I am wishing to trade in a 2007 AVEO-5 SMV, 4D Hatchback, aftermarket A/C, which causes me to get only 17 mpg. I hate the car - smaller cargo, not good on HWY, poor mileage. Car looks fantastic and I have less than 5K miles so far, so I’m trying to sell now. I paid with all fees, etc., $11,200. I got a solid offer to buy it from CARMAX for $8,000. Not the greatest fee, but I don’t have to deal with the public, so I’ll probably take it just to unload it. PLEASE ADVISE???
I just found an '03 VW Golf GLS, 4D Hatch, manual, moonroof, with 66K miles. I am meeting seller on Weds., 5/14, so if you could write back, I’d really appreciate it!!! I’m taking car to PepBoys for an overall check-up which will cost $95, but it seems to be thorough. Then, I will test drive after I get the news. I am looking for a solid used car, with good cargo and something that might keep ticking a long time with good mileage. Does it seem crazy to buy a car with this many miles???
PLEASE ADVISE???
Unless the hasn’t been maintained properly and/or was driven hard, 66K is barely broken in. What’s economically crazy is getting rid of a car with only 5K on the clock.
The Aveo has disappointing fuel economy for a vehicle so small with such modest performance, but 17 mpg is way below what it should be, even with the a/c going. Either you have really bad driving conditions and/or driving habits, or there is something very wrong with the car.
THAT’S WHY I AM GETTING RID OF IT.
For a couple of years, Consumer Reports summarized their low opinion of the Aveo by saying, “There are better choices”. Apparently, the OP agrees, but I would urge that the OP also check into the frequency of repair ratings of the '03 Golf in that same publication.
VWs vary widely from model to model, and from year to year, in terms of the frequency of repair that owners have experienced. Why trade one headache for another if it can be avoided?
Okay, no need to shout!
Isn’t the Aveo still under warranty?
But it sounds like you hate the ugly little spud, so I don’t think it will matter on an emotional level if you get it working right. Just keep in mind how much gas the money the swap will cost you will buy. If you do mostly urban driving, the VW probaly won’t do much better than the Aveo, BTW.
There is no way that car gets 17mpg. My 92 pickup gets more than that with a load fire wood in the back.
VW Golf’s(without 1.8T) tend to hold up much better than their Mexican built Jetta counterpart that gets blasted. I know many happy owners. Most are built in Germany with a few built in Brazil.
I would dump an AVEO too, I rented one and have had as a loaner at dealer and they are transportation nothing else.
You did not state if this 17 MPG is city or highway driving. If it’s highway then the CEL should be staring you in the face due to the car running so rich. If it’s city driving then it’s very possible that your driving habits are at fault.
My 4000+ pounds V-8 Lincoln gets 19 in town so surely that Aveo can eke out a bit more than that.
Since one low tire can kill fuel economy should I even ask if you’ve ever checked the tire pressure; something that should be done every couple of weeks or so?
And dumping a 5k mile car at a multiple thousands of dollars loss does not make any sense to me. It also sounds like you’re expecting a 95 dollar inspection to guarantee you a used car that does not have or will ever suffer a problem shortly.
What is the mileage if you turn the A/C off? I can’t believe that even an aftermarket A/C could cause that much drag on the engine. If it does, there is something amiss with the aftermarket A/C. Gasoline in my city just hit $3.95 for unleaded regular. My inclination would be to recheck your mileage, check for fuel leaks, buy a locking gasoline cap and keep driving the AVEO.
Trading an Aveo for a used Golf with 66,000 miles makes no sense; you will end up with a car that is fun to drive but will cost you an arm and a leg to keep it going. The remaining life in the Golf is no more than in the new Aveo. Fuel mileage will be no better; likey worse. At least the Aveo will run trouble free for some time to come and is much cheaper to maintain and repair.
A solid used car would be something like a 2-3 year old Hyundai Elantra or Mazda 3.
Personally, I would learn to love the Aveo, and chalk the ownership up to experience; cheap experience.
The bottom line is that you hate the car, so I think you should get rid of it. There’s no sense in driving a car you hate every day.
However before you make any replacement selection I’d suggest that you pick up a Consumer Reports Used Car Buyers’ Guide at the local bookstore. That’ll be a huge help.