2006 Chevrolet Aveo

If anyone reading here is familiar with my other cars, they will note that I rarely buy anything new. Well, I recently did! The old Torquemobile finally died and it was not worth spending $2500 for a new transmission for a car with a zillion km on it. Shopping for used cars uncovered outrageous prices for high milers so I bit the bullet and started shopping for a new ride.

I did my research carefully. What I needed was an economical commuter that was cheap to buy and run that had a few toys. Specifically I wanted power locks, windows, CD player and keyless entry. I did not want a/c or automatic, Das Boat has that for road trips. I started with Toyota. I was immediately put off by how incredibly snobby the dealership was. It was like it was some sort of an honour being permitted to buy a Toyota. They made the MB dealer seem polite. Anyway, I could not get what I wanted out of them. It was either a stripper or loaded. I did not like the Yaris, I the interior plasticky and cheap and I did not think it was a great value. The Honda Civic was goofy looking and the Fits that I looked at were all loaded to the gills with options and dealer packs. The Kia Rio had a cheap looking interior and a poor dealer network.

Near my house there is a GM dealer so I thought I would check out the Aveo. A friend of mine works for GM service and he told me "Every thing GM sells is junk except the Aveo, which is in fact a very reliable car." The salesman could not have been more polite and helpful. In Canada, Pontiac dealers sell a version of the Aveo called the Wave. The only differences other than the bading is the Wave gets bright door and vent trim and a rear washer/wiper. The exact package and colour I wanted was presented to me almost immediately. A 2006 Pontiac Wave 5 Uplevel with power windows, locks, keyless entry, cruise and CD player went home with me an hour later. Total price before taxes was $14,000, a screaming deal and about four grand less than a similarly equipped Yaris, providing the dealer would let you have one. GM, being strapped for cash, is really dealing these days.

The Wave is built in Korea by Daewoo. The fit and finish are impeccable, perfect. I could not find a single flaw inside or out. The power train is quiet and smooth. It is very peppy and has an excellent mid-range. There is plenty of torque at 2000 rpm. The clutch is smooth and easy to operate. I do find the shifter a little rubbery. The Wave is a tall car so you sit up high in it. There is plenty of leg room and the tilt wheel allows anyone to get a good driving position. All the controls are easy to operate and well laid out. It even comes with a security system standard!

I don't know what it is with auto journalists. The seem to think we all need 400 horsepower cars. We don't. They are all in bed with the car makers and oil companies anyway. The Wave has plenty of power. It burns down the road at 120 km/h with ease. It handles beautifully with no steering kickback. The suspension is firm and compliant at the same time, even with five people in the car a month's groceries in the back. The 60/40 fold away seat makes it very easy to load large items. Because the car is so high, there is tons of headroom and legs of back seat passengers do not end up under their chins. There is nary a rattle or squeak to be heard. The car is much quieter than the Yaris, by way.

I am averaging 32 miles per US gallon in 100% urban driving, quite a bit more than the Transport Canada rating but I tend to drive conservatively. Keeping the revs down really reduces fuel consumption. On the only highway trip I have taken it on I averaged 45 mpg at speeds around 120 km/h. It runs just fine on 87 octane gas.

About the only downside with the Wave is the trunk space is a little limited with the seat up. Also, the sound system is a little weak but hey, the car was $14k so you can't expect Monsoon sound. This is the last year of this body style. The car first went on sale in Korea as the Deawoo Kalos in 2002 so it is a proven design. My friend told me that the Aveo has the lowest warranty claim rate in the GM system. For the money, I cannot think of a better value. I plan it run it into the ground like I did with my last car!


Update: I have now had the Wave for eight months and there are now 11,500 km on it. There have been no problems with the car whatsoever. The fuel economy runs in US miles per gallon from 25 city to 40 mpg highway. I have changed the oil and filter four times and the third time I swtiched to 100% synthetic oil. I then proceeded to drive the car to Disneyland. I cruised all day at 90 mph and delivered 38 mpg which is pretty good at that speed.

The suspension is firm and the body sturcture stiff so bad roads are swallowed up even at high speeds. The car handles extremely well at highway speeds. I drove 4500 km on my trip which is about 2800 miles. The car was comfortable for long drives and the power point in the back seat allowed easy viewing on a portable DVD player. I never had any trouble keeping up with or ahead of traffic. One has to remember this is a small engine and at high speeds like 90 mph 3500 rpm is on the tach and if you want to maintain 75 mph in the mountians you have to shift to fourth gear and get over 4000 rpm where the intake manifold secondaries open, making much more power. With this kind of high revving unit, oil changes are absolutely imperative. Never go longer than three months or three thousand miles, whatever happens first. The time is just as important as the milage and use the best oil and filter you can buy and that is 100% synthetic. It makes a huge diffrence in how the car runs.

I changed the oil again with 100% synthetic and a synthetic oil filter and the car ran great. The trip really loosed it up and the low friction of the synthetic oil really runs smoothly and with more power. The next modification is a K&N air filter. I will keep the stock airbox which is also plenty large and the K&N should improve flow about 20%. The car also LOVES high octane fuel; it runs much better on Chevron 92 than 87 and that is the only gas that ever goes in it. I try to fill the tank at 1/2 to keep consensation down. I usually run one tank of premium to three of regular but I find on long trips, the high test is worth it in power and better fuel economy.

The seating position of the car is very high and combined with an effective cruise control,a dead pedal for the right foot, a height ajustable seat and tilt steering column made it comfortable to sit for up to four hours (that is my limit not the seat's) and left me feeling OK after a 12 hour drive in one day.

Since I have had the car, nothing has gone wrong, awry, ceased to work or has worn prematurely. The car now drives better than it was new. I also plan to drive it into the ground like my other cars.

Major update: At 13,000 km, the engine developed a knock. I suspected lifters but it turned out the car had a bad piston. This resulted in a complete engine replacement. The dealer was rude and blamed my use of synthetic oil for the failure. I responded that perhaps he should recommend Corvette owners to change to conventional oil. It took six weeks to replace the engine, mostly because the parts department was fighting with GM over who was going to pay for the carrying (finance) charges on the engine. The service manager had the manners of a Yeti in heat. I got the car back covered in grease and had to rent a cleaning machine to get it out. Someone had also smoked in it.

At 19,000 the car refused to shift into second gear. I knew the tranny was shot. As usual, GM had to dissassemble and inspect the transmission, which made a lot of sense considering nobody in the shop knew what to do with it or how to fix it. This led to the transmission sitting on a bench for a month while I drove a rental car, for free. Finally, some Einstein at the dealship realised that they had to order a complete transmission unit from Korea. That took two months. A repair that should have taken a week tops took 13 weeks. I didn't really care because I had a Pontiac minivan for the whole time and took the oppurtunity to drive it to Arizona and back!

From what I have heard, these cars are pretty reliable but Korean reliability is spotty. I got one of the spots. The car has a 100,000 km powertrain warranty and I doubt that I will keep it after that.

Update # 2. One day, leaving my home and turning onto my street, the car died. It was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a faulty PCM (engine computer). The part was ordered and I was back on the road in five days. The dealer claimed that the car had been "extensively road tested" when if fact it had not been driven at all since the odometer reading was the same, 21,000 km. A whopping 17 km after picking up the car, it stalled in traffic. I was almost creamed by a 5 ton truck? The reason was the GM mechanic was in such a hurry when he replaced the PCM he damaged the wiring harness.

To make a long story short, the dealer could have cared less. GM service is legendary, in a negative way. Don't go near them. The car is for sale and I will never buy another GM car again.