2004 Aveo eco beater

[Rampelsauce]

Hey all, bought a stick Aveo hatch for a commuter car. So far I enjoy it (especially in the wallet region). I got myself a set of 15" wheels with Nokians for some Milwaukee winter duty. Car is pretty sweet for being an old timer with almost 200k.

Looking forward to swapping in a short shifter and a tall DTM style delrin shift knob, power locks, window tint, lower springs for the summer, rear seat delete, etc.

Not looking for a high performance machine, but a pleasant to drive eco beater that's going to average me in the mid 30 mpgs. I'll be asking lots of questions.

[xintersecty]

Welcome the forum and I do love the term Eco-Beater, points.

[Rampelsauce]

Thanks, I'm already working on my first write up of step by step heated seat pad installation. I'll be doing one soon on aftermarket power locks and my rear seat removal/cargo area retrofit. I plan on putting this little jelly bean (as my girlfriend calls it) to work.

[MetroMPG]

Belated welcome!

What's the timing belt status?

I bet you know that's this car's Achilles Heel if you've been reading the forum.

Thread: What to watch out for when buying a used Aveo

[Rampelsauce]

I'll have to check the pile of paperwork that came with it. I'll also have to look into the replacement process. Thanks for the heads up!

Biggest things I'm taking care of now are the wheel spacers for my 15's, assembling my small lift kit, and adding sound deadening to the trunk area. With the rear seats removed it sure is noisy!

[MetroMPG]

So you're lifting in the winter and lowering in the summer?

[Rampelsauce]

That's my plan. Just going to do the strut spacers and weld up a spring spacer for the rear.

[MetroMPG]

That's hardcore!

I lowered my current winter beater (Metro) in the fall, but then had to trim up the DIY front air dam because I was hitting so many snuds on the highway.

Not too big a deal because when I go snowboarding, I usually ride in my brother's CUV which has more clearance! (I take it from one of your other posts you want winter clearance for going skiing/boarding?)