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Spark voted worst car to own


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I actually went from a Subaru Impreza to the Spark, its a second car just for running anout in and to see the Impreza just sitting not being used for days at a time just killed me so let it go to an owner who could use its full potential, seeing the Spark just sitting doesnt bother me so much as its just a runaround car.

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I went from a 2001 Kia Rio with 162k miles (had 30k when i got it in 2003) to the Spark. The Kia probably lasted 60k more miles than it should have, my buddy used to work at the Kia dealership and was surprised my car was still running but I also maintained the car unlike a lot of people. It got to the money where it was going to need a lot more work and I rather plunk money into a new ride. I got 10k miles on my spark already and I got it towards the end of January. So far Im glad I got the car we'll see how i feel in 5 years.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I purchased a 2013 Spark 2LT with a manual trans and in black granite metallic paint. I have almost 4K miles on it. My purchase criteria was: affordability (I did not want to become a book of the month club member again financially), I needed to be able to fit in the back seat without being cramped (I am 5'6") and I wanted to get a vehicle with around town MPG in the upper thirties. So far the Spark has been just fine. I can put 12 bags of groceries in the back, I get about 38 - 39 MPG around town and I find that it is relatively fun to drive. Over the years I tend to do business with the same multicar dealership near me for convenience and I have purchased 9 or so new cars from them. I have found that establishing a longer term relationship with a dealer pays off in that if they want you to come for service they will treat you right. Service is where dealers make their real money, not in the car sale itself. Since I am authorized to get a Supplier Discount when I purchase my vehicles I never need to negotiate the actual price so it makes purchases easier. I just need to get the best trade-in value on my current vehicle. Also, I find that all the extras (extended warranties, etc. that they try to sell you when you speak to the finance person to close the deal are negotiable. Know what you want, know what you are willing to pay and walk away from any of these options if it doesn't meet your criteria. There are always other options for their purchase if you are willing to do a little research on the web and make it very clear at the time of purchase that you are willing to do so.

BTW: my wife and I also own a 2013 Chevy Sonic with the 1.4L turbo and auto trans. Believe it ro not it was large enough to carry both of us plus 2 Great Danes (with the seats down) and we're talking of over 300 lbs of dog!

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  • 1 month later...

As an aside, I have a Mazda dealer about a 1/4 mile from me, every morning, the cars are lined up, waiting to be pulled into the service bays, same with a VW dealer about 1/2 mile away. My observation is, no matter what you buy, you will have something that isn't working right, Although some may feel differently, I am not prepared up to this point, to condemn this car, although I reserve the right, down the road. :)

Your comment there is rediculous! Did it ever occur to you that those cars lined up outside of any dealership are there for normal maintenance?!?

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Your comment there is rediculous! Did it ever occur to you that those cars lined up outside of any dealership are there for normal maintenance?!?

Of course I realize that normal maintenance is being performed. What is ridiculous, is to assume that any car, is immune to problems.

Edited by WaltK
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  • 1 year later...

I know this is an old thread but I got a J.D.Powers survey today on my Spark.

After 10 months and over 13,000 miles I really have no complaints. Other than the two recalls I have only had it back for two oil changes. It has actually performed better than I thought it would. I guess if I had to complain about anything it would be the small speakers do not have the best sound. Of course that is fixable.

I am going to fill it out tomorrow and send it in.

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Well I looked over that survey and its a complete joke. It wasn't what I thought it would be. It was supposed to be about the new car purchase, nothing to do with reliability. Also the survey was 16 pages and only one had anything to do with the actual purchase. The rest was garbage about what magazines I read, what radio I listen to and what TV shows I watch.... I just threw it in the garbage.

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"Worst car to own" is a bit harsh, but in the year I've owned mine, with less than 7K miles, I can say it is a poor quality vehicle. I can't complain about the mileage or the (surprisingly) large interior space, but the CVT atrocity of a tranny and the ridiculous road noise lower the point value for me. I can't take it on the road without checking to see if I forgot to close the windows because of the noise. The blutooth phone connection is useless because I can't hear anyone on the phone if I'm moving anyway. My primary buying criteria was LOA. I needed a vehicle that, with my golf cart, would fit in one bay of the garage. The Spark certainly does that!

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I traded in my 09 PT Cruiser for my 2014 Spark 2LT about a week and half ago. I feel like I went from cheap to luxury. I loved my Cruiser but that thing was something else. 24-25 mpg on the highway. All kinds of electrical problems. No ABS, traction control, or stability control. Turning radius of a Mack truck. 0-60 times measured in minutes. I could go on but I think you get the picture.

Small cars are noisy. OEM Goodyear tires suck. I love my Spark and look forward to many years with it. I know I will have issues. That's a fact. Most cars do. First year cars more then what's usual. I owned a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer that was one of the first built. I bought it used and I was shocked when I saw all the repairs that had been done to it. Plus many recalls. It is what it is.

One more thing. Don't ever visit a vehicle forum before purchasing a car that you truly want. You will see so many issues you won't want it. That's the bad thing about vehicle forums. Most of the time you only see people who are needing help so you see problem after problem. That doesn't always reflect on the reliability of the car.

Edited by Ray Dockrey
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  • 1 year later...
On 6/11/2013 at 6:13 PM, Ace said:

If mine craps out early I'm going to VW TDI cars next.

 

This was a long time ago, obviously, but I'm wondering if this owner still has the same sentiment about Volkswagen and TDI given recent developments?

 

Duncan :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's unfortunate that Europe got the Spark you got the US 2013 to 2015 got the 1250CC motor  standard on all sparks and 2016 got the 1.4 liter Ecotec  we got 15 inch alloy wheels with 185/55 R15 tires standard on all sparks our cars have 3/4 inch lower and stiffer springs and shocks than the standard European Sparks plus alot of other upgrades our Sparks handle nice perform resonable they keep up with traffic just fine I've read about the Non USA Sparks some of them I would have never bothered going in the dealer and looking at them. If you read some good reviews from the USA it's because we got a lot different and better Spark than most other countries ...  (sorry about the bad news) mine is a 2013 1LT got 35,000 miles not a single problem been spot on trouble free....

Edited by DennisLB
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  • 5 months later...

I needed a daily commuter I travel 67 miles one way to work and couldn't find parking with my Ford Windstar. I found my spark more roomy than what I thought plus my 3 year old fit in the backseat in the baby seat very comfortable and my kid is a tall 40 lbs

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On 6/10/2013 at 8:53 PM, austex04 said:

I'm seeing Sparks showing up on used car lots. I looked on used sites, and saw over 20 of them within 400 miles. I saw one at the Toyota dealer near me as well. Many were personal owned, many with less than 6k miles, looking at the carfax reports. Did I buy a modern Chevette? I wonder if the a/c and auto transmission issues, and poor service at dealers are causing people to dump them for other brands?

 

20 over 400 miles? That is the length of entire state!

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  • 3 months later...
On 4/18/2017 at 10:17 AM, boom5747 said:

I needed a daily commuter I travel 67 miles one way to work and couldn't find parking with my Ford Windstar. I found my spark more roomy than what I thought plus my 3 year old fit in the backseat in the baby seat very comfortable and my kid is a tall 40 lbs

 

Same here, boom5747. Same here. The Chevy Spark is somewhat family-friendlier than my former ride. :)

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