Although cheaper, the Ion will not offer you the same versatility as Vibe.> Vibe and Matrix share a lot of their powertrain components, thus assuring> renown Toyota dependability without a Japanese nameplate on the back of your> car. What a great concept!> I drove both the cars you mentioned.> Both are noisy, but comfort level is acceptable. Performance even with manual> is mediocre (although Vibe GT is really a Celica Station Wagon, but costs way> too much)>

I was in a market for a new car until my finances changed and I settled for a> slightly used Saturn.> Even as a second owner (with some of the original warranty still in place) I> really was treated well at the Saturn dealer and the car itself seems to be put> together right, if not a bit sloppy in places.>

In the case of both of these cars, what the Pontiac has going for it is the> undeniable Toyota connection and the cargo space, Saturn shines when it comes> to customer service and let's not forget those famous unbeatable polymer body> panels and. Now that Saturn is starting to share models with other GM products,> polymer may sadly become a thing of the past. Based on my quick test-drive> neither car has much else to recommend, but out of a short list of new cars I> considered,Vibe was my number 1.>

I suppose a Saturn VUE with Honda's V6 is out of the question for you, ha?>

Doug Mitchell wrote:>

This is my first visit to rec..saturn. Thanks in advance for your advice.>

Our family is planning to replace our 13 year old Eagle Summit Wagon.>

Due to family connections we are trying our best to select a GM product.>

With this in mind we have narrowed our selections to this year's Pontiac> VIBE or the ION 2. Both will have a manual transmission and with almost> identical options the ION 2 is less expensive.>

We like VIBE's connection to Toyota as our first car was a Corolla which > was> with us for 14 years.>

We have no experience with the Saturn division of GM but we hope it really> is different i.e. special.>

So far we have test driven only a VIBE automatic. I thought the space and> layout of the interior were very good but the engine noise, at least in > the> lower gears of the automatic, was significant ­. We will drive an ION> shortly.>

Any comments or suggestions?>

--> Doug>

--> D. Mitchell>

"Doug Mitchell" <jmjm@SsYyMmPpAaTtI­iCcOo.ca> wrote in message> news:MttUd.5678$Vf6­.215285@news20.bellg­lobal.com...> > Dear Group,> >