Used 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Consumer Reviews
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Uber driver gives thumbs up
All though built for a 19 year old college girl, my 240 lb 5'10" frame rides well in it. I purchased the car in January of 2013. As of November 21, 2015 I have logged over 63,000 miles. This car is the 1.8 liter mated to the 6-speed manual tranny. I log every fuel up utilizing the gas tracker app available on iTunes. Average is 30.5 MPG and I am not the most conservative driver. Only mechanical issue I have encountered was a broken thermostat housing and thermostat. The issue was covered under warranty. Car rides well and handles very well. It is under powered but expected with only 138 horsepower. I recently began driving for Uber. I have received a ton of compliments on the car. The 6-speed manual tranny is a real conversation starter. This is the base model and does not have blue tooth or cruise control. The stereo is somewhat inadequate. It is difficult to hear stereo with the windows down and only having 6 pre-set stations really blows. The car is silver ice and the windows are tinted as dark as the law will allow. It looks brand new. Something very remarkable is that I still have the original tires. Firestone FR710. Over 63K miles and still a good ways away from the tread ware indicator. I would recommend this car to anyone.....Most notable downside is resale value Update 5/22/16 79,000. Finally put new tires on it at 70,000 miles. Car is still performing as expected with no issues. Update 5/23/17 mileage 97,000. No mechanical issues at all. This past year I've changed the oil and rotated the tires every 5k miles. No other maintenance performed. I have experienced a vibration during heavy braking so I'll have the brakes checked at my 100k oil change. 11/24/19 update 147,000 miles. PM’ed the timing belt at 100K The AC condenser went out at 140K. While at dealership they offered me $1,000 which was insulting. the car still operates as it did when new. I’m still averaging over 30mpg 6/1/2020 160,000. Car is holding up well. 32MPG on last fuel up. No issues. 12/1/2020 170,000 miles. Car is still holding up well. The shifter knob fell apart other than tgat it’s holding up well. Does not use a drop of oil. I change the oil every 5k mikes with semi synthetic. Interior and exterior are still in excellent shape. 30-32 mpg per tank still. 6/3/2021 179000 miles. Still running strong. Original motor, tranny, and even the stock clutch. Does not even have any leaks. Last fuel up was 33mpg. 6/6/22 198000 miles. Still no issues or major repairs
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Just Cruzin'
Great job in engineering. Have 6-speed auto and get 28 mpg commuting on side roads to work, got 38 mpg overall on 1400 mile treck from east coast to midwest, even 40 mpg on the flat interstates at 75 mph and the air conditioning blasting. Handles very well, turbo kicks hard at ~30-35 mph to 65 mph. Very good overall. Better mirrors than that of the Impala and better acceleration and fuel mileage than the Malibu.
Super safe car
My mom had a Cruze also. She was T-boned by a city bus. Airbags deployed fully. At 86 years old my mom had broken bones but required no surgery. I bought my Cruze for just over $16,000. I can drive from Davenport, Iowa to Cincinnati, Ohio easily on a tank of gas. I get much better gas mileage than the automatics do. The shift is smooth and easy to use. I love everything about my car! The only negative is the idiot shift light is annoying. I've only had one recall since I purchased it new in 2013. A big bonus for me is the trunk size and set up. With the back seats down, I can easily fit large items through the frame. Makes it a great car for hauling when you just need a few 4x4x8 for a fence. I'm keeping this car. Its not ever going to be for sale. Still lovin my Cruze! I've had my Cruze now for over 4 years. Still in love with it! Won't be trading it in ever! Car companies can keep their expensive gas guzzlers. I'm keeping my Cruze! I've kept up my maintence schedue,had several oil changes and rotate my tires every oil change. No issues mechanically at all. 12/2017 Struts had to be replaced but were covered under my warranty. Still the best car I've ever owned! 2019 still running great! Had the brakes replaced last year. May need new tires this year. No issues to report. Sold the car to my brorger in law after an at work accident made it difficult to drive with a clutch peddle. Car is still great and he loves it.
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Nitemare
This car has drained our bank account and caused my wife to lose her job based off its unreliability!!! 2 turbo chargers, a complete engine block, water pump, intake manifold, cataytic convertor, idle tensioner assembly and serpentine belt in the last 14 months alone.... if i sold it i wouldnt be able to sleep knowing what a terrible car i would be dumping on some poor soul... i have been a Chevy man my whole life but they have lost my business the engineering on this car is so bad that a 2 dollar pcv valve will break loose from the plastic tit it resides on in the intake and cause you to replace the WHOLE INTAKE ($300.00) as well as tear up your valve cover i would not wish this car on my worst enemy!!! GM needs to bail out all of us poor saps who purchased this retched bank acct draining joke of a car!!! They laugh all the way to the bank seemingly engineering simple inexpensive parts to fail miserably while incorporating them into parts that cost several hundred dollars to replace DO NOT PURCHASE ONE OF THESE THE TOW TRUCK EXPENSES ALONE WILL BREAK YOUR BANK ACCT
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DO NOT BUY
I bought this car, brand new, with 16 miles on it. I have had it for 6 years. As far as comfort and driving go, the car is great. It’s a fun car to drive, and eye catching, but the engine needs to be scrapped, if I’m being completely honest. The coolant system has been the bane of my existence. I replace the thermostat every 6 months-a year and neither the dealer nor GM can figure out why. I keep up on regular maintenance, but even so, there’s no reason a thermostat should need replaced 6 months into owning a brand new car and every year after (it’s on its fifth thermostat, no recalls, no help from the dealer). The constant leaks that pop up in the coolant system seals the deal on why I will not be replacing the thermostat again (the only reason I was is due to being upside down in my loan very soon into financing the car due to the extreme rate of depreciation). I am getting away from this car as fast as I can. Really wish GM would help the customers who have had to deal with all of these issues, because I’m not the only one. I bought this car for safety and reliability. It has left me stranded and/or scared to drive it more than I would care to deal with, and it cost me about $22k to enjoy that. Trust me, stay away from this car.