[skorpion317]

I was finishing up an assignment for school today (asking the manager of a dealership what they look for in a technician), and i was at my local Saturn dealer. The service manager wasn't there, so I headed on down to the next closest dealership, a Pontiac/Buick one. En route, I had a wicked idea....why not test drive an ION Redline? I'm in the market for a new car, and leasing one may be a good idea. I finished my project at the Pontiac dealer, then headed back over to Saturn. I asked one of the salespeople if I could take the Redline out. He was more than happy to let me drive one.

It was black, with chrome wheels, a 5-speed manual. It's a decent-looking car, with the ground effects and spoiler on it. A nice exhaust tip just barely pokes out from under the car. I got in the driver's seat....VERY nice. The Recaro seats fit like a glove. I sat in Boon's SRT-4, and the seats in that thing are thinly disguised race seats, which i barely fit into. The Redline's seats are definitely sports-car grade seats, but they're more accomodating. The shifter is great, a lot shorter than my old Celica's shifter. The gates are easy to find, too. Steering is nice and tight. I drove it around town first, getting a feel for the clutch. The clutch catches somewhere slightly lower than halfway. The car is quite docile around town, very easy to drive. Then, I got on the highway to go back to the dealership. I had to stop to let traffic go by first, and then i dropped the hammer. The tires lit up instantly, something I wasn't quite expecting. I reeled it in quickly (not wanting to make an ass out of myself in front of the sales guy), and floored it once i got some traction. The car accelerates beautifully, the supercharger providing plenty of low-end torque. i was in 2nd gear, doing nearly 60 MPH. I can only imagine what speed i'd be going in 5th gear. The ride is smooth too, not as bone-shaking as the Camaro, but definitely sporty. I'd like to see what it can do in the twisties.

I really like the car, and I'm gonna try and convince my dad to consider it for my next car. Hopefully the godforsaken Lincoln will be gone soon....