Chevrolet Aveo Sedan

fastdriver

lngtonge18-

I don't know the exact details of the case, but I knew BEFORE this that the courts had gone crazy when the lady who spilled HOT coffee on herself sued the fast food chain and WON!!!

Found these and was able to add them here because my EDIT button was still available.

http://204.168.97.3/pressreleases.nsf/0/45e97bc95341900585256cdf0- - 07c0bcf?OpenDocument&Click=

http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2003/06/16/daily20.h- tml

No update yet on the progress of my AVEO LS. It's in Korea!

fastdriver

moparbad

quote jchan "if you drive a car in the ground or put a ton of miles in a short amount of time, by the time you trade the car in, a Hyundai with 110,000 miles will be worth just slightly less than a Honda or Toyota with 110,000 miles."

Are you certain about that? Honda and Toyota have very high residual values. A used Honda or Toyota will retain SIGNIFICANTLY more value than a Hyundai or Neon or Cavalier or Aveo. Unless you drive the Aveo (or Hyundai) until the wheels fall off and never sell it you are going to lose money when you sell compared to a Civic or Corolla.
It will cost more money to own an Aveo long term.

5 year ownership costs for Aveo LS Sedan are $23,568, Civic DX Sedan $19,791 and Corolla CE Sedan $21,893.
The Aveo is the least cost new and the highest cost to own.

The difference is cost when new on these vehicles is small and the difference becomes larger as the vehicles age.

Anyone contemplating the purchase of an Aveo to save money should examine all the costs of owning a vehicle as an Aveo is going to cost more to own than a compable Honda or Toyota.

Hope you enjoy that Aveo since it will cost you at least a $3700 premium over a Honda to own over a 5 year period.

Me, I'd rather have $3700 in the bank.

guod

Has anyone added and aftermarket cruise control to an Aveo. If so I would be interested to hear your results.

Thanks
Doug

dispencer1

I've heard via the dealer grapevine that what you get for your trade is what a dealer can purchase a similar vehicle at the auction for, NOT the "wholesale bluebook". This makes sense and without fail every car I traded in was thousands below wholesale or the "trade in value" as provided by Kelley. I wonder if this is actually true since we are talking about trade in values of Aveos, Corollas, etc.

npaladin2000

Those measures failed, AFAIK. The problem is that one person actually DID sue a leasing company; had nothing to do with the driver holding insurance.

Once the lawsuit was finally served and won (thereby opening a floodgate), leasing companies didn't want to lose any more of them (which was likely). Since, under the law, they ARE responsible for a leased car, they just won't lease anymore, in order to avoid any more million dollar verdicts like that.

I'm not a big fan of tort reform in general, but this is kind of a frivilous law that needs to be changed; the bank shoudln't be held responsible for the actions of the driver of a car. By that logic, a bank would be responsible for the actions of a car that is fully financed through them too, not just leased. That liability needs to be limited or eliminated. This isn't like some insurance suit, where an insurance company is being sued for their own action or inaction. The bank involved doesn't have any involvement in the actions of the driver causing the accident; but through no action or inaction on their part, they're held liable.

You know, I wonder if this should be moved to it's own topic...don't want to crowd the Aveo out of the discussion.

lngtonge18

To base a decision on the "true cost to own" is silly at best. Those figures are estimates, not the truth. What if an Aveo owner got 0% financing through GMAC and the best Honda had to offer was 3.9%? That would make a huge difference right there. Honda dealers in general tend to be more expensive then a Chevy dealer when it comes to maintenance. You can't say for sure that the Aveo will cost more in the long run. I don't think those numbers hold much water because there are simply too many variables involved. You can go ahead and think you are "saving" yourself almost 4k by buying the Honda, but that's some pretty wishful thinking.....

moparbad

The ownership cost in my earlier post is using numbers provided by Intellichoice. Intellichoice is respected and has provided auto information since 1986. The data is based on depreciation, maintenance, fuel cost, insurance, state fees and repairs.
An Aveo LS Sedan predicted ownership cost over 5 year period to be $3700 more than a Civic DX Sedan per Intellichoice.
Considering the cost of ownership of a vehicle prior to purchase is a wise decision. If you disagree and your opinion is that it is silly and that the ownership costs are not the truth then I challenge you to provide the truth and explain why it is silly.
Including "silly", "wishful thinking" and "don't hold water" is does nothing to discredit Intellichoice and the example I provided.
Aveo will have higher fuel cost as mpg is less.
Aveo will have higher maintenance/repair cost based on reliability record of Daewoo vs. Honda.
Depreciation is the source of the majority of the $3700 difference.
Do you really believe that an Aveo will depriate at similar rate to a Civic or Corolla? Anyone can verify resale values of Civic, Corolla, Neon, Accent, Elantra, Geo Metro and others and will be able to see who is silly.

bigdaddycoats

Does your information use the price paid for the car including finance rates? If not then it can not be completely accurate. It does make sense that the Honda will hold its value better. As far as insurance goes, I have found that imports(even if they are built in the U.S.) generally have higher rates - don't know why.
Just some thoughts.

backy

If you're going to compare true costs, you should compare apples-to-apples. The Aveo LS is the loaded model, more comparable to the Civic LX. Comparing the Aveo base model to the Civic DX results in equal TCO of $.30/mile according to Edmunds.com. So then it's a question of which car you like better. For example, you can get the Aveo as a 5-door hatch, which may suit some people better than a 4-door sedan.

mht_in_la

You said, "The Aveo is the least cost new and the highest cost to own." I think it's quite true. But if one invests the money saved on an Aveo up-front, after 5 years the investment should grow enough to offset the higher cost of owning an Aveo (opportunity cost of owning a [non-permissible content removed]). So, they come out equal given that they are in the same class. (Civic and Corolla are one level above Aveo, in my opinion. Echo would be a better comparison.) The difference is that, with an Aveo you get the money up-front. With the [non-permissible content removed] competition you get your money back over many years.

I am a new Aveo owner, and I am well aware of the economy of owning different cars. As I mentioned in my earlier posting, if it's not for my sizable GM rebate ($2,200) I would go for a Hyundai or Kia instead. The Korean cars are the least cost new, and their incredible warranty (10/10,000) should reduce the cost of owning significantly. So you get the best of both worlds.

My other concern of owning a popular [non-permissible content removed] is that they are easily stolen. My previous car was a '90 Camry. Even at old age it's still an easy target (stolen/vandalized for parts many times).

Also, my Aveo is paid off so I'm not subject to buying expensive, unnecessary insurance required by the financier. I pick and choose the insurance I care and save a bundle. Meantime, Honda and Toyota cost a lot more to insure comprehensive because they are easy targets as mentioned above.

I agree that Aveo (and other Koreans) would probably depreciate faster than the popular [non-permissible content removed] in the first few years. That's why I plan to keep it long term. After the first few years, there should be little or no depreciation on my Aveo. Of course it depends on how I drive and maintain it. There are many variables.

Lastly, everytime I look at the cute butt of my Aveo I am very happy. I just don't see any car like that in the market. It's hard to quantify that. Let me just advertize my Aveo photos again ;-) http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mht_in_la/album?.dir=/b13a&.- src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com- /mht_in_la

jchan2

If you drive a car long enough and put a certain number of miles on it, a Civic Value Package with 80,000 miles will sell for not much more than maybe an Elantra with 80,000 miles on it.

fastdriver

mht_in_la

Did the dealer have to drill holes in the front bumper for the plate or is there a bracket there already?

fastdriver

bigdaddycoats

The Aveo seems to be selling pretty good around here. Both of the local dealers seem to have a couple on the lot at all times, but they move in and out quickly.

mht_in_la

Yes my Aveo came with 2 holes in the front bumper and 2 holes in the rare bumper. When the photos were taken I removed the rare dealer plate but forgot the front. I just don't want to drive around as the dealer's free advertisement before my real license plates arrive.

frenchcar

I DROVE A NEW AVEO SEDAN (PREFER TO WAIT FOR A HATCHBACK) BUT WAS FAR MORE IMPRESSED THAN I THOUGHT I WOULD BE. QUIET, COMFORTABLE, ZIPPY GOOD RIDE, SOLID, GOOD FIT AND FINISH. THEY DID A NICE JOB ON THIS CAR. BIG IMPROVEMENT OVER OTHER SMALL CARS FROM GM IN RECENT YEARS. GM IS REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR HOOK UP WITH DAEWOO SINCE THEY JUST BOUGHT THE VACANT DAEWOO ASSEMBLY PLANT IN INDIA, THE ENGINE PLANT IN CHINA AND ARE COMMITTED TO BUYING THE OTHER ASSEMBLY PLANT IN KOREA AND JUST HOOKED UP WITH VM OF ITALY (ROGER PENSKE IS THE CHAIRMEN) AND THEY WILL BUILD A DIESEL ENGINE PLANT NEXT TO THE KOREAN ASSEMBLY PLANT TO BUILD DIESEL ENGINES FOR 2006 MODELS. WOW.. I DID HAVE TROUBLE GETTING USED TO THE SHIFT,GATE ON THE AUTO TRANNY BUT IT WAS SMOOTH AND NICE.

fastdriver

frenchcar-

Glad to hear that you liked the fit and finish of the car and the drive. My LS is being built this month some time.

Before the hosts yell at you, don't use all caps to write. They claim it's hard to read.

fastdriver

iluvmysephia1

in some camps. I was more interested in your review of the Aveo sedan. I appreciate reading about each and every person's experiences driving this car because I've been following it's build and introduction for many, many moons now. From what I'm reading people seem to be digging them and that doesn't surprise me much. Daewoo has some VERY staunch supporters and it's a tough company to put down blindly just because their old leader was overly-greedy and very corrupt. The cars themselves have interested me for a few years now. A buddy from another chatsite(he'll post here from time to time)is just days away from getting his Aveo. He was going to go for the sedan but just changed his mind to wanting the hatchback model.
    mht in la-they did a fine job with the hatch's hindquarters, didn't they? Lookin'good!

lngtonge18

The point I was trying to get across is that the cost of ownership will vary widely. The numbers you provided are simply an estimate based on some known items and some unknowns. It can be helpful to look into long-term costs, but their accuracy isn't set in stone. For someone like me, who does their own maintenance, Intellichoice's numbers regarding maintenance costs would mean very little to me. It also doesn't take into account the actual price you pay for the car and is trying to compare a fully equipped Aveo to a base Civic. To me, that comparison is VERY silly. I would also have to question the insurance costs since Honda's are notoriously expensive in this area. I don't doubt the Civic will maintain a higher resale, but the lower price of the Aveo would offset some of this. Then there are the intangibles, like the pleasure of owning a nicely equipped semi-unique car instead of a bare bones boring me-too car. That would be worth any added cost in the long term for me.

jchan2

cars are a matter of personal taste, almost like houses. If you like bland, me too cars, the Toyota dealer will gladly sell you a Camry LE 4 cylinder. If you want something unique, you have a whole bunch of cars to choose from.

moparbad

An Aveo Sedan is certainly bland. And it will certainly be less reliable than a Camry. If unique makes you happy then Aveo will fit the bill as a best seller such a Camry will be more numerous.

jchan2

it'll stand out at the Wal-Mart among the waves of Camrys, Caravans, Accords and Odysseys.

backy

among the waves of Camrys, Caravans etc. ;-)

fastdriver

the poor AVEO- being picked on for being the new kid on the block before he even has a chance to prove himself i.e. too small, too cheap, small engine, poor gas mileage, cost of ownership(based on what? a Metro?)

Time will tell how well it will hold up AND how the Chevy dealers treat you- which will probably be like so many other dealers- LACK of service, answers and respect.

Let's wait a year and see what happens. I'll post my experiences as soon as I get my LS. I have no brand loyalty whatsoever. If I like a car, I say it. If I don't OR the dealer service is horrendous, you'll hear about it for years to come just like my poor Christine! ;-))

fastdriver

frenchcar

Time will tell and I am really looking forward to his comments in the future after he gets his LS hatchback. No reason to put a car down before it has been around awhile. I am going to test an Aveo again and then will try out a Kia Cerado in June along with a Scion xA and then in August will try out a Reno (hatchback version of a Forenza). I suspect I will end up with the Aveo but.....??

fastdriver

frenchcar-

I'm getting the sedan with all options except the block heater. Can't wait. I can drive that an keep the Acura CL-S in the garage! ;-))

fastdriver

jchan2

personally it's not a bad car for the money. It's certainly better than driving a Rio.

moparbad

Aveo is not a bad car, but for the money ($5995) I'd rather drive a Rio. The warranty is certainly better on a Rio.

jchan2

I'd rather give up the warranty and get a better car in the Aveo.

dispencer1

I wouldn't compare the Aveo to a Rio but the Elantra has much more equipment for about the same amount of money plus a lots better warranty. The reliability tables in Consumer Reports for Hyundais are pretty good now. The Accent seems to be a pretty good car -the rental cars have automatic and air and I drove one 214 miles from Albuquerque to Clovis NM and would certainly consider it as an alternative to an Aveo. The design looks nicer and more normal and it was comfortable on the road at 70 - a good basic car that gets good gas mileage.

moparbad

Saw the first non rental Aveo last night. Silver sedan and I was in front of it for a short time and wow the Aveo's lights were bright.

fastdriver

moparbad-

Well, it wasn't me! No word yet on my silver LS. As far as I know, it's still in Korea! :-)) I can't wait, especially as the gas prices keep rising!

fastdriver

moparbad

What options did you want that was not available on in stock Aveo? The sunroof is the only option that is not available yet to the best of my knowledge.

fastdriver

moparbad-

Didn't consider the base model. Wanted the LS with all the options except the block heater.

fastdriver

fdanna

Just out of curiosity, why did you choose a loaded Aveo over an Echo? I ask because you mention gas prices and the Echo gets far better mileage than the Aveo and the Echo has proven reliability whereas the Aveo is a question mark.

Echo: 35/43MT - 33/39AT

Did it come down to looks?

moparbad

I did not choose an Aveo. fastdriver is waiting for Aveo to be delivered.
If I were to compare an Echo and Aveo the advantages of the Aveo to me would be GM incentives to reduce price and availability of ABS and sunroof. ABS is available on Echo but darn near impossible to find and no sunroof. Also, Scion is a much better value than Echo due to increased equipment levels.

moparbad

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jm/04aveo.htm

Decent review of the Aveo Sedan.

fastdriver

fdanna-

Simple- GM credit card $$$$ that I have had for 7 years now. As a result, they deduct x number of dollars every month from whatever I had added say for April 7 years ago.

Not wanting to lose them, I decided to take the plunge.

fastdriver

jchan2

Personally, If I had to buy either or, I'd choose neither and get a Scion. But the Aveo does offer the sunroof and ABS over the ECHO, which has ABS but is very hard to find. The Aveo also gives all those GM card holders a chance to use their card rebates and get a decent small car for a low, low, low, low price.

muffin_man

Aveos are currently going for $8999 (LS) in Los Angeles). That is with no fine print. Dealer discount + Chevy rebate. Knock off another thousand dollars with a GM card, and you have a stunner of a deal. I really like both current Scions, but is an xB worth $6500 (before taxes) more than an Aveo? No way.

moparbad

How much is rebate in LA? Rebate is $1000 in Midwest. Invoice is $12,192 for an LS with no options. Subtract the rebate and you have $11,192.
How the heck can you get to $8999? Which dealer has the advertisement?

An Aveo LS with ABS and upgraded stereo and engine immobolizer invoice is $12,882 and subtract the rebate is $11,882. No $6500 difference between the Aveo and the $14,288 xB. And the xB has standard stability control which is not available on the Aveo. And it will obtain 31/35 mpg.

muffin_man

Ad. summary

MSRP $11,999
F**** Discount $2000
SALE PRICE $9900
Factory Rebate $1750
($750 military rebate)
$8240 + $700 (if you're not in the military)
$8940.

Another dealer on the opposite page as the base Aveo for $7999. ($9995-$1996 delear discount)

$14288 - $8940 = $5348 (LS)
$14288 - $7999 = $6289 (Base)

Stability control is nice, but on low powered front wheel drive cars like these, I think it is a little bit gimmicky. For me, it is not a selling point (for this type of car).

The xB's listed mileage is 30/33, and the Aveo's is 27/35. If you mix those, you have:
xB: 31.5 (mixed driving)
Aveo: 31 (mixed driving)

I consider that a negligable difference, and I'm sure that you do too.

I like the xB better, but $5348 is a HUGE premium for the small amount of extra content you get. For the $2300 difference near you, I would still probably get the Aveo, because I have money on the GM card.

Which do I like better if the prices were the same? The xB.

Which is the better value? The Aveo, in a landslide.

mht_in_la

I live in LA and I drive an Aveo. There's no way you can get an Aveo for that price. For instance, the MSRP $9,995 is not for the base model. It's for the "Special Value" model -- no air condition, no CD/cassatte player, no automatic transmission, and worst of all, you have NO option of adding any of these on a "Special Value" model. Basically Chevy created the "Special Value" model just to showcase they are able to compete in the sub-$10,000 market as well, and Chevy doesn't really plan to sell a lot of these. When I shopped for my Aveo, across LA and Orange County maybe 1 out of 3 dealers carry a "Special Value" model just so they can put out newspaper ad like the one you see. Nobody is interested in buying them anyway.

As to the MSRP $11,999 you mentioned, it's for the Base model, not the LS model (LS's MSRP is $12,585). The $11,999 Base model is only stickshift. You can add auto transmission for about $800.

Bottom line is, newspaper ad is just to lure you into the dealership and cannot be taken seriously. The one on sale is never available. To compare Aveo with Scion, you should use Edmund's TMV (true market value) for both models. I found the TMV data very realistic, very close to what I paid. After all, it's the average of real selling price across the nation.

mht_in_la

Aveo should be compared with Scion xA, not xB. One time in the mall I parked my Aveo hatchback next to a Scion xA and got a good look. Size-wise they really look identical (same width, height, length and shape). Of couse xA has many hip designs and equipments (and a hip brand) that Aveo does not have. But that's exactly why xA costs you about $1,500 more (roughly, based on Edmund's TMV data). Which one presents the better value? Well, it depends on if you feel these additional things are worth the extra money. It's personal preference.

mht_in_la

I've been driving my Aveo hatchback for 1.5 months now, yet I have not seen another Aveo hatchback in the street or freeway anywhere!! I occasionally see Aveo sedan but no hatchback so far. I kind of enjoy the rareness of my car and it turns a few heads sometimes. A few times I was asked questions like "what car is this?" or "how much is it?". And some thought it looks like a "mini mini-van" which I think is funny. My Aveo is surprisingly roomy indeed.

Every time I drive by a Chevy dealer, including the one I bought mine from, I always take a quick look at their inventory. I still don't see many Aveo's. I guess my car will continue to be a rare breed in the street. The good news is, when it's rare it's less likely to be stolen down the road, because most car thieves are after the parts.

mht_in_la

Since I've been driving my Aveo for 1.5 months, just want to share my experience. I'll try to be fair...

LIKES -
1). Roomy. Given its compact exterior, inside it's surprisingly roomy. This is the common impression when my friends sit in my car for the first time.
2). High seating. Aveo's seating position is higher than my old '90 Camry. As a small car the view is pretty good. Its roof is actually higher than most sedans in the parking lot.
3). Handling. Aveo's 4 tires are stretched to the corner, making the car easy to handle (but it's by no means a Porche).
4). Simplicity. Overall this is a simple car and I like it. Everything on my Aveo, from dashboard to trunk to exterior, is clear and easy to use and understand.

DISLIKES -
1). Gas-mileage. So far I get about 25 - 27 miles per gallon (no freeway on my commute, lots of stop-n-go city traffic). It's about the same as the old '90 Camry I just sold. Given Aveo's light weight and low horsepower, I would expect a lot higher gas-mileage.
2). Tire size. Aveo's 185/60/14 is about the smallest you'll find in the market. Small tires make the ride bumpy. Also, small tires can cost more to replace than regular tires because they are rare.
3). Driver door lock. Aveo has a feature to prevent drivers from accidently locking themselves out. When leaving the car, the driver's door CANNOT be locked from the inside. You have to use the key to lock it after you come out and shut the door (only the driver side). I find it annoying. If you have keyless entry it's not a a problem.
4). Daytime running light (DRL). Aveo's DRL cannot be turned off. Although this is a safety feature, I like to have control of it. Many other cars allow drivers to turn it off.

muffin_man

My mistake, replace the prices I gave for LS and Base for Base and Special Value. But after a little more research, it turns out that the only differences between the LS and Base are sunroof, power locks, power windows, heated mirrors, and power mirror. As far as the transmission goes, the LS and Base both come with a stick, and the auto transmission is an option on both. The LS comes with some power options, and that's nice, but for $8940, I could live without them.

I know what newspaper ads are for, and I am sure that I could get these cars for these prices. This is very much a buyers market. In addition, I don't know what you paid for your Aveo LS, but I have been in a dealership in the San Fernando Valley with a $2500 off sticker posted on the car. That is not as good as the newspaper ads, but still an excellent price.

As far as Edmunds TMV, I have found it to be basically the price you might pay if you went in and did zero negotiating. When I bought my car for $15980, the TMV was $17500. Average does not mean the price of every car sold.

dispencer1

I'd be interested in comments from people who drove both of them before they bought one of them. I'd probably favor the Echo mainly because it is a Toyota and would have a good reliability record. The Aveo is a new car on the market and may not last if it isn't a big seller. The dealer discounts don't make it sound as if people are standing in line to buy one.

lngtonge18

Here is an idea that might get rid of one of your annoyances. When exiting the car, pull open the interior door handle, push down the lock while holding the door handle open, and then close the door. This should override the anti-lockout function and not require you to use the key to lock the car. This worked on Hondas and some other cars so it might work on your car too. Give it a try and report back whether it works or not.

mht_in_la

Thanks for the tip. I tried and no, it didn't work. When the door is open I cannot press down the lock.

fdanna

Just keep reminding yourself that you'll never have to worry about locking your keys in your car rather than it being an annoyance.