So, we traded our Cruze off today... It was an alright car, but it started losing coolant(just google "coolant loss 2011 Chevy Cruze"). Honestly, it made me sick that a 50,000 mile car was having to have its coolant topped off every two weeks, so I called the service department to make an appointment, and they reply that it was fixed under recall during our first free maintenance visit... I reply that I just had to add almost a quart of dex-cool to the car, and they said that they would have to have a look and see what was wrong. I asked if it would be fixed under the recall or under warranty, and he said, I don't know, we will have to see... So, I calmly made an appointment and then done some research... It seems this issue is extremely difficult for them to pin down and it usually required several trips to the dealer on other similar cars, often ending with the car still needing to be topped off...

I didn't borrow $16,000 for my wife to be driving a car in which I needed to constantly top off the coolant, that was the whole point behind a new car... So, I started looking for the next car, and cancelled the service appointment. We decided we wanted AWD, so that next winter we were more secure than in the Cruze... And we didn't want an SUV because she drives 400 miles a week, fuel efficiency is of paramount importance...

Pretty much points to Subaru(not enough cash to swing an Audi A3)... We went to the closest dealer(further out than the Chevy dealer, but oh well), Jenkins Hyundai/Subaru. From the first phone call to us driving away, they were very polite and didn't pressure us toward a sale, or try to change our mind on what we wanted. We went there wanting a 2015 Impreza, and that's what we drove home with. Granted, we didn't get the color we were after, but that was due to them not having another color, base model sedan and my wife not liking the 5-door...

We ended up in a base model, pearl white sedan... Compared to the Cruze, we lost some luxury features(automatic lights, leather wrapped wheel, SiriusXM) and gained back others(backup cam, Starlink), but the loss of some luxury appointments was to be expected going from a mid level to a base model... Overall, I really like the car though... Rides pretty smooth, adequate passing/merging power(slightly better than the Cruze), and it's library-quiet inside, even when overtaking at 4-5k RPM... Haven't gotten to check out its sporting credentials, but it feels composed and competent in daily driving(60 on two lanes, cruise set at 78 on the interstate), and I averaged 32.1mpg bringing it home... That's with the engine not fully broken in, and not babying the car(nor was I racing)... The Cruze was averaging 29mpg...

So, as a recap...

We got- AWD security on the snow, brand new car(just over 100 miles on it after a 70 mile trip home), better fuel mileage, no coolant loss, a better dealer experience, and lower insurance rate(same coverage). Well worth the bigger payment, I think...

Your opinions? (And yes I will get and post pics)

 

... And here are a couple pics of the new car...




P

 

Nice job, man!

There are always tradeoffs to be made in such situations, but keeping yourself from veering off course from your "must have" list once you get to the lot with all the shiny new cars is not all that easy. But you've done it -- for the reasons that are important to YOU and your wife. I've know a few folks who have driven them in the past, and I've heard only positive things.

And I love the shimmer off the clearcoat of a brand new vehicle -- while it's all still smoothy and unmicropitted.

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Now to the Cruze......

Why does GM put such little time (read $$$) into their engineering of their lower priced car models? You'd think they'd have noticed that Toyota and Honda got to where they are today and REMAIN there because of their reputation for reliability, though the holes are stating to show through on that.

My point is, after all these years, Toyota had the Corolla and has the Camry, Honda has the Accord, both become more profitable as they class creep by offering super morphed luxury versions every 5-7 years.

What does GM have? A long list of failures and no customer loyalty towards any particular model under 30K.
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I applaud you for dumping that POS.

Just read about the leaking coolant issue. Makes me sick. Glad I didn't have breakfast.

Sounds like you were luckier than most to get to 50K without the leaking....also sounds like many people are unaware of the particulars of the Lemon Law

 

That subie is clean. Really looks good in the pearl white, shows the curves nicely.
congrats on the purchase!

 

We actually went way off course, but not due to pressure from them, but lack of being able to afford the one we wanted... We priced out a 2.0i Premium, with alloy wheels, moonroof, EyeSight, and in Venetian Red Pearl, at $25,4xx, but at $469 a month before extras, we couldn't do it... And, the base model was the one we test drove... I do wonder if it coulda happened, given that they discounted the base model by nearly $1000 and gave us $10500 for our Cruze, instead of the $8k initial offer...

We later found out that our insurance went down significantly, maybe we coulda got the nicer one... Oh well, life goes on... We woulda had to wait for the other one anyway(it was a dealer trade)
From what I read, it seems to be a powertrain calibration that makes it boil off within the system... Some people who have tuned with Trifecta and have a lower stat temp(it's electronically controllable) have experienced less, or in one case, no coolant loss... The dealer, however, will not allow such, would void the remaining warranty...


The funny thing is, Emily was sad to leave it there...(I almost made her cry by joking with her about it being crushed)

And I didn't get to 50k before the leak started, it started at forty-something thousand(back in Feb was when I noticed due to the heat not working in a snowstorm), and I didn't have the time to fight with it and go around and around with the dealer, and deal with having it branded a lemon, so I dumped it on somebody else...

 

Well, I was off the mark by quite a bit..like that's new...

In the end, you traded an ill designed lemon for a nice ride.

Enjoy

 

Eh, don't take it so hard... We wanted an affordable car, and got it, sorta... In that respect, we stayed on course... It was mostly a case of eyes bigger than wallet... Hell, I just about had Emily talked into a base WRX, which wouldn't have been close to affordable...

Yeah, I'm glad I made the trade...it didn't feel fair that I had to constantly add coolant to what was meant to be a new, reliable car...

 

I was just about to ask why you didnt go the wrx route, then I thought about the price tag.

 

Subaru makes a damn good car. I had a couple back in the 90's that were mid 80's models and both served me well. The weak points were the front axles and body rust. I'm pretty sure they have those issues worked out by now.

 

Were it mine, I would have probably driven off in an STI, the salesman mentioned this (briefly) upon knowing I drive a Redline... I just mentioned that the car was for my wife...

...and having experienced a base Impreza, even just a 5spd sedan in black would be nice... Maybe I will get one later for use as a DD, keep the redline for playing...