27th Aug 2009, 23:22
Just passed 40,000 miles on mine, no problems yet. Will change the timing belt soon just in case. I've discovered that if I inflate the tires really good and remove the back seat from the car, I can get 40 MPG.
28th Aug 2009, 16:06
40 MPG? That's it? With the backseat removed?! How fast do you drive?! I have an '08 Civic that gets 47 MPG on a regular basis. That's highway MPG, and maybe you have a mixed highway/city commute, but if it's just highway, you should be able to get a lot better mileage.
29th Aug 2009, 08:51
I used to have an 05 Chevy that easily got 48mpg highway commute, but 42mpg combined. They are thoroughly decent cars, mine was a new car and I had zero problems with it during 3 years of ownership. Chevrolet dealers were always polite and courteous.
These days I have a new BMW 3 series that goes fine for 50mpg highway commute, 41mpg combined. (BMW dealers could learn something of courtesy from Chevrolet!!)
1st Nov 2009, 00:11
To the original poster, keep in mind Geo Metro's came in 3 cylinders instead of 4. This is why you don't get the same MPG.
17th Feb 2010, 21:52
I find it totally nuts to get 47 MPG in a Civic. A Geo Metro will, at best, give you 45 MPG if you baby it, and that's with 3 cylinders. The guy with the civic is stretching it - a lot.
18th Feb 2010, 09:17
Not carrying around useless junk, keeping my Civic properly tuned (regular maintenance, using the proper grade of oil), driving no faster than 55 MPH on the highway, and keeping my tires inflated to 45 PSI allowed me to get that kind of mileage. I'm not stretching it at all. That was all highway miles, not mixed city-highway, but still 47 MPG is not impossible.
23rd Feb 2010, 18:34
Aveos are not the most efficient cars for their size, it is possible to get 50 or even 60 or even 70 mpg out of a Honda Civic or a Geo Metro, just ask your local hypermiler.
For an Aveo, using older (1980s) engine technology, 40 mpg is really good. You buy an Aveo because it's a screaming unheard-of deal, not because it is a mileage champion (it's not) or a good car (it is, at most average). Aveos are OK basic transportation. No BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti, or Lexus comparisons here.
They work, and these days they work all right, but they are still the Daewoo cars that struggled hard to get any credibility. They just got a new sponsor, that's all.
13th Dec 2010, 20:29
Original poster here, reporting the latest: Mileage is currently 48,056 miles. So far no issues, except for some tire wear. Will have some brand new Michelin shoes put on next week and we're good to go.
Can't say I recommend Kumho tires.
14th Dec 2010, 19:42
I was really excited to read that Chevy is going to start building the Aveo in Orion, Michigan and changing the name to Sonic. No longer will it be another unreliable Asian import, but a true domestic with real GM quality and reliability. Now I might consider one.
15th Dec 2010, 16:09
"Another unreliable Asian import" - surely you jest!
Despite Toyota's ongoing travails of late, most of the top scoring cars in J D Power and Consumer Guide reports hail from Asia.
17th Dec 2010, 17:24
"most of the top scoring cars in J D Power and Consumer Guide reports hail from Asia."
Not any more. And it isn't just J.D. Powers and CR that rank domestics higher (incidentally both CR and J.D. Powers rate Ford as more reliable and better built than Toyota). The Corvette has bested the twice-as-expensive Ferrari in the sports car class in several trials, and the world-class Cadillac CTS-V recently totally defeated the twice-as-expensive 600+ horsepower Mercedes AMG to claim the title of the world's fastest production sedan. The CTS beat the Mercedes in acceleration, braking, cornering and wet-track speed runs.
The Ford Fusion hybrid has been called the most advanced hybrid on the planet, and a test of the new Explorer today called it "At or near the top in SUV's". As of early 2010 the highest resale value was held by full-size GM SUV's (the worst was Nissan's disastrous Armada and Titan). A recent report cited the Camry as the car sitting the longest on dealer's lots, and last month Camry and Corolla sales dropped 25% while Ford's sales went UP by 24%. Even Chrysler sales beat Toyota's last month (in fact EVERYONE beat Toyota's sales except Volvo). Ford's Mustang has been J.D. Powers pick as best sporty car (beating out Toyota's Solara) for years. Back in 2007 the Pontiac Grand Prix even beat out the pricey Toyota Avalon as J.D. Power's pick for best large sedan. Ford's F-150 is heading toward nearly FOUR DECADES as the world's best selling vehicle... and on and on.
It is obvious that there are a lot of myths about domestic vehicles. Prospective buyers need to do a bit of reading beyond the sales brochures at Japanese car dealerships. Domestic car companies are creating tens of thousands of U.S. jobs now. All of the Big Three auto makers are currently bringing assembly of their cars back into the U.S. Ford is shifting production of the Fusion to the U.S. from Mexico. GM is bringing some of its Canadian assembly back to the U.S. Chrysler is opening a new plant in Orion, Michigan to build engines. As of last year the U.S. auto industry employed 10 workers for every 1 that was employed by all foreign car makers combined (including British and German). Now, with Toyota imploding, there is no doubt that the percentage of U.S. citizens employed by domestic makers will become even higher. I choose to support Americans. I drive only domestics now and forever.
18th Dec 2010, 21:02
Stop misquoting info about J.D. Powers... or at least just quoting what makes Ford look good. The whole truth is Lexus and Acura outrank EVERY domestic hands down, period, end of story. If you look at ALL of the data for J.D. Powers and not just what you want to see to make Ford look good, then you'd have noticed this fact. Lexus is a Toyota product, and once the recalls are long forgotten, you can bet Toyota will be back up there along side of Lexus as one of the best. Since Lexus shares many of the components Toyota uses, like powertrains and such, I would say Toyota still is on top, despite the rankings.
CR is pretty much the same stating that imports in general outrank the domestics, and Toyota is included as a higher ranked vehicle, despite the recalls. The Ford Fusion is ranked high too, but that is the only standout domestic car. Hardly competition overall for the import companies!
14th Jan 2011, 22:46
I agree. I read to the same thing. CR states that Toyota and Honda are still on top. The Fusion is based on a Mazda platform. That's why it's a pretty good car. Ford does make some good cars, and GM is catching up. However, I believe Chrysler to be a dead company with poor products. They've been building the worst cars, and losing billions for years. There is no myth about that.
31st Jul 2009, 21:33
Your timing belt will break at 40,000 miles like all of the other Aveo's. That will destroy the cylinder head and mostly like be close to a $2,000 repair.