Overhaulin'

Chevrolet Cobalt and Chevrolet Aveo Reviews?

I am thinking of buying a new car and I was looking at the Chevrolet Cobalt or the Chevrolet Aveo. I wanted to know what other people think or if they have had any experience with the car. Any reviews will help. Preferably people who have owned one before. I am looking for a 4 cylinder car, good gas mileage, not too expensive as I am a college student with a new job, and reliable. Is this a good choice?

Public Comments

1. I have an '06 Cobalt Coupe,I love it,gets great gas mileage and I haven't had any problems other than a couple of things that were recalled and of course they were fixed for free. It's a pretty cool little car,I say go for it! Good luck with whatever you choose.
2. I have never owned a Cobalt, but I know from experience with a friend that a v6 Impala gets better mileage than a 4-banger Cobalt; possibly due to gearing. Cobalts feel buzzy and cheap compared to the big car ride and feel of the W body Impala. I'd do my homework if I were you.
3. Go to edmunds.com and that website will help find exactly the car you are looking for. Personally I would not recommend a Chevy, I would say go for the new Toyota Corolla, very nice and obviously reliable and fuel efficient. Maybe even the Honda Civic. If you don't like foreign cars, then your best American car would have to be the Chevy Aveo. They look classier than the Cobalt, which looks dated. The hardware on the Cobalt is dated too compared to the Aveo's hardware, which was just completely revamped last year.
4. The Chevrolet Aveo is a re-badged Daewoo Kalos, made in Korea and not the slightest bit "American". I had an Aveo as a rental car, and that was plenty for me. Creaks, cracks, low on power and comfort, nothing appealed to me.
5. I'm a college student too, and I own a 2005 aveo, which I bought new when I was a junior in high school. I haven't had any problems with it, and it gets great gas milage. The nice thing about the Aveo, at least with mine, is that if you drive over 55 mph, you get better gas milage with the AC on than with the windows open. I go to school in Boston and live in western NY, so it goes back and forth all the time, fully loaded down. (and I mean FULLY LOADED). It's great in the city of Boston too, because it can fit anywhere, almost, and if you've ever ben to Boston, then you know how horrendous parking is there. It does well with gas milage even in Rush-hour/Red Sox game traffic. It's also good in the snow: I live in the snow belt around lake ontario, which is the snowiest area east of the Rockies. As long as you have decent tires, every thing's good for the snow. Aveo's start at around $10,000, so the price is right. For me, with the exception of tires, I haven't had anything break. (I get tires every couple of years because of the ice--just to be on the safe side). Tires are decent to buy for the Aveo too. It's a smaller car with smaller wheels, so tires are on the cheaper side, and tire stores usually have them in stock. It's a very reliable car. Overall, the thing that I like the most about the Aveo is that it reminds me of driving an SUV. (I've never actually driven one, but I grew up with a huge chevy van). The Aveo is a tall car. My parents have a Buick, and my Aveo is actually taller than it. Which is nice, because you sit higher off the ground than you would in another car, kinda like a SUV. Also, the Aveo has a lot of head room, making the car feel larger than it actually is.
6. Your best bet is to avoid the Aveo. Every time a major publication does a list of the worst cars to own, the Aveo shows up. I had one for a few days as a rental, and I have to agree. It was the worst new car I have driven to date. It was slow, rode like crap, and it felt like it was going to fall apart. The mileage wasn't even that good for a small car. They are cheaply built and it's pretty apparent when you drive one. The Cobalt is a step up, but it still isn't up to par. People who only drive Chevy cars will think the Cobalt is nice, but anybody who drives a lot of different cars will tell you that you can do much better for the money. GM builds a lot of great cars (Malibu, G8, CTS, Corvette), it's just that neither the Cobalt or Aveo are one of them. Check out the Saturn Astra or Ford Focus. Both are much better than the Cobalt and the Aveo.