Why did you buy a Sonic?

[c-lo]

needed a something that got better gas mileage than my subaru lgt wagon. it has 269k on it and still running strong. kept it and use the sonic as my DD now

 

[RobbyS]

I was looking for a first car on Craigslist for about 6 months and couldn't find one I wanted.
Must haves:
-Had to be GM because my dad works for GM
-Stick shift
-Fun
-Sporty looking
-Near perfect condition
I really wanted a 2005/2006 GTO or a Solstice GXP, but none that we looked at were nice enough. After test driving an Ion Redline that my mom hated, she decided we may as well get a new car that will last me through high school and college.
I don't like 5th Gen. Camaros at all, so that was out of the question. I was between a Cruze RS or a Sonic and liked the Sonic a lot more.

 

[sonic_braaappp]

i got my sonic because there were no evo 8's for sale anywhere near me, wasnt fond of the car at all at first, but now i love it. still plan on getting a project car in the near future, but it'll probably be something RWD instead of AWD, since i'll have the sonic as a daily, that opens up the option of me getting a project car that doesn't run, which means cheaper project car lol im very mechanically inclined, so initial cost is all im concerned with, but anywho, #goteamsonic

 

[XilliK]

I was into the sonic because of price and "turbo"... sticker said 139 but in the end paying over 21k, first payment down ._. ofc the touch screen deal with mylink was attractive but overall mostly because I used to drive an '02 zx2 so I thought ..."that'll do".

 

[redhot1.4]

The price. All used cars had high mileage and we're well over priced. Paid 5 grand more and got a bran new car. cant beat that or a chevy

 

[redhot1.4]

Oh yeah driving 80 miles daily
Needed mpgs
Sporty
And a turbocharged 1.4 with potential under 20grand can't go wrong

 

[LorbeerTLC]

The Best Little Car I've Ever Had!

I was currently eating crow from purchasing a new 2008 Smart ForTwo. I loved how short it was for parking (I didn't mind the safety issues of it being so small as I owned a motorcycle). But... that was about it. The dang thing was horrible in shifting and in ride comfort. Plus, even thought you had pretty good gas mileage, it was required to take Premium Fuel Only.
I realized the more I drove this car, the more I would have to see a chiropractor for back pain, lol!

Around 2010, GM announced that it would bring the Chevy Spark to North America. I had my eye on the Spark and thought it would be a perfect replacement for the Smart ForTwo. Not only did it take regular gas, but it had a back seat. Plus, I wanted a REAL stick shift with a MANUAL clutch (something the ForTwo didn't have). And the engine being up front was definitely easier to work on instead of the ForTwo's engine being in the rear.

GM announced the Spark would be available as a 2013 model year car in the United States. Unfortunately, I didn't want to wait that long. The Aveo was being completely redesigned and was going to undergo a name change in North America as the "Sonic." Also, GM announced it would be the ONLY U.S. automotive company assembling a subcompact car in the United States and it would be available in the last quarter of 2011 as a 2012 model year.

There were several "Must Haves" I wanted for my new car:
1) I wanted it to be small. I just really like the maneuverability and the ease of parking a small car.
2) It HAD to be a hatchback! I've learned in the past that hatchbacks are very versatile! They are the best of a little station wagon and a sedan. Plus, the rear wiper is wonderful in keeping the glass clean during inclement weather.
3) Regular Fuel. I wanted it to be able to take regular gas as I didn't want to make the same mistake that I made with my Smart Car.
4) Seats 4 people! I preferred a 4-door hatchback, but it wasn't a "Must Have".
5) Manual Transmission! I love to have a stick shift. It's an extension of my driving.
6) I wanted the company to be a well known brand that has a large spread dealership. No more traveling over 60 miles just to have my car serviced by my servicing or purchasing dealer (especially when under warranty).
7) I wanted it to be Front-Wheel-Drive.
8) I wanted it to get at least 40mpg on the highway.

The Sonic not only met but exceeded my expectations! With the country beginning to climb out of the recession, being made in the USA suddenly meant a lot to me! I read everything I could about this car and immediately was in love! The only thing I wasn't thrilled over was the instrument cluster. I'm an analog geek and am one of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" crowd. Digital is fine but I've been very happy with analog. The other thing was the lack of gauges (water temp, oil press, volt meter). I'm from an old school who likes gauges over "idiot lights." Because I also like OnStar, I didn't want to connect the OBDII with aftermarket products like "ScanGaugeII" devices as this disabled the diagnostic feature. So I purchased and installed a set of gauges from AutoMeter and have been extremely satisfied with them!

I do love the OnStar features. I don't care about the "Big Brother" thing as my life is pretty boring so that aspect doesn't really bother me. I'd rather sacrifice that and know I can disable my car if it should get stolen or if I need help after an accident. To me that's a big plus!

So in the summer of 2011, I went ahead and made arrangements to order a 2012 Chevy Sonic LTZ 1.4L with 6-speed & factory sun roof. I took delivery on the 15th of December 2011.

It's been the BEST car I've ever owned, period! And I would definitely order one again!

 

[tc_sting]

I purchased a Sonic because I was able to get a manual transmission, agile and low weight car, with "luxury" options for under $20K. The Sonic is an economy compact car and was the best choice of any car is such a segment.

The LTZ model adds most features of much more expensive vehicles, but with out the luxury price I simply couldn't afford.

Also, with weight under 3K lbs and this turbo engine, the Sonic is great around town. Low HP still hurts freeway oomph, but that's the price I pay for a highly fuel efficient car. My manual has managed 30mpg avg exactly over its entire lifetime (city/highway). Though with gas price so low now... this isn't as significant as it was 2 years ago.

Now the Sonic shows its price with the plastic interior, the sloppy (and I mean sloppy steering), the harsh ride over its budget oriented suspension, but this is expected and the Sonic rides as well as any budget economy compact out there.

 

[ballou224]

Looked at multiple 08 09 10 silverados and rams all with 70k miles or much more and they still wanted 16 -20k meaning my payment would be high 300s when I already had a payment on my wife's outlander. My 13 sonic rs sold me 6700 miles full loaded leather seats sporty look. No other car could I ever get for 17k with taxes included. And because I toke out a little longer loan I'm paying 263 a mount vs 300-400. Love the car so far can't wait to start some modding

 

[m3t4lm4n222]

I purchased my Sonic because it seemed to be the best choice in my price range of ~18K.

I looked at the Mazda3, Ford Fiesta, Chevrolet Spark, Dodge Dart and Dodge Avenger. Between them all, I chose the Sonic.

The Spark wouldn't have been bad, considering I probably would of only owed like 13K on one, but I noticed it had a lot of road noise and was truly lacking power in comparison to the sonic.

The Mazda3 realistically didn't have much more room, had a less compelling interior, more road noise and it's warranty wasn't a nice as the Sonic's.

The Dodge Dart I didn't even get to test because I wasn't able to fit in it very well. My head hit the ceiling and I could barely see out of the windshield.

The Avenger had more power than anything else I could find in the price range *Nearly 300HP* but it was only available in automatic and felt kind of "Janky." Interior was by far the roomiest.

Ford Fiesta was less than impressive for the price. I'm a ford guy, but you only had a 5 speed manual option, and at about 17K you got a 1.6L w/ 120ish HP, a 5 speed, really basic interior, etc. Plus, timing belt rather than a chain and a lesser warranty.

And lets be honest, there's not really any other cars within the same price range that have a Turbo, 6 speed, 100K mile/5 year warranty. Add another $300, Trifecta Tune the Sonic and you've got ~175HP car with a 6 speed for under 20K.

 

[BigJames]

Chevys year end deal with that 20% off

My trucks transmission was acting up and I was sick of constantly fixing that POS(put 3000 into it in the last 2 years just to get 10k miles out of it) so I decided to get something new, with a warranty. Looked at the Cruze but when I saw the Sonic and it having the HP as the Cruze but weighing in at like a ton less I knew I had found my new car.

 

[MarkS]

Last January GM FlexCard was offering an extra $4,000 rebate. The idea of buying a new car for well under $10,000 was too much to resist.

I had intended to replace my venerable Saturn when it turned twenty with a fancy Subaru Impreza, which would have cost more than double!

 

[Brad Ferrell]

I had my heart set on a 4x4 Xterra, the least inexpensive 4x4 you can buy new, then GM offered my dad double points on his GM Card last week. I wasn't even looking at cars yet alone Chevy's but I went to the website and then the dealership to check out some cars. I liked the Malibu for some reason but there is a little something my parents do in our family. When they buy something for one of the kids they give the other two siblings the same amount as a gift. This got me thinking and I started looking at the Sonic. I went and test drove an LS with the 1.8l and the manual windows. I liked it. It held up traffic but not that bad and with rebates and the GM card thing we could get out of the dealership with writing an $8000.00 check. (Two more $8000.00 check for my brother and sister too).

My parents didn't like the idea of me driving around in such a stripped down car and wanted my to be happy. I thought maybe the turbo would make me happy and I had decided on the sedan so I went to look for a turbo sedan somewhere in Houston. No LT with manual or LTZ, only RS. Add to that I found 3 2014 RS Sonic sedans and we were in business as they had an extra $500 incentive/rebate on them.

That's the story how I got my RS. If I could have found a turbo LT manual, maybe I would have one of those but I love my leather seats and the sound system is incredible. I also like the wheels and the color Silver Ice. Very happy with the car and we got a great deal. Invoice - $5000 in rebates - $2500 trade = $13,505.00.

 

[mja]

Nice deal Brad! We will have meets from time to time here in Houston, trying to grow the community, if you're interested I'll send you a PM for the next meet.

 

[shorebreeze]

This is a long list, so bear with.

Discounts. $2000 cash back in last summer's sale. Almost $3400 old-style GM card. $1500+ Costco. A third off the price with no negotiating BS.

The dealer; even with the cash back, they shopped around local banks for a competitive interest rate, 1.7 percent. And found me the specific package I wanted, and got it from out of state from dealer stock. And gave me a decent trade-in on the old car despite the shot compressor. (They have subsequently been very responsive on service too.)

Medium size car weight and rigidity (2800 pounds, with most of that in the metal it would seem given the light weight internal panels and fittings), in a small car package (173 inches for the sedan).

Quieter than other subcompacts and more relaxing to drive (and this has proven to be especially noticeable on long trips).

The look; it no longer looks "small" like the Aveo did or like a lot of other small cars, thanks to the clever overall styling of the car and the double front headlights.

Fit, finish and feel; the smoothness of an American car but the precision of an import (slightly floaty ride excepted; that part is a little too American!)

Same powertrain as Cruze but 300 pounds lighter == more pep, better city gas mileage, probably a bit less strain on components.

Feature package; nothing else at the price rolled in a rear view camera, crash avoidance, remote start and a proper, modern ICE system.

High roofline, drivers seat position adjustment, and clearance make for near-SUV driver visibility.

General attention to detail on convenience and safety; the second glove compartment for USB devices, the spare tire rather than inflation kit, well designed cupholders, very legible dash.

Cheap to insure, repair and modify. (Note to prospective owners; this is for the sedan and insurance premiums on the hatch are about a third higher than the sedan)

Huge trunk with high internal clearance, big pass through and sufficient length to make it all worthwhile; this is a very good cargo hauler as a sedan and only the Honda Fit among subcompacts has a better rear seat folding design.

Needed a new car urgently due to several things going wrong at once with my old one and GM were in the right place at the right time with their cash-back sale and with selection.



NOTE: it's not perfect; I have made modifications, primarily three-stage Hushmatting the doors which removes the rattles and reduces the noise and is well worth it, and will make more changes, by replacing the endlinks and adding a rear sway bar, and the stock tires had to go. And I would like firmer and beefier seat-base cushions in front, although they work in practice for long distance driving; I just sense they'll need replacing in a few years. If your legs are longer than a 32 inseam you'll want to scrutinize the driving position closely.

 

[biged83]

i purchased mine because i have a weird fascination with small cars and since my other car a fiat 500 sport was only 2 door i wanted a fun nice looking 4 door hatch back and i found mine for 12k with only 9000 on the odo

 

[bvz]

This is a long list, so bear with.

Discounts. $2000 cash back in last summer's sale. Almost $3400 old-style GM card. $1500+ Costco. A third off the price with no negotiating BS.

The dealer; even with the cash back, they shopped around local banks for a competitive interest rate, 1.7 percent. And found me the specific package I wanted, and got it from out of state from dealer stock. And gave me a decent trade-in on the old car despite the shot compressor. (They have subsequently been very responsive on service too.)

Medium size car weight and rigidity (2800 pounds, with most of that in the metal it would seem given the light weight internal panels and fittings), in a small car package (173 inches for the sedan).

Quieter than other subcompacts and more relaxing to drive (and this has proven to be especially noticeable on long trips).

The look; it no longer looks "small" like the Aveo did or like a lot of other small cars, thanks to the clever overall styling of the car and the double front headlights.

Fit, finish and feel; the smoothness of an American car but the precision of an import (slightly floaty ride excepted; that part is a little too American!)

Same powertrain as Cruze but 300 pounds lighter == more pep, better city gas mileage, probably a bit less strain on components.

Feature package; nothing else at the price rolled in a rear view camera, crash avoidance, remote start and a proper, modern ICE system.

High roofline, drivers seat position adjustment, and clearance make for near-SUV driver visibility.

General attention to detail on convenience and safety; the second glove compartment for USB devices, the spare tire rather than inflation kit, well designed cupholders, very legible dash.

Cheap to insure, repair and modify. (Note to prospective owners; this is for the sedan and insurance premiums on the hatch are about a third higher than the sedan)

Huge trunk with high internal clearance, big pass through and sufficient length to make it all worthwhile; this is a very good cargo hauler as a sedan and only the Honda Fit among subcompacts has a better rear seat folding design.

Needed a new car urgently due to several things going wrong at once with my old one and GM were in the right place at the right time with their cash-back sale and with selection.



NOTE: it's not perfect; I have made modifications, primarily three-stage Hushmatting the doors which removes the rattles and reduces the noise and is well worth it, and will make more changes, by replacing the endlinks and adding a rear sway bar, and the stock tires had to go. And I would like firmer and beefier seat-base cushions in front, although they work in practice for long distance driving; I just sense they'll need replacing in a few years. If your legs are longer than a 32 inseam you'll want to scrutinize the driving position closely.

Any pics of the hush matting?

 

[shorebreeze]

Any pics of the hush matting?

I'll see if I can get them from the place that did it. The tech shot a lot of them on his smartphone, so hopefully they're still around.

Basically, I'll describe it as such; one layer mostly covering the inside of the exterior sheet metal; the second layer replacing the white plastic to cover the gap in the interior steel framework; and the third layer backing the plastic door panel. The Sonic plastic panels are relatively free of the interior ribs that you see on something like a Corvette or a Porsche door panel, for example, and Hushmat is a relatively flexible material and I think a little easier to work with than Dynamat so it's possible to get most of the inside of the plastic panel with a single piece and still have it form fitting on the panel -- this, of course, saves a lot of time and complexity.

 

[Lazza]

Nice write up, shorebreeze. But for me the turbo plus 6MT simply yields a delightful driving experience. As a bonus the car handles quite well even in non-RS form. After one year of ownership I have zero buyers remorse.

It's beyond me why Chevrolet doesn't sell more Sonics.


_Lazza

 

[christopher.s.terry]

Saw the concept and i love the way it looks and drive. Plus i saw potential in modding. I have the 1.8 and i wanted to make it turbo from the start no replacement for displacement


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