ChicksHateMe
Member
It will be ONE year Friday, February 27th, 2015 since I bought my 2013 Sonic 1.4L Turbo LT Auto Hatch with just about 54 miles on the Odometer. I've had a few ups and downs, but overall I am very Happy I picked the Sonic.
Background
Before I purchased my Sonic, I spent about 8 months test driving a number of cars. The Sonic happened to be the first because Chevy was the closest dealership to me. So it kind of became my baseline. I tried;
Spark - Cheap and Noisy ride.
Fiesta - Liked a lot, but felt smaller than Sonic and didn't like interior layout as much. Brakes were spongy.
Focus - Nice, but I still felt cramped. More $$$ too.
Soul - Smelled bad, Uncomfortable seats, drove like a van to me.
Scion Xd - Liked a LOT, but heard it was last year making it. Worried about parts down the road.
Nisan Note - Too cheaply made and bad reviews.
Honda Fit - Just hated it. Weak. Uncomfortable.
Mazda2 - Short dash made it like an old VW bus, right on the road.
Accent - Liked a lot but... Two tests had bad vibration accelerating uphill that would drive me nuts. The hatch was about 5 inches off floor, so far from flat entrance to back. 3 inch difference in height between folded down back seat and actual rear space, so it doesn't go flat. I hated that in most that didn't go flat.
Sonic had everything I wanted except AWD and a center console.
PROBLEMS DURING 1st Year
1. Five tries to get a sticker (should have been a red flag)
2. 1 Month in and the Brake lights come on and go off (Low Brake Fluid) (Should have been 2nd red flag).
3. Six months in the brakes became rock solid on Highway while in cruise control. Almost rear ended a car. (FIXED by replacing MC, vacuum pump and check valve).
4. Leaking into Passenger side during rain (Fixed by GOOD dealer according to a Bulletin on issue).
All in all, looking back, brakes going were scarey. Problem was rare, but not unheard of in any type vehicle. Other than that, minor issues that could have been addressed easily.
Once the water pump goes (which supposedly they do) and gets replaced, it should be smooth sailing from here on out (*knocks on wood).
DEALER PROBLEMS 1st Year
This is where the REAL problems were. If I had dealt with a competent service department, the issues would have been fixed and that would be it. BUT, I ended up dealing with a HORRIBLE Dealer, so this made things worse. Bad enough to make me hate the car more and more after each visit.
1. Five Times to get a sticker? 60 Mile drive to dealer each time. The car was telling us there was an issue, but they reset it and seemed to solve it so I FINALLY got the sticker. Brake fluid low twice in 6 months should have been a red flag too. Once the brakes went, it was found that the brake fluid all went into the brake's pressure tank, which caused the issue. The first attempt to fix it didn't. It took 3 visits before they finally replaced a defective check valve.
2. Three attempts by the same dealer to fix the water issue in a Bulletin caused me to deal with a smelly car and passenger side flooding after rain storms for about 3 months. FINALLY went to another dealer who turned out to be competent enough to fix it first try.
3. During the attempts to fix the issues I found more problems with the vehicle after I got it back.
a) Brake fluid left all over the engine and sides after the attempts to repair the brake issue.
b) Scratched hood from someone wiping it down after the brake job. Swirling pattern as if they used a dirty rag with grit.
c) A puncture hole in my passenger seat after the attempts to fix the water leaks. Actually the whole seat appeared noticeably different, as if the dealer swapped it out.
CONCLUSION
I recently saw an article talking about the some of the Manufacturing plants being shut down because of slow sales.
GM cutting production at two North American car plants: source
I was surprised, because I REALLY love the power and comfort of my Sonic. I did hate the car for a while, but that was because of a HORRIBLE Dealer, and not the car itself.
Sure there are some things I would like to be better and those things are in the wish list thread, along with what everyone else would like.
And some of the problems I've fixed, or I can fix myself;
1. Dash mat to solve glare (would like black Matte Dash).
2. Better tires, especially for driving in the Snowy North.
I am surprised I do not miss the console. I don't use the weak armrest. I find there is enough storage area's that are useful and I actually like the openness. Makes it feel less cramped.
I DO love my Sonic, although I am thinking about checking out the Trax someday soon. If it's close to the comfort of the Sonic but with AWD, I may want that. Especially after this past winter. But for the number of days I'd really need the AWD vs the cost, it would be a hard decision. Especially since I feel I stole my Sonic for the price I got it at.
Aside from Dealer issues, just about everything's been perfect. I think the Sonic was the best decision I could have made. I spent a long time evaluating many cars in the same price range and about $5,000.00 higher, and I still feel none of them come close to what I got with my Sonic.
Background
Before I purchased my Sonic, I spent about 8 months test driving a number of cars. The Sonic happened to be the first because Chevy was the closest dealership to me. So it kind of became my baseline. I tried;
Spark - Cheap and Noisy ride.
Fiesta - Liked a lot, but felt smaller than Sonic and didn't like interior layout as much. Brakes were spongy.
Focus - Nice, but I still felt cramped. More $$$ too.
Soul - Smelled bad, Uncomfortable seats, drove like a van to me.
Scion Xd - Liked a LOT, but heard it was last year making it. Worried about parts down the road.
Nisan Note - Too cheaply made and bad reviews.
Honda Fit - Just hated it. Weak. Uncomfortable.
Mazda2 - Short dash made it like an old VW bus, right on the road.
Accent - Liked a lot but... Two tests had bad vibration accelerating uphill that would drive me nuts. The hatch was about 5 inches off floor, so far from flat entrance to back. 3 inch difference in height between folded down back seat and actual rear space, so it doesn't go flat. I hated that in most that didn't go flat.
Sonic had everything I wanted except AWD and a center console.
PROBLEMS DURING 1st Year
1. Five tries to get a sticker (should have been a red flag)
2. 1 Month in and the Brake lights come on and go off (Low Brake Fluid) (Should have been 2nd red flag).
3. Six months in the brakes became rock solid on Highway while in cruise control. Almost rear ended a car. (FIXED by replacing MC, vacuum pump and check valve).
4. Leaking into Passenger side during rain (Fixed by GOOD dealer according to a Bulletin on issue).
All in all, looking back, brakes going were scarey. Problem was rare, but not unheard of in any type vehicle. Other than that, minor issues that could have been addressed easily.
Once the water pump goes (which supposedly they do) and gets replaced, it should be smooth sailing from here on out (*knocks on wood).
DEALER PROBLEMS 1st Year
This is where the REAL problems were. If I had dealt with a competent service department, the issues would have been fixed and that would be it. BUT, I ended up dealing with a HORRIBLE Dealer, so this made things worse. Bad enough to make me hate the car more and more after each visit.
1. Five Times to get a sticker? 60 Mile drive to dealer each time. The car was telling us there was an issue, but they reset it and seemed to solve it so I FINALLY got the sticker. Brake fluid low twice in 6 months should have been a red flag too. Once the brakes went, it was found that the brake fluid all went into the brake's pressure tank, which caused the issue. The first attempt to fix it didn't. It took 3 visits before they finally replaced a defective check valve.
2. Three attempts by the same dealer to fix the water issue in a Bulletin caused me to deal with a smelly car and passenger side flooding after rain storms for about 3 months. FINALLY went to another dealer who turned out to be competent enough to fix it first try.
3. During the attempts to fix the issues I found more problems with the vehicle after I got it back.
a) Brake fluid left all over the engine and sides after the attempts to repair the brake issue.
b) Scratched hood from someone wiping it down after the brake job. Swirling pattern as if they used a dirty rag with grit.
c) A puncture hole in my passenger seat after the attempts to fix the water leaks. Actually the whole seat appeared noticeably different, as if the dealer swapped it out.
CONCLUSION
I recently saw an article talking about the some of the Manufacturing plants being shut down because of slow sales.
GM cutting production at two North American car plants: source
I was surprised, because I REALLY love the power and comfort of my Sonic. I did hate the car for a while, but that was because of a HORRIBLE Dealer, and not the car itself.
Sure there are some things I would like to be better and those things are in the wish list thread, along with what everyone else would like.
And some of the problems I've fixed, or I can fix myself;
1. Dash mat to solve glare (would like black Matte Dash).
2. Better tires, especially for driving in the Snowy North.
I am surprised I do not miss the console. I don't use the weak armrest. I find there is enough storage area's that are useful and I actually like the openness. Makes it feel less cramped.
I DO love my Sonic, although I am thinking about checking out the Trax someday soon. If it's close to the comfort of the Sonic but with AWD, I may want that. Especially after this past winter. But for the number of days I'd really need the AWD vs the cost, it would be a hard decision. Especially since I feel I stole my Sonic for the price I got it at.
Aside from Dealer issues, just about everything's been perfect. I think the Sonic was the best decision I could have made. I spent a long time evaluating many cars in the same price range and about $5,000.00 higher, and I still feel none of them come close to what I got with my Sonic.
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