Chevy Sonic as first car

[DietDrThunder]

I'm looking to buy my daughter her first car. I found at a Chevy dealer a used 2013 Chevy Sonic LTZ sedan, 1.4 liter turbo, 6 speed automatic, Black Granite Metalic, Jet Black/Brick leather interior, with Black painted wheels. It has 21,084 miles on the odometer. Their asking price was $16995. The car fax report showed that it had the water pump replaced at 18K miles.

Other info:

I went to a Chevy dealership and priced a 2014 Sonic Sedan, same color, 1.8 liter no turbo, no black wheels (I can paint the wheels since I have all the equipment), and cloth interior and with 6 miles on the odometer, everything else the same. Sticker price was a little over $18K. The price with my GM employee discount $17,036 , then $500 factory rebate, and then a $500 GM Extended Family card rebate, making the total without TTL $16,036.

Questions:
1) What are your opinions on the Sonic as a first car for a kid?
2) Given the fact that I can buy a new one with basically no miles for $16K, what offer should I make on the used one with 21K miles?

 

[WilliamM2]

No opinion on the car, but buying a brand new car for a new driver seems foolish. They tend to have more accidents, and insurance rates will be through the roof.

Although I wouldn't go much over 5 years old, as you will want the safety features of a modern car.

 

[DietDrThunder]

No, I wasn't going to buy her a new one. I was just using the new one as an example of what I would end up paying for a new one. Another words, I want to use the new one as a bargaining chip for getting a lower price on the used one. You know, make the dealer an offer and be able to say something like "Why would I pay your asking price when I could buy one new with 0 miles for less".

I'm really looking for what I should offer the dealer for the used 2013 Sonic, and are Sonic's decent vehicles?

 

[DaTT]

No, I wasn't going to buy her a new one. I was just using the new one as an example of what I would end up paying for a new one. Another words, I want to use the new one as a bargaining chip for getting a lower price on the used one. You know, make the dealer an offer and be able to say something like "Why would I pay your asking price when I could buy one new with 0 miles for less".

I'm really looking for what I should offer the dealer for the used 2013 Sonic, and are Sonic's decent vehicles?

But it sounds like you are comparing a fully loaded car to a base model car.

Regardless, she'd have fun with a turbo

 

[Jimzz]

The new sonic looks like a nice car. I don't see its re-sell holding that well so your prices seem high IMO. But I have not looked at them indepth.

The cruze has been out long enough to have some good used ones at a good price.

 

[DietDrThunder]

You are right, but I couldn't compare apples to apples because the dealership didn't have one exactly the same on the lot. I'm guessing that I would get a comparable new one for $18K plus TTL.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

Seems like the typical first car for most young people. I see asking prices for LTZs with 35-40k miles at about 14k so you can probably go a little lower in the 15s in terms of asking price.

 

[Centauri]

The Sonic is a shocking nice little car, IMHO. Very good visibility in particular compared to other small sedans I've been in.

 

[ProchargeMe]

If I were you I would look at a 2011-2103 chevy cruze. They can be found almost anywhere for ~$13-15k with less than 40k miles, ive seen some less than 30k as well. They seem like decent cars and good for a first time driver.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

The car fax report showed that it had the water pump replaced at 18K miles.

Avoid. Water pump needing replaced begs the question..... did it overheat? Was it run hot? Not good, especially for a turbo motor.

Also, are the wheels stock or aftermarket? If aftermarket also avoid. While some people replace rims for purely asthetic reasons, others HAVE to replace them because of bent/broken wheels.

These are all worst case scenarios. YMMV

Seems silly to even bother when a brand new one cost virtually no difference. Dealer is smoking crack on that price. $10,9xx.- car all day long.

For a first car it would be awesome. I'd have been stoked. Maybe the hatchback version because it can haul lots of crap?

 

[draknon]

The Sonic (new or used) is too new for a first car for someone imo. The Sonic is a nice little car. The turbo on the LTZ really helps the car, it's very sluggish with the non turbo engine. I was under the impression that the 1.4l turbo Sonics were only available with a manual trans. Maybe that changed after the 2012 model year. The water pump is a big concern to me. Though it could be used as a bargaining chip.

 

[nerp]

What about buying her a $3,500 2002 Buick Century? Now that's the perfect first car.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

What about buying her a $3,500 2002 Buick Century? Now that's the perfect first car.

While I can't fault the tank like nature of the buick alot of younger folks might consider that downright stodgy.

 

[DietDrThunder]

What about buying her a $3,500 2002 Buick Century? Now that's the perfect first car.

I was thinking about an older used car. In fact, I was going to modify a 65 Chevy Corvair and install a roll cage, high back sport seats, and a racing harness. But my wife is all into front, side, curtain, etc, air bags for safety. By the way, I have an extra Corvair for sale if anyone is interested (bought before approval of my idea).

 

[Ketchup]

A few things:

1. As noted by monkeydelmagico, the water pump is a red flag for me. I would find out the facts behind that one (maybe it was just a recall or something simple).

2. I had one as a rental for a couple days. The radio design is terrible. Not for a first-time car IMO. There are no dials, just buttons. Mine had a couple controls one the steering wheel, which helped, but it didn't even have a CD player, just a plug for my MP3 player. Also, you can barely see it's display in sunlight.

3. It was quite difficult to adjust the back of the front seat with the door closed. When I first got into the car, I thought I adjusted this well enough, but quickly realized I was in an uncomfortable position. Had to wait until I got back to work because I don't like opening my door at a red light.

4. The six speed is great. Wish my Cobalt had one.

5. Pretty good power, even in the non-turbo.

6. Didn't notice any major blind spots.

7. If choosing between the two, get her the new one with full warranty, and no previous "history."

To sum it up, it was probably just the short period spent with it, but I was so glad when the repair was finished on my Cobalt!

 

[dbk]

Get her a used Camry.. She'll drive it all the way through college and it'll be cheap to maintain. She'll still get 2 to 3k as a trade-in when she buys her first car after graduation.

 

[smackababy]

My GF bought a Sonic has her first car (first she purchased) and she loves it. It has some decent utility and is "cute". It isn't exactly the fastest on the road and isn't really fun to drive, but it isn't bad. It is pretty cheap and after over a year has had zero problems. Granted, she has only put like 5k miles on it.

The radio issues ketchup talks about isn't something I've noticed at all. There are knobs for volume and tuning and the display is easy enough to read. The version here though has a CD player, so it might not be the base radio.

 

[xanis]

I have an automatic 1.8L LTZ hatch that I bought new in May 2012. It's been a great car so far. I cross-shopped with the Fiesta, Rio, and Fit, and the Sonic felt the best to me out of the bunch. The gas mileage isn't quite as good as the others in the class, but I think the fit and finish is a lot nicer, and the ride is a lot better. The visibility and driver position is pretty damn good as well IMO.

My only real complaint is with the transmission. It constantly hunts for a gear and the changes seem pretty harsh. Things are better in manual mode, but gear changes are slower.

The radio issues ketchup talks about isn't something I've noticed at all. There are knobs for volume and tuning and the display is easy enough to read. The version here though has a CD player, so it might not be the base radio.

I also haven't experienced any of these issues, and I even have a sunroof which sometimes produces some additional glare.

 

[Ketchup]

Glad you guys had a better experience with the radio. I never would have bought one without a CD player.

 

[hanoverphist]

hell, if youre towing under 6000 lbs you could get any newer v8 truck, or any older truck and tow it just fine. if i were looking for a replacement for a taco, id probably go old school and find a nicely restored C10 chevy to pull around my toys. or go odd and find an old restored dodge farm truck or something not usually restored.

or id just go with a early 2000s 2500 or 3500 dodge and call it a day. the 360 in those suckers can pull very well. hell, the 318 in my ram 1500 has pulled all kinds of stuff. the only thing that strained it was towing a 72 C10 home. but that was friggin heavy.

 

[XavierMace]

hell, if youre towing under 6000 lbs you could get any newer v8 truck, or any older truck and tow it just fine. if i were looking for a replacement for a taco, id probably go old school and find a nicely restored C10 chevy to pull around my toys. or go odd and find an old restored dodge farm truck or something not usually restored.

or id just go with a early 2000s 2500 or 3500 dodge and call it a day. the 360 in those suckers can pull very well. hell, the 318 in my ram 1500 has pulled all kinds of stuff. the only thing that strained it was towing a 72 C10 home. but that was friggin heavy.

Me thinks you posted that in the wrong thread.