Finally buying the 2012 Cruze

[thehunterooo]

damn! i hate dealerships that try to put that...

i'm going to come steal your drivetrain :P

I will join you rabbit.

[NYChevoo]

I will join you rabbit.

You stay away from my drivetrain too!

[NYChevoo]

First congratulations on the new car, but your story is intriguing. As I read it....

• You live in NY, but went to NJ to buy a Jetta
• You really liked the dealer, but didn't pull the trigger that day
• When the paperwork arrived, it was incorrect

Here is where i get a little lost

• You got mad and threw your hands up and said eff all of them
• you went and bought a completely different car for an additional 2500 bucks

So...

• Why didn't you contact the NJ dealer to work it out?
• Why didn't you try to get a deal at another VW dealer?
• If you were going to spend the additional chedder, why not buy the Jetta SE in the first place instead of the S? difference is night and day from S to SE

Just curious.

I'd be happy to answer those questions for you!
1) the dealership where I first say the Jetta in white is in the next town over in NJ where I work so it seemed like a good idea since I spend most of my time in NJ. I could drop it off for service, get my loaner car and get to work.
2) I didnt pull the trigger that day because I had some doubts about doing it anyway because I really love my Aveo and its still in great shape eventhough it has 151000 miles on it. I left the dealership and asked him to Fed-Ex the paperwork to my house and I'd sign it and return it to him the next day when i went to work. (buying some decision making time)
3) When the actual paperwork arrived that was prepared by their finance person there was all these additional charges that added up to around $1400 and the interest rate we had discussed was much higher than initially I was quoted.

Next set about getting a little lost:
1) Tuesday night on my way home from work my thermostat housing cracked(plastic) so I knew a trip to the Chevy dealership was not too far away.

2) Wednesday morning I got my new housing and was leaving when I ran into an old friend of mine from way back. He used to be the finance mgr for another Chevy dealership but was now the Operations Mgr for my hometown Chevy dealer. I told him I was buying a Jetta and was just there to pick up a part for my Aveo. I also told him that I hated buying new cars especially now that the VW dealership was busting my balls to no end with all these crappy extra charges and ridiculous finance rate. He asked me why if I had always bought Chevys why was I buying something different than usual. I told him that I liked the car and wanted a change. Thats all. While I was there I decided to check out a Cruze and to be perfectly honest the Cruze is loaded with options like crazy. Not to mention that the 1.4L with turbo and 6spd really is so much faster than the Jetta.

To answer the "So..." question:
I decided I didnt feel like playing the game with the VW dealership. Phil, my friend got me 5.9% finance, no money down and threw it heavy winter rubber floor mats and window rain guards. I said what the hell. I wrapped the deal up Wednesday and picked it up Thursday around 3pm with 45 miles on it. I love the Cruze! What a blast this car is! I now have 125 miles on the car and it friggin awsome!

Oh and as far as spending the extra money is concerned? It was never a money issue. The Jetta had so many more options than the Aveo, and this Cruze is total option city so I decided to treat myself for Christmas! merry xmas to me! In the beginning I was just looking for a new base model commuter car but decided later that if I was going to be spending so much time commuting that I might as well make myself comfortable.

There ya go! Hope that helps clear up some of the "what the F*@K did he do" questions!

[MetroMPG]

Wow - epic story.

I once stopped in a used car dealership to ask about a set of tires and ended up leaving with an entire car. So, I can identify.

Congrats on the car! Keep us posted on how you like it.

[NYChevoo]

Sorry all that its been so long between posts. The job has been keeping me extremely busy and I havent had a day off since Christmas. I mean that literally! So I still have my 04 Aveo sedan and its tucked away nice and safe in my garage while the new Cruze sits out in the weather next to my Suburban. I now have 2000 miles on the car since I picked it up. Remember my commute is 140 miles per day round trip so it adds up quite quickly. The 1.4 turbo with the 6 spd had been a lot of fun and I have been averaging about 46 miles per gallon. Shocked the hell out me since the Cruze is rated 28mpg City/42mpg Highway. I love the comforts of the car and especially the XM satellite radio. Oh and I also love the fact that the car is linked to my Droid phone. Thats kinda cool. Anyway, I'd still debating whether or not to sell the Aveo. I'm experiencing some guilt issues in that department. I am seriously considering just keeping it and putting it back on the road and driving it to the very end of its life. I'm still not 100% sure as to why I bought a new car when I really didnt need one anyway. I still very much love driving my Aveo and to tell you all the truth miss it daily!
PS: First mod to the Cruze is that I yanked out the Delco air filter and dropped in my K & N filter.

[thehunterooo]

Just sell it, you won't drive it anymore

[AveoJunk]

Again, Congratulations. Thanks for taking the time to answer my stupid questions. I think you know why you bought a new car....with a 140/day commute, the Aveo will need to be replaced sooner rather than later in order for you to have a reliable car. Nothing like being stranded many miles from home. you feel helpless. Deep down you know this. And I find it really hard to believe 46 MPG if you dive anything over 55 on the highway....has that been an average tank to tank, or just a small amont of driving?

[petrified.rabbit]

the Aveo will need to be replaced sooner rather than later in order for you to have a reliable car. Nothing like being stranded many miles from home. you feel helpless. Deep down you know this.

I think his mileage and history with the car disagree with this, mine too. i was commuting 120 miles a day (why i bought the aveo). What did you go buy again? (off topic) are you happy with it? or do you have a ____Junk name on that cars forum too :P poking fun.

[thehunterooo]

I think Junk bought a Civic if I remember....( it has been a while) I know what Z34 has though

[NYChevoo]

Again, Congratulations. Thanks for taking the time to answer my stupid questions. I think you know why you bought a new car....with a 140/day commute, the Aveo will need to be replaced sooner rather than later in order for you to have a reliable car. Nothing like being stranded many miles from home. you feel helpless. Deep down you know this. And I find it really hard to believe 46 MPG if you dive anything over 55 on the highway....has that been an average tank to tank, or just a small amont of driving?

The deep down part of knowing I will need another car fairly soon with the Aveo having 151K on it so far I definitely agree with Aveojunk. My allegiance to the Aveo is that its the first car in 20 some odd years thats small that I feel comfortable in. Growing up many years and during a time in my life back then I was also a much smaller person as well. I pretty much drove Rabbits, Golfs, and Celicas. This car has been such a joy to own and has caused me very little in repair outside of normal maintenance meaning oil changes, tires and brakes and such. I've had the occasional wheel bearing, and a lower control arm many years ago with it but other than those things nothing major at all. As a matter of fact it still drives very tight both in suspension and the shifting of the automatic transmission. This I must say surprises the hell out of me. When I bought it I expected to have it few years then watch it fall apart rapidly.
Anyway as far as the mpg is concerned when I'm on the highway which is 50 miles of east to west I'm locked in at 70mph with the cruise control on, in 6th gear(labelled as Eco) at 1700 rpm according to the tach. Now the trip computer of which I have two readings in one window has an "Avg" display and a "Best" display. My best so far has been 47.8mpg and the average now fluctuates between 44 and 46mpg. Still not too shabby for a non-hybrid car. Supposedly it is rated at 28mpg city/42mpg highway and there is a statement below that states "some drivers have achieved 48 to 50mpg in various highway settings" How much of that I believe remains to be seen but what I do know is that I used to top off my Aveo every night out in NJ because fuel is cheaper there and it would always take $20.00. Now when I do this with the Cruze it wont top off more than $14.00 now.