Retired old Gearhead 201 Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I'm really curious about the reasons you chose a Spark over another vehicle. OK...I guess I should go first.. We are both retired. We don't do any long road trips as we get discounted air travel (retired from airline). We wanted a small, inexpensive second car to replace my wife's old V8 SUV that could be used for short trips to Miami Beach, around town or the Keys from our home in South Miami. Parking in Miami, in particular Miami Beach, is hard to find so the small Spark fits the little spaces where others don't. The MyLink was a big deal as we can voice activate calls. The car handled well and the firm seats were comfy enough. Similar sized cars with similar features were more much more expensive than the $10.5K cash I paid for a used '13 1LT auto with 2K mi. on it back in Dec.'13. The insurance was cheap, in part due to safety ratings. •Size •Features •Price •Handling •Fuel Economy Link to post Share on other sites
Big-Bob 11 Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I haven't bought one yet, but it is still at the top of my list. I recently retired, and while I am doing ok for being retired, money doesn't grow on trees. I want to do some traveling, and I wanted a small car that I could afford to pay cash for, with good gas mileage, something that looked good, and being a Chevy was a big plus. Also I do fit in the car ok, and it was fun to drive. Someone called it "flickable" and it is. Many other small cars handle more like larger cars, the Spark handles like a go kart. I'm the type that would have bought a Mazda Miata, or a Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky, but I can't get in and out of those cars. The Spark seems like it is a lot more fun to drive than most other small non sports cars. Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Appleman 0 Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 The other cars in my price range were either around 10 years old, had a ton of miles, and/or had no power anything. The spark I bought was '13 with 13.5k miles, and has power everything. Link to post Share on other sites
bluer101 241 Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Looks, price, ease of driving. Plus the added benefit of a/c saga, sorry JK. Link to post Share on other sites
Sparkachu 0 Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 (edited) Well I was looking for used cars for a while and a lot of them really gave me a headache. I wanted to see what I could get new in my price range. So I start reading about small cars in the 15k-20k price range and I discovered the Spark. It was similar to the used Aveo I was looking at previously that I loved since it was a hatchback style car. I tried a Spark out as a Rent-A-Car and really enjoyed driving it. I feel like it really fits my budget well and it is something small, but not too small like that Smart Car people always ramble about...it has space for me, but at the same time it isn't too big. The added bonus is the awesome colors they come in. My yellow really stands out because not many people own a 'lemonade' colored car. :P Edited May 31, 2014 by Sparkachu Link to post Share on other sites
WaltK 305 Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I wasn't looking to buy a car, I happened to be passing by a Chevy dealership, and seen this little car, so I pulled over just out of curiosity. At first glance it was a novelty, but as a salesman starting pointing out all the value, and all the standard equipment, it is a 2LT, I became interested, especially at that price point. I took it for a ride, liked it, and later on that evening it was in my driveway. I am still enjoying it. greggb 1 Link to post Share on other sites
21783mike 17 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Smacked a deer with my Old Diesel Jetta last November at 4am and needed to find a car asap. I was spoiled by the 45 mpg I get from the VW so in looking around at the used cars in my area on the internet trying to find anything in decent shape that got over 35 mpg, I found it would take 10k to buy anything used. So I googled least expensive new car... and up came the Spark. I emailed all the dealers within 75 miles for a qoute on an LS manual.... at 8:15 I got a quote back for 12.5, by noon I was the owner of the "Clown Car" and on my way back home. 6 1/2 months and 23,000 miles later I can say it was a pretty damned good emergency purchase. Since I got back from Florida in it last month I've been getting over 47 mpg without the A/C and 45 mpg the last 2 tanks with the A/C on.... and Gas is cheaper than Diesel so the poor old VW has been sorta lonely since it came back from the body shop.... It could use the rest I suppose since it has around 600k on it. greggb 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Gossamer 50 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 (edited) Since I am retar....uh retired, and on a fixed budget, I wanted something good on gas, reliable, and cheap - especially since I hardly drive anywhere anymore. Since I have always been partial to Chevys and I knew the Spark had a decent reputation overseas, I figured why not? If I would have done better research and saw that they were changing the Spark for the US market, I probably would have held on to my old HHR another year, or bought something else (I was originally considering a Sonic since I couldn't get the Trax). When I went to the stealership, I was told that the Trax would be available in 2 - 3 years, so I bought it with the intention of trading it back in for the Trax when it became available. So I guess I really bought the Spark as a gap filler since my HHR was getting a bit long in the tooth (for me at least). Now with all the lousy experiences I've had with the Spark and GMs customer service, I will never own the Trax or any other GM vehicle again. Edited June 1, 2014 by Gossamer Link to post Share on other sites
greggb 7 Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Why did I buy a Spark? Initial cost, fuel mileage, crash test ratings, handling, looks, features. What I find interesting is that Spark owners either have one that has lots of issues, OR one that runs flawlessly.Seems odd. Link to post Share on other sites
powel01k 2 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I bought my Spark because I have an 80 mile round trip commute to work in medium to heavy traffic at times and my previous vehicle a 2002 Chevy S-10 4x4 was getting around 13MPG sitting in traffic all the time. The initial price and the amount of features I could get on a 1LT for such a low price is what helped and after driving the other cars in the sub-compact class I really enjoyed how the CVT ran compaired to the others. greggb 1 Link to post Share on other sites
walt2137 1 Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I bought the Spark because the price new was right at $9998. Plus tax and i got a couple hundred off with my GM card and also to tow behind our Coach, we had been towing a F150 CC 4X4, Wife also wanted something small to scoot around town, we really love this little car it fits our needs perfectly Walt. Link to post Share on other sites
Angrybird12 61 Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 (edited) I had no intentions of buying one until our Saturn Vue was in the shop getting the transmission rebuilt, the loaner they gave us was a 13 Spark. My wife fell in love with it and it was tons better than the Smart car we tried out a couple years ago. After we got the Vue back and we kind of missed driving the little Spark I took my old S10 to see what they would give me for it in trade. I was surprised at the deal I got and so far very happy with the purchase. I hate to say it but since we got the Spark the Vue and our Camaro see very little use. Filling the Vue cost around $50, filling the Spark is half that much. Edited August 2, 2014 by Angrybird12 Link to post Share on other sites
psquare75 35 Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 (edited) Parents each have one, so I got the fiance one for her work commute. They've all been fine. F killed the first one... liked it so much, she wanted another. Reasons for purchase. Cheap. Good MPG.. looks like its stupid easy to work on. Edited August 3, 2014 by psquare75 greggb 1 Link to post Share on other sites
icepick 9 Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I know that "Funspot" place psquare75. We got our spark due to my Mini Cooper making an awful tick/clack sound and finding ferrous metal in the oil. Loved the mini, but didn't love the repair bill it would have been, so went with a still fun to drive under warranty car. Link to post Share on other sites
Skids 108 Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 bought a '13 sonic for the misses and it was awesome. got my self a '93 geo metro for mpg.. metro got hit.. replaced it with its grand child the spark.. in my opion compared to other cars the same size it's the best looking.. stylish little thing.. plus I've only ever owned GM so keeping it in the family.. all chevys at my place.. Link to post Share on other sites
Skyway 3 Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 (edited) I've been watching the Matiz evolve since 1998. Designed originally by Italdesign, which is owned by Volkswagen and Lamborghini, it has gone from the M100 Series through M300 Series with a hailstorm of improvements. What you will drive as a Spark owner has GM/Chevy, Daewoo, Volkswagen, Lamborghini, Renault, Mitsubishi, and even Nissan influence (only add Mitsubishi and Nissan if you have the CVT transmission). Yet still, the original chassis and passenger cabin maintain the Italdesign specs. Quite a history. Edited August 15, 2014 by Skyway Skids 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Skids 108 Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 skyway thats awesome, i didnt know all that. are there any website or anything that youve found regarding the history so i can learn a bit? "sparked" my interest.. no pun intended ;D Link to post Share on other sites
DennisLB 2 Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Why I bought my Spark ? I did my research I remember the old VW Beetles from the 1960's these cars gave their owners Great Value for their money spent . I bought my Spark because it should give me that kind of value for my money spent !! I'd rather spend my money on my Wife and Grandchildren than a fancy car . Link to post Share on other sites
TonySpark 5 Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 My 08' Ford F150 would sit in the driveway and my family and I would take another vehicle instead because these days 18 mpg and nearly $4 a gallon for gas was not economically sound. The truck was nearly paid off and had pretty good trade in value. I went to the Chevy dealer and looked at the more economical cars. Once I saw the Spark I test drove one and really liked the styling and sportiness of the little car. I was not really looking to fork out the money for the upgraded models and was actually looking to revert back to the days of manual shifting. I got a good deal on my trade and after the wait for the dealer to obtain a silver LS model I finally took possession of my "All Spark". I haven't looked back. I don't miss those high dollar fill ups. I have been lucky to have nearly a 1,000 miles under my belt and the air continues to run cold and no signs of oil usage. Keeping my fingers crossed but really liking my decision and enjoying the forum for ideas and such. -Tony Skids 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Jasper's driver 0 Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I bought Jasper (purple) because my 2001 Prius (174,000) was getting rusty and ready for serious work, I have a new job location, and I work in Chicago. I have owned a Sprint (college), Metros, and inherited an Aveo. Just donated a '99 Sprint, only had 100,000 but she was falling apart thanks to son in college. All the rest made it to 175,000 range. The Prius was bought because they stopped making Metros and loved the car, but Toyota not good support after five years. And they make the models too big. Also, have been window shopping for new wheels for several years, and the pink Spark spun my head. Love Jasper, and Bluetooth a big draw. Looked at Fiat, low mpg. VW too expensive. I buy cars for MPG! They all had similar goodies, but I have long relationship with dealer and finance guy / old salesman. Link to post Share on other sites
Schaltz 27 Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Spark was the newest car in its class back in late 2011, early 2012, and I got a pretty good deal on my '95 Corolla. So I traded it in and 4 days later picked up a brand new Spark. About a year later the Market exploded with tiny cars, so if I was looking in the same segment, I would buy a Kia Picanto, Hyundai i10, Ford Ka or VW Up!/Skoda Citigo/Seat Mii. Link to post Share on other sites
Dowe Keller 2 Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 My spark is my faithful computer that cost less in payments and gas than it's predecessor cost in gas alone, it's my traveling companion on trips I've taken, having plenty on luggage space and cabin room, and it's my play-mate in city streets or windy mountain home. However, I didn't initially intend to buy the Spark. I owned a 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis, an utterly dreary car that I bought when I was flat broke and needed the transportation. Motivated by the nasty, boring, soul-crushing labor driving this yacht was, I used it's abysmal gas mileage as excuse to buy a new car. I had four main requirements, it had to be fun to drive, it had to be really, really small, and it had to be manual shift, and it should look sharp. There aren't too many cars in the U.S. Market that actually meet those requirements. I knew the Fiat 500 model was out of my budget, as was the MINI. I was initially taken by the Scion IQ, but the dealer told me that it only came with a C.V.T., I looked at the Nissan Versa and found it way too big, and awkwardly styled. My mom had a Ford Fiesta, but it to was a bit big. Smarts were to much like bubble-cars to me. In my area that left only the Mitsubishi Mirage and the Spark, the spark one by a combination of a teensy better styling. greggb 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Dowe Keller 2 Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 Commuter, not computer above Link to post Share on other sites
Goldfish 7 Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I was looking for a small car because I'm 5'1". I prefer hatchback over sedan. Test-drove Prius 2, Versa, Soul, and Spark. I couldn't decide and few months went by. Then I got a $4,000 GM Card rebate that I can use toward Spark in mail, then it was a no brainer. It's been 11 months but still loving my Sparkly. I've had no problem driving in snow last winter when I got it, but just got snow tires this year. Kind of looking forward to driving in snow next time greggb 1 Link to post Share on other sites
leighmaxwell 6 Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I bought Jasper (purple) because my 2001 Prius (174,000) was getting rusty and ready for serious work, I have a new job location, and I work in Chicago. I have owned a Sprint (college), Metros, and inherited an Aveo. Just donated a '99 Sprint, only had 100,000 but she was falling apart thanks to son in college. All the rest made it to 175,000 range. The Prius was bought because they stopped making Metros and loved the car, but Toyota not good support after five years. And they make the models too big. Also, have been window shopping for new wheels for several years, and the pink Spark spun my head. Love Jasper, and Bluetooth a big draw. Looked at Fiat, low mpg. VW too expensive. I buy cars for MPG! They all had similar goodies, but I have long relationship with dealer and finance guy / old salesman. Mine is Jasper too. I love that name! Retired old Gearhead 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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