Hey guys, I'm new to the site and I'm looking for a little info befor I make the 6 hour trip to buy 2012 cruze 1.4l. It's located in New Hampshire. It has 132xxx miles on it and it comes with a full list of service repairs. 47 to be exact. It was under a full service warranty and was serviced at the dealership that's selling the car now. It looks like it had a rough last 6 months with the previous owner based off the car fax and service records. It looks like me and the dealer are close to agreeing on a price of $6000. This will be my most expensive car purchase to date and want to make sure I'm making a good choice after reading some horror story's. My family is on a tight budget due to the cost of child care and can't afford to repair a car constantly. Any info will be greatly appreciated.
thinking of buying a 2012 cruze
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Eco had a 1.4 engine. Seems like a lot of money to me with a car with that many miles
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Ok, it isn't a ECO model, must be a LS with 1.8 engine...
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7,546 Posts
What country are we talking about? In north america, all trim models except the LS are 1.4 turbo. If you've got the VIN, you can probably plug it into a decoder and see what the VIN says.
The main thing I'd look for is regular oil changes. I wouldn't call them fragile, but i don't think the turbo is terribly forgiving of oil abuse.
The main thing I'd look for is regular oil changes. I wouldn't call them fragile, but i don't think the turbo is terribly forgiving of oil abuse.
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Looked up on manheim.com which is an auction site, that is probably a reasonable price, I am not familiar with the 1.8 engine as far as reliability.
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It says "LS" not "ECO". LS is the bottom level trim model. It may not have cruse control.
Do take it and others like it for a test drive. The 1.8 and 1.4T has the same horsepower, but the 1.4T has more torque at the lower RPM making it a nicer engine.
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Best thing going for it is an extensive service history. 
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This is a matter of opinion. My opinion. It doesn't mean that it's your opinion or anyone else's. It also doesn't mean that it will work for you or anybody else. But it works for me.
Given that caveat I am hanging on the following: "...can't afford to repair a car constantly."
Then why are you considering a car with 132,000 miles? Especially one that: "...looks like it had a rough last 6 months with the previous owner..."
I know a lot about cars. An awful lot. An automobile is a consumable. Think of it like a tube of toothpaste. When new the tube toothpaste has a value. But everyday and every squeeze that tube becomes less and less valuable. Until that day when you're really squeezing to get the last bit out of it. And then it's worthless. It's trash for the landfill.
The absolute longest warranty GM has ever offered is 148,000 miles. That means that in a perfect world the car your considering only has 16,000 miles left in it. So after that point start thinking about repairs that will be necessary to extend that vehicles life. Adding more toothpaste back in the tube, if you will.
In my personal situation I have a wife who has a service dog and I can no longer drive. But I found a way to buy a Cruze that came with a 100,000 mile manufacturer's warranty. That way if anything goes wrong I don't pay to repair it. At all. No unexpected bills and the car starts every time. No anxiety about getting stranded or missing an appointment. Just one easy to plan for payment.
Maybe you want to find a way to afford something with more toothpaste left in the tube?
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I like tomko thinking.
Here is another angle. If you don't drive a lot and have decent credit. Leasing might be a decent alternative for a new car for a couple years. Sometimes on a base model those lease payments might be 150 for two years. I am personally not a big lease guy but given the right situation it might make great sense. The real benefit is no cost for repairs, maybe some windshield wipers, no brakes, no tires, no big repairs, a bit easier to budget if your money is tight.
Here is another angle. If you don't drive a lot and have decent credit. Leasing might be a decent alternative for a new car for a couple years. Sometimes on a base model those lease payments might be 150 for two years. I am personally not a big lease guy but given the right situation it might make great sense. The real benefit is no cost for repairs, maybe some windshield wipers, no brakes, no tires, no big repairs, a bit easier to budget if your money is tight.
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I completely agree with Tomko
It may be worth looking into something with less miles. I personally wouldn't buy a used vehicle with more than 75,000 miles for the $6000 range. Things that aren't very popular like the Pontiac G3(same as Chevy Aveo), or Pontiac G5 and Saturn Ion(same as Chevy Cobalt) have a very low resale value and are a real bargain. Things like the civic sell for way more than they should just because people who don't know much about cars, know a civic is usually a safe bet, so they're desirable.
The Cruze is still a good used car to look for but since it's still a current model, with low miles comes a higher price tag.
It may be worth looking into something with less miles. I personally wouldn't buy a used vehicle with more than 75,000 miles for the $6000 range. Things that aren't very popular like the Pontiac G3(same as Chevy Aveo), or Pontiac G5 and Saturn Ion(same as Chevy Cobalt) have a very low resale value and are a real bargain. Things like the civic sell for way more than they should just because people who don't know much about cars, know a civic is usually a safe bet, so they're desirable.
The Cruze is still a good used car to look for but since it's still a current model, with low miles comes a higher price tag.
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Sometimes I buy older car with low miles, maybe from a widow. A couple years ago I bought a 2005 Cadillac Deville, was the base model with 53k miles, was a widow, it looked nearly new, drove like a dream, I payed less than 5k for the car, drove it for 13k miles and sold it. Wish I had the car back. It was very well cared for.
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