General Motors is at it again. After failing to flog captive imports from Opel, Isuzu and Suzuki, The General’s drafted in Daewoo to give Chevy’s “American Revolution” something to sell. Considering GM’s lack of success with captive imports in the past, and Daewoo’s Titanic troubles in the US market, you have to wonder about RenCen’s reasoning vis-à-vis the rebadged machine known on this side of the Pacific as the Chevrolet Aveo. Has GM made yet another logistical mistake, or will they have the last laugh as vendors of the only domestic nameplate selling a high-mileage subcompact car in the US?
As part of the overseas adoption process, Chevy subjected the Aveo to a bit of automotive bow-tox, grafting the family Chevy logo across the Korean’s grill-less grill opening. From there backwards, it’s pure Daewoo. Although the four-door’s been restyled for ’07, the five-door hatchback soldiers on with slab sides, broken by character lines lifted from a 30-year old Datsun B-210. Depending on your age and gender, the overall reaction varies from “like, totally cute!” to “WTF is that thing?”
The interior is lousy with cheap. The instruments and warning lights occupy two humps on a dashboard that fell off a minivan assembly line. The center AC vents perch on the leading edge of the dashboard like an overnight tree fungus. Hollow-sounding doors, fake carbon fiber trim, carpeting with pile shorter than the hair on a Chihuahua’s ears and a headliner made of the same felt found on $100 pool tables complete the ambiance. No matter which of the senses you engage, you know you’re in the bargain basement’s basement.
With the seat up, Aveo’s stubby tail provides enough cargo space for a couple of adolescent contortionists. Fold the seat down and you can add a family of midgets. More worryingly, the top of the rear seat is only about 15 inches from the rear hatch. To put it into perspective, roughly 24 inches separate your rear seat passengers’ heads from the H2’s brush bar at your rear bumper. The sturdily upholstered front seats are wide enough to accommodate your gluteus even if it’s a bit more than maximus. Unfortunately they also provide the lateral support of a barstool. Factor in the short bottom cushions and lack of lumbar support, and you have the automotive equivalent of Chuck E. Cheese–- you’ll go there if you have to, but you’re not going to stay any longer than necessary.
The driving dynamics aren’t. Throttle response is eventual, acceleration is leisurely and steering feel is implied. Applying the brakes is like stepping on a day old jelly-filled Krispy Kreme. The 103hp “little engine that couldn’t” runs out of steam in a hurry, especially when pulling long hills, at which point all it’s good for is converting petrochemicals (with or without ethanol) into noise. Compounding the problem is a four-speed automatic transmission that hunts for gears like a madwoman looking for the bargains at a shoe sale.
The underpowered drivetrain provides a single benefit: knowing you’ll never overpower the suspension. The Aveo will safely negotiate gentle corners at moderate speeds, but its puny tires and lack of acceleration mean the fun ends before you start the engine. Between the squealing 14-inch rubber and Poseidon Adventure body roll, you’ll lose your nerve long before the car loses control.
The only shiny spot in the Aveo’s bland existence is also its raison d'être: fuel economy. Let’s face it: even without the “sudden” demand for fuel efficient cars, GM needed an mpg superstar to offset the CAFE problems caused by its full line of efficiency-challenged SUV’s and pickups. And so the Korean penalty box travels 27 miles for every gallon of petrochemical rotgut its more “careful” owners are likely to buy. On the highway, they’ll score 37 EPA miles per gallon. Owners can bask in the knowledge that they’re enduring GM’s highest mileage US product, ignoring the fact that every Aveo sold helps GM crank-out even more gas-sucking trucks.
Unfortunately the General’s best ain’t good enough. The rental-friendly Aveo faces off against some highly evolved competition including the Fit and Yaris, both of which break the 40mpg barrier on the highway. In reality, I can’t find a good reason to choose the Aveo over either of those or even over a Kia Rio. Honda and Toyota offer reliability of mythic proportions, while Kia provides a warranty even better than Chevy’s “best in America” five year/100,000 mile powertrain coverage.
When Chrysler enters the fray with a rebadged Chery and Ford finally realizes they actually need a marketable small car to survive, the competition will heat up even more. GM needs to move quickly to improve the Aveo and bring it up to world-class standards. Otherwise they’ll have to send yet another captive import back home in shame.
Well, after my GF’s corolla was hit by an SUV that “didn’t see us,” I had an Aveo as a rental car for a couple of weeks this summer.
I actually originally rented a (“I drive a) DODGE STRATUS but brought it back for an Aveo hatchback to get better MPG, just to try it out, and because the stratus was more Flatus than car. Quick summary: I liked the Aveo more than the Stratus.
Yes. the acceleration was weak, but not appreciatively worse than the rental-stratus. But the Aveo was decent on the highway, fairly quiet and capable of maintaining 75-80mph without too much effort.
Driving a car this tiny is waaay fun in an urban environment. I was just wishing it was a stick rather than the slushbox..which does have an “automanual” option that worked to hold gears slightly longer to wring every tiny bit of acceleration out of the lil’ thang.
Figuring we could probably get one for verrrry cheap, in orange, with a stick and sunroof, I actually found myself kinda grooving on the tiny thing. But the GF absolutely put the kibosh on that, calling it the No-way-oh.
I flogged the thing in heavy urban traffic and got 26mpg.
It was rattle-free after 12k miles of hard rental usage.
One more important point: what with its’ “no-ass” design, the hatchback Aveo is the easiest car to parallel park I have ever driven, taking the crown from the Miata.
So it’s OK for the RIO to suck but not the AVEO?
Sure…
The mileage on the RIO is two miles short of the AVEO and the Warranty is arguably not better, it just depends how you look at it.
The AVEO get’s heavily compared against the FIT and YARIS… But the RIO never really was. Why?
Whoah, harsh review. I am not sure what to make of your perspective. Does the car suck because it is a small weak engined economy car, or does it suck at being an economy car? I am sure that the Fit and Yaris are much better machines, but what are the prices of those vehicles compared to this one?
The question is less that the car is weak and is made from cheap materials… that is to be expected. But are the materials and the whole package worth the price that is asked.
PS. I have a thing for small sporty efficient cars. My favorite was an ’89 Suzuki Swift GT…. way fun, and got 40mph. I liked it better than my current Alfa 147, which to me is too heavy.
For comparitive pricing data, please visit TTAC contributor Michael Karesh's most excellent website http://www.truedelta.com. My calculations there make the Aveo's msrp $1558 cheaper than the Toyota Yaris. Enough to make you go Korean? Not me.
The Holden Barina, the AU version of this vehicle, bombed the ANCAP crash testing. Will the US IIHS be just as bad? Until then, stay away.
http://www.aaa.asn.au/ancap.htm
My favorite was an ‘89 Suzuki Swift GT…. way fun, and got 40mph.
I’m assuming you meant MPG…but in the context of tiny cars, maybe not. ;-)
“Does the car suck because it is a small weak engined economy car, or does it suck at being an economy car? “
Compared to other cars in its class, it feels cheaper and coarser. Given GM’s international resources, they should have been able to do a lot better.
In a comparision between the Rio and the Aveo, the Rio wins hands-down. The interior is much classier looking and is better laid out, the front seats are more comfortable, and the car overall feels a lot more solid. However, in a comparison between either one or a Fit/Yaris, Japan wins hands down.
“…the Fit and Yaris, both … break the 40mpg barrier on the highway.”
No they don’t. The Yaris only gets 40 with a manual, and you are reviewing the auto Aveo. The Fit doesn’t break 38 in any trim.
Pick on the Aveo for what it is, but making up better fuel economy specs for its competition seems a little ridiculous.
My favorite was an ‘89 Suzuki Swift GT…. way fun, and got 40mph.
I’m assuming you meant MPG…but in the context of tiny cars, maybe not. ;-)
Argh! I always found it funny when people mistyped MPH for MPG… typoed!
Thanks for the info on price, I won’t be trading in the Alfa for a Chevy here in France.
Whatever you think of the Aveo, sticking the bowtie on an Asian parsimonybox (a step down from an econobox) totally corrupts what little is left of the brand. Say it ain’t so, Joe! (or Rick, or whomever)
Aveo 5 dr (w/o ac) starts at $9995 including destination and delivery. The Aveo 4 dr LS (w/ ac) is $12515 incl D&D. The Toyota Yaris sedan starts at $12545 incl D&D, and the Honda Fit 5 dr starts at $14445 incl D&D. The real transaction differences will be more figuring the discounts and incentives they’ll use to move them at Chev dealers. Last I checked Fits and Yaris are sold at sticker, Aveos aren’t.
Also, here in the North, you cannot buy a Yaris without the $820 ‘Option A’ which gives you: “Larger Washer Tank w/ Level Warning, Heavy-Duty Heater, Heavy-Duty Starter, Rear Heater Duct, CD Player w/MP3 Capability & Auxiliary Audio Jack, 60/40 Split Fold-Down Rear Seat, 15-in. Steel Wheels w/Full Wheel Covers & Rear Defroster.” All but the 15 inch wheels are standard in the $12515 Aveo LS 4dr, BTW.
The warranty IS a consideration since the Honda and Toyota are only 60,000 miles powertrain and the Chev is truly 100,000 miles powertrain. If you purchased an extended warranty on the Honda or Toyota the $$$ difference grows substantially.
The KIA and Hyundai are the real competitors to the Aveo but their 100,000 mile warranty is only for the original owner, effectively sabotaging resale value. Chev’s 100K is transferrable to any subsequent owner.
Let’s face it, $1000-3000 is a lot of money in this class. In more meaningful terms to these buyers: $20-60/month. A big blow to the fast-food and music budget.
Hey, you could buy a year-old rental return Taurus for the same money. Or a three-year-old Honda Civic.
The Aveo interior:
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/x07ch_av0071.jpg
is “out-classed” by this?! :
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/rio_03.jpg
yougottabekidding!
The interior certainly didn’t seem too bad to me, and the crank windows worked great. AC blew cold even on hot hot hot humid days.
The 26-city-mpg I got was with the AC cranked, and essentially flooring the thing all over.
i would have to agree, the kia interior actually is more inviting that the aveo interior. but it’s like comparing rotten cabbage to rotten fish. neither one is appetizing.
Color plays a big role in perception of interior quality. I still haven’t seen any light grey interiors that didn’t look cheap.
I’d say the interiors of these two cars are comparable. The Aveo’s might have a more contemporary design, but material quality is identical.
The problem is, with the Honda Fit just existing, the Aveo can’t fool anyone. Ie The General can’t fool anyone.
ie what’s the point?
The Fit is a fantastic car. Let me put it this way, if money wasn’t an issue, how many of you would choose the Aveo over the Chevy Malibu?
I would pick the Fit over the Civic. And I helped my sister buy a new Civic (sadly, before the Fit was released).
The Aveo…. well, I trust Frank.
Ewww, I can’t believe there are people posting to this board in defense of this thing. What a mediocre, bland, ugly little car. You’d buy this only when you can’t buy anything else.
On the other hand, this is exactly what I think parents should get their teenagers as a first car. My first car was a ’72 Vega. This is the ’72 Vega of 2006.
Many people seem to have ideas as to why the domestics are in the trouble they are. I believe the answer can be summed up in 2 points.
Quality & Reliability: The domestics’ golden era of the 50’s & 60’s, was only achieved by one principle, there was virtually no competition! Apart from GM, Ford or Chrysler (before they got a German husband) who else was there? Because of this, they could sell any thing they liked, knowing there was no-one else to turn to. Now in the days, of globalization, the competition is forcing the domestics’ hands. The imports (Especially the Asians) had an extremely bad reputation in terms of reliability. But they didn’t just accept defeat; they went away, re-invented themselves and came back as the domestics’ worst nightmare. It took the best part of 30 years for the Asians to be held in high regard of quality and reliability. Now that the domestics have this to contend with, their hands has been forced to re-look at their product and wonder how to make them more reliable. Now a domestic fan boy will wave a JD power survey in my face and say “If you look carefully, Buick, Cadillac and Chevy came higher in the JD power survey than most Asian brands†and therein, lies one of the Domestics’ problems. Their reliability has only improved recently. You do not build a reputation (let alone one for quality and reliability) overnight! Because of this the domestics need to hope that they can stave off chapter 11 long enough for the reputation to build. Because they only waited until their hand was forced to make their products more reliable this could be extremely counter productive.
Brand perception: Because of the quality and reliability problems, the domestics’ brand took a bit of a hit. The phrase “once bitten, twice shy†springs to mind. Despite living in the UK, I have read and done research on domestics’ horror stories. The story always involves moving to an Asian brand and never looking back and this is the nub of the second problem. Cars are the second biggest purchase an adult has to make. Therefore, people are not going to run a risk spending a small fortune on a brand that could give them problems. A lot of people criticize Toyota for creating blandly styled cars, but it’s no coincedence that vanilla is the popular flavour of ice cream! Although small section of the market talk about fast cars and beautiful styling, the majority of the market need a modest, comfortable car which will give them the least amount of problems. Unfortunately, the domestics do not have a stellar reputation in that department, but our Asian friends do. Case in point, you have £8000 to spend on a small hatchback to run you around town. Which do you go for? The brand which everyone has horror to tell about, but recently they seem to be improving or the Asian brand, which has a 5-year guarantee and consistently scores high in reliability surveys?
The main point I am trying to make is this, if the domestics build a quality product at a good price, the customers will come. But when no-one comes, they can’t complain because “are biased to Asian brandsâ€. If they had a supplier who constantly sold them poor quality products for 30 years, then, left to use another supplier, then the previous supplier said “Come back our quality has improved!â€, would they be so quick to go back to the original supplier?
I, for one, do not want to see the domestics to go away, but I would like them to come back stronger, leaner and more aggressive. Because strong competition means only one winner, the customer. But the domestics need to realize that although they are making savings by cutting jobs, if no-one is buying their product, then all the job cutting is ultimately pointless. To leave on a humorous but rather scary note as to why the domestics are in the trouble they are in, Bob Lutz was recently quoted saying he even acknowledged that GM made a “tactical and possibly even strategic mistake” in not bringing its hybrid technology to market sooner. He also doesn’t think hybrids will lose their luster because the “public is permanently sensitive to the volatility of gas prices.†Mr Lutz also added that the “Sky was blue and the grass is greenâ€. Though I might have made that part up!
Of course you’d buy these cars only when you couldn’t buy anything else. We’d all drive M5s if that weren’t true.
Face it, the people considering this class of car are comparing it to a used car. Do I go new and get a full warranty (but a crappy car), or used and maybe have some repair bills coming (but a decent car)?
The average new vehicle sold in the U.S. last year was around $29,000. The average Civic is now $17,000+. You’d expect a $10-12K car to be, therefore, less than average in features, power, comfort, and materials.
Methinks you were a bit hard on this econobox. This is one of the lowest price-segment cars available. You set your sights way too high.
As far as myths go, you nailed it (perhaps unintentionally! I know people who have had serious problems with their Toyotas .
“Honda and Toyota offer reliability of mythic proportions.” Mythical indeed.
You can get a base Fit for $14,000
There is not other argument.
Except, you know, Honda is making money and GM is losing BILLIONS.
I guess that’s an argument.
C’mon. There “is other” [sic] argument.
You cannot *get* a base fit for $14,000.
First of all, its hard to get any Fits, as they are selling like hotcakes and nobody has any in stock. (Different topic, but the salient point is NO Honda dealer is going to play nice with price on this car for a loooong time.)
Second of all, anything Honda dealers might have, or might get for you, will not be a completely stripped naked Fit.
Just not gonna happen.
From Edmunds.com, looking at MSRP for Fits…
National Base Price (excludes destination charge) $15,970 Invoice=$15,312
And that’s before all the crap Dealers try to posteriorly comprimise you with.
No frickin’ way is anyone going to get a Fit OTD for 14k.
I’ve read that the GM purchaseof Daewoo was their smartest move financially in decades. For a pittance, they purchased a low cost manufacturing base that gives them great leverage in selling to Asian markets.
The easiest way to tell is to compare what GM paid for Daewoo vs. what they could sell it for today.
As far as the Aveo, my buddy has a 2006 Aveo LT 4 door, and for what he paid, it is a decent car. Add in the discounts, etc., and they only real competition is the Rio, which was a different platform for 2006.
I’d still go one year old Focus if I was in that price range.
I drove a Daewoo for a few days as a rental car a few years ago. Tin can on wheels. Frank’s line about the car being “lousy with cheap” is dead-spot-on. It looks cheap, it sounds cheap, it feels cheap.
Knowing this car’s lineage, there’s no way I’d ever inflict one of these on my kid (if I had one) as a first car, unless I was punishing him for something. At this price, get a good used car with a reputation for reliability (Civic, Corolla, etc). The Volvo wagon idea mentioned earlier isn’t a bad option either. Rather than spending money on a new POS like the Daewooveo that will depreciate down to nothing anyway, you’re getting a better car that has already taken much of its depreciation hit.
With all of Chevy’s resources worldwide, this is the best they can offer the US market? Are they even trying anymore?
Th Opels are coming, but they’re not going to be $10-12K.
pfingst: That’s my point — the are not trying.
To go with what fellswoop is saying, you can’t get Fits because they are selling to many of them.
I guarentee you will never have this problem with Aveos.
And fellswoop — remember with the Fit their is the base Fit and the Fit Sport.
When I went with my friend while he purchased a Fit Sport, I saw three base fits (with ugly wheels) for around $14,000.
The average price is the average of the the base and the Sport model.
More importantly, my friend LOVES his Fit.
Base 5-door Aveo : 9,980 MSRP
Base 5-door Fit : 13,850 MSRP (yeah right)
Why are we comparing these again?
Tough crowd. Harsh review.
The only thing I did not like was the tested car was a slushbox. It’s an econocar. Try it with a 3 pedal 5 speed. Slushboxes are for old people, especially in an econocar.
Also, a car so tiny looks even more stupid as a sedan. Another old people’s trait. Make it a hatchback, it’s about 658 times more practical. You can actually fit something bigger than a matchbox through the opening.
Yes it’s a cheap car. Made with cheap stuff. It looks cheap because it is cheap. It’s made to appeal to cheap people who still want to buy a new car.
1984: Because Honda is selling the much more expensive Fit to people who are cross shopping it with eh Aveo.
Also… $4,000 is a stereo in some cars…
I’m just surprised the resale argument hasn’t come up yet.
Just wait until GM goes belly-up and Chevrolet dealers in the US start selling GM-Daewoo Epica and Optra cars, as they sell in Canada now, because all of the US plants are either struck by the UAW, the UAW is locked out or the plants are torn down and jobs gone.
GM “stole” Daewoo, which was not actually doing so badly in the US and were attempting to improve. The Aisian financial crisis of 1999 hit Daewoo very hard, and GM strung along the bankers until they could pay pennies on the dollar.
After the purchase of only the “best” of Daewoo (cherry picking) GM literally refused to allow the shipment of new cars or even parts to Daewoo USA, putting them and plenty of US dealers out of business. Plus people had noplace to go for parts on their cars. Shouldn’t this have been reported to the authorities as a fraudulent business practice? I don’t know if the Daewoo dealer’s class action lawsuit against GM is still pending, or what happened. But all of this happened in 2002.
Now, GM is (literally) using Daewoo to build and sell the “Chevrolet” brand throughout much of the world.
Just wait until you see the quality of these “Chevrolet” Epica and Optra cars. Oh, wait, you can do so right now – go to your local Suzuki dealer, they’re sold as the Forenza and Verona (though the Verona is now discontinued after 2006).
Here they are in all of their Daewoo badge engineered glory.
http://www.gmcanada.com/english/showroom/chev_optr.html
Whoops looks like GMCanada (“Chevrolet”) are no longer offering the Epica. Here’s what it looks like where it is still sold (i.e. Europe and much of the rest of the world). Oooh, new styling. “Smashing” (????) Still underpowered with the “Porsche” engineered-for-Daewoo 2.5 liter inline six, though. Looks like it got a new 5 speed automatic, too. (Click on the pix to make them larger).
http://www.globalautoindex.com/model.plt?no=5473&ass=#
And finally, just to prove that GM cannot resist a bit of badge engineering when faced with the chance to do so, is the PONTIAC “high performance????” version of the Aveo, sold in Canada as the Pontiac Wave.
http://www.gmcanada.com/english/showroom/pont_wave.html
It is my understanding that the Aveo sells really well. That means that the General doesn’t care about what car journalist think. Nor do its primary customers. It *is* a success.
The old GM business model still works. The Aveo proves that.
Also… $4,000 is a stereo in some cars…
$4000 stereo? What? To people who buy Aveo’s, that’s blood money!
Do the math, percentage wise it’s like trying to decide between a Civic and an Acura TSX!
mdanda:
What?
GM lost Billions last quarter. What are you talking about?
Old GM Business model?
Keep in mind that depreciation is the single biggest expense when owning a car. The Aveo goes from $9k to $6k faster than it goes from 0 to 60. You'd recoup a good part of the "extra" money spent on a small Honda or Toyota or Nissan or some decent gold coins.
To keep their kids alive, parents should buy their kids used Volvo station wagons. No sexy, big safe.
To be slightly contrary….(“offensive” comments about TTAC deleted…sheesh) I just wanted to post that I had a decent experience with an Aveo HB.
Plus, please STOP with the comparing Aveos to Fits. Nobody is gonna get a new Fit for much less than $17,000.
Having owned many 1-step-from-the-junkyard sh!tboxes, the Aveo seemed like it was decently put together, got decent MPG, and was hella easy to use/park in real city circumstances. Its better than the Chevette ever was, that’s for sure.
S’all.
Glenn,
GM restricts Daewoo from selling cars to avoid “badge engineering” between a Daewoo and Chevrolet in the same market and “it’s a crime”?
Did I hear this correctly? You would rather GM have ANOTHER brand?
I’m just surprised the resale argument hasn’t come up yet.
What is there to argue about? The resale on the Aveo is probably going to be next to nothing, just like it is for used Rios and Accents. And unless it’s a reliability nightmare most of its buyers won’t care since they’ll run them into the ground and trade the thrashed carcass in on a new one.
RF on depreciation, and JL on $4,000 (!) stereos in cheap cars..
I don’t think the demographic for this car is going to give a crap about depreciation, because if they don’t get a new car for around 10k, they are going to get a used car and drive it till the wheels come off.
I’m speaking from personal experience here.
And the 4k stereo comment…what is the point of that? C-H-E-A-P cars here. Think cheap.
One dog the Koreans didn’t eat
hehehe
The Daewoo Defense continues:
Our man Frank seems to have tested an ’07 hatchback, which is still stuck with the old interior, whereas the pictures show the new swank stylish sedan dash.
But hey ! It’s my lunch hour. I’ll defend the old dash. The arc over the tasteful (Futura Bold-font?) gauges, the cheerful hazards button, round vents, are at least worthy of a Fiat.
The overly-abbreviated rear needs fixing, yes. Too much Kia Picanto, and not enough original Golf back there.
That first “Rabbit”, like the Aveo he tested, also ItalDesign’s work. Sorry Frank thinks instead of a B210.
The Aveo MPG is to my mind the weakest link.
Not GMDAT’s fault that the world demands offset crash structures, airbags, bulking up the smallest cars to Oldsmobile avoirdupois (the 2500lb “Mini” comes to mind), but not having a diesel handy is.
Maybe they can buy the Hyundai Crtd or Honda’s new Plasma Thixotropic ?
As for the rest, Guigiaro’s civilised tall architecture, the seats, the baby Buick ride (My 1000- mile ’05 Aveo sedan rental weekend didn’t hurt a bit) all most fine.
The main thing the Aveo has going for it is the exterior design, the product of Ital Design studios and either the older (father) or younger (son) in the Giugiaro family. When I had a Chevrolet Aveo hatchback three years ago, to evaluate for a week, barristas at the espresso joint I go to for drip coffee, asked “What is that?” and commented favorably on the appearance. That boded – and still does methinks – well, since those barristas – one being a single mom in her early twenties – are the target demographic.
Of course, hardly anyone who reads or writes for this site would consider the Aveo’s handling or power-to-weight ratio acceptable – save for myself. I am old enough to remember the Renault LeCar; and driving one that belonged to a friend’s (then) wife. The LeCar leaned, just as did the Citroen 2CV of that time (which sure doesn’t affect the rabid fan base of the latter).
If you look at the Aveo as a Deux Chevaux for the 21st century, you might – only might – consider it acceptable. Thing is, maintenance is not as easy as it was on the old Deux Chevaux and the general public’s expectations – most especially in America – are much higher than they were when the LeCar and 2CV were new, even when merely renting a car. I agree with Frank (Williams) on the idea that, if the General doesn’t work on the engineering, the Aveo will likely fade away as did the the old GEO Metro. Thing is, GM really needs a car such as the Aveo, so for its sake (and that of those who still hold jobs in the States and in South Korea) let’s hope they get with it.
Bad depreciation value or not. If you do not have $15K you cannot buy a Fit. End of story.
Do I sense a TWAT nomination coming on? Oh, sorry, had beans and spinach for lunch.
I lived in Seoul a decade back for a summer. I was at the Army base in Yongsan. Funny thing was the American Taxi cabs used Chevy Corsicas and the Korean’s used mainly Hyundias. Back in 1996 the Hyundai (at least those sold there) were fit together with more pride than the Corsicas (probably the junkiest car they made).
I guess this brings food for thought…a true American cheap car or a Korean cheap car. Even the Cobalt & Focus to me are just as cheap. I see no problem in Chevy rebadging a Korean car b/c its just as or more reliable!
Well, I never buy a car without thinking about resale…
An Aveo with A/C is just about the same list price as the base 4-door Yaris, just about $12K. Let’s presume you can get $2K in givebacks on the Aveo up front.
If the Echo is any indication, in 2012, a 2007 Yaris will bring you $7K. After 5 years, will the Aveo be worth within $2K of the Yaris? Will you be able to get $5K for a 5-year old Aveo? I’m thinking that’s got to be the upper limit for value on the Aveo in 5 years but let’s say it will do it.
If so, the 5-year depreciation expense for the Aveo would be the same as the expense on the Yaris – about $5K.
For the same money, which would you rather drive? If the Aveo turns out to be worth less than I project (and I do think I was being generous), the Yaris is actually cheaper, unless you get even more in givebacks up front on the Aveo.
Which car is safer? Performs better? Gets better fuel economy? Has lower maintenance expense? Which one might not impress the chicks but at least won’t repel them?
Put it another way, would you prefer an inexpensive car or a cheap car?
Our son was in college (university) and driving a $100 Cavalier (literally, a death-trap). So we decided to give him a 1999 Neon (wife’s commuter) – so paid it off early and were thus able to do so. Except, we only had $8000 to buy a new car, and a used car was not an option for us. (Why take a chance on a flood-damaged or previously wrecked car? No, thanks). I did some searching on http://www.cars.com and found a possibility…
So late in 2003, after looking at the automotive news, I found that GM were “allowing” imports Daewoo parts for Daewoo dealers again, we decided to take a BIG chance and drive 7 hours to a northern Ohio Ford dealer which had some 1000 “used low mileage” (i.e. new, probably bought off the ship or from banks, after GM did the dirty) Daewoos on their lot.
Nubira sedans, automatic, $7795. MSRP in 2002 was $14,800. (That’s the 2.0 liter car, replaced by the Suzuki Forenza and Chevrolet Optra in Canada, about the size of the Hyundai Elantra). The bigger 2.2 liter “Sonata” sized car, the Daewoo Leganza sedans, were $9995. The “baby” Daewoo Lanos cars, the car this Chevrolet Aveo replaces, (only 3 door hatchbacks with automatic) were about $6000.
I had to wonder if these cars were for rental fleets then turned down and sold by the banks.
So we drove 7 hours, check in hand, test-drove a dark blue Nubira, decided to take the big gamble and we bought it, ultimately so our son could have a safe 4 year old car.
Actually, it was somewhat “lousy with cheap” – the instrument panel was hard black plastic, (hey, just like Euro trash from a few years ago, huh? Priced a lot less though, eh?) and the rest of the interior was blue and gray It had front power windows, rear crank windows (like a 1995 Neon), air conditioning, a cassette stereo (no CD), automatic, power steering and four wheel power disc brakes, steel wheels and wheel covers.
Yeah, the depreciation? Already done, huh? Drove a car home with 25 miles on it at the start of the journey, for $7800.
Truth be told? I have to “give this one” to GM – because if our little blue Nubira was any example, it was one of the best new cars (for dependability and lack of trouble) we’ve ever had in 30 years. I understand that “Nubira” means “It’ll get you there” in Korean. Kind of like a modern-day Model A Ford, and a bit of South Korean modesty.
It was my wife’s commuter car for two years and we gave it to my elderly mom who had been car-less for a few years. It still runs fine and will never see a cam-belt change at 60,000 miles (my mom probably drives 3000 miles a year).
I’ve had new cheap cars in the past, preferring them (and their warrantee) to used sh!theaps which I found from experience, added constant repairs to the montly outlay of the used car payment, plus the interest rates were always higher.
1975 Ford Pinto? Check. Absolute garbage. 1984 Pontiac 1000? Check (couldn’t face the Chevrolet salesmen to buy a Chevette). Surprisingly not so bad for a young newlywed family in 1984. 1987 LADA Riva? Check, $5000 new (in the UK). Other than needing a 5 speed and cloth seats, it was basic transportation. Advance the sh!t out of the ignition timing due to better “petrol” than could be obtained in Russia where it was built by ham-fisted Vodka drunks, and it would get 35 MPG. 1990 LADA Riva? Check, $5100 new (again in the UK), for a 1300 car instead of a 1200, with 5 speed and cloth seats. Advance that timing…. away we go.
Some of the Brits made fun of us for having a Lada, but then again, the vast majority of them had “company cars” paid for by someone else, whereas I never had that option. When you’re spending your OWN money, and you haven’t got a lot of that to spend, you have to sometimes buy cars “for the birds” (cheep! cheep!)
The press photo we have of the interior looks pretty damn nice, chrome accents, tight panel gaps…looks better than the Aveo it replaced. Of course you have to lower your expectations at this price point.
Doesn’t really matter though. Aside from the Fit, there isn’t much to love in any of these tiny cars. Maybe the Yaris will have good resale value with its Toyota badging (don’t think it helped the Tercel) but you’re better off getting a Certified Pre-Owned Corolla, Civic, Focus, Malibu, Impala, Taurus…you name it and its yours for the same money.
1984, if you had been a Daewoo dealer, had the zone manager come around and foist extra cars on you because the “GM deal saving Daewoo was just around the corner” then had new cars AND spare parts supplies for your customers dry up completely, you’d probably be singing a different tune, brother.
It’ll be up to the courts to decide whether GM owes these dealers anything, but in the real world of interpersonal relationships, I would call it a “crime” to have done such a dirty deed, whether it was done by GM or whatever company.
“Bad depreciation value or not. If you do not have $15K you cannot by a Fit. End of story.” – 1984
Not so. You don’t need $15K to buy a Fit, you need access to $15K to buy a Fit.
dhathewa, yes you are technically right that you only need “access to $15k to buy a Fit” but also you might recall the flip side – the lender wants his or her money back with interest and this is divided out in monthly payments.
A $12,000 car is 80% of the car payment of a $15,000 car, obviously enough, and sometimes that “little difference” means the difference between eating well and not eating at all, for a pretty significant number of buyers in this price-range.
Not so. You don’t need $15K to buy a Fit, you need access to $15K to buy a Fit.
My head hurts.
Which car is safer?
Holden Barina (badge engineered 2007 Chevy Aveo Sedan): 2 stars on ANCAP crash testing
Honda Fit/Jazz: 4 stars on EuroNCAP
Toyota Yaris: 5 stars on EuroNCAP
You don’t need $15K to buy a Fit, you need access to $15K to buy a Fit.
Then again, GM is home of low-credit-rating, 0% financing, low monthly payments, right? You can’t get even close to that trying to finance a Fit or Yaris.
Going into fall 2006, the Aveo was the best selling subcompact but sales have been headed down the tubes this summer despite the surge in gas prices. BTW, the hatchback is also Consumer Reports’ worst rated car.
Glenn, you bring up a good point. For people who are one missed paycheck away from poverty, this is a cruel choice. They can get the cheap car, which may well be more expensive in the long run but they perhaps can’t afford the less expensive car in the short run.
There’s another consideration; if they buy the cheaper but possibly less reliable car, it’s all well and good to have it fixed for free under the warranty but if they lose their job because it wouldn’t get them to work, what’s the real cost of the cheaper car?
There are many ways to look at this but “no 15k, no Fit,” is an oversimplification that’s just wrong.
why did the aveo pics change?
and i think i’d rather a 6 year old corolla than an aveo.
Well, there’s zero per cent financing – is it for up to 72 months? For both qualified and unqualified buyers? Is GM pledging to take back bad debts from whoever’s doing the financing on these? How does this work if you have good credit? Can you get a better cash back deal from GM if you have good credit? Buying down a 72-month loan to zero percent for low-score buyers, even on a $10K msrp car, must cost at least a couple $K.
What does it actually cost to build and sell this thing? With its low MSRP, givebacks, financing tricks, warranty accrual, etc, does GM make any money on it?
Sounds like a contender for WCOTY.
I also rather enjoyed reading the review… I’d read it again but laughing out loud and not explaining why makes me look even less “normal” than I am precieved to be here at work.
With six-year, 0% financing and a cheep, cheep, cheep, cheeeep product, GM’s image will be “THE Auto Manufacturer for White Trash Without Money.”
Can any brand survive with an image like that? As soon as the White Trash Gets Money, they’re going to want Bimmers, just like the rest of us.
OK gfrog, now you’re making the rest of us laugh at work and oh, never mind!
why did the aveo pics change?
Yeah, that’s a 5 door with a sedan interior pictured. What damn car did you test? 5 door? 4 Door? 06′ or 07′?
You can’t just change the car after the review!
I really wonder if anyone tests these things at all. ALL PRESS PICTURES!
Jonny L:
What?
GM lost Billions last quarter. What are you talking about?
Old GM Business model?
My reply:
The Aveo appears to sell well enough to justify its existence. No matter how bad the reviews are. It may even be a profitable part of the GM portfolio. In fact, it probably is profitable.
I’m not saying that it offsets the losses with other parts of the GM portfolio. But, the GM product planners/bean counters who OK’d the Aveo are probably quite pleased with it. Public be damned. Corporate image be damned. Quality initiatives be damned. It sells for more than what it costs. Profit. The old GM way of thinking.
So, Aveo is a success, and it proves that the old way of GM strategy still has some life left in it. Sell a car for more than it costs and declare it a success–nevermind the long term consequences.
Aveo Pictures. My bad.
As mentioned in the text of the piece, Frank tested an ’06 hatchback, of which there were only two PR pics. And there was not a single PR pic of the “old” interior.
And I saw Frank’s tester with my own two eyes.
Can someone explain to me Why the Flock will people pay $15k for a Yaris or Fit when you can get a new civic (stripped) for $16.2k and Corolla for $14.7k?
Simply put, a $10k – $12k car should be compared to the same class for price or same price for class.
The “old” 2006 interior can be seen here:
http://us.autos1.yimg.com/img.autos.yahoo.com/ag/chevrolet_aveo_lswagon_2006_interior_19_346x270.jpg
PandaBear: Every Fit seems to have aero bodykit and suchlike. Doesn’t seem to be a base model. A strippo Fit would be fine with me. As it is, the automatic has five gears.
Four should be enough in a cheap car: Neons until ’bout 2004 stuck with the old 1981 K-car 3-speed.
Yaris still has the gauges in the middle of the dash so’s it hard to keep an ION them. Score another major point for even the old Aveo.
And if you’re looking at stripped Civics, the base manual- window 5-speed Accord isn’t much more. Base Element just above those. Cars in this larger class have power steering, A/C as standard.
RF and dhathewa:
Depreciation with no regard for the cost of entry is a rich-man’s arguement. With that logic, why not buy a new Ferrari F430 F1 for sticker and then sell it next year for a little more than sticker? Sounds like a great idea ….. trouble is, I can’t afford the payment on a new F430 regardless of how little I will lose when I sell it.
By the way, a 2004 Chev Aveo ‘base’ with no a/c and 83K miles just sold for $5500 here in the Twin Cities (MN). 3 years old with five years of miles depreciated $4500. That’s 5 cents per mile. Pretty cheap.
Here’s the car: http://saturnstpaul.com/index.php?contentID=40&vehicleID=KL1TD62644B171003
On the gas mileage question, yes a Fit doesn’t break the 40 mpg goal. I accidently looked at the mileage figures for the Civic instead. Here are the figures, with the best in bold:
Automatic, city/highway:
Aveo: 24/34
Fit: 31/38
Yaris: 34/39
Rio: 29/38
Scion Xa: 31/38
Civic: 30/40
Manual, city/highway:
Aveo: 26/35
Fit: 33/38
Yaris: 34/40
Rio: 32/35
Scion Xa: 32/37
Civic: 30/38
Aveo is at the bottom of every one of those categories.
And as for the prices, I won’t compare a “stripper” Aveo (which is not even available with antilock brakes, air, floor mats, or power windows/locks/mirrors) to a Fit or Yaris which aren’t available as stripped models. Honda and Toyota don’t need loss leaders to try to entice people to look at their cars. The comparisions I made are between models as close in equipment as possible – and when similarly equipped, the prices are a lot closer than many people think.
Arrived at Heathrow, London with a Budget reservation for a “Chevrolet” Matiz. Get to the counter and am handed the keys to a Kia Piccolino (48 mpg, as tested by me). When I asked why no Matiz. The reply was: “Oh, we’re so fed up with towing them in, we don’t rent them anymore!”. Be warned.
One other general thought: 68 comments in less than a heartbeat. Some items get less than 10 comments in a month. Looks as though we’re all trying to tell somebody something, yes?
And finally, just to prove that GM cannot resist a bit of badge engineering when faced with the chance to do so, is the PONTIAC “high performance????†version of the Aveo, sold in Canada as the Pontiac Wave.
http://www.gmcanada.com/english/showroom/pont_wave.html
That just might be GM’s way of paying Canada back for giving us Howie Mandel. ;-)
for christ’s sake how much hot air can you guys waste on this crapbox? apparently a whole lot.
let’s talk about expensive stereos like the 10K (or so) viagra inspired tweeters in the A8. or maybe it’s the S8. some big expensive Audi. anybody heard the thing in action?
How many times have I told you not to answer your own questions? Apparently not enough.
I’m intrigued. How are the A8’s tweeters Viagra-inspired? Do you mean their color, shape, effect on listeners or are you referring to the one drug habit of highly effective audio engineers? (Aural sex is a bitch.)
OK now I need to be “dutch uncle” to a lot of friends who I don’t even know personally but who share this website. I’m going to be 1/2 century on earth next year and so I’d like to sit down with everyone and bring a few of you up short, but in love, if you catch my drift.
What’s this about “white trash” on here? Would it be socially acceptable to say “black trash” or “indian trash” out loud in polite company?
An attitude adjustment is in order. Do you look down on the people who serve you dinner at a restaurant, or a receptionist at a hotel? Well, they may be making $20,000 a year and struggling to pay off college loans, trying to get by with a sick spouse and two children, you don’t know. Perhaps they cannot locate a better job than they have, for however many thousands of reasons. You don’t know.
So let’s be grown-up on here, please, and not be calling groups of people derogatory names.
I’ll do an example to make my point. A friend decided he “just needed to” divorce his wife “for a younger model” after his first wife brought up his two children successfully and put up with him for over two decades, in fact, he was my best buddy once. Now his wife, who has a Bachelor’s degree, cannot find a job making more than $20k a year as a secretary due to her age and because she stayed home for “him” and the children, and she lives alone with a big house payment on their old home. She cannot make ends meet so added an apartment which, when she cannot rent it, means she falls behind $500 a month.
Is she “white trash” because he “just had to do it” and go get a younger wife, so he could bonk 5x a week and make himself feel like a stud instead of staying with his faithful wife and the mother of his two children?
There are an awful lot of people out there looking to barely get by for whatever reason, and God the creator doesn’t look down at them ‘coz they can’t afford a BMW; neither should we. Not many can make $28 an hour sitting in a plant playing cards on the UAW “jobs bank” for GM and fewer are going to be able to do that after 2007, assuming GM even survives.
Plus besides which I’ve been in a situation where I’ve had little money – it is not fun. Yet, now I and my wife have degrees and finally can see the payoff date of our mortgage which will happen before retirement (not that I’m expecting any social insecurity but that is another topic altogether).
We’re blessed with two grown up sons, steady work in Michigan (no small feat), two nearly new cars, one of which was getting us 49 mpg when gas went skyrocketing. We’ve been able to carpool in the Prius most of the time, which has helped.
We can afford to live in relative comfort, and in fact, despite having a combined income of something less than what is considered “median” in the USA, we are comfortable and well blessed. In fact, despite having been not nearly as well off in the past, we’ve always had sufficient food, clothing and a roof over our heads.
So I thank God for that every day. I also know that I’m wealthier than 98% of the human race, despite being “under the median average” of American income, and I’ve lived in the UK and struggled with them there. How about $8 a US gallon for gas guys? Double the price of virtually everything else. How would YOU get by?
I’ll TELL you how a lot of people “get by”; my wife runs (and I assist with) a church food pantry at a church in northwestern Michigan and “our business” has grown expotentially in 12 months – and believe me, this is not a good thing. Working people having to take charity to feed their children because “the greedies” cannot be bothered to pay a living wage is not good enough. There is NO excuse.
So instead of looking down on others, perhaps a little thankfulness for your own blessings might be in order, guys.
Sermon over. “Dutch uncle” is off to bed, I have to get up and work tomorrow just as most of you lucky people get to as well.
With my username, I felt obligated to chime in.
Sometimes I think I’m crazy, but to me, real wood accents in a car are more ridiculous than faux carbon fiber accents.
But even I can’t defend this Aveo. It is clearly one of the least desirable new cars being sold in the U.S. today.
A $12,000 car is 80% of the car payment of a $15,000 car, obviously enough, and sometimes that “little difference†means the difference between eating well and not eating at all, for a pretty significant number of buyers in this price-range.
I don’t agree.
If someone is in such dire straits financially, they’re going to buy a two or three thousand dollar used car.
As someone pointed out, you could buy a certified used Corolla, Impala, or Civic for less.
Buying Daewoo when it was cheap was a great long term move by GM.
America is looking at having tens of millions of thrid world people moving in every decade. Those people want transportation but have very little money. A 10,000$ car versus a 14,500$ car is a big difference to them! Also masses of Americans who don’t have a technical education and make maybe 10 dollars an hour want to drive too.
With Daewoo GM can get those buyers, and possibly down the road if their lot in life improves they will upgrade at GM, with a trade in.
As it is, the automatic has five gears. Four should be enough in a cheap car: Neons until ’bout 2004 stuck with the old 1981 K-car 3-speed.
powerglide: Extra gears add performance and fuel economy (if done right) to tiny motors. I’m down for it, but then again, I gotta give props to the dedication to your namesake. :-)
How are the A8’s tweeters Viagra-inspired?
They poke out of the dash when turned on, just like…umm, well you get the point.
I won’t speak to any of the points made except to share my own personal interest — I’m considering a subcompact in this range with the Fit/Aveo/Yaris, and as much as I was interested in the Aveo at first, I’ve been blown away by the Yaris. Overall, the Yaris is way more attractive, has a much smarter interior (with touches aimed at people in my 20s/low 30s age group, like the iPod hookup), doesn’t seem cheap, and doesn’t suffer questions of reliability.
The Aveo looks kind of nice, but when you chip away the surface it’s just a modern Chevette. That’s where they lose. The Yaris and Fit have cachet. It may be sub-$15k cachet, but for what they are, they’re hot.
aa2… you’re going to make my head explode.
But… let me just put it this way. If your “third world immigrnats” do manage to improve their “lot in life,” you really think they are going to stick with the company that reminds them of how poor they used to be?
They’ll buy BMWs in droves. Flocks. Herds, etc.
Jonny, I see your point that if its a poorly built car they most likely will look for another company next time.
I think a mass market brand offering a low end product isn’t harmful. Think of young and poor people buying Toyota corollas and echos.. then later in life buying Camry’s or Highlanders.
Personally, I ONLY drive Ferraris, everything else is so, well. cheap.
1. “Dutch Uncle” – Reading this phrase sent me to the dictionary again. I was surprised to find that it is defined in exactly the way that Glenn used it. However, where I grew up it wasn’t taken to mean just frank and unsparing advice from an unrelated counselor but frank and unsparing advice from someone who didn’t have the standing of an actual relationship and was considered something of a buttinsky and/or advice from someone who would ultimately be giving you nothing but advice (as in, no inheritance from someone who’s not a blood relation).
2. As for “White Trash,” first, the Courts do make a distinction between the majority and the minority. We can take liberties with the sensitivities of majorities that we can not take with those of minorities. So, while we would be careful not to say, “Black Trash,” “White Trash” is a more acceptable pejorative.
Moreover, “White Trash” isn’t fundamentally racial at all. I suppose I could have simply said, “Trash” but “White Trash” paints a more vivid picture, especially as something other than a condition of birth. That is, if you’re born black, that’s two strikes against you but if you’re born white, there’s really no racial reason to be part of a permanent underclass. That is to say, “White Trash” is not a condition of birth but a conscious decision.
Since it bothers some, however, I’ll rephrase my original question:
Can GM survive by selling cheap but possibly expensive cars using creative financing and skating around bad debts? Will catering in this way to the underclasses ruin at least the Chevy brand and possibly taint the others?
…and I meant to add (edit this – what a nice feature)…
And “White Trash” is also not all about financial condition. That’s why we also have the phrase “White Trash With Money.”
The “Trash” live differently from the people who simply don’t have any money. You’ve seen the difference in their homes; things they could fix but don’t. Things they could clean but don’t. Children they could care for but don’t.
“That’s why Toyota, for example, can get away with selling the Prius at a loss in such high numbers…” – The Conjecturer…
I’ve seen this alleged several times but I’ve never seen a credible source cited.
I don’t believe they’re losing money on the Prius. If Toyota can survive selling the Yaris for $12K in volume, I expect they can sell the Prius for $21K and make at least a little money.
Re: the viagra tweeters in the S8… perhaps phil’s referring to the way they pop up from the dash when the vehicle is “turned on.”
Yup, heard ’em. Yup – worked for me. Music from the engine is even sweeter.
I enjoyed the article so mission accomplished. Never stepped on a donut, squishy?
I won’t try to defend GM or the Aveo here but wonder if a review of the newer sedan would have been a fairer representation of the Aveo model. Seems like you picked on the weaker of the two, even if it deserved your disdain. Nobody likes a bully.
Well written hilarious review. I’ve got to hand it to Frank Williams to even be able to drive around in an Aveo – I’d have trouble seeing out of the holes I cut in the paper bag I’d have to put over my head to even get in one. How could you not slam such a shitbox and the most hilarious thing is that there is actually people defending it – well, there’s no accounting for taste. If that’s all you can or will spend on a car – get a bus pass. I think I even saw someone saying it was better than a Chevette – that’s like saying blowing your brains out is better than slitting your wrists!
If that’s all you can or will spend on a car – get a bus pass.
Ladies and Gents, cast your votes: stu.purvis, nominee for “snottiest comment in the whole thread”, or failing that, “most in need of a blue collar clam dip wedgie”!
I haven’t checked out the Aveo and I doubt I’ll ever have to “go there.” But, having said that, I have to confess to often being pleasantly surprised by entry level cars I have rented in the recent past: Excels, Cobalts, Corollas, Mazda 3s, Focuses (Foci?) et al. They remind me just how refined even the humblest cars have become. Sometimes less can be more…especially in an era of $3, $4 or $5 gas.
There’s always going to be a market for basic transportation vehicles for low-income consumers who can afford no other new vehicle. These are the same people who can’t afford to shop anywhere else other than places like Big Lots and Dollar General.
Yeah, compared with other, more modern, more expensive economy cars of today, the Aveo is cheap, slow, and uncomfortable, but compared with basic transportation vehicles from years past (we’re talking cars like the Vega, Yugo, and Chevette ‘Scooter’ here), the Aveo is pretty damn okay. It’ll get you (and a lot of your junk) from point A to point B (eventually) on a regular basis and for the lowest possible dollar amount. For the market for a car like this, that’s really all that matters.
If I were delivering pizzas or working the grill at a MickeyD’s for a living (or as someone else so aptly put it, one paycheck away from poverty), the Aveo (along with other bottom-feeders like the Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent, and Ford Focus) would be on my list of prospective purchases. These are the (new) vehicles you buy when your market demographic deems you manually roll your windows up and down, and air conditioning is considered an optional luxury.
What’s the matter with buying pre owned cars again?
Last year I bought a used 5-door Aveo (automatic, ac, am/fm/cd, roll-up windows) with 3,000 miles on it for under $8 grand.
I have had zero problems in 15, 000 miles and I get a real-world 31 mpg @ 70 mph. Yeah, it’s a cheap little car, but it does everything I need it to do to get back and forth to work. It’s a little slow, but I’m never the last from a stoplight because I pay attention. It’s tinny, but the idea of ‘adding lightness’ is one you may have heard of. What is it you expect from an entry-level car? Besides, driving slow cars fast is fun.
Most of our posters here seem to have a very privileged Westerers’ idea of the purpose and content of a car.
Who in their right mind would buy this piece of trash? For $1500 I picked up a 94 Civic DX that will out handle, out accelerate, and outbrake this car. It also gets better gas mileage (30/40), and fits more stuff.
This car is not a car – it is an appliance, like a refrigerator or a washing machine, and one that can’t even hold up to the technical standards of the early 90s economy cars.
GM has just announced (to the South Koreans, not to the rest of us who stand to watch even more engineering jobs leave GM-USA) that they are going to base their entire mini-car development program in future, in South Korea at GM Daewoo.
Read it for yourself, it’s in English.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200610/200610130017.html
Poor little thing. Makes me want to take it home and mother it.
Methinks my 13 year old $300 323 is looking better and better.
The problem with rich folk reviewing affordable cars is that they don’t have a clue about the true raison d’être for such cars. Yes, you can claim you understand the value of high EPA numbers. But until you find yourself in the situation where you salary puts owning Ferraris, Lambos, Camrys, and Accords out of reach, you can’t possibly have a clue why anyone would have to make a choice to buy such a car. Please TTAC stick to reviewing cars you understand- that is, cars costing $50000 or more.
I’d reply, but I’m sunning myself on the Côte d’Azur, waiting for the dratted valet to bring my F430 around…
One of my favorite cars was the 88 Daewoo/LeMans/Optima that was based on an old Opel design. It could be fixed with a dollar-store tools set, and sure bits and pieces fell off now and then, but none that were vital to getting where you were going. It cost practically nothing and gave so much. The very opposite of many “better” vehicles I have owned. It was such a rush to hop in and thrash that thing around after driving my A8. The kids loved it too!
When it finally gave up the ghost, I poured all my waste-oil imto the engine and called the junk-yard.
My then-gf’s first new car was a 1987 Chevy Metro. It was purely an appliance, and it ran forever on a tank of gas. You did not, however, want to run it forever between two 18-wheelers on I-5 in the rain or spend more than a few hours in the seat. It served its purpose until we could afford more car, and it did it reliably.
I think what may be most frustrating for car lovers about the execution history of small cars from the 2.5 (esp. GM & Ford) is that they’re seen strictly as “loss leaders.”
We imagine the dealer conversation going like this:
“If you can only afford $X/month, you can suffer the pain of this Aveo. But, if you can afford another $40/month, we can get you into this roomier Cobalt.”
Now, if someone is looking for a high-mileage car today, they may not necessarily be looking for more room for that $40 more per month. They may be looking, instead, for better materials or better build quality or more features. You cannot “upgrade” those things beyond a certain point with a loss leader.
The frustration is: Why can’t we get a small car that’s better at its foundation (read: not as punishing, or does at least a couple of things well) with options that can bring it to a very comfortable level, even if it’s at a price point that might make another choice on the lot also appealing? Why not have that choice? …and not a Hobson’s choice.
The Honda Fit Sport begins to creep into base Civic financial territory, doesn’t it?
Joe,
IMO Civic, Mazda3, RSX, etc serves the purpose of a non-loss leader small cars. I think the gas milage is reasonable for today’s price and IMO unless gas cost $10 a gallon in the US, people who have the $ to spend will buy a compact rather than a sub compact.
So there you go, no market for a luxury sub-compact.
I don’t believe that the majority of people that would buy an Aveo are in such dire financial straits that it’s all that they can afford. I just believe they want the least amount of car possible that still does the job.
A friend who drives a Suzuki Aerio (similar to the Aveo) does so because he wants a car that takes him to work and home for the least amount of money spent on it. He bitches about why do you need leather seats, power windows, power mirrors, fancy radios, sunroofs, etc. He just isn’t into cars other than transport.
You should see his fishing boat!
GM has just announced that they are going to base their entire mini-car development program in future, in South Korea at GM Daewoo.
So much for, “Buy American brands because American-built Japanese makes still do all their high-value engineering outside the U.S.”
Real Americans Buy What They Want.
I’m not going to scroll back up through all of this to find the guy who thinks he’ll never have to change a 60,000 mile rated timing belt because granny is only putting 3,000 miles a year on it. I don’t drive a GM car, but I bet the manufacturer’s recommendation is 60,000 miles OR 5 or 6 years (certainly less than 20 years), whichever comes first. Just wanted to throw that in there. Just hard for me to imagine that timing belt holding up for 20 years, even if it is only seeing 3,000 miles a year. But hey, it is not my car, you do what you want.
There is a place in my town where you can take your car and put in on a lot to sell it, sort of like a consignment shop, but it is for automobiles. They guys running it get a percentage of the sales price. There are always some pretty decent older civics and corollas on that lot for $5,000. Today on the drive past to work I noticed what was approximately a 10 year old Volvo sedan, for $6,500. You can talk to the owner of the car, ask questions about service records, and such. This would seem to me to be a much better car than a new Chevy Aveo at $10,000 to $12,000.
If strapped for cash, I wouldn’t buy this Aveo. Take some time and have a good mechanic look over a used car. Hell, I have enough money to afford nice new cars, but I only buy used anymore. Let somebody else take the depreciation hit.
First off: Glenn, Bravo!
Now: Several folks in this thread have favored used cars over new ones. Nothing wrong with used cars BUT for lower income families the risks can outweigh the benefits. I had the fun experience, as a broke college student working my way through school, of owning a used truck, making payments, and being able to trust it as far as I could throw it.
Contrast that with the new Nissan I replaced it with. When the oil pressure light came on and the engine died in a blaze of smoke and noise approximately 45 seconds (at about 2100 miles on the odometer) later I called the towing service provided by the warranty, picked up my rental car (provided), while Nissan put a new engine in my Frontier. Total cost to me 2 hours of missed work vs. replacing a used car or buying an engine.
A car payment can be bugeted for. A new transmission or whatever is a tad more difficult. Now the only used car I will own is one I buy for cash outright, so I can set aside an emergency fund for repairs.
Hi Frank,
I disagree with you opinions. I just bought Aveo for myself. :).
I live in Warsaw, Poland, it is very crowded here, big traffic etc. Try to park a big car there, you simply can’t… You need some small vehicle to get anywhere otherwise you are doomed… US is different with big parking spots (I have been to LA and I saw your roads), wide motor ways, but Europe is very, very crowded. The engine is not powerfull… what do I need a powerfull engine for? In the city I am allowed to drive 38 miles/hour only… Have you ever been to Paris? I have lived there… Gee, you should go there and see for yourself what small cars are made for… However Aveo is quite big inside, previous Daewoo cars’re not… I am about 6 and half ft tall, I have no problems with my long legs… When you drive around the city and even you go a countryside in Europe you do not need anything else. It is perfect… Besides more powerfull engines consume much more of gaz… In UK you need to pay 1GBP per litre, in Poland it is 1Euro per litre, In Germany it is about 2 Euros per litre… It is expensive, especially when you drive very slow, stop on every traffic lights… It is not a car you feel comfortable while drive in US, I agree, but in Europe you would change your mind…
Greetings
philY
http://www.modaistyl.pl
People are forgetting that while an economy car, it is pure Opel parts through and through. All European Chevy (GM Dat/Daewoo) produced vehicles, since 1972 have been exclusively GM Opel powered. The 1.6 in the North American Aveo is the same 1.6l Opel/Vauxhall motor which powered a generation of cars. It is a European specification Eco-Tec II. The automatic transmissions are all ZF units while the manuals are all Getrag gearboxes.
GM’s European sales swing (doing quite well) are entirely based on the Lacetti, Lacetti5, Aveo, Aveo5 and Kalos (3 Door variant). In the united states we get the Chevrolet Epica (the Suzuki Verona as it is sold in the US, otherwise in Canada the aforementioned Epica). The Lacetti sedan is sold as a Suzuki Forenza (big seller month after month for Suzuki), and the Lacetti5 is sold as the Reno. In Canada they are the Optra and Optra5 respectively, again using Opel Engines built by Holden in Melbourne, Aus.
Independent 4 wheel multi-link suspensions, ItalDesign (& Pinninfarina in the case of the Lacetti/Optra sedan (Forenza) and Wagon), Opel Motors and ZF/Getrag transmissions.
And the problem here is what?
Eric
1996 SCCA NEDiv Rally Class Solo I/HIllclimb Champion, Retired
Smartcar.com!
Just wait a year for these to hit the US market. I was in Germany last year and loved the smart cars that everyone was driving!
After the Smart car comes out Chevy won’t be selling many Aveos.
I’ve seen Smart cars as well, I’m quite familiar with them. They are wonderful vehicles. Nothing says convenient and compact more than parking bumper to curb without stickig out into the street. However, due to the costs involved, we’re still talking in a higher price range unless they’ve found an cost-savings method making them extremely low-cost in the United States. Remember, we’re talking about the average car buyer in an SUV world (sadly) deciding how to spend their cash and still feel safe on the road. It is perception that causes the issue here.
I guess I qualify as “white trash”cause the bank and I just bought a used ’06 Aveo5.I know Im qualified because Im old (67),put in 22 years in the Navy,20 years as a working owner of a janitorial business,5 years in the Fla school system as a plant manager,live in low income housing, divorced,retired and making my car payment by cleaning restrooms 7 days a week.This car to me is a great vehicle,everything I need at the price I can afford. Thanx GM for putting this car on the market w/your warranty.
Thanks for the review on the Aveo,
I never tire of reading reviews from people looking for BMW type handling and comfort from a car priced at the sales tax price of the ride and performance they expect. I’m 6-5, and there is ample room for me in the Aveo, and I don’t expect the g-force acceleration from it I get from my 350 horse classic. What I do get is regular smiles at the pump by filling up for $25.00 and enjoying AC at the same time. If by chance you’re looking for the “American” made car, forget it unless you want to drive something as old as the rest of my cars. It ain’t made anymore, the corporate boys fixed that.
As for this car, it is what it is, inexpensive, good warranty, and reliable. It gets you there just as well as the $80,000 car you must be accustomed to driving.
Have a nice day,
Steve
I love cars, and the Aveo’s not the most stylish or sporty car in the world. It is, however, dog gone inexpensive. I purchased a new Aveo for $7200 out the door. The driving experience is fine–better than any 10-year-old compact or subcompact, which was what i was driving. The warranty is a key feature for a car at this price point. Others in this thread have said it well. When you rely upon one car as primary transportation, a new car with a 5-year warranty is a good value.
The way I figure it, I got this car for three times the price of a Tata Nano. This car is probably four times better than the Nano in terms of build quality, functionality, useability, safety, and reliability. On that scale, this is probably the best cheap car available anywhere.
I own an 05, got it new for less than $4000 with rebates. It was worth that but not much more. I have the hatchback; I took out the back seat so there is lots of room to haul stuff. I have 80,ooo miles on it and it is starting to get very loud. I doubt it will hit 100k. Other than this disturbing noisy development, I have not had any major mechanical problems with the aveo. I would buy another new one if I could get it for the under $4k price again. It looks like an orange shoebox, so at least it is not as boring looking as all of those fugly sedans out there. I have the manual tranny, get about 33 mpg on Colorado e-ways, almost all highway miles. It gets up to 80 with no problem, and has decent pick-up if you know how to use a stick. Handles OK in the snow if you put some extra weight in it in the winter. Glad I bought it.