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wagonrunner wrote:feels planted on the roads.
been serviced by lifestyle, had some major parts replaced by lifestyle during warranty. (coil packs, transmission).
Premchand1976 wrote:wagonrunner wrote:feels planted on the roads.
been serviced by lifestyle, had some major parts replaced by lifestyle during warranty. (coil packs, transmission).
Would you recommend buying this car?
agent007 wrote:I have one that we purchased brand new 3yrs and 9mths ago. I was skeptical at first but I test drove the Corolla, Civic, Lancer, Mazda3, SX4, Elantra, Cerato, Focus, Octavia and Jetta. Yup I drove all the cars in the class. At the time of the test drive the current Corolla was not launched as yet locally neither the new Civic, new current Mazda3, all new Elantra and the new Cerato.
These are my thoughts on the cars below:
Corolla 1.5:
Drove nice and I was getting 16" rims (from the 1.8 model) as opposed to the 15" rims. The 1NZ-FE engine felt ok and I knew it was very efficient in gas but I was told it uses premium. The 4-speed auto and fabric seats I did not like. The car was very light and truly felt like your typical Japanese car. It came close considering it was a Toyota and had good resale value and I was getting it for $215k.
Civic 1.6:
Loved this car more than the Corolla and it handled better. The 1.6 had more punch and I preferred the 5-speed auto over the 4-speed in the Corolla. The lack of fog lights, sunroof and other features was a bit of a turn-off for me since at the time the price was around $245k.
Lancer 1.6:
I love the CY Lancers. They look good and they had descent power and features at the time. The rep I spoke to told me I couldn't get the GLS model because that is for in-One financing only. If I wanted a Lancer it would have to be the GLX model which I can finance with any other company besides ANSA Merchant Bank. Based on that alone I walked way smh.
Mazda 3 1.6:
When I went to SS to look at the 3, they were changing over to the refreshed smiley version which no longer included a sunroof. They had 1 more grey sunroof model in stock for $210k iirc and the rep told me he is waiting on my decision patiently. At this moment I knew the Corolla and the 3 were my top choices.
SX4 1.6:
I did not mind the looks of the SX4 Sport sedan but the trunk was small and back seat room was equally so. The equipment listing was more on the basic side but the $165k price at the time was very tempting. The 17" rims, flair kit and lip spoiler on the trunk made it a different kind of SX4 to look at but despite its cheapness at the time I was more focused on the Corolla and 3.
Elantra 1.6:
At the time of interest I had in this car Neal and Massy at the time was experiencing a supply problem because demand was high. The model I looked at was the fully loaded 1.6 which was $210k. This car presented an awesome equipment listing with leather seats, power drivers seat, push button start, rear view camera etc etc etc which was a lot more than the others. This quickly became my #1 choice but the wait period was too long. I wanted the fully loaded GLS in tomato red but unfortunately it was not to be.
Cerato 1.6:
I was getting this car for $170k and these were the last batch in the previous body style. I was told a new one is almost out and the $170k tag was to deplete the old stock. This model came with 17" rims, 4-wheel disc brakes, paddle shifters and push button start. Not a bad package at all but I knew the new Cerato was almost out so I figured I won't bother.
Jetta 1.4TSI
The minute I saw this car I figured it was for me. I loved the equipment and power of the car. Unfortunately the model I really wanted was the 17" rim model with the sunroof which was $240k at the time but my budget allowed for the 16" rim non sunroof model for $230k. Still I liked the package because the German engineering obviously showed in this car and it quickly became the overall superior one of the bunch especially in driving dynamics and safety.
Focus 1.6:
I was elated to hear when the rep told me this car was designed and made in Germany. The Focus was heavy and drove sharper than the Jetta. I loved the equipment levels in the high-end model but the 16" rims, fabric seats and no sunroof was a let-down. The 1.6 also felt unimpressive in performance despite having the 6-speed dual clutch.
Octavia 1.6:
Everything about the Octavia I liked. The interior space was ok and the trunk was big. The rear AC vents was nice to have (same with Jetta) and the front and rear parking sensors was an added bonus. I appreciated the sunroof and 6-speed tiptronic, it felt like a slightly poorer version to the Jetta. I was getting it for $184k which was a tempting offer.
Cruze 1.8:
When I went to LSM to look at the Cruze, I initially checked out the LS 1.6 version. I think the price was around $170-$175k at the time. I loved the features like the 6-speed tiptronic, standard 17" rims and 4 disc brakes. The stereo system was the best I've ever heard in a small economy car. Base, mids and heights and overal tonal range was executed well. The drive alone was impressive. It was well planted to the road and very secure. The heavy car feeling was a big plus and I was not surprised to learn that the Cruze was actually the heaviest car of the bunch. The 1.6 was ok but it was too weak for my liking. Then I was introduced to the LT 1.8 version which bumped me up to leather seats, auto lights, sunroof, stability and traction control etc.. I loved it. The brakes in this car is almost sports car like.
Having owned this car for the past 45 months and 86,000+kms (approx.) later, I have no regrets owning it. To-date I spent approx. $38k in service at LSM and I'm on my 2nd batch of tyres. Below you would see a list of items that was changed in my car under warranty. I am fortunate to have the 5-year or 100,000kms warranty which is no longer the case today. The new warranty program for Chevrolets here are 3-years or 100,000kms whichever one comes first.
Again, here is a list of what was changed under warranty in no particular order:
battery (died after 11mths)
sunroof wind deflector (twice)
steering wheel
center console lid
left side inner boot rubber
coolant reservoir bottle
oil sump pan (damaged by LSM so they replaced for free)
transmission
Waiting time for parts:
Everything was in stock and replaced instantly except:
transmission - vehicle was parked up at LSM for 2.5 months
steering wheel - took like 2-3 months
first sunroof wind-deflector - took more than 5 months initially.
Conclusion on car:
This car always started when it was required to except that day when the battery failed. I never shut-down and never changed light bulbs, switches, seals, gaskets, shocks, linkages, CV joints or sensors. This is a strong/rock solid car and I am very proud of it. Being skeptical almost 4 years ago to now being a firm believer in the new GM. Their brands and product range have improved over the years and I am still shocked to this day that I actually bought an American car. Despite being made in South Korea by what was the older Daewoo plants which got totally redone and despite its Opel engineering which is not really known for making the most reliable vehicles out there, again I must say, I am pretty impressed. Sadly, the bigger brother Malibu turbo is not offered here (not sure why) and we have upgraded the Cruze with a new car but we did not mind returning to Chevy. I have it for sale now by the way LOL. Lastly, just 2-weeks ago, I got some chips and a running crack in the windscreen and I was offered a choice to get a doubleZ windscreen from the bamboo for $4800. + VAT iirc or get the original GM windscreen from LSM which was like $5500. + VAT subject to 20% trade discount for the Insurance. I took the GM windscreen which was in stock and they took my car to Ventura to have it changed. The windscreen replacement job was done perfectly.
We are glad we got the Cruze. We can park it literally anywhere and not be concerned about theft. If we had to buy a new Cruze today, I won't bother with the LS 1.6 versions. Stick to the LT 1.8. Also note, there is the LTZ 1.4 turbo model with 18" rims and 10 airbags but LSM refuses to import this to our shores.
One more thing. This is a world car so no matter where you are in North America, Central or South America, Middle East, Asia etc... you would see a Cruze or in Europe its sister car ie. the Opel Astra. Because trinis love to shop online more and more now, parts and accessories are easy to obtain online if you choose not to patronize LSM. Over 3.5 million of them were sold across the globe making it a global best seller so I think this ought to say something about the car.
ACT DA FOOL wrote:How long have you owned the car? Can you elaborate on why the transmission was changed?
cherrypopper wrote:Look how changing a transmission is a casual thing now. .
eliteauto wrote:cherrypopper wrote:Look how changing a transmission is a casual thing now. .
yuh understand
tr1ad wrote:couple years ago with the renault issue and that was parking up outside the firm normal with no clear "owner" or responsible party
wagonrunner wrote:tr1ad wrote:couple years ago with the renault issue and that was parking up outside the firm normal with no clear "owner" or responsible party
LSM needed some cattle prodding, but they never billed for it. What did renault do?
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