Printable View
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)?
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.
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! :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG
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
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.
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.
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?Quote:
Originally Posted by Thymeclock
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.
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.Quote:
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 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. :?
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thymeclock
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...
I don't have power door locks, so that's out. I just gotta remember to lock the hatch.Quote:
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.
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. :|Quote:
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...
If you don't like the small horn buttons on the Aveo, you would have hated the horn button on the original Mini. It was on the turn signal stalk. :D
I was looking for a used commuter and found my 2005 with 13k km on it. The car is loaded except ABS
What I liked and still like:
- pretty good acceleration given their predecessor (Metro and Firefly)
- lots of room for a small car both for Cargo and people
- the warranty, althought the 5 year GM powertrain warranty is a joke. Apparently things bolted to the engine like O2 sensors, timing belts, and water pumps are not considered "powertrain". Give me a break. When I was still under the 3 year/60,000km warranty, everything was fixed, no problem.
What I don't like:
- extremely inconsistent fuel mileage - I bought this car as a commuter, so this is a big deal to me
- the car has been plagued with TSB's and recalls. I've had two Chev Silverados and not nearly the problems I've had with this car. Thankfully, I had a good dealership that address these
- terrible brakes - rear drums lock up when the brake dust from the organic shoe lining mixes with moisture. I've skidded through intersections in the winter because of this.
Bottom line, if there were lemon laws in Canada, this car would have been gone a long time ago.
About a decade ago my in-laws had a Mercury Grand Marquis in which you had to push the turn signal stalk inwards toward the steering column as the only way to to blow the horn. I couldn't believe it!Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG
Personally, for that reason alone I would never buy a car like that. Having an easily accessible horn is a safety issue. I can easily do without our Aveo's daytime running lights (imposed upon us for supposed safety?), but having an easily accessible horn and being quick on it when necessary can also prevent accidents from happening. :roll:
I've never had a problem with DRL's - saved my bacon a few times. We get a few cars up here that don't have them (bought in the US?) and they are a pain. So much easier to judge when to pass and consider oncoming traffic when there's a set of lights coming at you, especially if its a car that blends into the background.Quote:
I can easily do without our Aveo's daytime running lights
That said, the friggin DRL module went bad on my 2005 Aveo and was killing the battery. Took me a month to figure out was going on until I noticed that the DRL didn't work when the car was first started, but worked when I shifted into drive. I decided to take a chance and replace the DRL module. As soon as I touched the module, I know I had my problem - the module was hot.
Thats another post I can do in the "How To" section..... :wink:
I didn't have the power locks either... but it got old very fast having to go around the whole car every time I leave it (especially if there was one than one person in the car) and checking all five handles to see if they're locked. It's a LOT of hassle with wiring to put in aftermarket door locks, but it sure is worth it. One hint though: if you use the regular DEI power door lock control module, make sure to bump up the amperage on the fuse (I had to go from 15 amp to 20) since it's designed to be used with four doors, but with having a separate actuator in the hatch, it put just enough load on it to blow the fuse... No problems whatsoever after changing the fuse to a bigger one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thymeclock
That's when you go under the dash and disconnect the HASMAR (or something like that) marked module to completely disable the DRL's. This is absolutely necessary if you're going to run HID's since the voltage that is put out for the DRL's is a bit lower, so you will get your "DRL" light flashing very fast on the dash and no lights on when they're supposed to be (except for when they're actually turned on). And if you look, right on the DRL module it says "Made in Canada" (the safety laws you were talking about).Quote:
Originally Posted by Thymeclock
The biggest problem that I have with DRL's of the type that we have in our Aveos is that they ONLY keep the headlights on, and only partial brightness. I prefer my wife's HHR system - the lighting is completely automatic depending on the outside lighting... I don't have to touch anything, just leave the knob in "Auto" and it turns everything I need on and off (that's with having HID's installed too). The only thing I would need to do myself would be turning on the fog lights, but I'm fine with that. :)
Hey gents....and ladies :) I am a newbie to this forum and like what I see so far. Great site mods =D>
My reason for buying and aveo came down to my dd costing too much to keep on the road safely and fuel going up to the point where I was pumping 55 bucks of gas every 10 days and the cash for clunkers program which gave me the 4500 toward it that sealed the deal.
Things I like:
The handling. It is fun to throw it into the corners
The fit: I am 6'2 and this is a small car and I fit comfortably along with the wifge and kids too.
The last is that I can park anywhere and easy maintenance.
Things I don't like:
The tires: It came with crappy kuhmo tires so after hydroplaning around for 1200 miles I went and bought a set of Cooper tires. Now the car is quiet..er and the handling and hydroplaning are 4 times improved.
The DRL'S: I want a switch to be able to turn them on/off (work reasons). Every other chevy has one.
Heated mirrors: I miss having them and it sucks not being able to see who is beside you without turning around.
I really don't have a big complaint about this car.....yet "except tires" and I hope that I never will and would recommend this car to the commuting public.
I can't wait to check out the rest of this forum and start contributing to the club. Take care all.
:occasion5:
Will
Welcome to the list! Do you have an '09?Quote:
Things I don't like:
The tires: It came with crappy kuhmo tires so after hydroplaning around for 1200 miles I went and bought a set of Cooper tires. Now the car is quiet..er and the handling and hydroplaning are 4 times improved.
The DRL'S: I want a switch to be able to turn them on/off (work reasons). Every other chevy has one.
Every car I ever bought new came with tires that were substandard (IMHO). From what I understand these are lousy and will be worn out by 20K. Not every tire Kumho makes is lousy, however. I just put a set of new Kumhos on my '89 Galant and so far I'm very pleased with them.
If there is anyone here who figures out how to install an on-off switch for the DRL's on the 2009 Aveo we'd be glad to see how to do it.
Do the DRL's shut off when the handbrake is applied?
That's where I installed the mod on my Firefly (Metro) - I put an ON/OFF switch inline with the contact switch in the handbrake mechanism. Mounted the switch in the plastic housing around the brake (you could run it anywhere you want, I suppose).
Now I can choose to turn the lights off where their contribution to safety is negligible (ie. on a divided multi-lane freeway).
Welcome to the forum, Will.
Yes I have the 09 Aveo5 and I really like the face lift that they did to this year. For some reason my signiture never attached to post last time. I will figure that one out.Quote:
Do the DRL's shut off when the handbrake is applied?
As for the hand brake yes it will shut off the DRL's and I want to do the exact thing that Metro is thinking (thanks ;-)) but gotta wait on time and find a place to get the parts to do the job right. When and if I do get to actually doing this project I will take pictures and make an "how to" post.
Thanks for the welcome :blob2:
Will
My Aveo replaced a rusty old crappy honda that kept breaking down (was fun to drive though). My Aveo has never let me down despite my being a less than good owner.
I am curious about a few things though. Are the KYB shocks equivalent to stock, or do they offer better performance?
Also, for those of you who own the newer ones like 2009 or 2010 - have they done anything about the creaky suspension noises?
Quote:
Also, for those of you who own the newer ones like 2009 or 2010 - have they done anything about the creaky suspension noises?
My 2009 only has 2000 miles on it, but there are no noises or rattles.
I bought my 2008 Aveo 4 Door Manual because...
1. Got for 0% Interest for 72 Months
2. Got a $500 discount because of incentives from the company I work for.
3. They were the cheapest of all the other boxes I was shopping for.
4. The sales person actually came to see me to see if I wanted some help. (unlike Chrysler and Kia)
Too bad I bought the car before the major incentives of $9995 Aveo Base.... :(
Am I happy with the car? Meh. Brings me from A to B...
CONS:
1. It rattles like a piece of cr*p...
2. suspension squeaks
3. handles like a truck.
PROS:
1. Not bad sound system
2. OK gas mileage
3. pretty quiet engine when cruising...
4. comfortable on long trips.
5. feels like a big car compared to other small models.
6. relatively good paint compared to other makes...
After taking in my Olds 88 for some routine maintenance and finding out that it needed some heavy-duty repair work costing quite a bit, i decided that it would be more economical in the long run to purchase something newer off the lot. After considering a Buick LeSabre, a Cavalier and a Sunfire, i thought that i would try out a Pontiac Wave.
I was thinking that a small, economical vehicle would be best to suit my needs. I was planning to land a job outside of the city that i live in and also i wanted to ecourage my wife to, at least, get her beginner's licence, since my wife loves small cars. I test drove it twice: once with the salesperson and once with my wife. both runs were great. the tall-car concept made it such an easy transition from my old boat with plenty of interior space for myself and passengers. my wife loved the car and enjoyed the ride, of course, getting her to get her licence proved to be a joke. the only thing she'll ever drive is her bus pass.
the only thing that i don't like is the cupholders. dumb spot, right in front of the heating controls. then again, i don't really have anything in there most of the time anyway.
Maybe I didn't understand it correctly, but I believe the guy I bought it from had this (he did not know about the relay under the dash), so he ran two wires and connected a switch to them. The biggest problem I had with that was that the "Brake" light would come on on the dash so you wouldn't know if you actually have a problem with a brake system... Hope this makes sense. I had to disconnect mine altogether because the reduced voltage wouldn't work with HID's. Plus they're not required by law over here. And I like running just my LED eyelids with Fogs.. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG
KYB is definitely better. And from what I understand about the 04-08 hatch - the suspension creaking is from the sway bar bushings. I'm yet to take the sway bar off and wrap the sway bar/bushings with teflon. Hope that actually works. Anyone here actually done it?Quote:
Originally Posted by byron84
I bought it because the price was far better than a Nissan Sentra that a friend tried to talk me in to getting after he had jst bought one.
Once I found out my GM Mastercard rebate could be used in its entirety on the Aveo purchase, it was a no brainer to buy it...... I had racked up a $2000 discount over the years!
Not going to lie. The Tahiti Green got me! :) Also, the comparable models were out of my price range for what I wanted. I love it though.
I split off the DRL disabling discussion to another thread so its more easily found by others looking to do the same.
:D I bought this 06 aveo svm for 8400 with cc and ac added. It had 11,000 miles on it and that should say it all.. It was a amaller car which I really like and I get great mileage. Best tank was 39.1 worst tank was 28 or 29 in 30 below temps here in mn. I think there was a snow storm that week too and stop and go traffic on a 70 mile one way commute will kill your mpg. It is a manual trans which I perfer with a 4 cyl engine. Yeah it doesn't ride great (especially with 44 psi) but it is a economy car not a luxury rig. Love my aveo. Wasn't crazy about the color at first but the spicy orange grew on me. BTW it was between this or a ranger with 4 cyl and the fact that most people who drive pickups are driving empty 95 % of the time ment I can use my trailer and saturn instead. Aveo soon to get a hitch. =D>
Im a college student so i was naturally looking for a cheaper car. Ive always been a fan of smaller cars which is weird because i am 6'6''. But when i was just looking through the lot the 2010 Aveo5 jumped out at me. Plus i couldnt refuse the $2500 rebate on an already cheap car.