I Said Goodbye to Ion Prime Best Car I've Ever Owned

Guys and their cars. They are a reflection of that guys personality. They are the holder of some great memories. They are the vessels for road trips. When that car finally dies, it is a sad moment. That moment came for me today as I said goodbye to Ion Prime, my 2004 Saturn Ion Redline.

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Way back in the year of our Lord, 2006, I purchased my 2004 Saturn Ion Redline from Classic Toyota in Tyler. It had just over 25,000 miles on it. It even still had the factory warranty attached to it. That inline four with a super charger and five speed manual transmission was a blast to drive. That two door coupe with suicide doors on the driver and passenger side and Recaro front bucket seats turned some heads with it's surprising power.

I traveled to Dallas many times, had some late night trips to Shreveport in it and took him to Austin for a weekend. He was a comfortable drive. The only thing I changed was the radio. I put a couple of Sony stereos in the deck that sounded great.

But as cars do with the mileage racking up, things will start to break down. The keyless entry stopped working and I had to lock and unlock him manually. The driver's side window finally quit in December of last year. I was told a couple of years ago that I was having issues in cylinders one and four. At that time, the cost to repair him would have been more than he was worth. I decided to drive him until he finally gave out.

Well, he finally did. After 194,000 plus miles, Ion Prime is resting at Locos Gringos Pick-N-Pull in Tyler. He was the best car I ever owned and I'll never forget all the memories I had in him. I haven't started my car search just yet, but I will soon. I'll miss you Ion Prime.