Faults:

At 8,900 miles, I already have an oil leak. It's leaking at a place where the oil pan and block meet. The dealer said it needs an oil gasket, but they cannot locate one because no one has them. They have called around, even Chevy, and no one has a gasket. So my car will be in the shop for a week or may be two weeks until they can get the part. No loaner was provided to me, so I'm hitch hiking it to and from work or getting rides from workers. Where I live, there is no bus system.

I also have a difficult time in shifting. Seems when its cold outside, if I let the car warm up, it will shift smoother. Going into 2nd and/or 3rd gear is becoming difficult. I haven't presented this problem to the dealership because they kept thinking I had work done on the vehicle and that why the oil is leaking. The only place its been is the same dealership where I purchased it from and it just comes in for oil changes.

General Comments:

I really like the style of this vehicle. It matches perfectly to what I need it for; however, I'm just amazed that the oil gasket would go at 8,900 miles on it. I'm having doubts about keeping this vehicle.

Faults:

At just over 10,000 miles, the oil pump seal broke, leaking an abundance of oil. The dealership repaired it under warranty. As soon as we got it home, it was leaking even more oil. The oil pump seal had broken again and, again, was repaired under warranty. At 10,500 miles no more leaks.

At 10,500 miles the engine began ticking notably at higher RPMs. The dealership determined that the internal bearings of the engine were bad and weren't sure what caused them to go bad. This is covered under warranty as well.

General Comments:

This is my wife's car, she's 5'1". Me, at 6'1", my right knee touches the dashboard where it curves into the console, so not the most comfortable ride.

For such a small car, it boasts a respectable amount of room for passengers and gear in the trunk.

Plenty of pep for a small 4cyl, however lacks the gas mileage one would expect it to have.

Radio steering wheel controls not well placed, often a button is accidentally hit, changing the radio station.

**For the money, this is a very respectable car in terms of options and looks. However, given the maintenance issues we've had at only 10K miles, this car just does not seem to be reliable. The dealership claims they've never had such issues with the Aveo. Though under warranty, I simply have little faith in this vehicle and will likely trade it in shortly - most certainly before the warranty expires.