almost twice as much. Just the oil for a Redline oil change is $30. Ad for a filter and your up to ~$35. Thats if you do it yourself!

My retailer charges 7/10ths of an hour for the labor which seems reasonable given what it takes to get to the oil filter. Total cost is ~ $84. With synthetic oil in the crank case I feel comfortable with a 5000 mile change inteval (after the first change at 3000 miles). That brings the total outlay per year for oil changes to ~$250. With a regular ION using "standard grade" oil I'd do a change every 3000 miles @ $30 each. The difference in anual cost is ~$100. I consider that to be a reasonable difference in cost for the considerably higher perormance of the Redline motor.

[gary p]

Originally posted by dp97sc2
several more wonders and worries now:

1.-fuel econ I get 35-40mpg hwy with my sc2 35 driving harder,

If you're getting 35 mpg driving "hard" you aren't having any fun!

I've gotten ~29-31 mpg driving multiple 5-speed SL2/SC2s.

25% in-town driving, 75% 2-lane rural at 75mph cruise with multiple max-acceleration passes; redline/near-redline on almost every 1-2 and 2-3 shift (after the car has had a chance to warm up) although I try to stay off the limiter.

[bobwill]

In the comparison test between the Redline and the SRT4 Road and Track recorded 16mpg for the redline.
So, the guys reporting 19mpg sounds more than reasonable given I doubt their day to day driving is quite as spirited as R&T's testing.

[gary p]

As for tires, you'll get clobbered on the price for replacements if you get them from your retailer. Tirerack.com has ~60 different choices in the appropriate size, many under $100 each. With shipping and mount-and-balance at a local shop you should be able to re-shoe a Redline with reasonably good tires for ~$500. Similar quality tires for an ION3 would be about $80 less per set.

I suspect that tire life on an ION Redline might actually be better under "spirited" driving conditions. The ION3 has much more body roll and overloads the outside corner of the outside front tire in an aggressive turning manuever. The Redline corners much flatter and uses more of the width of the contact patch of that outside front tire. In my estimation the Redline tires should wear more evenly.

If you like to regularly spin the front tires on launch (I never do) then all bets are off. You could burn the front tires of a redline in a few thousand miles if you do "big smokey burn-outs" at every opportunity.

[saturnguy0077]

Regarding the Olds loyalty, you have to be the original owner not just have the certificate it would have the name of the owner printed on it, no reproductions are accepted. As for 2005 over a 2004 Red Line there are not many difference as Aeain has said, though he did miss a few there is also the use of Quiet Steel in the dash the 2005 is slightly quieter if that is your thing and a couple other mounting piecing that make for a more silent vehicle. The amount you have stated you would get off is correct $3000 choice $750 Bonus $1500 or so GMS and $500 GMS bonus. Over all I suggest to anybody looking into the Red Line, get the 2004 since the deals on the 2005 may not ever be as high as they are currently on the 2004. As for some of the other things such as higher fuel, bill and higher insurance try to look at it as the price for higher fun. Purchase your Red Line and let the good times begin.

[Aeain]

Saturn of Dayton South Charged $108 for the Oil Change. But, I bought the service plan and have 5 years of oil changes.