Good day from Canada, eh?

[ScooterMcTavish]

Hi all,

In researching whether to buy a Sonic or not, I was researching "true" mileage for the vehicle, not EPA or manufacturer. That brought me here!

And of course, after seeing the hatch model in Inferno Orange, trying out the logical and roomy driver's area (word changed from the normal one due to ****), and realizing my children would be traumatized by sitting in the backseat of a Fiesta, my brand new '12 Sonic is being delivered Thursday.

It also doesn't hurt when a new $22K MSRP vehicle can be had for under $15K after GM dollars and grad incentives.

So hope to get some great advice from the forum, as the main point of the Sonic is for us to save gas. Considering our other two vehicles are an 04 Alero with the 3.4 and a 2000 F-150 with a 5.4, there's nowhere to go but up.

 

[Eric Smit]

welcome to the family and congrats on your purchase.


-Eric Smit

 

[ScooterMcTavish]

Thanks Eric,

Enjoy how you do not suffer fools gladly in the forums. Only read a few dozen of your posts, and find them very funny.

Hope I can get the same kind of mileage you do with yours. However, I believe the temperature differences between Manitoba and Texas may never allow me to get there.

 

[Eric Smit]

Good to know a handful of my posts were funny. unfortunately, that's probably less that a percent. haha.

Yeah, Manitoba is probably not exactly the same climate as El Paso, but you should be able to get good mileage as long as you have a rough idea of some techniques. ecomodder.com helped me out a lot.


-Eric Smit

 

[$ub$onic]

My 1.8 5 speed gets 32-36 depending on weather and ect my dad had the 5.4 in a 250 and hated it. Had to rev the crap out if it when you pull so you all you can do is go up

 

[Maddog2020]

Welcome! For the 22K, I assume it's a 1.4 Turbo? Post some pictures when you can. I live in Michigan and frequently beat the expected MPGs.

 

[kevindaniels63]

Congrats on the purchase. I love mine even though its not Inferno Orange....or a hatch.

 

[Maddog2020]

Congrats on the purchase. I love mine even though its not Inferno Orange....or a hatch.

Inferno Orange hatch was an excellent choice though.

 

[Swordsmith]

If the main point of your purchase is to save gas you'll want to read posts carefully, as a lot of them are centered around ways to make the car less fuel efficient. Oddly, most of those ways also make the car more fuel efficient if you can train yourself to drive sensibly, and Smit there is probably the best example, building a hot rod that he uses to post phenomenal MPG with.

We will want to hear the rest of your details, it sounds like you got the RS based on the sticker price alone, but maybe in canadian dollars that's really only the sticker price of an LS 1.8 automatic. How many Moonies does it take to buy an RS?

 

[ScooterMcTavish]

Hey all, thanks for the warm greetings, and apologies in advance for what a $22K MSRP gets you in Canada.

And yes, the same car costs way more up here in Canuckland - to the point where the US manufacturers were threatening to pull dealer licenses in border states if the dealers continued to sell directly to Canadians. Just for example, a friend of mine saved more than $14K on an Odyssey by buying it in the US. It was one thing when it was $1.50CDN for $1US - when the dollars moved to par, people flocked South to buy cars.

For here, $22K gets you the MSRP on a well equipped LT with 17", a sunroof, bluetooth, and a 1.8. Around $22, you could also start getting into an LTZ.

I had a peek in the black book, and a used '12 LT in Xclean condition with the sunroof and 17" should go for $17,500 at the dealer wholesale auction around here. Not sure how much of a valuation idea that gives you.

So yes, we do pay more for the same car, but paying under $15K (plus taxes, levies, etc.) for a new car after GM credits is pretty sweet. This one was heavily discounted due to a factory special on loaded LTs.

Also like Smit's idea of a fuel efficient rocket. However, I love (and I mean LOVE) bombing around town in a 4-banger, hearing the revs fly and the tires squeal as you push it beyond what you're supposed to. Think I'll need to refine my driving style, as we need the gas savings to pay for the car.

I drive about 400 mi/wk, all highway. You may also be interested to know that gas (87, e10) currently runs 1.109/L, or $4.19/US gallon. To go to 91 is $4.38/US gal, and 93 is $4.57/US gallon.

 

[Swordsmith]

You can own a hot rocket and drive it 99% of the time like it's a Prius and get similar mpg, while pulling out the wallet and driving it like you stole it every once in a while for a very satisfying oomph. Well, I hear you can. Me, no, I can only barely manage to drive it sensibly once a month or so. But the possibility is there.

You might want to contact the dealer and see if you can back out of your purchase though; since you're already getting LT, the 1.4T engine is both more of a rocket and more fuel efficient than the 1.8 and, at least in USA, only $700 more, and the 1.4T is more easily modified to get you either more mpg or power, or, well, both really.

Not that the 1.8 is a bad engine, it really isn't, just that the 1.4 is a great one, and probably within reach. Reasons people have given for going 1.8 have been:

1) wanted car TODAY dealer didn't have on lot. Well, you're willing to wait for your car already, why not wait for the better one
2) afraid turbo will break sooner. OK we can't prove it won't, but the warranty is the same, and turbo's have been around a long time now and proven quite reliable, and this particular engine has been around a few years too with a good track record.
3) the extra cost. Which sure, upgrade from LS to LT plus upgrade from 1.8 to 1.4T is $1700 or more in USD, maybe more if you have to pay for it all in bacon and gallons of maple syrup. But from 1.8 LT to 1.4T LT, it's going to pay for itself.

* forgot to say, moonie=QEII with a bear behind, so the answer is 11K

 

[lambertsonic]

You can own a hot rocket and drive it 99% of the time like it's a Prius and get similar mpg, while pulling out the wallet and driving it like you stole it every once in a while for a very satisfying oomph. Well, I hear you can. Me, no, I can only barely manage to drive it sensibly once a month or so. But the possibility is there.

You might want to contact the dealer and see if you can back out of your purchase though; since you're already getting LT, the 1.4T engine is both more of a rocket and more fuel efficient than the 1.8 and, at least in USA, only $700 more, and the 1.4T is more easily modified to get you either more mpg or power, or, well, both really.

Not that the 1.8 is a bad engine, it really isn't, just that the 1.4 is a great one, and probably within reach. Reasons people have given for going 1.8 have been:

1) wanted car TODAY dealer didn't have on lot. Well, you're willing to wait for your car already, why not wait for the better one
2) afraid turbo will break sooner. OK we can't prove it won't, but the warranty is the same, and turbo's have been around a long time now and proven quite reliable, and this particular engine has been around a few years too with a good track record.
3) the extra cost. Which sure, upgrade from LS to LT plus upgrade from 1.8 to 1.4T is $1700 or more in USD, maybe more if you have to pay for it all in bacon and gallons of maple syrup. But from 1.8 LT to 1.4T LT, it's going to pay for itself.

* forgot to say, moonie=QEII with a bear behind, so the answer is 11K

Thing is a base ltz sedan 1.4 manual starts at 23.000$ . Plus 13% sales tax for Ontario . A fully loaded ltz hatch with roof and automatic tranny starts at 26k plus tax .

 

[ScooterMcTavish]

Appreciate the advice on the 1.4T Swordsmith, but it is simply not available on any of the remaining 2012 stock. To get the 1.4 with an auto (must for the missus), I'd need to go to a 2013 LTZ - MSRP for one with similar options to my LT is $25,665 + 12% tax (the RS equipped similarly is $26,260 + tax). Even if I haggled $2K off the dealer, cash out is $26,505, or $9,700 MORE than my current cash out. And at $26K I like the Sonic, but this now puts it into competition with many, many other fuel efficient vehicles.

I know the 1.8 isn't as well regarded as the 1.4T, but for that spread, I could almost buy another car! Or a crap load of bacon and maple syrup!

 

[$ub$onic]

Hahahaha maple jokes.. the 1.8 is pretty quick for a n/a motor. With engine mounts and exhaust it will be a good car

 

[Swordsmith]

Yeah if you can't go from LT with X options but 1.8 to LT with same X options but 1.4, then never mind. Going LTZ just to get the 1.4 option is just as bad as going from LS to LT just to get the 1.4 option.

The 1.8 is a nice solid engine and you'll have no complaints with it, particularly if you weren't planning on doing a whole slew of mods to it anyway. You will have to accept a certain amount of ribbing hanging out here on this forum, but the truth is you still have a sonic, whatever the engine. Least it isn't the 1.4 non-turbo (sorry, our Euro brothers)

 

[Bogus]

Welcome Scooter!

 

[Chevrolet Customer Care]

Appreciate the advice on the 1.4T Swordsmith, but it is simply not available on any of the remaining 2012 stock. To get the 1.4 with an auto (must for the missus), I'd need to go to a 2013 LTZ - MSRP for one with similar options to my LT is $25,665 + 12% tax (the RS equipped similarly is $26,260 + tax). Even if I haggled $2K off the dealer, cash out is $26,505, or $9,700 MORE than my current cash out. And at $26K I like the Sonic, but this now puts it into competition with many, many other fuel efficient vehicles.

I know the 1.8 isn't as well regarded as the 1.4T, but for that spread, I could almost buy another car! Or a crap load of bacon and maple syrup!

Welcome and thanks for choosing Chevrolet! I hope your enjoy for many years! Definitely looking forward to seeing some pictures.

Matt,

GM Customer Assistance (Assisting Vanessa)

 

[ScooterMcTavish]

sonicownersforum.com gots some clout!

Wow, even GM Customer Service trolls in here. Good job with the website guys - that is immediate street cred, and I'm glad I signed up.

Kudos to GM as well for keeping tabs. Looks like the "new GM" realizes a head in the sand is not the same as an ear to the ground.

Only problem I have is what to nickname the car. "The Citrus Comet" is one idea, as is "Citrus Inferno". The second name allows me to sing annoying songs to my family every time they're stuck in the car with me. It's so tough to find a catchy nickname using the word "Orange".

Sad though, we kind of like our Alero, and now instead we'll be fighting over who gets to drive the Sonic......

 

[Swordsmith]

Yeah Vanessa and Matt are a nice part of the ambiance here, although they won't be able to help you as much as they do us US citizens. We're lobbying to get GM Canada to have one of their CSAs keep an eye on here as well, since it would be handy for you folks from the great white north have someone to help keep the stealerships a little more honest like they do for us.

 

[BiGGinZ]

Welcome