Thinking of buying a Chevrolet Aveo, either new or one or two years old. The car is priced so much below other cars, it makes me wonder. Has anyone had experience with this type of car?
No, I haven’t driven one, but one reason for the lower price is that its fuel economy isn’t what it should be for a car this size. All of the Aveo’s competitors get better mileage per gallon. The new Aveo gets estimated mileage of 24/34 MPG (city/highway) and the Toyota Yaris, for example, gets 29/36. 24 MPG in city driving for a car this size is sad.
The only thin I know about the Aveo is that it is produced for GM by what wast formerly known as Daewoo. It is Korean Built and not what I wold consider a traditional GM vehicle. That said it’s cheap and has a good warranty.
The repair costs in the first 5 years are about 10% higher than comparable Toyota and Honda products. You can do the math to see if the city mileage difference between the Yaris and Fit make up for the difference in purchase price. Take the Aveo out for a long test drive to see if you like it.
In the category of “Budget Cars”–with automatic transmission or with manual transmission, Consumer Reports rates the Aveo dead last, so that should tell you something. In that category, it is the only car rated worse than average in predicted reliability (undoubtedly owing to its Daewoo origins) and MUCH worse than average in owner satisfaction (likely also the result of its origins).
Among the areas that CR downgraded were the Aveo’s acceleration, its handling, and its fuel economy–which was described as “so-so for its class”. The pluses for the Aveo were the ease of access to the front seats, a small turning circle, the versatility of its hatchback, and the wide availability of ABS.
In the category of “Budget Cars”, the preferable vehicles, according to CR are:
Nissan Versa
Honda Fit
Kia Rio
Ford Focus
Scion xB
Hyundai Accent
Scion xA
Toyota Yaris
(Note that the order of preference differs a bit between the automatic models and the manual transmission models, but the Aveo is dead last in both lists.)
The Aveo may be cheaper in price than the competition, but it is clear that there are apparently many reasons why it is cheaper than the competition.
Agree with all the above. It must be kept in mind that this Daewoo designed-car does not have the design life of a Honda, Toyota or similar durable car. If you can buy it cheap and do not drive much, it will probably serve you well, since GM will stock parts for it. If you drive a lot, it will wear out before its time, and the fuel savings will not be there to justify the purchase. The resale of a car is a function of its popularity; Toyota Echos have had low resale value because they looked funny and the US obsession with “size”. In fact this is one of the best small cars you could buy. At this point the Aveo is an unknown quantity, but it would cost you less to run than any Volkswagen model. So, think of the Aveo as a 10 year car instead of a 20 year car as with a Honda or Toyota.
I just bought an Aveo a week ago after having a Geo for 12 years. So far, I like the Geo better, but it was getting so old and worn out that I had to replace it. The car I bought was a rental car and one other owner, and it was a little banged up, so I got a great price, below what I would have paid a private owner. The dealer sold me an extended warranty which really gives me peace of mind. I don’t drive that much in general, but I sometimes take long trips a few times a year.
I would suggest that if you buy this car, you get an extended warranty and use it when you need to.
You have a right to wonder…friend has one. He has trouble getting the the mileage indicated. It has a very low satisfaction rating in CR.
You’d be much better off getting a 2 or 3 year old Hyundai Accent or Elantra. They both cost about the same, but they get much better mileage,as well as being better overall cars.
According to consumer reports is well below average reliability,. I had the displeasure of renting this car. So on top of expected subgrade reliability its a tin can. There are much nicer small budget cars out there. Some inexpensive better choices used would be similar year Hyundai/Kia, Nissan Sentra/Versa or even a Chevrolet Malibu.
I got stuck with one on a recent business trip, when the rental agency ran out of vehicles. Easily one of the worst cars I’ve ever driven, and I’ve owned and / or driven hundreds of cars (I started and ran an auto repair business in college). Buy a used Japanese car and you’ll be much happier and safer.