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Ok so I knew going into buying this little car that it was no high end top of line car. But for the life of me I can't find any good things about the poor car. Can I get a little assurance that I did not make a huge mistake by buying this 2008 aveo ls with 28k on it.
Not trying to be "that guy" but I could use some positive info right now.
Whats wrong with it. Is it a hatch or sedan auto or 5spd does it have cruise? i love aveo its an 07 hatch it has problems but some you just cant get around its loud on the inside road noise its underpowered. It is a eco car but it also has good stuff great mpg ,sunroof rear wiper and its a tough little car with a cold air and some exhaust work and coilovers and other odds and ends it gets me where i need with a smile. Just take it for what it is, You can make it something cool for cheap.
I have an 08 Aveo5 and I fell in love with this car from the first day I sat in it! It has sunroof, heated side mirrors, power door locks/windows, A/C, etc......If you were looking for something more like a Mini Cooper S then I think you did make a mistake in your purchase.
Your commentary is WAY too vague. Start by letting us what a "good thing" is. And you need to say specifically what you feel are problems. Then you might get some feedback related to those things.Quote:
Originally Posted by dc967506
Well, what did you like about it when you bought it? Usually people don't buy a car unless they like it, mostly.Quote:
Originally Posted by dc967506
The only thing that will make me hate a car is if things often go wrong with it. So far, the few problems encountered have been minor ones.
I bought ours as a commuter car for my wife and she loves it. If she's happy, I'm happy.
Or are you referring to what others (professional reviewers) say about Aveos? :confused: They are never going to say anything positive about it, so ignore that.
It reminds me of the old joke about two guys who meet on the street. One asks "How's your wife?" The other replies "Compared to what?" ;)
I bought it for a few reasons, it had very low miles got a great deal on it. Also I feel very comfortable in it, I am kind of a bigger guy and I fit well in the seats. I also just kind of liked it, i thought for a cheaper car it looked really good. I don't know I have just read a lot of negative stuff from this site about it, but i guess there have to be some positive things about it to have this many people who are on site dedicated to the car. The only thing i see that scares the ever loving crap out of me is the stuff about the timing belt.... I think I will change mine at like 40k just to be safe.
A lot of forums I browse through of different vehicles are always flooded of negative posts of their cars....it's where you can discuss your issues with others and manufacturers if they choose to can learn from it and improve.Quote:
Originally Posted by dc967506
IMO 40K is a little premature to replace your belt as I don't think 08 Aveo's had the same number of belt snappings as earlier models. I replaced mine at 56K and the belt looked in great shape so if you choose to you can wait until the 60K mark.
For every post that will (might) glorify anything, there are 100 that hate it, thats not just for the Aveo. It's human nature to put more effort in telling everyone how awful something is than to say how good something is. And its also human nature for someone to transfer those feelings; ie "i heard those are bad cars don't buy one." But as far as reliability, many of us here have had little trouble with our aveos. Many of use haven't come to the site until after the timing belt broke, that is something that catches a lot of people and makes them hate the car, but it is just maintenance.
My aveo has proven as reliable as, or more reliable than any car I have owned, and I'm owned cars from $50 to $40000. The $40000 one was actually the most problematic.
No need to do it at 40K as that's premature. Over the years I've owned quite a few Asian cars and actually regret when having changed the belt at 60K because the belts always looked good and would have lasted a lot longer than that. They apparently changed the recommendation on the 2009 to 100K because the engine is different. But since yours is a 2008 it would be best to do it at the recommended interval.Quote:
Originally Posted by dc967506
When the timing belt is changed it is good to change the tensioner and water pump as well and any other related parts that are in that area, whether needed or not. The labor of disassembling that part of the engine is considerable (meaning $$). Therefore it is cost effective to replace the other stuff at the same time as a preventive measure, rather than have to pay the labor costs again down the road.
Apparently you bought it used. Did you buy it from a dealer and get any warranty on it?
I bought Scoots a little over a year ago, and my main grumble was the lack of Cruise Control (I had just come from a Bigger car that had Cruise control Standard, and was doing a 84 Mile Round Trip commute at the time) but eventually, My Little Scoots won me over with her decent 180 Watt Sound System, her Speediness on the Interstate (it doesn't take much to move only 2,500 Lbs), her TARDIS Like Interior Space, her Fuel Efficient Nature, and from what I've been reading here, her Upgradability. you'll eventually find something you like about your aveo!
No I bought it from a friend of the family and that is why i got such a good deal on it, I really don't hate the car. I really feel very comfortable in it, and I see a lot of posts on here about how it sucks to drive, I actually enjoy driving it pretty well. Of course I drive like a old man (barely get above 60 MPH most of the time) I think the amount of bad posts about it are just over whelming. I also agree with who mentioned its speediness on the interstate, I took it on the interstate the other day and was impressed with how quick it got up to speed. As soon as i get this popping noise figured out in the front end (mentioned in another post) I think i will feel better. But thanks to all of you who took time to post some good things makes me feel better about the timing belt for sure.
As far as handling goes, I've made negative comments on how my Aveo originally handled in the snow, and to some extent on wet pavement also. Once I put good snow tires on, that problem went away. And I actually have always liked the way it handled on dry pavement - not a sports car to be sure, but I also didn't pay a sports car price either :).
And on the timing belt, you need to know the Aveo is no different than any other interference engine that has a belt instead of a chain. A belt breaking in any vehicle so equipped is very likely to trash the engine and cost mega bucks. I used to have bad dreams (not kidding) about the belt breaking in my daughter's Honda Civic. I changed the belt, wp, etc, and the bad dreams stopped. Yes, there was some premature breakage on the 2004's, but I'm not aware of any systemic problem with the subsequent year Aveos. Hope you will begin liking your Aveo more as time goes on :thumbup:
When you do replace the belt, always use "Gates Belts". Their $9 more and allot better then the Dayco Belts. Ive found that what ever I cant do I can simply get a part time mechanic to do so long as I furnish my own parts. Youve got along way before you have any problems but I will tell you that the original struts and shocks are crap. My 2005 Aveo has 149,000 on it and Ive never done anything to the internal engine yet. I would suggest however running synthetic oil and replacing the transmission fluid for longer life. The "Lucas" oil additive is a major plus too. I dont know why but it seems like the "MAP" sensor causes allot of problems when it goes bad. They cost $80 at Auto Zone.
The CV joints were bad but i replaced those at $61 ea (2) at Auto Zone. The car is a great car when new and if it has LOW mileage but unless you can do your own repairs then dont buy one. Parts are VERY cheap but mechanics charge a fortune. My bet is that if you bought it new for $9,500 new in 12 years of takeing it to the dealership you would have another $12,000 in it. No joke! Ive got $3,000 in cheap parts but its all major work that I did just short of over hauling the engine. Its a good starter car for a teenager to wreck within 6 mths of getting their license and thats it.
You must remember that Chevy NEVER made this car but rather South Korea did and Chevy just stuck their emblems on it. Nothing is American about the the car except the owner. Either put premium gas in it or run injector cleaner through it every tank full or you WILL get "Phantom Engine Light" illumination. I got several 0131 codes that pointed to 02 sensor or vaccume leaks but just ended up being carbon build up on the sensors and fuel injectors. It took 3 tanks of Shell 93 octane premium gas and Sea Foam injector cleaning in the vaccum lines and gas tank untill the codes went away. 1 month later and no engine light. Sea Foam works GREAT!
The Chevy Chevette was the best compact car they ever made and easier to work on.
yep same from me popping noise was the front strut replaced and the noise is gone.
My biggest complaint I have is how loud the road noise is. Have to crank radio all the way up to hear it....
90% of road noise is a poor choice in tires.
I was about to say the same. The other 10% possibility might be from having a window that is partially open. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by petrified.rabbit
I respectfully disagree with this statement.. there are plenty of ppl on this forum that have driven the snot out of this motor and it performs quite well. Perhaps you haven't redlined it every once in awhile along with premium gasoline? There are plenty of spare part in auto graveyards and thats a great thing for the diy folks, and what you pay in dealership labour you will also pay if you leased a high performance hatchback. Again just remember the long term investment of the vehicle, dont think about it with the mentality of that ignorant teenager that would have wrecked any vehicle.. and yes there are lots of Aveo family cars around partially due to the lack of preventative maintenance they got. In in the end I would say its better to drive a slow car fast.. we have little need for automobiles that can theoretically go fast. I think this etec motor is awesome and the rest of the car.. well its budget and reasonably light. Drive it hard, you can easily still get 33mpg on average, I and many others can verify this, so don't think of your investment as short term is all.Quote:
Originally Posted by patricklprice
Its a good car to putt around in but I would never nor have I ever drove my family in it for vacation purposes nor would I trust it for long trips for my families safety. New it was a $9,500 go-cart just like the chevy chevette thats long gone and the aveo too will be right behind it. Just another throw-away-car and as far as driving the snot out of anything is something I would never do to any vehicle. Most teenagers have their first accident within 6 mths reported or not. (fact) Im glad you like your car but in the end its just a throw away item. A Model-T, well thats something different isnt it? Do you deliver pizzas or something? I guess the site after this one will be the "Sonic". Looks like you just joined in 2011. New purchase so now you swear by it until the next one? Im only here for a few troubleshooting techniques and nothing more. New Places & New Faces".
I agree with that statement, as the Solar HP430 Tires that were originally on the car when I bought it would HOWL at both 20 and 40 MPH, almost to the point where the Radio would have to be cranked close to the Max to drown it out! (as of this post, I have since replaced them with a set of VERY Gently used (with less than 100 miles on them!) Cooper CS4 Touring Tires with a size of 185/70/R14 to the tune of $296; the Tires WOULD have cost me a Mind Numbing $506 if I bought them new and in the Proper size at Sears!) those new Tires i just put on are MUCH quieter, and the taller aspect ratio means I have a bit more Ground Clearance, as well as the ScootaDrive doesn't have to work as hard at cruising speed!Quote:
Originally Posted by petrified.rabbit
I really love my Aveo. Well now it is mainly my wifes car since she can use it and I need a van for work anyways, but I am happy I didn't have to get rid of my Aveo when my job required a larger vehicle.
The aveo is a much nicer can then the older Geo Metro style cars that were made. A much nicer and superior ride, if you drove an Aveo or even cars like an 06 Kia Rio you wouldn't be complaining about the superior handling and ride of the Aveo. If you don't get a better ride then those cars then something is worn out or you have bad tires on your car giving you trouble.
It has needed very little work to maintain to this point and the cost of it was exceptional. Sure it isn't the best choice of a cross Canada trip. But I had to go half way across Canada in a less comfortable Kio Rio and I can tell you I will always take this Aveo first if I have to between those two cars I had
we had to drive two Kias in the past 5-6 years, once was a 2005 Rio when our Caravan was in the shop from a collision (makes our Aveos looks like Cadillacs in comparision) and we rented a 2009 Spectra to go down to my sister's in Panama City, FL. (the seats in that Spectra were as hard as ROCKS.) and in May of Last year, we took Scoots down to Panama City so I could see my sister and her USAF husband off to their next duty station in Germany; Long Story short: Even WITHOUT Cruise Control, Scoots was more Comfortable and more fuel efficient than that Spectra was!Quote:
Originally Posted by grego
MPG's!!! Thats all I worry about I drive around 100 a day (5 days a week) need those!! It's a nice little car does what I need it to do. I can complete an oil change in about 15 mins on it.
Changing the oil on Scoots is quite easy, I LOVE the Topside oil filter cartridge, but my only gripe is the T-45 Torx Drain Plug.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shocker
I routinely make 2900km (one way) trips (summer and winter) in my 5 speed '05 hatch, about 20 times so far. My destination is not close to an airport. To fly is crazy expensive. I have made this round trip with passengers and gear for as little as $350 in gas; driving non-stop in about 32 hours. Totally loving every kilometer of the drive. With good (Michelin X-Ice) snow tires I have found this car to be almost unstoppable in deep snow and ice - and I've busted a great many snow drifts in North Dakota. The car has a lot of clearance. Dealerships garage rates are insane, don't take it to a dealership. Just remember, repair bills are cheaper than another 3-5 years of car payments. My experience with this car that I bought new has been extremely positive.
I agree. I change my own oil and I would never buy any car that has an oil filter that is difficult to access.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2010AveoLT
Toyotas also have a similar under the hood oil filter. I like Toyotas, and I have one of them, too. But Toyotas cost more than Aveos.
I hate torx screws. But this one I can live with. Buy a good torx 3/8" socket of that size. It will last you the life of the car - as long as you don't misplace it when you need to change your oil. :scratch: Keep it in the glove box, or wherever you can find it. ;)
Well, too much reading but I saw the topic and thought i would chime in. She has been a great little car. I have a hatchback don't know how many times I have ended up at Costco or Home Depot not remembering what i drove and how little room I had until I left the store. But I have fit some crazy stuff in there. Versus my previous BMW 323 vert where once I actually had to put the top down and hold something in place the whole commute home.
It is a commuter for our household. It gets double the gas millage as anything else in my driveway. But the lack of power is killing me. Still, we have commute where this little thing gets driven 60 miles, 11 times per week. Mind the maintenance for the timing belt and the thermostat housing. A co-worker has not and has paid for the damage they cause.
Great little car, for its purpose.
my timing belt snapped at 140k. cost time and money oh yes and valves and valve seals. i still love my car which is six years on the road and 300k later. doing your maintenance and repairs your selves will save you a barrel of money. the dealerships are a ripoff nightmare. just as the cost of oem parts. find substitute replacement parts which can fit and yet fit and feel original. i do.
send me a holler if you need a factory service manual. synticer2kids@yahoo.com. i just might answer
Very unfortunate, but inquiring minds want to know how many times the belt had been changed, and at what mileage? And also the year.Quote:
Originally Posted by synticer