Chevy Aveo Hatchback

backy · February 2005

A dealer in Minnesota ran a promomotion recently, advertising a *free* Aveo when you buy certain kinds of Chevy trucks and SUVs at list price. The promotion helped the dealer increase their sales volume in January, to the point they were the #2 Chevy dealer in Minnesota for the month.

Now the bad news... it appears the promotion was illegal. In Minnesota, if you advertise a "free gift", it has to be FREE, meaning you don't pay anything for it. The reason the Minnesota Auto Dealers Association is claiming it's illegal is because NO ONE buys a new $35,000 Chevy truck or SUV at full list price these days. So you have to give up something to get the "free" Aveo. The case will probably go to the Minnesota Attorney General. Meanwhile, the dealer is thinking about advertising "Aveos for $1.00!"

Say, do you suppose the dealer was giving the Aveos away because they know they won't start when it's -20? ;-)

5port · February 2005

Very interesting. I'm suspecting the other dealers in the area got jealous of this dealers killer business and decided to sabatoge it.

People do buy vehicles at MSRP (esp if you are trading in) so I really cant see how this is illegal.

mr_mott · February 2005

Hi guys. Obviously Im a new Aveo owner. I like the car quite a bit, love to drive it and dont really have any complaints as of yet except...the used Aveo I bought only has an AM/FM radio. I went to best buy to talk about putting in an aftermarket system and they tell me they dont have a kit for it. I went to my chevy dealership and asked them and all they produced was a picture of the brackets that holds the stock systems in place. Does anyone know if this car has a kit that will take an after market cd player that works with the Aveo. Or will an after market fit in the brackets already there. Surely someone wants somthing other than stock in their Aveo. Thanks for any help you guys can give.

infinia1 · February 2005

...there are over 20 cd players available for the aveo on crutchfield.com

muffin_man · February 2005

Crutchfield sells the kit by itself for like $15.

mr_mott · February 2005

Thanks alot guys! I was able to get the reciever I wanted and the kit which came for free with the purchase for a couple hundred dollars cheaper than what best buy was asking.

Got to love these forums! Again thanks guys!

muffin_man · February 2005

Glad you found it, which receiver did you order?

mr_mott · February 2005

it was the Sony CDX-M9905X. The one with the 32,000 color tft monitor in the middle. Ive been savin for that puppy for quite some time.

i_l_aveo · February 2005

I see similarity between these two cars at least the exterior design, small engine and price range !!

Have you guys test drive Scion xA and able to compare it with the AVEO ?

denisenjeff · February 2005

I just bought a 2005 Chevy aveo a few days ago and have noticed an irritating noise coming from the engine, like a hum that consistantly shows up at highway speeds and vibrates through the gas pedal so that your foot feels it too. The car only has now 150miles on it. When I thought it was a defect I test drove another aveo from a totally different dealership and found that it was doing the very same thing.

Anyone else have this problem>?

linzwins · February 2005

hi!

i have never owned a car before, and am a junior in college, so therefore cheap. ive been looking at the aveo alot, and am so far impressed, i think its so cute, but i dont know that much else about cars, and if it would be good for me. does anyone have any advice? would this be a good first car for cheap? and also, how do i get it cheaper? ha, i mean, how do you talk the price down? im a newbie. thanks for any advice you guys have!!

muffin_man · February 2005

i_l_aveo -

I completely agree, the xA and Aveo have a lot in common. The xA handles a little bit better but has a harsher ride. It also comes with more standard equipment and gets better gas mileage.

However, the actual market prices of Aveos are much lower. I got my base Aveo w/ automatic (now considered an LS?) for $8500 That's about $4500 less than an automatic xA. That's a HUGE amount of money in this segment. Assuming that the Aveo is reliable (crossing my fingers - 4000 miles so far), at this price, it definitely trumps the xA.

deniseenjeff -

I'm not sure what you are referring to. The engine is a little bit thrashy at high rpms, so maybe that is what you are feeling?

linzwins -

A lot depends where you are shopping, but I always start by looking for deals in the paper. Even the "1 available" deals can be had if you are quick.

mr_mott · February 2005

hey linzwins.

Im also a poor college student. I just bought my first car (an aveo sedan)a few weeks ago and felt like i got a really good price. It was used since it was a 2004 but had low mileage and got it for around $7690. I bought it from a chevy dealership who was listing $10,900. What I did was get on the internet and do some price comparison for the same make and model i was looking at. Found some other local dealers who had lower price quotes and printed those off, and just brought them back to the chevy dealership. They will do just about anything to keep your buisness so they dropped their price to match really quick. But educate yourself...do a lot of research before you buy. Print off alot of varied price quotes from around your area. I love the car, it was easy on my wallet, it drives great for 22,000 miles (i like driving alot) and its gas is pretty fair, specially for the price i paid for the car

I do have a question for others though. Does anyone else have an issue with the seats? The foam seats were not as absorbant over lond distances as i thought. I put a pillow down and that took care of the problem but was just curious if anyone else felt the same? Still a great car though!

linzwins · February 2005

thanks for your advice! i am certain i am going to get one now, i just want to do a little more research, and earn a little more money! yay

ceestand · February 2005

I've seen mention of the "adaptive shift control logic" that is integral to the Aveo's optional automatic transmission, on GM's site as well as other places online. However, a mention is all that I can find. Does anyone have more information or a link to more info on this?

jjryan · February 2005

I have 140 miles on my Aveo. I bought it with 7 miles last Sunday. Almost a week ago. Man it sucked breaking that 100 mile mark. It doesn't feel new anymore. Anyways got a question and read every page of this forum. I hear people mentioning the "kick" in the tranmsission. Is this that almost jolt feeling that it seems to make when it's kinda cold (30F) or so and you go from 30mph or so to a dead stop when it shifts down through the gears as you roll to a stop? If so I have this issue. Just wondering if anyone else has it. It didn't seem to be like that when I bought it. I'm going to bring it to the service dept next Thursday and also take a brand new one on a test drive and see if it does it to that one. Any thoughts, comments, or suggestions would be amazing.

jjryan · February 2005

I haven't seen this posted yet. The girl I'm dating has an '04 Aveo Sedan (I hate having the same car as her). I have the '05 LS Hatback but anyways she told me at about 15,000 miles 4 lines of her rear defogger quit working. The dealer is going to replace her entire back window now. Just thought I'd pass that along.

Her rear view mirror also started to come off. That's getting replaced too.

flytle · February 2005

Hi:

Yes the clock is still on the fritz. The problem is that they should have fixed it the first two times and that doesn't seem to happen? I wonder how much more time I will need to spend chasing after incompetent GM people, they mean well and all but....??? Not impressed. Fixing the problem is more costly right now and I have no idea, why they cannot say it straight?

Did anybody know the KM/MILEAGE on their car, I'm still wondering if I'm getting good mileage or not, it seems like I'm always at the pumps, and certainly before the meltdown I was, do you get reimbursed for that, NO way!

greasynails · February 2005

my chevy dealer can get me window visors for $65 i didn't know if you can find them cheaper online somewhere and if i could see a picture of them before i buy them. They can't show me on at the dealer.

parky129 · February 2005

Chevrolet Aveo Accessories at autowebaccessories.com
they have visors with pictures, Tom

rsmith1 · February 2005

I bought my 2004 Aveo LS Hatchback on December 1st 2004. With all the GM discounts going on at the time, I recieved quite a good price. I have most of the options except for the sunroof. Only major problem to date, was that the clock was replaced and the optional Dealer Installed side moldings came off in the cold weather.(Chevy- Parts)I drive the car between Gurnee,IL. and Milwaukee,WI.at high speeds and the car has not given me any problems even in high winds. I believe this vehicle is "The little engine that could".

robot-man · February 2005

Anybody know of any video games where you can drive an aveo?...I know it's a strange question, but I've been wondering recently. -Russ

jjryan · March 2005

haha haven't heard of any. Unless Gran Turismo uses it in the new one as a compact car but if they use a 5 door small hatchback they will probably use a Honda or something more foreign that's easier to customize and has plenty of real life options. Maybe they will introduce a Scion in the new version. Who knows? I haven't seen if it's even out yet to know or what the release date is.

jkobty2 · March 2005

indeed a great car. i have been driving one for a week as a rental, and it is smooth, quiet, and powerful. much more refined than a civic in my opinion. at least you do not hear the tire noise from the wheel wells. civic has barely any insulation.

iluvmysephia1 · March 2005

would you buy a Chevy Aveo some day? Considering it's basically completely all Daewoo inside and out! It seems to be getting pretty fair marks from everyday drivers, including those reporting here on Edmunds.

Another question...how much of the Chevy Aveo is actually Chevrolet designed or built, in any way, besides the Chevy bow-tie?

jjryan · March 2005

it's not a bad little car. i mean you get what you pay for. I have the 5 door LS hatchback and i've seen the clock issue problem posted on here but heck it's a clock who cares. As long as it has no mechanical and transmission issues creeping up on it i'm fine. Mine is just about to hit 500 miles.

chrisducati · March 2005

I must be older than most of you because I remember when it was almost guaranteed that the clock in your new GM or Ford car would only last a few months before it stopped telling the correct time. The 1960-80's were the dark age's in auto clocks. The issue of a bad clock in the Aveo is odd for today. Crappy supplier? Over voltage ? GM in its hugeness should be able to drop a different clock into production in weeks. I wonder if it is because they are so big that they do not know what is going on... no. that can't be it... there have been Aveo buy backs just for this clock issue.

lulasky · March 2005

Hi there, just killing time...

I just wanted you to know I bought a hatch back in May 04 and it is fully loade. I got it from our local dealer for 12,500 all inclusive. It is an awsome little car for a 50 year old. I just wanted something to play in. I had dark tint placeed on the windows and every officer believes they are gonna see a young black kid...I am a plain old white guy...but an old hippie. I have tried many smaller cars and this little thing is very tight and solid. The only problem I would raise is the gas mileage. Town only...about 16-18 mpg. I expected more. highway is great. I have automatic but it has this cool button that locks it into any gear you have shifted to...I like it. The sound system is very good for a small seemingly cheepo car. Everything is well engineered. Mine is red. I just love that thing and I really don't have any other problems. I really like the rear view exterior mirrors heating up. It gets you rolling faster in the mornings!

Best wishes, Randy Carver Shelby, NC

lulasky · March 2005

Hey!

I'm not sure but I think you're talking about the button that holds the Aveo in the chosen gear until it is shifted. Pretty cool... You can drive it like a manual trans with the beauty of becoming automatic by pushing a button...I love my 04 Hatch...Red with dark tint windows. Cool little car. mine is loaded and I got it tax, tag, etc for a little over 12

parky129 · March 2005

Apparently the low around town mileage is because of the use of the automatic as a standard shift, (Hold feature used). If you used it as an automatic allowing it to shift as needed your mileage would be around 26-28 in town and 32-35 on highway. But it is your car , use it as you wish. And Good Luck. The hold feature is made to allow the holding of the transmission in a higher gear when starting up on slippery surfaces such as snow. Doing this will allow the engine to apply power to the wheels at a slower rate than if the first gear is used, sort of like slipping the clutch to allow gradual power to be applied.

5port · March 2005

They should rename that hold feature and call it the Winter Driving feature. Good idea.

Kirstie_H · March 2005

A reporter with a national magazine is hoping to talk with a consumer who took advantage of a 24-hour test drive or other extended vehicle test opportunity (including a car rental) and subsequently bought a car similar to the one s/he tested. If you have a story to share, please submit it to jfallon@edmunds.com along with your daytime contact info no later than Wednesday, March 9, 2005.

camper1 · March 2005

This question is for those who have other cars (and therefore can compare the aveo): is the vibration at the steering wheel normal for this type of vehicle? Mine is a 2004 with 12,000 miles, other than that, I am happy.

Camper

dkuhajda · March 2005

Vibration when? Sitting at idle cold? Idle warm? Has the vehicle had its first tune up yet (has 12,000 miles, is close)? While driving? Have the wheels been properly balanced and rotated yet? Has the four wheel alignment been checked/performed yet (has 12,000 miles)? etc....

camper1 · March 2005

At normal highway speeds (50-55mph). I has been in the shop where they have checked everything they normally troubleshoot...still it has the shaking at the wheel. It has gradually gotten worse (to the point where you can visually see the wheel shaking) but the mechanics are unable to find anything wrong with it. Anybody else out there with this problem?

dkuhajda · March 2005

What shop has checked it? Vibration at highway speed is 90% of time is due to the tires or wheels. You need to get the car into a place that has a road force variance tester (much more than just a wheel balancer) to properly check the tires and wheels. Occasionally poor front end alignment will also cause vibration at highway speeds.

i_l_aveo · March 2005

I have less than 3k miles, I do feel some vibration on acceleration pedal at 65 mph but the car itself is not shaking at all.

camper1 · March 2005

You have a good point about the tires. I took the vehicle to two different chevrolet dealers for repair. One said they check everything, tires, rims, balancing but nothing. The other replaced a tire rod (which I think was not the problem) but it still does it.

I agree with you and think this is had to definitely be related to tires or rims. I have actually jacked the car in the front and visually inspected the tires but can't detect it that way.

As for the "road force variance tester," I don't know if the chevrolet dealer has this type of equipment, I will ask them. If they don't have it, I may have to pay for this service myself to get to the bottom of this.

I love this car and want to keep it, so I need to find a solution.

shorti81 · March 2005

Well, my car is acting up again, i posted about this in nov (pg 11 i believe) and it started acting up again last nite. funny how it does this right around the time im due for an oil change! i called the dealership and made an appointment for 7 this morning (thank god i did cuz now the check engine light came on and it kept stalling on me, which is pretty scary when you're trying to turn left!). Has anyone else had this problem? Car hesitates when accellerating, kinda "kicks" just before you come to a full stop, sometimes stalls with no warning.
Just wondering if this is a problem with just my car or if its happening with others.

Thanks

csandste · March 2005

"I don't know if the chevrolet dealer..."

There was a lot of comment about wheel vibration on the Elantra threads about 4 years ago when I bought mine. Mine vibrated and I bought the standard $7 per tire Wal-Mart lifetime balancing and rotation. They fixed it the first time. Most people who went back to the dealer never got theirs fixed. Truth is that the typical tire dealer (even WallyWorld) sees about ten times as much of this problem as any car dealer.

camper1 · March 2005

My aveo accelerates beautifully! It's one of the things I love in this car! (I also love the 600 watt base speaker). As for the transmission "kick," mine does it too! I is specially noticeable when coming from a high speed to a quick stop. It may be that these transmissions have that characteristic. I don't think that it means a defect or malfunction.

Let me know what the dealer finds!

shorti81 · March 2005

I just talked to the dealer and it is the same sensor that i had problems with in nov. how many kilometers does your aveo have on it camper1? mine has around 21000km. also do you drive an automatic or a standard.

i will let you guys know what sensor it is when i pick my car up.

thanks

camper1 · March 2005

I have automatic transmission. I have about 13000 miles in my aveo. I am thinking about taking my car to a dealer with a Hunter's GSP9700 tire balancing machine. If the problem continues, I may have to buy new tires...

chrisducati · March 2005

I would guess tires. Does it have Kumho's... I had a set slip their belts at 10000 miles... the tires were ruined. All the balancing in the world will not fix it. If the new tires do not fix it then I would point a finger at wheel bearings.

camper1 · March 2005

GOT IT FIXED! I took the car to a third chevy dealer. The service department charged me $29.00 for the balancing of the 4 tires. They have e GSP9700 machine and now the card drives BETTER than when it was new!

It is a pitty that it took three dealers to fix the problem! (it really bothers me that the other dealers said they checked the balancing of the tires)OH, well. Thanks for all the help!

dkuhajda · March 2005

Wow. $29.00 for a road force variance and balance check on a GSP9700. That was a deal. At least you now know where to take the car.
I would suspect that if they only charge $29 for a proper balance, that the remaining service rates for maintenance are also reasonable.

Hitting a pot hole hard, curbing the tire, or many other things can throw the balance off. As well as the tires not being properly, or well balanced from day one.

zedmetal · March 2005

Hi, sorry but i'm a complete new guy to this car, infact i haven't even gotten it yet, being shiped as i type. i was just woundering if any of you could give me advice, i wanna get the back windows on my car to go all the way down (not the half way down like they have for child safty of whatnot). i haven't had the chance to open the door itself and try stuff out, mostly cuz i don't have the car yet. so if any of you could help me that would be great. thank you for your help, peace.

oyveyo · March 2005

Does anyone know the polarity color codes for the Aveo rear speaker wires? Thanks

beliver · March 2005

zedmetal: there are a lot of cars that don't allow the rear window glass to go all the way down. It has nothing to do with "child safety" In most cases the design of the rear door does not have room to allow the glass to retract fully.

believer

karen5000000 · March 2005

I have test driven the Scion, Suzuki Reno, and the Chevy Aveo to the advice of some people on this message board. I took them home for the weekend, too. I found that while the Scion and Suzuki were most impressive because of their name, they were not the best preforming car. I fell in love with the Chevy Aveo. It handles like a dream. Before you so easily dismiss it, give a spin, but also test drive the other cars. You will see that the Chevy Aveo is the best car.

Chevy Aveo Hatchback

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