Chevy Aveo good first car?

[paudashlake]

I am a high school student soon making my first car purchase. I am a lover of little and compact cars and the Chevy Aveo looked like a good match for me. But I do have a few questions. I see people having issues with them, but are they really that bad? Being a young vehicle owner, I will not be able to pay left and right for repairs. I plan on finding a used 2006-09 model. I like the 07-11 model because it looks cleaner and more refreshed. Which model year would be the best? Would it last? It would be outside all of it's life, but I would do scheduled maintenance and take good care of it. I just want to know if it will return the favor, so to speak.

-Thanks for your help.

[speediva]

Seeing that you are in Erie, PA, you may want to consider something that might be a little better in the snow... Front Wheel Drive (FWD) cars do go pretty well in snow with snow tires, but to get some traction, a little weightiness to the car is kinda a requirement. That's one big reason why my brother who lives in Erie got rid of his Eclipse.

Also, the Aveo has 2 recalls on record: http://www.mycarstats.com/reports/ch...o/recalls.aspx

I, personally, would not buy an Aveo as my personal car. I would look at older used cars, as insurance costs will be lower along with costing less money. Granted, you may pay a bit more in repairs if you get a car that has been abused, but doing your research, looking up the VIN history and shopping around will help you find a car you want at the price you want.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

[paudashlake]

Actually, my grandma has an 06 Impala with 13k and wants to give it to me, for free! I am only planning to sell it because I do not know if I can afford the insurance or gas to be able to keep it. Also, there are many reviews that say the 06 Impala is not all that reliable.

[Tony Silva]

An 06 Impala is a decent car...gas milage aint the best, but there is plenty of interior space. It is a mid sized car so...yeah insurance would be fairly cheap. The Impala of that year and body style are basically generic cars for General Motors and the Chevy nameplate. I look at that chassis/engine/transmission design and think that it is just CHEAP. They are basically "throw away cars" if you ever get in a wreck in one. Look at it like this, about 10 years ago, I bought a NEW Malibu for a total of $29,000 by the time it was paid off. When I went to sell it I sold it for $2,500 bucks. And this is basically what the Impala is. Impala is a decent vehicle...but it is General Motors' cheap car....build as many Impalas as possible...as quickly as possible and sell!!!sell!!!sell!!! You never hear about the Corvette's having probs, or an Escalade, or the Prowlers, or the Z-28's, or the GTO's. Those are high dollar cars. The Impala is just a basic car. If you can get one from gramma for free...I say "go for it!'

[paudashlake]

So will it last for a student with little cash for transmission or engine repairs or something expensive?

[speediva]

Think about it this way - if you're getting the car for free, you can afford to make a few repairs here and there. If you're really nervous about the longevity of the car, I know down my way that Firestone Auto Care will do a "check over" (fairly similar to PA's safety inspection) and they can tell you if anything is abnormally worn or needs immediate repair.