2005 Pontiac Wave UPLEVEL 1.4 from North America

Summary:

I hate it cause its always broke and gm won't do anything about it

Faults:

Changed motor head 2 times.

Very poor gas miledge.

Brake problems.

Stinky A/C smell.

Have had links, stabilizer bars, busings changed twice.

Very hard to shift and it's an automatic.

Vehicle revs up really high when driving.

General Comments:

This vehicle is the worst I have ever bought it is always broken.

It used to work really good until they changed the first head.

I get really poor miledge with this vehicle 20 miles/ gallon.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 12th January, 2007

7th Feb 2007, 00:51

Matrix is built in Canada, this wave is built in Korea by the car company GM bought. Seems Americans can no longer build a good car and the companies have bought other car companies over seas to build their products.

In reply to 7th Feb 2007, 00:51

7th Feb 2007, 16:46

The Wave is the Chevy Aveo built by what was Daewoo.

The Matrix and Pontiac Vibe are totally different cars from the Wave.

9th Aug 2007, 12:50

The Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix are built by the same workers at the same factory in the USA. The toyota engine is in the Pontiac Vibe, and GM guarantees the engine for 160,000 and toyota only 100,000 (in canada anyway). That's a fact.

2005 Pontiac Wave Uplevel 1.6 from North America

Summary:

Cute, compact with some character

Faults:

Actually except the fact that GM forgot to screw the callipers on at the manufacturing plant (on the front driving wheel)... nothing else went wrong on it.

General Comments:

For a first car I just love it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th July, 2006

8th Dec 2006, 05:00

I am glad you love your wave I hate mine. In the past year its been in the garage over 14 times, the dealership replaced the head of the motor at 6000km, the whole front drive line has been replaced, and I am having a stinky smell coming from the a/c. With all this I now only have 20000 km on my vehicle and it is still in the garage for very poor gas mileage about 15 miles/gallon, RPM jumps when stopped or idle, front bushings are gone again, poor shifting ability the motor can rev up to 6000RPM before shifting, and I paid to have the rugs cleaned for the stinky smell (dealership said it was coming from my rugs). And GM don't seem to really care and I am stuck with this darn car for another 4 years. I HATE IT!!!

27th Apr 2009, 14:40

I have had my Wave for four years now with aprox. 36000, all short city trips. Knock on wood, nothing has gone wrong except for the service recalls regarding the same issue. Purchased winter tires, which are a must for this vehicle in Canada. Will buy the car after the lease is up in a few months. Only problem has been with one GM dealership in particular.

4th Jan 2011, 16:00

GM has a bad habit of not honoring their warranties. I worked in the call center for a few months, and I got used to saying the word NO!

Sucks reading these comments. I was looking into getting a Wave.

Purchasing a GM always makes me nervous after I've seen what they are really about.

2005 Pontiac Wave Uplevel 1.6 E-Tec II DOHC from North America

Summary:

Finally, a DECENT car!! (Not Honda!)

Faults:

Nothing other than regularly scheduled maintenance.

Actually, a slight squeak in the rear suspension (I believe the right rear side) going over bigger bumps...) But that is it.

General Comments:

I love my Pontiac Wave 5 door. This car offers me all of the functionality I need, plus it offers good get up and go for its size and class, and great fuel economy. I've been averaging about 7.5 liters per 100 Km's, which to me is outstanding. Much better than the piece of junk I was driving before, that couldn't get out of it's own way, and got atrocious fuel economy.

I had the Chevrolet Aveo as a rental car when my 92 Honda finally kicked the bucket, and trust me, I never will LOOK at a Honda again. I really enjoyed the Aveo, but wanted something just a tad sportier. So I looked at the Aveo's twin, Pontiac Wave, only available here in Canada (as far as I know...). The only real difference between the Wave and the Aveo is the grill, and a few other minor trim pieces. I am a single father of 2, so I don't have all of the money in the world to spend on a car. This car came loaded up with a sunroof, spoiler on the back, alloy wheels, keyless entry with alarm, CD/MP3 Player, outstanding crash test scores, and amazing fit and finish and reliability, all for under $20K.

This car is very comfortable. I am 6'5 and am still very comfortable in this car. The seating is placed high, so it is very easy to get in and out of the car. Also, for a small 4 cylinder power plant, it really offers a lot of power. Granted 103hp isn't a ton, it does the job very nicely in this car. Great engine!!

This car is built by GM Daewoo over in South Korea, and is also known as the Daewoo Kalos, Chevrolet Aveo, Suzuki Swift+, and Chevrolet Kalos. It's a car that is known throughout the world. I am sure finding parts for it will never be a problem. I love this car!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd January, 2006

23rd Jan 2006, 10:53

I'm just curious about your story about the Honda, do you have a review on it as well? If so, which one? If not, what happened with it?

23rd Jan 2006, 14:48

Yeah, have had my Aveo for almost a year and it does everything asked of it. Although no sports car, I find myself out accelerating and out handling virtually all the other cars on the road, mainly SUV owners on the phone. Of course it would lose a real race, but for real world driving this thing is fantastic, even going 85 mph down the highway. Best of all, it fits everywhere!

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