16th Feb 2011, 14:11
The domestic brands have never cared about small cars, especially subcompacts. Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai all make good subcompacts. They cost a bit more, but they're worth it. A Daewoo is still a Daewoo, even with a Chevrolet badge.
19th Feb 2011, 13:14
Watch Hyundai and Kia - even the head of Toyota concedes that they as a company are scared about them.
As for Daewoo being a jewel in the crown for GM, sure it is - it exists as GM's base for flooding the world with supposedly good value vehicles owing to the lower cost of production that Korea has.
Whether or not the cars that come out of their Daewoo facilities are comparable or better than their rival Korean makes remains to be seen though.
19th Feb 2011, 15:22
GMDAT has never produced any good cars for North America. I wouldn't even compare Hyundai to GMDAT. Their only similarity is that they build cars in South Korea. Hyundai is a world class manufacturer. GMDAT, formerly Daewoo, is not.
GMDAT produced the Aveo, which has been consistently on top ten worst car lists since its introduction in 2004. The Chevrolet Optra/Forenza (Suzuki U.S.) helped plummet Suzuki's rating to dead last. I may be wrong, but I also believe they made the Suzuki Verona (Canada) and Chevrolet Epica (U.S). Both are also forgettable. Maybe GMDAT did make money for Chevrolet. I'm not sure, but I think I read something that said the Aveo was a top seller in Europe. I wouldn't go near one, though.
20th Feb 2011, 15:37
Here in the UK, Hyundai is not world class, it is a budget manufacturer, serving the needs of the bottom of the car purchasing spectrum, alongside Kia and Proton.
If we are going to be taking about "world class cars", we would be considering Mercedes, BMW, Porsche and to some extent Lexus.
I have no idea why Americans seem to harbour resentment to GMDaewoo, when it was indeed GMDaewoo that helped to safe-guard GM's future a few years back.
21st Feb 2011, 18:17
I suppose Hyundai might be a bottom feeder in the U.K. I don't live there, but here in North America, they are making excellent cars. They make cars just as good as anything from Toyota, Honda, GM, Nissan, and Ford. Maybe 'world class' isn't the right term. I'm not sure.
However, their cars looks fantastic. The redesigned Sonata and Elantra look fantastic, arguably better than almost anything their class. Their Genesis sedan has been compared to a Lexus in terms of its refinement, and performance. Their Genesis coupe is no slouch, either. Their Equs, I think it's called, is really something to look at.
Most Americans don't like GMDAT because the cars they produced for North America were very problematic, especially when compared to others in their respective classes.
22nd Feb 2011, 18:11
Interesting for you to make such claims about problems with GMDaewoo sourced cars in the USA, considering that here in the UK GMDaewoo scored 8th most reliable manufacturer in 2005. (This was just before GMDaewoo name became Chevrolet in the UK)
http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/what-car-reliability-survey/chrysler-to-daewoo/217350
I don't drive either Chevrolet or Hyundai, but if I had to choose between the two, I would go for a Chevrolet (Regardless of whether it is sourced from GMDaewoo). At least you could tell people you drive a Chevrolet without them sneering...
The new Chevrolets (all GMDaewoo sourced) launching in the UK are receiving good reviews, and I understand the Chevrolet Cruze has the highest safety rating in its class; such a result could in fact be considered world leading..
23rd Feb 2011, 15:04
I didn't realize people hate Hyundai so much in the UK. They used to make junk in Canada and the U.S., but that was a while ago. A lot of people sneer at the Aveo (Daewoo Kalos) here. It is considered the bottom feeder of subcompacts. It's been very problematic. Chevrolet will replace it, build it in the U.S. and call it the Sonic. They want people to forget the Aveo. The Optra/Forenza were discontinued a couple years back.
A lot of people sneer at my car, but I don't care. I love my Toyota Echo. I'd love a Yaris if I ever have to replace it.
24th Feb 2011, 12:26
The Sonic will be a completely new car with a different drivetrain and platform. It will use an ecotec engine and the Gama II platform. I'm not sure if Europe will get actual US produced Sonics, since they'll be made both in Korea and the US.
6th Oct 2011, 17:59
Hi, just fixed my daughter's 2004 Aveo for the same problem; under the dash at the top of the brake pedal is a black plastic switch with a "plunger" on it. Try replacing this part, which should cost you under $20 in Canada at present (NAPA auto parts "brake stoplamp switch"). The labour shouldn't be much as it took me less than 5 minutes to change out. That switch operates the brake lights and sends the signal to the transmission to unlock from Park, and lets you put it into gear. Hope that solves your problem, and I'm confident it will. :)
9th Jul 2012, 10:00
My car is currently in the shop. $$$$$ just keep adding up; $1500 and counting. The mechanic advised me to stick a piece of dynamite under it and be rid of the car. At this point it seems like a good idea. Unfortunately I still owe money on it, and I'm unable to buy a new car. I wish I knew this car was such a piece of garbage when I purchased it. Was told it would last 10 plus years. It has less than 80,000 miles and was well maintained. DON'T BUY THIS CAR!!!
15th Feb 2011, 18:00
My son bought a 2004 Aveo Hatch used from a Chevrolet dealer. It had 30,000 miles and was still under factory warranty. He drives it about 35 miles each way to work, mostly on back roads.
The first problem was the blower for the heater/AC quit working at 74906 miles. It cost $267.47 to replace.
The timing belt was replaced at 79899 miles at a cost of $370.64.
The serpentine belt tensioner failed failed 4 weeks later, costing $351.58 to repair.
The front brake rotors and pads were replaced at 93832 miles at a cost of 340.10.
Both front axle bearings were replaced at 96903 miles at a cost of $525.00.
The gas cap was replaced at some time for about $20.00.
The oil and filter were replaced every 3000 miles.
My 1998 Chrysler Town & Country has 204495 miles, and the first expensive repair is estimated to be $800 for the heater hose assembly. I guess that it is time for a newer car to replace the AVEO. What would you buy? Not another AVEO.