[Max86]

Hello everyone, first official post other than the welcome, so, opinions please;

I don't yet have a cruze but I'm looking towards a 2012 cruze eco manual based upon my previous research, but maybe you all can tell me if that's really the best option.

2012 vs 2011; I like to stay away from first years of a given model, but since the cruze was released elsewhere first, maybe a 2011 wouldn't be so bad.

Looking to an eco so as to get the lowest fuel consumption, if it ever gets 5.6l/100 as advertised, that's nearly half of what my current car gets.

I need the car to last me min 4 years, beyond that is cash in the bank (4 years is the payoff if I get a car for ~8000CAD, vs the extra I'd have to pay in gas to keep my 99 regal ls).

I may want to make some modifications to it in the future, from what I've read the powertrain doesn't seem to be affected on the eco vs other models, please lmk if that's not the case. I understand that power mods will lower fuel efficiency, but the mods would likely only come later. I had a GTP that ran 13s up until I had to sell to buy my house, so I'd like to move back into a car with a little better pickup, even if only straight line and even if I need to make it quick myself.

I need this thing to be safe AF for my own piece of mind, it'll be the principle people carrier for my family. The Cruzes as a whole seem to have good safety ratings.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated

 

[brian v]

Get a Red 1 .

 

[rockraj]

Hi, Do not want to disappoint anyone. But, I bought a brand new chevy cruze (3KM mileage) two weeks ago. It started showing "Reduced Engine Power" on the screen. It is really disappointing.

 

[Cruze2.0TD]

I believe there is a guy on this forum with a Cruze Eco that has close to 300k miles on it and has had very minor issues. He takes incredibly good care of the car, but still quite impressive I'd say. I think it is even still on the original clutch and turbo. Maybe he will chime in to offer an opinion. Is the 2011 an Eco manual as well? The eco's do get incredibly good mileage. In the city, they're actually rated better than the diesels. Being that they didn't really change anything on the, from 2011 to 2012 as far as I know, I wouldn't expect a 2011 to have any more issues than a 2012.

 

[anthonysmith93]

Hello everyone, first official post other than the welcome, so, opinions please;

I don't yet have a cruze but I'm looking towards a 2012 cruze eco manual based upon my previous research, but maybe you all can tell me if that's really the best option.

2012 vs 2011; I like to stay away from first years of a given model, but since the cruze was released elsewhere first, maybe a 2011 wouldn't be so bad.

Looking to an eco so as to get the lowest fuel consumption, if it ever gets 5.6l/100 as advertised, that's nearly half of what my current car gets.

I need the car to last me min 4 years, beyond that is cash in the bank (4 years is the payoff if I get a car for ~8000CAD, vs the extra I'd have to pay in gas to keep my 99 regal ls).

I may want to make some modifications to it in the future, from what I've read the powertrain doesn't seem to be affected on the eco vs other models, please lmk if that's not the case. I understand that power mods will lower fuel efficiency, but the mods would likely only come later. I had a GTP that ran 13s up until I had to sell to buy my house, so I'd like to move back into a car with a little better pickup, even if only straight line and even if I need to make it quick myself.

I need this thing to be safe AF for my own piece of mind, it'll be the principle people carrier for my family. The Cruzes as a whole seem to have good safety ratings.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated

If you like having reliable vehicles stay FAR FAR away from a 2011, and even a 2012 sometimes isn't great. They revised and improved many mechanical parts in 2013 and even more in 2014, to be safest 2014+ is your best bet. You can search on here and see the plethora of problems with the 2011 and 2012 models (piston rings, blown turbos, bad intake manifolds) all very NOT cheap issues.

 

[spacedout]

I agree with the above post, as cheap as low mileage used cruze are on dealer lots I would look for something newer than 2011-2012. I'm not a fan of the 2015+ styling so would probably look for a used 2014 eco model.

 

[ChevyGuy]

If you like having reliable vehicles stay FAR FAR away from a 2011, and even a 2012 sometimes isn't great. They revised and improved many mechanical parts in 2013 and even more in 2014, to be safest 2014+ is your best bet. You can search on here and see the plethora of problems with the 2011 and 2012 models (piston rings, blown turbos, bad intake manifolds) all very NOT cheap issues.

On the flip side, unless it's got really low miles, I'd think those problems would already been handled by now. I think a bigger issue is making sure it's been cared for. I don't think the Cruze tolerates oil neglect very well. Especially the 2011/2012 with the uninsulated turbo oil line.

 

[IndyDiesel]

If I were going to get a 2011/2012 Cruze I would want really good service records. From my understanding the oil change interval on the DIC was programmed to be too long especially for the blend oil, not sure I would want one if the oil was changed at 9000-10000 miles on blend oil. If the oil was changed at 5000 mile intervals I would be more comfortable. The issue is normally unless it was changed by dealer you don't know.

 

[Max86]

That's the exact replies I was hoping to see, thank so much! Would the 1.8 be more reliable in the 2011-2012 range if that's all I can afford when the time comes?
I'll look more into the 2013s too, maybe I can hold onto my beater for another year and let the price of the 2013-2014's come down.

Is the 1.4T a new engine for GM though? I haven't seen it before the cruze. I've had 3 3.8s now and they're freaking bullet proof. A couple of times I only changed the engine oil when the engine leaked enough to turn on the low oil level, still never had any issues tho! The caddy 4.6 N* which I had on the other hand, what a POS that was....

 

[spacedout]

If I were going to get a 2011/2012 Cruze I would want really good service records. From my understanding the oil change interval on the DIC was programmed to be too long especially for the blend oil, not sure I would want one if the oil was changed at 9000-10000 miles on blend oil.

The emissions recall GM did to all 2011-2013? automatics lowered the OLM from the 10,000+ miles range it would have let me go to about 7500 miles max. Think on most changes before the recall I changed it at 50%, or about 6000 miles.

The sad part out this, this is not the first time GM released a car has oil related issues and lowers the OLM interval in proceeding years. Anyone know if GM ever lowered the OLM for manual transmission cars in later model years? As much as people these days overlook normal maintenance, not sure I would want to buy a used car that had the way to long OLM change interval.

 

[NickD]

Ha, for a very low mileage 45K, extremely well cared for, driven sanely, full maintenance, all those little bugs repaired by a real professional, me. 2012 2LT with a manual transmission, perfect leather, better sound system, 46 mpg with summer gas at 65 mph on the freeway, you just missed out on this one. Auctioned off for 3000 bucks.

View attachment 202673

Would require some mods you wanted to do, like pull that sheet back a little so not hitting that brand new tire. Would have to cut off the tailpipe going to the muffler, is bend a little, just stick a straight pipe on that. To keep it road legal, mount a trailer light kit on the rear. Just takes a bit of extra force to close that rear door, but does close

Good luck in trying to find a good used one, most I have seen were traded in because they had minor problems dealers don't even know how to rpair

 

[Max86]

I read about issues related to the auto tranny models, but I'd really be aiming for the manual, think this may help my cause if still looking towards a 2012 eco?
It would have to be immaculate, an extremely good deal and in northern VT/NH/NY for me to buy in the US then have to transfer into Canada

 

[ChevyGuy]

Would the 1.8 be more reliable in the 2011-2012 range if that's all I can afford when the time comes?

Perhaps. Especially on the used market with no maintenance records. But it's nowhere near as much fun, and it's only in the lowest trim level.

Mileage isn't always the best indicator. I'd take "well used but cared for" over "a little old lady who only drove it to church" any day of the week, for most any car.

You mentioned having a family. Keep in mind the back seat leg room isn't the best if you have tall people in the front seats. Depending on your situation and how long you keep it, you might be better off in a Malibu.

 

[obermd]

Hi, Do not want to disappoint anyone. But, I bought a brand new chevy cruze (3KM mileage) two weeks ago. It started showing "Reduced Engine Power" on the screen. It is really disappointing.

And your's is apparently an oil leak. The Reduced Engine Power is to protect the engine from damage due to no oil.

 

[Eddy Cruze]

I read about issues related to the auto tranny models, but I'd really be aiming for the manual, think this may help my cause if still looking towards a 2012 eco?
It would have to be immaculate, an extremely good deal and in northern VT/NH/NY for me to buy in the US then have to transfer into Canada

Do you save money by importing a U.S. CRUZE into Canada? I have always read it might be a bad idea unless you know what you're doing?
Importing a Car from the U.S. – ezbordercrossing.com

 

[obermd]

I would look for a 2013 or 2014 ECO MT or LT MT with relatively low miles. A lot of people find the gear ratios in the ECO to be odd and non-intuitive and it took me a few thousand miles to get used to it. The flip side is the ECO MT can exceed the EPA numbers of 28/42/33 City/Highway/Combined (8.4/5.6/7.1) L/100KM. Don't trust the Canadian numbers as they're inflated by about 10%.

 

[Max86]

Can save some money importing if the dollar is at a decent level as well the car would have to be REALLY worthwhile to make it happen. Would have to do an inspection, etc etc, it's a bit of a hassle, on the other hand there's companies that will do it for you.

So looking at 2013s in decent condtion they're in the 10k+, out of my budget unfortunately.
As for the 1.8, the power does seem rather dismal. I'm not one for other options anyway, I'd even take manual windows if it were possible lol

As for space, I'm 5'7" and am the tallest of us all lol

 

[ChevyGuy]

As for space, I'm 5'7" and am the tallest of us all lol

I'd still suggest looking at a car just to see how you all fit in there - and where you'll be in 5 years or so. I'm 6', and when I adjust the seat for a comfortable road trip position, there's no leg space behind me. In fact, I have to move the seat forward to fold down the back seat.

 

[NickD]

Have a memory loss, can a US Cruze be switched over to metric regarding the speedometer and odometer? Know some Canadians that purchased US cars that could not be converted, in particular with a digital speedometer, rather inconvenient in Canada.

 

[Max86]

I'd still suggest looking at a car just to see how you all fit in there - and where you'll be in 5 years or so. I'm 6', and when I adjust the seat for a comfortable road trip position, there's no leg space behind me. In fact, I have to move the seat forward to fold down the back seat.

I've rented them for work a couple of times, only complaint was the seat hardness but that's easily fixed. Just to get an idea, I fit comfortably in a smart, Miata and old-school fiat 500