[Aclark2010]

Hey everyone,

I posted on this forum several months ago when I was first starting my car search.

I've now found the car thar I plan to buy this weekend: a blue 2014 Cruze LTZ RS. It has 35k miles on it. (Buying from Carmax). I test drove it and played around with it for a while today and really liked it.

I just want to know in your opinions, what do I need to know, or what should I be on the lookout for? Any issues? General stuff, good or bad? (I'm coming to the Cruze from a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am SE coupe)

Also, which topics/threads on the forum do you recommend I check out?

Thanks!!!

 

[adoomy]

Hello there!

As a recent Cruze owner I can tell you some of the things I looked out for. First, is this an auto or manual LTZ model? Have you looked over the Carfax and made sure maintenance has been done and up to date? For mine, it showed the valve covers were replaced twice, most recently May this year. The car will still have the remainder powertrain warranty I assume, so if you like it and drives great then I would recommend to pull the trigger!

 

[Aclark2010]

Hello there!

As a recent Cruze owner I can tell you some of the things I looked out for. First, is this an auto or manual LTZ model? Have you looked over the Carfax and made sure maintenance has been done and up to date? For mine, it showed the valve covers were replaced twice, most recently May this year. The car will still have the remainder powertrain warranty I assume, so if you like it and drives great then I would recommend to pull the trigger!

Thanks! It's an automatic. When I search the VIN on NHTSA website, it says there are no open recalls. I have only checked the carfax that Carmax provides and there's nothing alarming there. How long is the powertrain warranty?

 

[chevrasaki]

Welcome back to the forum!

The factory GM powertrain warranty on the 2014 Cruze was 5 years, 100,000 miles. Most of the really early new production kinks were already worked out by the 2014 year model. The water pump is one known weak point on the 1.4L turbo engine in the Cruze but it's been given an extended 10 year 150,000 mile warranty. You'll definitely at least want to check the condition and level of the oil, if it's not a nice amber clearish color, it would be a good idea to change the oil. Also check the coolant surge tank level. It should be fine for quite awhile, and return some very impressive mpgs.

 

[Aclark2010]

Welcome back to the forum!

The factory GM powertrain warranty on the 2014 Cruze was 5 years, 100,000 miles. Most of the really early new production kinks were already worked out by the 2014 year model. The water pump is one known weak point on the 1.4L turbo engine in the Cruze but it's been given an extended 10 year 150,000 mile warranty. You'll definitely at least want to check the condition and level of the oil, if it's not a nice amber clearish color, it would be a good idea to change the oil. Also check the coolant surge tank level. It should be fine for quite awhile, and return some very impressive mpgs.

Thanks! I am in grad school so I am hoping this will be a car that's reliable and not too expensive to maintain/repair. I'll definitely keep a check on the water pump.

What kind of oil do you suggest using?

 

[Aclark2010]

Welcome back to the forum!

The factory GM powertrain warranty on the 2014 Cruze was 5 years, 100,000 miles. Most of the really early new production kinks were already worked out by the 2014 year model. The water pump is one known weak point on the 1.4L turbo engine in the Cruze but it's been given an extended 10 year 150,000 mile warranty. You'll definitely at least want to check the condition and level of the oil, if it's not a nice amber clearish color, it would be a good idea to change the oil. Also check the coolant surge tank level. It should be fine for quite awhile, and return some very impressive mpgs.

Thanks! I am in grad school so I am hoping this will be a car that's reliable and not too expensive to maintain/repair. I'll definitely keep a check on the water pump.

What kind of oil do you suggest using?

I ask about the oil because I generally do my own oil changes and other minor maintenance. While I do have a decent amount of car knowledge, every car I've ever owned has been 2005 or older up to now so I'm expecting this one to be at least a bit different.

 

[mkohan]

I use Mobil 1 full synthetic but any full synthetic will is good. Use the oil life monitor to know when to change.