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OK, I didn't buy a Spark because of all the problems I've heard about, both here and all over the internet. I wound up buying a new leftover 2014 Sonic 1LT auto at a $3000 discount. I was very happy with it. Drove it to Portland OR and back once, all was fine. At just under 11,000 miles, I get in it in a parking lot, start it up, and put it in reverse. Nothing happens. At first I thought it had not gone into reverse, so I made sure. Still nothing. I put it in drive and felt it catch. So I pushed it out of the parking space and put it in drive. It took off, but would not upshift. It was night. I drove it about 4 miles home in first gear. Next day I had it towed to the dealer. They said the transmission needed to be replaced (did not mention repair, I guess these things are not repairable) and that it would take 2-3 weeks. Right now I have a Spark 1LT CVT. It has just over 3000 miles on it. Probably used as a loaner from new. It runs fine, just like the one I rented back before buying the Sonic.

Basically I've had it. When I get the Sonic back, it is going on Craigslist. I will lose a fortune, but I will never ever buy another new or late model GM product. Everybody keeps saying how great new cars are, and how old cars constantly broke down. I have a '63 Nova and a '72 Chevelle. They don't break down. I wish I had kept my old '01 Malibu. It was still running great with 200,000 miles on it. Only serious problem it ever had was caused by Dexcool. When I repaired the damage Deathcool caused (intake manifold gaskets, plugged up radiator) and put green coolant in it, it never again had any serious issues.

I advise anyone considering a new GM car to think long and hard about it. I was happy when GM got bailed out. I'm not so happy about it anymore. I don't know what I'm going to get when the Sonic is gone, but it will be used, it will be bought from a private seller, and it will not be GM. I will never go to a GM dealer again.

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I've bought prob a half dozen new gm cars over the last 4 years never had any problems in fact I have bought 2 sonics never had any issues with them you got a bad tranny it happens , no auto brand is perfect they all have problems some more than others , the sonic is the only b segment sized car made in the USA , personally I wouldn't get ride of it because the tranny needed replaced , but that's your choice the sonic is a great little car ..

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Been buying GM cars for 45 years. And several have been later models. Only ones I have had issues with were a couple used ones I bought. Right now I have a 2012 Camaro and a 2008 Saturn I bought used. The Saturn needed a transmission rebuild at 60,000 miles.

How many miles did that Sonic have on it when you bought it?

Edited by Angrybird12
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I bought the Sonic new. It had just under 11,000 miles when the trans went. That is simply not acceptable in 2014. And that Saturn should have gone 200,000 miles before needing any major work. The Camaros do seem to be better, but they are too expensive to buy, insure, and put gas in. Today, if properly maintained, 200,000 miles without any serious problems should pretty much be a given. I know someone with a '93 S10 pickup 2.8 5 speed that is still going strong after 218,000 miles. Engine and trans have never been out. Yes it has the original clutch. It seems that cars did get better for awhile compared to the '70s, but now they are on their way back down again.

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Large-Bob says: "I will lose a fortune." Worry not big guy! Having bought the Sonic at a $3,000 discount and having only 11Kmi on it, you should be able to sell the Sonic with very little, if any, loss on your original purchase price. I bought the Spark for only 2 reasons. I wanted a very small car with voice activated bluetooth phone capability and a few months before the drive train warranty expires I will take some high mileage oil from it to be analyzed where the exact condition of the engine can be determined and based on that will decide to keep or sell.

•I do agree the the new cars, specially the smaller 'budget' units are way over engineered with electronic sensors controlling just about everything rather than the older models being mostly mechanical. Use of lighter, less durable materials does not help with overall reliability. These highly engineered, tight tolerance parts need exact quality control at the parts and assembly stage that has not caught up with the engineering. This is evident right across the brands and most evident in the 'lower end' models. GM is not alone in this area, even BMW and other higher end models are having issues with certain highly complex engineering of some components. A lot of the issues are a direct result of the competition between companies trying to get the best gas mileage and emissions by introducing these sensors and tight tolerances into their vehicles.

•A person with your mechanical knowledge and requirement of a solid and reliable vehicle would be well advised to find an older V6 in the 2000-2009 model year range in the BMW-Mercedes range. I know of several very good friends who have done exactly that. One lady (Long Beach) has a 2005 Mercedes compact model and almost 203,000 trouble free miles & my next door neighbor, a DIY retired guy has a 2004 BMW-M3, rear wheel drive 300+Hp inline 6 and has an unbelievable 240,000mi on it and used in stop and go traffic as well as many long trips from Miami to Chicago. Only problem he ever had was his radio fail and a Alternator & battery replacement.

• As a side note on GM: I still see a lot of 1999++ Chevy Cavaliers on the road..they had the old 2.2L-4-pushrod engine design..Not all that much rust on them either....so..that's my take on your post, but, I'm sure you knew most of that anyway. Good luck with your sale and new purchase...let us know how you make ot...K?

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It could be worse, if you bought a Spark, lol. Many of us have taken their Sparks into dealers multiple times for the same issues, or multiple unresolved issues that dealers can't replicate. At least you only had one issue with a defective transmission that the dealer is actually fixing, without giving you the run around. Some of us here regret not getting the Sonic for little more cost than a Spark, or just sticking with our beloved import brands, or just got rid of the Spark less than a year of purchase becouse we need reliable transportation and tired of the unresolved issues. Hopefully this will be your only non maint issue for the next 80-100k miles.

Edited by austex04
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It's funny to me that people didn't buy a Spark based on a few people with problems but then go buy cars with known reliability problems lol . Sonics have had issues since the day the came off the assembly line . I've been on the Sonic forum since day 1 and transmission failure has been reported , the first ones built didn't even have brake pads installed . I avoid cars made in America and Korea , Spark was the exception , fantastic reliability !

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I feel the reason the Saturn had issues was after I bought it I found out it was a rental car in Florida before the second owner had it. If I had known that beforehand I would have not bought it. Everyone knows rental cars are dogged to death. The reason I asked how many miles was on the sonic before nyou bought it was they can still sell one as new even though it has up to 4,000 miles on it. Some are used as loaners in the service department then sold at the end of the year at a discount. If that is the case who knows how that car was treated before you bought it.

Edited by Angrybird12
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Since you want an auto transmission, I'll say to hold off on the Fiesta or Focus. The dual clutch system has had problems and pretty much anything you currently buy is going to have the old clutches and will probably give you issues. My manual has very good cruise control, barely ever notice it adjusting speed, nice and subtle in operation. I know you aren't an import guy, but for fun go check out Kia Rio and Forte. Versa Note is another small car you may want to look at, a guy at work has one and I was surprised by the features packed into the base model and the room in the back seat.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've only owned GM (73 impala, 78 skylark, 98 deville, 07 silverado, 13 sonic, 14 spark) still have the last 3.. silverado had to have the power seats re grounded, and the folding mirror motor replaced (due to the parking/valet guy folding and unfolding it manually once a week) both covered under warranty and neither a big deal. spark and sonic no issues.. and probably next with be a new colorado.. you got a bad one defects happen, they replaced it for free.. and no offense, who knows how you drove it.. slipping it between reverse and drive while its still moving in the opposite direction.. just cause its new doesnt make it bullet proof..

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