Drove am '11 Aveo w/ 31k Miles ... Wow .. .

[SwampSurvivor]

I'll start with this - I almost bought one of these instead of the Focus a few years ago - you can pick them up used on Craigslist for $3k -$5k depending on condition. I've also been considering one for a winter rat because they're so cheap.

I now know why!

This is THE most buzzy 4 cyl I've ever had. Anything above 3000RPM (which is required), the entire car rattles. Dash, door panels.

Also, completely gutless! I've never really said that about another car as I drive slower than your grandmother on her way to church. Almost got rear ended on the highway getting up to speed. Apparently this engine only makes power at 5500 ... and has a 6000RPM readline!

The transmission in this is the ultimate slushbox. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought the transmission was bad! Acellerating hard it almost feels like a CVT; you can feel a slight bump as it shifts and RPMs drop maybe 250.

Programming on the transmission is also horrible. Trying to pass a truck going 60, I gave it some gas to get up to 65 (speed limit). I pushed the pedal some ... nothing. Pushed it a bit more ... the engine made a some nose ... pushed it a bit more, it unlocked the torque converter and the engine shot to 4000RPM ... but didn't go any faster.

Then, out of nowhere, it kicked down a gear or two, bounced off the revlimiter and slowly started moving faster. I swear it chirped the tires, because as soon as I let up about 1mm on the gas pedal, it super harshly shifted to OD and locked the torque coverter and sturggled to maintain 65.

The driving dynamics of this car are absurd! I thought I was going to roll it going 35 around a corner on an entrance ramp with a posted speed of 45! It also gets blown around in the wind like no other. When a truck would pass us, I would get white knuckles from trying to wrestle with the thing to keep it on the road!

Now the interior, I actually liked! It was plain, simple and to the point! No power locks, no power windows ... nothing to go wrong. Simple, NOT INTEGRATED radio, manual HVAC controls - not even vacuum actuated! They were mechanical! The blower motor did whistle a bit.

Also!!! Don't hit the hold button. This apparently cuases the car to want to start out in OD ... An anemic car to begin with can't even begin to operate when it's in OD trying to take off from a stoplight.

All in all, I still wouldn't mind one for a winter beater. I think $3000 or $4000 for one with a 5 speed wouldn't be a bad deal and it would keep the Jeep and Focus from rusting out.

How are these things for reliability? The transmission really has to kick down a lot to keep up with traffic ... are the transmissions in these things reliable?

I understand it has an Aisin transmission - which are generally good.

 

[DevilsRule]

Sounds like the car was abused for 31000 miles.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: DevilsRule
Sounds like the car was abused for 31000 miles.


+1. Ive had a few for rentals, and while not my first choice, it isnt that bad...

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: DevilsRule
Sounds like the car was abused for 31000 miles.


Yep. Not enough information here.

Was it wrecked within a few hundred dollars of being totaled, but repaired shoddily and then traded off? A hard wreck and cut-throat repairs will turn any car into a rolling, rattling heap.

Was it a rental for the entire time?

I rented a 2010 Mitsubishi Galant that I thought was worst car built in the last two decades. Maybe I was wrong...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Aveo's last 30k miles?

 

[Nick R]

Sounds like a bad transmission to me. That being said these are about as bad as any car I've ever driven. I'd take a cavalier over one of these any day.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I really don't think there was anything wrong with it. The transmission was extra shushbox-ish and it was a bit buzzy and shakey.

I'm still considering one for the '13-14 winter rat ... If I can find out whether or not the automatics are reliable, that will help in the search.

They were a cheap car. I was just surprised at the difference in build quality between my 2011 Ford Focus and the Aveo.

I really liked the interior ... really wish we could still get cars that had a simple interior like that1

 

[NHGUY]

Aveo5s have horrible visibility over the shoulder,bad traction in the winter,smelly plastic seating,weird light dash display,uneven cargo area with seat folded.....terrible.And the relabeled Aveo,Sonic...is selling like hotcakes.Just goes to show,if the emblem on the grille is the Chevy bowtie..people will buy it,no matter what.Witness how many Vegas were sold 1971-1977.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Aveo5s have horrible visibility over the shoulder,bad traction in the winter,smelly plastic seating,weird light dash display,uneven cargo area with seat folded.....terrible.And the relabeled Aveo,Sonic...is selling like hotcakes.Just goes to show,if the emblem on the grille is the Chevy bowtie..people will buy it,no matter what.Witness how many Vegas were sold 1971-1977.


UHHHH, sonic relabeled aveo? Don't say anything else as it just shows your ignorance. The sonic is a complete redesign, and shares no parts or design with the aveo. IT's a truly great small car. All you have to do is read the edmunds, car and driver reviews etc. They all universally hated the aveo.

 

[Artem]

I got one as a rental once and couldn't stand it. Now when i hear the four letter word, i ask for a different car. They are pathetic.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Aveo5s have horrible visibility over the shoulder,bad traction in the winter,smelly plastic seating,weird light dash display,uneven cargo area with seat folded.....terrible.And the relabeled Aveo,Sonic...is selling like hotcakes.Just goes to show,if the emblem on the grille is the Chevy bowtie..people will buy it,no matter what.Witness how many Vegas were sold 1971-1977.


UHHHH, sonic relabeled aveo? Don't say anything else as it just shows your ignorance. The sonic is a complete redesign, and shares no parts or design with the aveo. IT's a truly great small car. All you have to do is read the edmunds, car and driver reviews etc. They all universally hated the aveo.



Correct. The Aveo and Sonic have NOTHING in common and where the Aveo was built in Korea the Sonic is made in the US in Michigan. MUCH improved car.

 

[DevilsRule]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Aveo5s have horrible visibility over the shoulder,bad traction in the winter,smelly plastic seating,weird light dash display,uneven cargo area with seat folded.....terrible.And the relabeled Aveo,Sonic...is selling like hotcakes.Just goes to show,if the emblem on the grille is the Chevy bowtie..people will buy it,no matter what.Witness how many Vegas were sold 1971-1977.


UHHHH, sonic relabeled aveo? Don't say anything else as it just shows your ignorance. The sonic is a complete redesign, and shares no parts or design with the aveo. IT's a truly great small car. All you have to do is read the edmunds, car and driver reviews etc. They all universally hated the aveo.



The Sonic is also built in Michigan. I believe the Aveo was imported from Korea.

 

[DevilsRule]

GMBoy, We must have hit submit at same time

 

[SwampSurvivor]

The Aveo and Sonic are similar, but GM/Daewoo actually put effort into making the suspension, drivetrane and interior nicer. Sonics are nice ... but a bit out of my pricerange for a winter rat haha.

 

[hattaresguy]

Sounds like your typical 3rd world driving experience, since we live in a 1st world country lets just forget cars like this exist here and buy something good.

 

[daves87rs]

I've seen some of the trashiest Aveos lately...

 

[fdcg27]

A woman who used to work for me had an Aveo, and it really wasn't that bad.
Of course, she could drive a stick and that's what her car had.
I drove it a couple of times and rode in it a few more, and for what she paid for it new, it was really no worse than a Cobalt or G5.
Fuel economy was pretty mediocre for what the car was, but acceleration with the stick was probably no worse than a Cobalt.
Ride and handling were pretty okay, probably no worse than a Cobalt or G5.
To the poster who said that Car & Driver hated the Aveo, to the contrary, they were impressed with it for what it was. Guess you need to go back and re-read their road test of the car.
Overall, the Aveo is actually kind of fun to drive, in a minimalist way, not unlike the Geo Metro.
It would make a good, cheap winter beater or low buck commuter.

 

[MBS500]

My friend had it for about 3 weeks as rental- awful car, reminds old Soviet Ladas. Even they felt better and more solid.

 

[Spazdog]

I make a lot of fun of the Aveowoo.

It's a pretty sad little car. Sloppy handling, sloppy shifter, gutless....etc...

But it is a LARGE improvement over it's Korean predecessor.

Remember the dishonorable egg-ship?

The Pontiac LeMons.

I will not call it a LeMans. A LeMans was a top of the line Tempest. First GTO.

It had a smaller 1.6 liter variant of the Brazillian made SOHC Sunbird engine.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: MBS500
My friend had it for about 3 weeks as rental- awful car, reminds old Soviet Ladas. Even they felt better and more solid.


Of course they felt solid. Some Ivan dug up a few tons of iron ore and smelted it himself in a garage, then made a Fiat 124 out of it. (Ivan saved the aluminum to make the brake drums)