Buying a 2011 Aveo: a bit of expertise wouldn't hurt.

Hello all! I have a few quick questions regarding a decision that I must make. This fall I'll be going to college and I need to find a vehicle. Currently I have a Jeep with 272,000 miles on it and I don't know how much longer it will last. Anyway, I was looking for something cheap, easy to fix/maintain, and something with alright fuel economy. My neighbor owns a 2011 Chevy Aveo5 ls and he said he'd sell it to me for trade in value because he upgrades every few years. The car will have less than 50,000 miles on it and the car is in overall good condition. So for about $6,000 I can own a cheap, fuel efficient, fun vehicle that will hopefully last many years.
Now, here's the question. Are their any downsides to purchasing an Aveo? Many people have complained about the manual gearbox in the car, but I'm a fan of a manual. Also, are there any costly repairs I need to know about before I buy the car? Any and all feedback would be great. Don't sugar coat it for me because I will only buy the car if it seems like a good investment for my transportaion. Thanks :)

F----, I just typed out a whole damn essay #ing and laying out some key points n I lost my internet connection to post the reply, Im so pissed, long story short the 09-11s are pretty sound and I love mine n would buy it again

i like mine, but I would say dependent of your driving style it is not the most fuel efficient car out there. (but if you have a heavy foot in an aveo, youll have a heavy foot in anything)

The only things I have seen a some minor things that or sort of common, not recall common, but a few of us had o2 sensors go, we share the wheel bearing and axle bushing issue. with 50k miles, if you can't see or feel something wrong, or it hasn't already gone wrong, its probably fairly reliable aside from maintenance.

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Originally Posted by petrified.rabbit

i like mine, but I would say dependent of your driving style it is not the most fuel efficient car out there. (but if you have a heavy foot in an aveo, youll have a heavy foot in anything)

The only things I have seen a some minor things that or sort of common, not recall common, but a few of us had o2 sensors go, we share the wheel bearing and axle bushing issue. with 50k miles, if you can't see or feel something wrong, or it hasn't already gone wrong, its probably fairly reliable aside from maintenance.

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also, keep an eye on the Pressure cap for the expansion tank; I had an internal Failure in my 2010's cap, but it only cost about $12 at my local GM Dealer. and see if the car has had Recall# 11290C done to it.

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Originally Posted by BubbleTrousers__

Hello all! I have a few quick questions regarding a decision that I must make. This fall I'll be going to college and I need to find a vehicle. Currently I have a Jeep with 272,000 miles on it and I don't know how much longer it will last. Anyway, I was looking for something cheap, easy to fix/maintain, and something with alright fuel economy. My neighbor owns a 2011 Chevy Aveo5 ls and he said he'd sell it to me for trade in value because he upgrades every few years. The car will have less than 50,000 miles on it and the car is in overall good condition. So for about $6,000 I can own a cheap, fuel efficient, fun vehicle that will hopefully last many years.
Now, here's the question. Are their any downsides to purchasing an Aveo? Many people have complained about the manual gearbox in the car, but I'm a fan of a manual. Also, are there any costly repairs I need to know about before I buy the car? Any and all feedback would be great. Don't sugar coat it for me because I will only buy the car if it seems like a good investment for my transportaion. Thanks :)

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What you are describing sounds good for the price mentioned. My wife has an '09 Aveo5 that we bought new, now with 25K miles on it. Petty things can go wrong, such as the clock which is a POS. The suspension is cheaply designed and crude (to put it charitably) and I expect problems will arise with that as it ages and has more mileage. It's fuel efficient on the highway, but not in city driving, which can be disappointing.

As with buying any used car, I'd suggest that you ask to see the service records and determine whether it's ever been in an accident. Mine's an automatic, but depending on how this one was driven you might need to replace the manual clutch eventually. It's pretty good for a cheap econobox, and you can haul a lot of stuff in the available cargo space in the hatchback.

Thanks. It seems to be a good purchase, considering my requirements from a vehicle. I wanted a stick shift, I don't need anything special in a car. I just want something simple and fairly reliable, which the Aveo seems to be a good purchase. Thanks!

I'm assuming you're familiar enough with the car, and your neighbor has kept up with maintenance. Plus you should still have powertrain warranty on it. I'd say go for it. My 2010 has been very reliable. My '05 on the other hand... hooooboooy. '09 and up is the way to go.

Well the car looks nice and he is a mechanic. He upgrades every few years because his father used to work for Chevrolet, which is why he receives good deals. I'm familiar enough to know that there haven't been any accidents with it and the body is nice. I guess the determining factor would be when I drive it before, or if, I purchase it. Is there a good store/website where I can purchase a car cover for the Aveo5?

Try Custom Car Covers | Custom Seat Covers | Dash Covers | Car and Truck Floor Mats - Coverking® for a car cover if that's what you want. If you buy it (the car) you better check he owner's manual about when to change the timing belt. I don't know about the 2011 but on the earlier years, the timing belt service was recomended every 60,000 miles. But don't let that deter you from buying the car. Nearly every car today uses a timing BELT and not a timing CHAIN. ALL timing belts must be replaced or face the consequences of engine repair. Overall these are a fun, easy to maintain car.They are no BMW but they fill the bill for transportation. I don't know who told you people complain about the manual transmission in these cars. I have never heard any complaints of such. The stick shift will also give you better mpg. One other suggestion if you buy it, definitely purchase a full set of quality snow tires for it. A set will probably last you all the winters thru college. The snow tires will especially come in handy in Michigan. I know most people in MI do not believe in snow tires (I grew up there), but that is because they used to keep the roads up better than they do today. My mother and two of my sisters still live there. I bought mom a set in 2009. She had never had snow tires before nor had my sisters. After driving on them in the snow/ice they all agreed the tires make a huge difference. Mom will not drive w/o them in winter anymore. She has gotten 5 winters out of the Blizzaks I bought her in 2009 and she even uses it for a delivery car for her cookie store.

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Originally Posted by milesvinson

If you buy it (the car) you better check he owner's manual about when to change the timing belt. I don't know about the 2011 but on the earlier years, the timing belt service was recomended every 60,000 miles. But don't let that deter you from buying the car. Nearly every car today uses a timing BELT and not a timing CHAIN. ALL timing belts must be replaced or face the consequences of engine repair.

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On the model years since 2009 the recommended interval for the timing belt change is now supposed to be 100K miles.

The more important point is that unlike some other engine designs, the Aveo has an "interference" engine - which means if the timing belt breaks, the consequences to the engine are mechanically disastrous. But you are a long ways away from 100,000 miles yet, so don't worry about it.