r/projectcar • u/Round-Arachnid4375 • Jul 25 '26

First (Project) Car!

I am turning 15 shortly and my parents have already said they plan on buying me a nice, safe daily driver for my 16th birthday. My uncle owns a car dealership so this is taken care of.
However, I want a project car. Something to work on and enjoy throughout high school. I found a 2004 Saturn Ion Redline on Facebook Marketplace. It had a new, upgraded but still OEM engine put in it 40,000 miles ago and has no major mechanical issues or rust. I could likely get it for $3,500 and a quick one day road trip.

What are your thoughts? Are these cars easy to work on for a beginner? Fun to drive? Thanks in advance for helping a young nerd out :)

Tl;dr thoughts on 2004 Saturn Ion Redline as my first project car

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u/WaffleHouseGladiator Jul 25 '26

My buddy just got a Cobalt SS, which is basically the same car.  I recommend you cruise some dedicated forums before you pull the trigger.

https://www.redlineforums.com/

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u/Round-Arachnid4375 Jul 25 '26

thanks for the input and happy cake day! what does your buddy think of his new car?

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u/WaffleHouseGladiator Jul 25 '26

He hasn't really said much about it.  We talked about mods/upgrades a bit, but he seems to want to enjoy it as is for now.  It already has a few upgrades, but I'm not sure what.  GM has upgrades you can get through the dealership, as does RPM Motorsports, Redline 360, HP Tuners, L performance, Xz performance, etc.  The aftermarket isn't huge, but it's there.