Jump to content

After these few years, how happy are you with your Spark?


Recommended Posts

My two year anniversary with my new Spark is almost here, and I was wondering...How happy are you with your Spark after the honeymoon period?

As for me and my Spark, I still enjoy everything it has to offer: small size, easy to maneuver in tight spaces, gas mileage, the bells and whistles that came with my 1LT, the unique look of the car, and the list could go on...

For me, the benefits outweigh the negatives...What do you say Spark owners? I know that I've had a few new vehicles, and once the "new" wore off, I was ready to go on the next thing...Not this time. Still loving my Spark!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Interesting topic! Now that ownership can be at the evaluated at the 2yr. mark we should get some accurate feedback on this. I may be a bit of an aberration on this topic as I am a little older, retired and financially in a position to buy just about any vehicle I want. For me what it boiled down to was a small, practical car with some useful features like hands free, voice activated phone connection (Samsung Rugby II voice recognition) with unlimited phone volume control, easy parking and driving and tight turning radius in the craziest Miami Beach traffic. I don't care about the crappy sounding audio as I only listen to talk and a few Bob Marley tunes on a memory stick also a useful feature to me. I don't care how the car looks, only functionality, comfy seats and handling. These are the reasons I bought the Spark.

At first I was looking at the Audi TT series, Audi's small sports car at ±$55K. I loved the car and it was small enough with features I liked, but at that price I would tend to fuss about it rather than just drive it and at the $55K cash outlay, it would in fact end up costing much more in lost investment returns the $55K could produce. After a test drive we discovered the $12K Spark that perfectly met our requirements with the added voice activated phone, that at the time, was not available on the Audi with my current phone. So..the Spark seemed to be just as good for our needs without feeling obligated to fuss over it about dings and scratches on a $55K car. As a second car it seemed the logical choice with cash to spare for a new engine and interior upgrades for our older boat.

After our one year and 28Kmi we really think we made the right choice. I drive it as fast as I want, don't baby it and park anywhere I want without concern for dings and scratches. I actually like it more today than the first month we had it as we had some nice long trips in it to visit the kids in St. Pete's and averaging 85-95 mph for the 600mi round trip without issues. What I don't like is the road and wind noise on longer trips and the slightly rough suspension on poor roads. When my fast v8 2006 Chevy Impala SS goes to my son inlaw, I may yet revisit the Audi as my personal car as they have now fixed the voice activated phone issue. But the Spark will continue to be used by both of us as a city car. If I had to do it again...I would still go with the Spark.

Edited by Retired old Gearhead
Link to post
Share on other sites

Although I have owned many different makes of cars , I had consistently stuck with GM. I had been buying their cars since the seventies. Mainly muscle cars with a few luxury and small cars thrown in along the way . I always had a love for Japanese engineering since the Datsun days and started buying Japan built cars . I think my last GM car prior to the Spark was a Grand Prix GTP . After Pontiac was gone there really wasn't a GM offering that intrigued me.

I had been watching the evolution of the smart car and thought a mini car might be pretty fun . I followed the Scion IQ and Chevy Spark but seemed as though they might never make it to the states. I ended up buying a Brabus built smart and while fun , it was just a bad car. I sold it with only 4K miles and took more than a 10K loss on it.

Which brings me to the Spark . Absolutely loved the style and features and way it ran. I wanted a Salsa 2LT , the first one a dealer was getting me got damaged at port during the big storm . It was many months before I had a second chance . I almost gave in to a 1LT Salsa. I drove quite a distance to a dealer who had several Sparks . They had a 1Lt and 2 Lt facing each other on the front lawn of the dealership. After seeing the differences I knew I was never going to be happy unless I got 2Lt and in the color I wanted.

Finally my dealer located one and it's been a love affair ever since. I look and drive cars every weekend and still haven't found anything as good as the Spark at this price and even above in many cases. It's been the best GM car I have ever owned. I kick myself for not buying an second 2013 Spark when I had the chance. Almost everytime I drive it somebody will come up and tell me how nice it is and ask questions. I tell each of them I highly recommend this car , I never tire of driving it.

Link to post
Share on other sites

My Spark will be 3 years old in February, and i have been very happy with the car so far, and 100.000+ miles on the clock. Only some trouble with the manual transmisson when it was new, and the odd electrical faults. Such as the ESP/Traction Control System which has now stopped working.

Great milage and with a few mods very comfortable. Since the resale price is to increadibly on this type of car in Denmark, i will drive it until it dies. And then maybe get a VW Polo, Opel Corsa or a Seat Ibiza.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I now drive a Ford Fiesta.

The design of the Spark is good, with decent features and I was happy with this aspect. The dealers near me were a let down, the car sucked down a gallon of oil in 10,000 miles which won't be good for longevity, and at the time of trade in there was no fix just more jerking me around. Support from our Chevy people on this forum was good, but once it got elevated to higher level support they were not helpful and just wanted to close the case and move on to the next case.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Today is actually the 2 year anniversary of the purchase of my Spark.

In the 2 years I have had it, it has been in for service at least 15 times, and more than half the time I was told it was operating as designed, and then later Chevy issued a bunch of "fixes" for what is one of the most major problems - the A/C.

The car is STILL all over the road when driving (after multiple complaints I was told it was out of alignment, then told it was the back end that was out of alignment, and since there are no adjustments for the rear, there was nothing to be done!), my gas mileage still fluctuates wildly from very poor to good (operates as designed), the auto transmission shifts very erratically (when taking your foot off the gas even at low speeds, the car acts as if it has a manual trans and shakes everyone in the vehicle as it downshifts), and the A/C still sucks worse than any car that I have ever owned - even after all of the supposed fixes!

All that being said, if it wasn't for all the mechanical issues and the poor service from Chevy and it's dealers, I could have really liked this car.

As it stands now though, Chevy/GM has now lost any and all future business from me (and I was really looking forward to buying the Chevy Trax), my family, my friends, and anyone else that I can steer away from them!

Edited by Gossamer
Link to post
Share on other sites

Today is actually the 2 year anniversary of the purchase of my Spark.

In the 2 years I have had it, it has been in for service at least 15 times, and more than half the time I was told it was operating as designed, and then later Chevy issued a bunch of "fixes" for what is one of the most major problems - the A/C.

The car is STILL all over the road when driving (after multiple complaints I was told it was out of alignment, then told it was the back end that was out of alignment, and since there are no adjustments for the rear, there was nothing to be done!), my gas mileage still fluctuates wildly from very poor to good (operates as designed), the auto transmission shifts very erratically (when taking your foot off the gas even at low speeds, the car acts as if it has a manual trans and shakes everyone in the vehicle as it downshifts), and the A/C still sucks worse than any car that I have ever owned - even after all of the supposed fixes!

All that being said, if it wasn't for all the mechanical issues and the poor service from Chevy and it's dealers, I could have really liked this car.

As it stands now though, Chevy/GM has now lost any and all future business from me (and I was really looking forward to buying the Chevy Trax), my family, my friends, and anyone else that I can steer away from them![/

Well, the Chevy Trax is a sister to the Opel Mokka, and designed and developed in Europe, so the quality of the parts should be okay. Never heard about problems with the Mokka yet :-)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm two months shy of two years, and still very happy with the car, up to this point. It was back to the dealer for the radio upgrade, the two a/c recalls, and the pcv recall. I guess the next one will be the hood latch, but I will wait for my next oil change, next month. The only other problem I had, was the rear window washer quit, I dropped it off in the morning, and picked it up at lunch. I would consider another one, the only thing that would stop me is the CVT trans, I am not crazy about them.

Edited by WaltK
Link to post
Share on other sites

If you took away all the problems with the dealer service departments, and some of the inital problems that took GM about a year to resolve, I do like the Spark. What made me dislike the car as well as the brand as a whole is the dealer network , and some build/enginering quaility issues. This is coming from multiple service visits at five dealers in two very different states.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm a few months shy of 2 years. I wouldn't change it for anything. I just took it on a ~3500 mile cruise to Florida and back, and had no real issues at all. Driving 10-12 hours at a time, I had no discomfort at all. My A/C has always worked, and it did just fine in Florida. Sure, it was on 4 the whole time, and didn't freeze us out, but we weren't sweating either. I have no complaints.

I've only been to the dealer for the radio upgrade, PCV recall, A/C recall, to get my keyfob replaced, and the rear tailgate shocks needed replaced. Oh, and two oil changes. Now, my recirculate button died on me, but that will wait until the next oil change. No regrets. :happy feet:

Link to post
Share on other sites

Both of ours have over 30k on them now and we still love them more then any other car we've owned! I play in some bands and our entire PA system fits in the hatch space behind the seat, 3 guitars, gear back pack, 3 guitar stands, a cajone, bass amp, etc. with room to spare...

The car drives wonderfully, tight and nimble, traction control really works especially in the snow!

The AC could be more powerful, but the fact that it has almost no impact on MPG makes me appreciate it's modest cooling rather than belly ache about it. Actually, it's rather amazing that the car gets better mileage with the windows up and AC on then it does with the AC off and the windows down. Very Cool! Sorry...

The tires have very little wear after 30,000 miles, again amazing! The sound system is ACE, too! The automatic car has averaged 39mpg and the manual car has averaged 41mpg over these past 2 years that we've owned them.

These cars:

Look so cool!

Blast to drive!

Carry 4 tall adults in complete comfort!

Holds all my music gear!

Park anywhere almost.

Sweet sound system and apps!

Loads of cupholders and places to put stuff, ever been in an IQ?

Neat and tidy engine compartment and zippy, sippy little engine!

Brakes are amazing, just amazing.

Electric power steering, perfect road feel and almost silent operation.

Car is tight and super quiet on the road.

few minor issues, PCV valve on the auto car needs replaced a little overengineered, LOL 11 bucks for that part-under warranty. One auto tranny hiccup after 33,000 miles-just needed to resart the car. Infotainment sys got wierd for a few days, fixed under warranty.

All smiles here!! :):)

Wayne and Bonnie

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

Bump lol...Gonna take on a trip from NC to Biloxi soon, and once I'm visiting Biloxi and New Orleans will really appreciate the small size of the car more than I already do...I still get questions and compliments about it even though more and more are on the road. Outside of the small ding on the windshield from a pebble on a road trip (not my fault...and fixed as best I could from kit purchased at Auto Zone), still puttering along....

I would buy one again in a heartbeat, but can't let this one go!!!

Link to post
Share on other sites

bought mine with 1800 miles,from a toyota dealer, for appx $11,500 ,man who bought first was broken hearted but it just wasnt big enough for his bussiness inventory, couldnt afford 2, ,so, he turned it in on a toyota PU I get full, warranty otherwise just minus his 1800 . I absolutely love it. really impressed, with the engine design,, DOHC 16 valve with variable,valve timming a chain for timing instead of a chintzy belt ,no maint required . so far drives perfect ,,comfortable ,feels sporty ,nice tight steering dont wander . am pulling average of 43.4 mpg right now ,all around driving ,but live in a fairley rural area ,and our town has no creepy slow moving traffic . got about 2650 mi on it now .love it! it is a 2014 white Lt,5 speed

everything works as should including ac .what more can i say . it appears to be only one in town as is no regular chev dealer here , and when in a resturant and looking out window watching it often a small group of people will sort of gather around it and look, see. im an old guy and had lotsa new cars in the days of good wages and reasonable,car prices ,this will be my last one and looks like im going to,really enjoy it . .

Edited by bobj
Link to post
Share on other sites

bought mine with 1800 miles,from a toyota dealer, for appx $11,500 ,man who bought first was broken hearted but it just wasnt big enough for his bussiness inventory, couldnt afford 2, ,so, he turned it in on a toyota PU I get full, warranty otherwise just minus his 1800 . I absolutely love it. really impressed, with the engine design,, DOHC 16 valve with variable,valve timming a chain for timing instead of a chintzy belt ,no maint required . so far drives perfect ,,comfortable ,feels sporty ,nice tight steering dont wander . am pulling average of 43.4 mpg right now ,all around driving ,but live in a fairley rural area ,and our town has no creepy slow moving traffic . got about 2650 mi on it now .love it! it is a 2014 white Lt,5 speed

everything works as should including ac .what more can i say . it appears to be only one in town as is no regular chev dealer here , and when in a resturant and looking out window watching it often a small group of people will sort of gather around it and look, see. im an old guy and had lotsa new cars in the days of good wages and reasonable,car prices ,this will be my last one and looks like im going to,really enjoy it . .

My wife and I each have one and we are near retirement age. We love these cars, both have 30k plus and we hope these will be the last cars we'll need to buy. I realy enjoy refilling the car on 20 bucks every few weeks! My coworker's new Fusion also has 30k on it and he's trying to find tires to replace the cheezy tires that Ford put on it that howl and vibrate so bad that he can't hear himself think. Our excellent Goodyear tires look like they have another 20k on the tread and are whisper quiet.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The tires on my Fiesta are junk too, they flat spot after about 6 hours parked. Not really noisy and seem to grip OK, but looking forward to the day I have money to junk them. Probably find some decent low rolling resistance

Michelin or something high quality. Need to pump my tires up for the colder weather, hit freezing last night and really close this morning when I left for work (thump thump thump thump...)

That said, the stock Spark tires on my car were pretty much done after 30,000 of which at least 10,000 was on snow tires (december through march for two seasons). But there was no problem with the alignment as I was told many times. Pressures were always run right around 40psi like the sticker says and obviously rotated a few times. Wish I'd had a better Spark experience, could have used the money that I spent toward the Fiesta right now on something else important.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I first rented a Spark, put 2000 miles on it in 3 days, it ran fine. But with all the issues I kept hearing about, I decided to buy a 2014 Sonic. Just under 11,000 miles the transmission went out on it. Now I am back driving a Spark loaner car. It also runs fine. But for how long. I have decided to sell the Sonic when I get it back, and get away from GM altogether. Unfortunately since the repair is being done by the dealer, it will now show up on the Carfax, and lower the resale value. After a LOT of research, I will probably go with a Kia or Hyundai. They seem to be the best of the budget priced small cars out there, and have the best warranties. I will not likely ever buy another new GM car again.

The cheap tires I put on my Malibu just to get it past 200,000 miles would also flat spot if you followed the owners manual recommendations on inflation pressure. But if you inflated them to the pressure on the sidewall, they did just fine.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...