Why did you buy your Aveo?

[Thymeclock]

I thought this proposed topic might make for an interesting discussion. People buy things for many different reasons.

So, why did you buy your Aveo? Why didn't you buy some other car? Is it what you expected? Are you satisfied with it, and why (or why not)?

[dmeech]

Well I needed something to get me to aand from College and preferred something new mainly for the warrenty. Some of the cars I looked at were the Echo hatch, Sunfire, Saturn Ion sedan, Neon and PT Cruuiser. I ruled out the Echo and Ion becuase of their center gauges, I just am not a fan of that. And I wasnt too crazy about the Neon. the PT cruiser was more of a passing interest. When iit first came out I hated it, then I slowly started to like it, now I am back to hating it, glad I didnt get it. And as for the Sunfire, I wasnt too crazy about that either, it was mainly becuase my brother owns a Cavalier and I didnt want to get the same thing.

I also have always liked hatchbacks and small cars, and since the Echo and Aveo were the only 2 small hatchback available at the time, that were in my price range. I took a shining to the Aveo. It has been a great car since i got it in 05. Ive only had one major problem and that was the Master cylinder in he clucth blew, but that was replaced under warrenty. Its a fine little car.

[MetroMPG]

Good thread. Been wondering the same thing.

I'd also like to know 2 related things:

What's your favourite thing about the car? And what thing/feature would you most like to change if you could (or maybe you're already planning to).

[Thymeclock]

Good thread. Been wondering the same thing.

I'd also like to know 2 related things:

What's your favourite thing about the car? And what thing/feature would you most like to change if you could (or maybe you're already planning to).

Ours (2009 Aveo5 LT1) is used by my wife (98% of the time) for her short commute to work. We didn't need anything bigger or more elaborate for that purpose. She LOVES the car, and since she's happy, I'm happy!

It seems to be a simple, basic, inexpensive car that is as well made as the comparable models of the other makers. It appears that routine maintenance will be easy to do, which is important to me as I do all the routine things myself. It's easy to drive, and even fun to drive it.

Most of the minor things I dislike cannot be changed:

Inadequate interior storage space
Can't unlock the hatch without using the key from the outside
Small horn buttons on steering wheel
Unsophisticated suspension gives a very hard ride on bad pavement

[XJCasper]

How can I make a long story short?

The debate was to get rid of my Jeep or Yamaha. And get rid of the BMW Convert and get a new car. All three vehicles were unreliable. Didn't look good compared to my wife's more dependable minivan.
When the decision came to keep the Jeep, I needed something that had better gas milage and more dependable.

Why i looked at an Aveo:
The parents of my son's friend, had bought an Aveo. Then I was looking around the NW section of a Subi forum and someone posted an de-badged Aveo with aftermarket wheels and tinted windows. The car looked good, so the wife and I took off to determine if I would fit.

Selling points at that time:
Lifetime oil changes
$500 rebate
100,000 towing. The only part of the extended warranty that really got my attention.
Cheapest new car in America and the feedback wasn't that bad.

The little car was a great fit for our family until the baby was born. Now I am usually the only person in the Aveo.
Now that finances have become better, wish I had more power. But it has been a good little car and should be paid off by the end of the year. Just have to convince my wife to let me get another bike when all of our cars are paid off.

[LarsBud]

Well it was the price that sold me. With the GM discount, my GM VISA points and my GM Suppliers discount the car was a steal ($10,100 CND). Ok it was not my first choose, I was planning on getting a 4 year old Cadillac CTS ($16,500 CDN), but lets just say my wife said NO #@*&$##! “I still plan on getting one”
It didn’t take long for my to really like the little fart can and I would have never did mobs on a CTS.
The only thing I don’t really like about the car is the damn seats. They are to straight up and I have to have them almost right to the back just to get a half decent position. My wife’s Hyundai seats are 100 times better.

[petrified.rabbit]

Inadequate interior storage space

Unsophisticated suspension gives a very hard ride on bad pavement

not singling you out for an argument, but wolf has put a 55?" plasma in the back of his, and mine can hold two kids in car seats and their double stroller comfortably. (which was one of the big selling points over the yaris, fit, and hyundai). Just wondering what you are trying to put back there?

Also the unsophisticated suspension, just needs springs to improve tremendously, have you tried that? its a design eerily similar to a vw which ride very well. Plus i live in pittsburgh, we have bad roads too, and even lowered my aveo feels better on the roads than a stock focus, and WAY better than a cobalt. the only thing i notice really is the car is almost too light, because some roads feel better while fully loaded (4 people etc)


I bought my aveo because my wife was tired of me driving my flips, i had already hit my 12 cars for the year and got my "you need a dealer license" from the state. And my $100 car broke down on the way to class 60 miles away. She told me i needed to buy a new car with a warranty, and then said i could spend $10000. Well that meant i couldn't buy what i really thought i would have wanted. Going based on advertising i went from the "cheapest" up. Hyundai i skipped already had one we both hated it, went to look at the yaris advertised price of 11,500 base or something like that. Dealers within 100 miles of my house didnt carry base. cheapest on a lot nearby was 16000. which was fine because the double stroller didnt fit. So i went to the aveo, test fit the car seat and double stroller. it fit. +1. Took it for a 20 mile test drive, it was fun. +1 Did a few windy country roads at high speeds, went up the interstate, drove it faster than expectations. the car salesman will never never forget the ride. (autocross skiills come in handy). The base cars handling sold me on the car. I bought it for $10500 out the door +1 before all the incentives were out and i didn't have a trade in, told the dealership only if i could pick it up tonight +1 (i would change my mind be the next day i am impulsive) went home and ordered h&r springs for it while i waited for delivery.

Things I like about the aveo (some are probably reason you guys do not):

nothing is made for them: i get to put my skills to work for everything i want to do. unlike most cars were i would just buy everything and bolt it on, it actually takes time to do things with this car which keeps me intrigued.

looks? i would have never considered (before the old one has grown on me) it if it didn't have the 09 facelift.

Fun driving experience, it is the closest thing "new" to driving my 75 vw rabbit. Which i love dearly.And i have own a LOT of cars and the rabbit has always stuck with me. Kind of unpowered performance, which woul take a while to explain my view of this. but basically it a lot more fun to push a slow car to its limits than to drive a fast car to what the state says you can do..


Dislikes:

small discs and rear Drum brakes, i get bad brakes fade after about 5 minutes of spirited driving i dont even trust the brakes to slow me down when i am going fast on the highway. (i am improving this though)

onstar. i hate how integrated into everything it is. i put in an "aftermarket" radio and my airbags would work unless i bought a $100 adapter (both airbag lights were on) TPMS, because to have a few sets of wheels would be an extra $250 per set to keep the light off. The fact it uses a $12 oil filter (which is fine but its more expensive than a corvette oil filter last time i checked). just all these type of things i can not easily do because it would nickel and dime me to do it 100% proper to the car.



i agree about some of the other things, like key in the trunk, etc. The seats could be better, but the upright design is "american", so i accept that, the seats could be worse. I have been in worse. But for how much i drive and how i drive i would like something more. but it is roomy for a little car.

[Thymeclock]

The only thing I don’t really like about the car is the damn seats. They are to straight up and I have to have them almost right to the back just to get a half decent position. My wife’s Hyundai seats are 100 times better.

The straight seat back doesn't really bother us, but I can see how it might for some. But there is an easy remedy for it, however: there are seat back (lumbar support) cushions on the market that are contoured and will fit your back. (I have them on two of my other cars - I offered one to my wife, but she says she doesn't need it.) The only tricky part is to get the support cushion to stay put; but a little ingenuity in using things like velcro and elastic can accomplish that. I put a simple foam cushion on the seat itself - it helps cushion the ride when hitting potholes.

The seat back angle really is infinitely adjustable, though. But I always have trouble finding the lever for it because it's located quite far back.

I like the interior very much as it's logical and user-friendly. Considering that you need to feel comfortable driving any car, you will end up hating a car if it's not comfortable or easy to drive. The fact that it sits very high off the ground makes it very easy to get in and out of, especially if you are 'on the wrong side of fifty'!

Another oddity is that since Chevy designed the car, virtually everything is the opposite of what you find on Japanese or other Asian imports. The keys turns the opposite way to lock and unlock the doors, the lever direction to turn on the wipers is opposite, etc.. It's Asian-American fusion. It's only confusing if you own other Japanese cars, I guess.

[serega12]

Inadequate interior storage space
Can't unlock the hatch without using the key from the outside
Small horn buttons on steering wheel
Unsophisticated suspension gives a very hard ride on bad pavement

The unlocking the hatch without using the key I fixed by putting in a power door actuator into the hatch (horizontally) and wiring it to the rest of my power locks that I put in at the same time we put in my alarm so I could have keyless entry that locks/unlock my hatch from the remote together with my doors.

You are right about the small horn buttons, they do take some getting used to. I found myself slamming the airbag a few times when I was trying to honk at someone...

And unsophisticated suspension - I have to agree with petrified.rabbit about H&R lowering springs - the car rides very comfortably yet you have a lot more control. I went a little further and changed out my stock shocks to KYB GR2 two-way gas shocks... WHAT A DIFFERENCE... Mine is not the new body style, but I found the body kit and lights that I want on that car before I even got one... I looked at a few, but after my dad bought an 08 Aveo5 and I drove it - I pretty much was set on getting one. I looked at a few, and ended up getting a used 06 hatch, base model, which is what I wanted, that way I wouldn't pay for the extra options, I could just have them installed if I wanted to have them (like why would I wanna pay for "premium alloy" wheels that come with the aveo, IMHO they are pretty ugly, but make the price tag higher even on the used end, instead I went with steelies/hub caps that soon after I got it got replaced with 17's). And that goes for everything else: MP3 player - got my own that's quite a bit better than stock, fog lights - they wouldn't fit the body kit that I got anyways, plus I got projection fogs with HID's in them... Alarm - got my own with remote start and keyless entry that unlock the hatch... 06 doesn't come with TPMS, makes it easier on me... Base model doesn't come with any security - makes it easier to install the aftermarket alarm - no need for bypass module to install the remote start... and I don't mind the sequence that I have to shut down the car in to make sure that it's not in gear (I haven't heard of OEM remote starts for manual transmissions, correct me if I'm wrong).

So I bought this car with it being a little project car/daily driver with good mileage yet customized. And that's what it is. My daily driver. Our other car is a fully loaded 06 HHR 2LT...

[Thymeclock]

The unlocking the hatch without using the key I fixed by putting in a power door actuator into the hatch (horizontally) and wiring it to the rest of my power locks that I put in at the same time we put in my alarm so I could have keyless entry that locks/unlock my hatch from the remote together with my doors.

I don't have power door locks, so that's out. I just gotta remember to lock the hatch.

You are right about the small horn buttons, they do take some getting used to. I found myself slamming the airbag a few times when I was trying to honk at someone...

Yeah, I've done that! Fortunately, I only drive it about 5% of the time. My wife is reluctant to blow the horn, so it's not a problem.