Jump to content

Consumer Reports is at it again


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 50
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

Most of the small cars take a beating by these CR mags. Read the early reports 20 years ago on the Geo/Chevy Metro. Most reliable car I ever drove. With the simplicity of this new Spark I expect a

I haven't experienced any of the things they complained about. For a car it's size, my cabin is quiet, seats are comfortable and roomy, and it never really shook my kidneys. As far as complaining abou

I've spent a few days going through a lot of postings here on the forum, and with all due respect, it seems that you do most of the complaining over and over. It seems that you are trying to convince

I haven't experienced any of the things they complained about. For a car it's size, my cabin is quiet, seats are comfortable and roomy, and it never really shook my kidneys. As far as complaining about the Mylink being overly complicated, it kind of goes to show you, what sort of idiots are running these tests.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I haven't experienced any of the things they complained about. For a car it's size, my cabin is quiet, seats are comfortable and roomy, and it never really shook my kidneys. As far as complaining about the Mylink being overly complicated, it kind of goes to show you, what sort of idiots are running these tests.

Yep, stupid people. For the money it's a great car even with small issues. I have been enjoying the under $20 fill up lately.

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

purchased my spark on a holiday sale price leader. i researched it for twenty minutes on the web before driving to the dealer and buying it first thing that morning. every review written by some car reviewer had several gripes, (ride, noise, etc.) i did notice that the pickiest reviewers seemed to be females. (honest, no dig) every review i found written by drivers from car enthusiast magazines were positive. (roomy, handles great, easy to toss into a turn....) it's just a little car, not the second coming. glad i bought it.

Link to post
Share on other sites

purchased my spark on a holiday sale price leader. i researched it for twenty minutes on the web before driving to the dealer and buying it first thing that morning. every review written by some car reviewer had several gripes, (ride, noise, etc.) i did notice that the pickiest reviewers seemed to be females. (honest, no dig) every review i found written by drivers from car enthusiast magazines were positive. (roomy, handles great, easy to toss into a turn....) it's just a little car, not the second coming. glad i bought it.

This is a perfect post!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Like I tried to point out above, when they say it is no winner in the owner satisfaction survey, that means that people that actually own the car are not happy with it.

It has nothing to do with any perceived Consumer Reports bias, since it comes from actual owners.

Remember that there is only a very small slice of Spark owners on this forum, and the satisfaction or dissatisfaction here is only a minute (albeit lopsided) representation of how the multitude of owners feel about the car.

If you notice, if anyone here makes a post complaining about the car the post is immediately jumped on by people saying how great the car is (usually the same ones over and over), and the complaint gets lost in the shuffle, and the person that made the complaint disappears - I find that interesting.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I've spent a few days going through a lot of postings here on the forum, and with all due respect, it seems that you do most of the complaining over and over. It seems that you are trying to convince people that if they bought, or are contemplating buying a Spark, it is a major mistake, and it seems to me that you are in the minority. I personally like my Spark, and I don't believe that it is a conspiracy, that the majority here does also. I have read posts here, that people have literally traded their cars in, anticipating problems that will never happen, because they were panicked by posts of gloom, now that is lunacy! Yes there have been problems, GM has dealt with them, instituted recalls, and things seem to be running much more smoothly. I don't work for, or represent GM, I am stating my opinion, and wish you well with your Spark. Find yourself a good dealership, and have your concerns rectified, you will be much happier.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Obviously you haven't really read my posts.

Yes I have complained about the problems I have had with MY Spark, but I have also said many times that aside from the problems I have experienced, I do like the car, and have told others that I am glad they have not experienced the same problems with their Sparks.

Do I believe that GM/Chevy dropped the ball on what could have been a great car? Hell yes!

Do I believe that since my Spark is one of (if not the) oldest US spec car on the board (built in 04/12) it has problems that GM/Chevy addressed in later builds? Yes, I do.

Do I believe that GM/Chevy mistreated me by promising to replace my car and then reneging on the deal? You bet your a$$ I do!

Unlike most of the others that have complained, I have been here for quite awhile, and have not run off after having people immediately tell me how great their cars are, so yes it does appear that I make the most complaints, but I do have reason to complain.

You actually help make my point for me here though, since my main point twice was that Consumers Reports says that owners are not happy, and first it was because CR is biased, and now it is me that is biased, but it is not addressed that a survey of owners has shown dissatisfaction with the car.

If I really wanted to bash the car or to try to make people think they made a mistake buying one, I could post links to dozens of reviews that have negative things to say about the Spark, but I don't, I just try to show that there are two sides to the story.

Remember, I did not post the original link, and it was Consumers Reports that said the Spark was no winner in their owner satisfaction survey, not me.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Obviously you haven't really read my posts.

Yes I have complained about the problems I have had with MY Spark, but I have also said many times that aside from the problems I have experienced, I do like the car, and have told others that I am glad they have not experienced the same problems with their Sparks.

Do I believe that GM/Chevy dropped the ball on what could have been a great car? Hell yes!

Do I believe that since my Spark is one of (if not the) oldest US spec car on the board (built in 04/12) it has problems that GM/Chevy addressed in later builds? Yes, I do.

Do I believe that GM/Chevy mistreated me by promising to replace my car and then reneging on the deal? You bet your a$$ I do!

Unlike most of the others that have complained, I have been here for quite awhile, and have not run off after having people immediately tell me how great their cars are, so yes it does appear that I make the most complaints, but I do have reason to complain.

You actually help make my point for me here though, since my main point twice was that Consumers Reports says that owners are not happy, and first it was because CR is biased, and now it is me that is biased, but it is not addressed that a survey of owners has shown dissatisfaction with the car.

If I really wanted to bash the car or to try to make people think they made a mistake buying one, I could post links to dozens of reviews that have negative things to say about the Spark, but I don't, I just try to show that there are two sides to the story.

Remember, I did not post the original link, and it was Consumers Reports that said the Spark was no winner in their owner satisfaction survey, not me.

Good points. Yes with anything new especially your build you have been through a lot. I too have been through the ringer with small issues and still going through them as we speak. I sometimes say things negative and rethink what I said. But overall I do like my car. I look at it like this, it's a car and down the road I will sell or trade for something else.

But if we don't express our feelings this would not be a good forum. This is what makes the world go around. :-)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I've spent a few days going through a lot of postings here on the forum, and with all due respect, it seems that you do most of the complaining over and over. It seems that you are trying to convince people that if they bought, or are contemplating buying a Spark, it is a major mistake, and it seems to me that you are in the minority. I personally like my Spark, and I don't believe that it is a conspiracy, that the majority here does also. I have read posts here, that people have literally traded their cars in, anticipating problems that will never happen, because they were panicked by posts of gloom, now that is lunacy! Yes there have been problems, GM has dealt with them, instituted recalls, and things seem to be running much more smoothly. I don't work for, or represent GM, I am stating my opinion, and wish you well with your Spark. Find yourself a good dealership, and have your concerns rectified, you will be much happier.

I knew about a few problems before I bought mine reading here. It did not stop me from my purchase. Sometimes I regret my purchase and then enjoy it. But everyone can make their own decisions what they do or not do with their cars. But I'm glad these forums exist to see what issues are out there to make a better decision. This goes for all products, tv, electronics, cars, etc.

Years ago we did not have this info to share and rely on the dealer or store to solve.

Link to post
Share on other sites

You actually help make my point for me here though, since my main point twice was that Consumers Reports says that owners are not happy, and first it was because CR is biased, and now it is me that is biased, but it is not addressed that a survey of owners has shown dissatisfaction with the car.

If I really wanted to bash the car or to try to make people think they made a mistake buying one, I could post links to dozens of reviews that have negative things to say about the Spark, but I don't, I just try to show that there are two sides to the story.

Remember, I did not post the original link, and it was Consumers Reports that said the Spark was no winner in their owner satisfaction survey, not me.

I understand what you are saying, to a point, but most free thinkers don't give a rats a** what CR says, they have been far off point on many products over the years. You are basing your opinion, on your experiences, which have been mostly negative, I base mine on my experiences which up to now have been positive. You are not going to convince satisfied Spark owners that they are driving junk. This next quote is totally unfair, and untrue.

"If you notice, if anyone here makes a post complaining about the car the post is immediately jumped on by people saying how great the car is (usually the same ones over and over), and the complaint gets lost in the shuffle, and the person that made the complaint disappears - I find that interesting."

My experience on this forum has been, that if someone has a problem, most members will jump in and attempt to help and encourage that person, and the topic stays alive until it becomes a non issue. I've never claimed to be a fan of GM, and have condemned them at times, but the biggest issues here have been the a/c, and the pcv valves, which have been addressed and repaired, so I have to give credit where it is due.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Once again, the point was about the survey of owners that was referred to in the article.

If no one cares what CR has to say, why post a link to it?

I am not trying to convince anyone of anything, all I have done is shared my experiences and opinions - which is one of the things the forum is for.

If you like the car, great enjoy it. I like it too, I just wish I COULD enjoy it.

As far as what I posted being "unfair and untrue" maybe you would like to look back now that you are a moderator and see how many people posted only a few messages (complaints or problems) and disappeared.

I never said it was most of the people here nor did I say a large portion or any number of people that jump on the posts - just that it happens and it is usually the same people that do it, so please don't try to make it sound as if I'm condemning everyone here.

As far as issues being repaired, some are and some aren't. My A/C is better, but it still sucks, and I never had a problem with oil loss.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I post a lot of links to articles, some good and some critical, simply because they reference Sparks, and some members may be interested in the different points of view, by various writers. Whatever opinions the readers form from the articles is up to them. I agree that some vocal and productive members have disappeared off of the forum, for no reason what so ever. Again, no one was ever abused or ignored, or had their posts trampled. I don't want to continue to beat a dead horse, so I hope at some point, you can get to enjoy your Spark, and continue to be a productive member of the forum, agree or disagree.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Since I didn't even want the horse to die, I will reiterate one last time, my whole point was that CR (whether or not you agree with a company that that is recognized world wide as a leader in testing), said that they conducted a survey of Spark owners and while it was a passing reference to that survey, that said that the Spark did not do too well.

You (collectively, not anyone in particular), can pick out other parts of what I posted, whenever I posted it, but notice in this thread alone, I mentioned the survey, and not one of all the answers in this thread says anything about the survey of owners that was mentioned.

There have been comments about CR, comments about me and what I have to say and other things, but nothing about the survey and why the actual owners surveyed would not be happy with it.

Is that not trampling my post and/or ignoring my post?

Not to mention that my comment was about what was in the article the link pointed to, so I was even trying to have a conversation about what was in the article that was posted.

By making it about the people that post and not about the vehicle, is that not abusive?

Anyway, I'm done with it since the horse is now decaying! :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

The cabin is noisy and the fuel consumption recall burned a lot of us. I would say at least gm has covered every repair this far with my spark and that the fuel economy is awesome 36/avg about 20 bucks every 4-5 days vs my 2004 trailblazer which was about 15 bucks a day. So for now I'm happy but if something major happened under my power train warranty I might sell before it runs out.

Link to post
Share on other sites

ahhhh consumer reports is crap.. bunch of old white people with nothing to do but complain about new technology.. that being said I love my spark. You get a lot of car for the price. The mpg is great, the features are all I or most anyone needs, park it anywhere, zip in and out of traffic, and it's as fast as you need. It's not a race car it's a commuter, and for the price you can afford a camaro too.

Link to post
Share on other sites

ahhhh consumer reports is crap.. bunch of old white people with nothing to do but complain about new technology.. that being said I love my spark. You get a lot of car for the price. The mpg is great, the features are all I or most anyone needs, park it anywhere, zip in and out of traffic, and it's as fast as you need. It's not a race car it's a commuter, and for the price you can afford a camaro too.

Wait a minute, I am an old white person and I love technology. Survey results aside, I don't really understand their gripes about the room and the complicated my link. It took me about 15 minutes to set mine up with all the radio and Bluetooth settings and my USB music. Volume knob an issue? What is so hard about using the up and down arrows on the radio surround? Also could they not figure out how to use the simple steering wheel radio controls? A bunch of morons. It's so simple a caveman could operate it.

And about the surveys, I haven't paid much attention to them for many years. I would always see if their survey lined up with the ownership of whatever car I had at the moment and I must say at least 90% of the time they were not even close to my experience.

Oh I also bought a TV that they recommended one time. It stayed in the repair shop more than my home for the first year. Then I chucked it and went with another brand and it never let me down. That brand was a low rated brand according to them.

So now I just go with my gut and take my chances. So far I have been happy more often than let down.

PS. I also have a Camaro.....

Edited by Angrybird12
Link to post
Share on other sites

I guess people don't read consumer reports, I just saw that Spark sales were up 76% in December.

Chevrolet:

In the pickup market, dealers delivered nearly 58,000 Silverados, for the trucks best December since 2005. In addition, the Colorado, which is Motor Trends 2015 Truck of the Year, saw sales of more than 4,000 units, as availability improved throughout the month.

In the SUV market, all of Chevrolets redesigned SUVs posted double-digit gains, with Tahoe up 30 percent and Suburban up 16 percent.

In the crossover market, the Traverse was up 11 percent and the Equinox was up 24 percent. In addition, dealers delivered 739 all-new Trax small crossovers, which started shipping during the month.

In the passenger car market, Spark deliveries were up 76 percent, Sonic was up 23 percent, Malibu was up 9 percent and Impala was up 23 percent.

In the sports car segment, Camaro was up 32 percent and Corvette was up 18 percent.

Edited by Angrybird12
Link to post
Share on other sites

Over 3000 Sparks sold in Dec . It continues to dominate the micro car segment . It's put a big dent in Fiat sales which one reason many Fiat dealerships are closing . We just lost one in my area , now owners have to travel a distance to the remaining 2 that are left . Only around half the dealers are profitable . All said , I'm glad I choose the Spark .

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, the technology in the Spark is very old, and it is not by far a drivers car - but that is not what was designed for. It's a very cheep car with a nice level of equipment.

Back in 2012 when I had to buy a new car, there was a fairly small amount of micro cars - Kia Picanto and Hyundai i10. Because of our import taxes, the Toyota iq and Fiat 500 is in a totally different price range. So the Spark was the most sold car in Denmark in 2011 - because of price and equipment.

But now, compared to the new micro cars, it feels old, rough and to cheap. The new Picanto, VW Up! or the Mitsubishi Space Star would be my choice.

This shows in the resell price of the Spark today - it ain't worth nothing.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Those cars are not available in the USA, and when I was looking for a Spark I checked on used ones, since the Spark had only been sold here since 2013 resale value was too high to justify a used one. I bought a new 1LT for $1000 more than most dealers were asking for used LS models.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The Spark sold in the states had so many improvements that it can't compare to versions sold in other countries previously. Of the micro cars sold here you won't find a better car overall . Other than the Opel Adam if it ever comes here as a Buick , there's nothing even sold elsewhere that would compel me to switch . I had hoped Honda might bring their micro here but apparently it would not be able to pass US safety standards . Not much love for micros in this country anyway .

Link to post
Share on other sites

The Spark sold in the states had so many improvements that it can't compare to versions sold in other countries previously. Of the micro cars sold here you won't find a better car overall . Other than the Opel Adam if it ever comes here as a Buick , there's nothing even sold elsewhere that would compel me to switch . I had hoped Honda might bring their micro here but apparently it would not be able to pass US safety standards . Not much love for micros in this country anyway .

Which improvements? We have exactly the same equipment and driveline here in Europe.

If I was living in the states, and looking to buy a small car, I would go for the Space Star, og Mirage as I believe it is called in the US. Priced the same as the Spark here in Denmark when we could buy Chevrolet, and bigger with a more smoothe engine.

Adam is way to expensive and cramped inside. But rides pretty good, but space inside is ridiculous. Not a succes by any means in Denmark - the Fiat 500 is outselling the Adam big time.

Edited by Schaltz
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...