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Statement on the New Car Purchase
5 years ago
General
This Just in to the YJE Breaking News Desk
Swandelle, The Ginormous Furry Planet of Grand Traysandor After much consideration, I have come to the decision to let go of the 2014 Chevrolet Sonic. I am taking advantage of an incentive program that will get me out of this vehicle. This incentive is only valid trading in an old car towards the purchase of a NEW vehicle, so that is what I have done.
Why trade in the 2014 Chevy Sonic?
I wanted to like the car. When it ran the way it was supposed to it felt zippy and fun to toss around the back roads. The car never broke down on me, though I managed to just barely skate by when a seal broke and I lost all coolant in the engine. Luckily I made it home having extra antifreeze with me - and I took the car straight to the mechanic first thing in the morning to get it fixed.
Being a car with a good chunk of mileage on it, maintenance issues were expected. While nothing about fixing the car was terribly expensive (~$300 each time), it did happen several times for different issues. However the looming threat of a more major repair that is likely on the horizon on this car is what ultimately led me to the decision to let the Sonic go and have someone else fix that problem before being resold.
There was also a minor accident on the drivers side front where someone backed into it that happened recently. The other party took responsibility. Instead of paying for repairs thru insurance, I settled in the middle and used the cash towards a new car. The young lady was new to driving and this for her avoids having an accident on her record (a large increase on insurance premiums).
Would you recommend a Chevrolet Sonic to other people?
If you can get a really good deal on one, and either have a plan to get rid of it before 100,000 miles or consider a maintenance-included plan of action. For me, I knew going in that this would be a 2-3 year car meant to be the bridge between the old beater I once had and something better/newer. For that the Sonic performed its job acceptably. If you have a little more money to spend up front though, I would recommend you check out the competitors in the used market before making your decision (cough Toyota cough).
What new car are you buying?
That information will be disclosed soon once the paperwork is finalized and I have the chance to get some pictures with the vehicle. Also when I reveal the car I will release my notes on the other vehicles and options that were available just so that you all know what I thought of the competition.
How do you feel about the new car?
Good, but not great. I test drove a lot of vehicles that were all around the same price point (Give or take a few thousand). Everything in the compact car segment feels like you're sacrificing something to get into the low price point. It's a more a matter of what you're okay with giving up as there isn't really a clear winner over the others, and someone else's opinion will be different than mine.
Where did you buy the car?
Commonwealth Motors in Lawrence. #ShopUsLast
How much did you pay for the car?
$15,250 + 2014 Sonic Trade In + Taxes/Fees.
How was the car dealership like to do business with?
Salesperson (at the VW dealer, specifically): Great guy, knowledgable, went above and beyond when it came to spending time with me to pick out a car - even in times of COVID when the other sales people were unwilling (Which I understand and am not going to fault anyone for - they would normally). He also helped negotiate with me when it came time to get to the numbers. It was because of all that that I rewarded him with a sale.
Negotiations: "Like getting your teeth pulled at the dentist." Difficult to work with, but after some haggling we were able to get a deal done.
Need To Know: They offer their own version of a warranty and service plan. Be warned though - the cheapest one was a little over $2,000 and the most expensive was around $4,000 (In addition to the cost of the car). It is decent coverage if you get one with a service plan included for maintenance, but I'd recommend it more for used cars than new ones if you're the kind of person that isn't expecting to go car shopping again any time soon.
Any final thoughts?
Back at the beginning of the year I promised myself this would be the year of the newer car. While COVID proved to be a major obstacle (And still will be) I can say to myself... Mission Accomplished.
I expect my new car will be what I daily drive for the forseeable future. What I decide to do with it down the road will be an issue for another time. But for now I can put to bed any worries about looming car problems and focus on more pressing matters.
Why trade in the 2014 Chevy Sonic?
I wanted to like the car. When it ran the way it was supposed to it felt zippy and fun to toss around the back roads. The car never broke down on me, though I managed to just barely skate by when a seal broke and I lost all coolant in the engine. Luckily I made it home having extra antifreeze with me - and I took the car straight to the mechanic first thing in the morning to get it fixed.
Being a car with a good chunk of mileage on it, maintenance issues were expected. While nothing about fixing the car was terribly expensive (~$300 each time), it did happen several times for different issues. However the looming threat of a more major repair that is likely on the horizon on this car is what ultimately led me to the decision to let the Sonic go and have someone else fix that problem before being resold.
There was also a minor accident on the drivers side front where someone backed into it that happened recently. The other party took responsibility. Instead of paying for repairs thru insurance, I settled in the middle and used the cash towards a new car. The young lady was new to driving and this for her avoids having an accident on her record (a large increase on insurance premiums).
Would you recommend a Chevrolet Sonic to other people?
If you can get a really good deal on one, and either have a plan to get rid of it before 100,000 miles or consider a maintenance-included plan of action. For me, I knew going in that this would be a 2-3 year car meant to be the bridge between the old beater I once had and something better/newer. For that the Sonic performed its job acceptably. If you have a little more money to spend up front though, I would recommend you check out the competitors in the used market before making your decision (cough Toyota cough).
What new car are you buying?
That information will be disclosed soon once the paperwork is finalized and I have the chance to get some pictures with the vehicle. Also when I reveal the car I will release my notes on the other vehicles and options that were available just so that you all know what I thought of the competition.
How do you feel about the new car?
Good, but not great. I test drove a lot of vehicles that were all around the same price point (Give or take a few thousand). Everything in the compact car segment feels like you're sacrificing something to get into the low price point. It's a more a matter of what you're okay with giving up as there isn't really a clear winner over the others, and someone else's opinion will be different than mine.
Where did you buy the car?
Commonwealth Motors in Lawrence. #ShopUsLast
How much did you pay for the car?
$15,250 + 2014 Sonic Trade In + Taxes/Fees.
How was the car dealership like to do business with?
Salesperson (at the VW dealer, specifically): Great guy, knowledgable, went above and beyond when it came to spending time with me to pick out a car - even in times of COVID when the other sales people were unwilling (Which I understand and am not going to fault anyone for - they would normally). He also helped negotiate with me when it came time to get to the numbers. It was because of all that that I rewarded him with a sale.
Negotiations: "Like getting your teeth pulled at the dentist." Difficult to work with, but after some haggling we were able to get a deal done.
Need To Know: They offer their own version of a warranty and service plan. Be warned though - the cheapest one was a little over $2,000 and the most expensive was around $4,000 (In addition to the cost of the car). It is decent coverage if you get one with a service plan included for maintenance, but I'd recommend it more for used cars than new ones if you're the kind of person that isn't expecting to go car shopping again any time soon.
Any final thoughts?
Back at the beginning of the year I promised myself this would be the year of the newer car. While COVID proved to be a major obstacle (And still will be) I can say to myself... Mission Accomplished.
I expect my new car will be what I daily drive for the forseeable future. What I decide to do with it down the road will be an issue for another time. But for now I can put to bed any worries about looming car problems and focus on more pressing matters.
panzier
~panzier
I had my Focus have a bizarre mechanical failure and had to leave it at a dealer for a week before I could pick it up, about 8 hours from home, rented a Sonic. Going from an SVT focus to a sonic was a real step down even though my car had 150k miles. Worse mpg, worse pickup and vague handling. I was glad to get rid of it after the week was done. Picked up my car with my trailer and also got the ordered parts from the dealer where I had it parked. My wife had a couple volkswagens, they seemed to be okay but a tiny bit finicky, last was a tiguan and it was awful, such lousy mileage for a small SUV 17mpg and demanded premium fuel. Kia is the latest and its a fantastic car for certain.
Traysandor
~traysandor
OP
17 mpg for anything requiring super is pretty bad yeah. I mean okay you'll take that mpg if it means you're driving a high performance sports car that will put that premium fuel to good use. But that in a random daily driver class SUV? No thank you.
