Used 2012 Chevrolet Sonic Sedan Consumer Reviews
Used Sonic for sale
STILL! LOVE MY SONIC
Judy hammond, 11/13/2015
updated 12/04/2019
2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
December 2018 - still not one mechanical failure. Sadly, though, GM has decided to stop making these kinds of cars and the Sonic is not something one can find, brand new, anymore. Or I would buy one. Another Update: June 2018. Finally rolled over 100,000 miles. Not one issue with this car. I still love it. It's the best car I've ever had, and I find it so much fun to drive. One thing I will change, if I can buy another one someday, is to not have black interior. I have a little dog who sheds like crazy, so the seats and carpeting stick to and show that white hair quite easily. I'd also add cruise control, and USB ports for phone. I bought a basic version of the car, and I wouldn't mind upgrading to a version with more technology. Tires are inexpensive. Oil changes done regularly. Nothing that needs repaired, still. Update: Still loving my Sonic in (almost) 2018. It's November. Haven't had to have any repairs, as yet, other than maintenance and new tires. A deer did hit my front side bumper, and scrape my passenger door, but it was minor damage which insurance company paid for. This little car is quite durable, and I'm still not tired of driving it. The only thing I miss is the cruise control, and wish there were some USB ports. Other than that, it's my favorite car. Older review, right after I bought it: I'm retired, and this is almost the best fun I've ever had, driving. I had a '78 Mustang Cobra in my younger years, so that's hard to beat. But I LOVE my 2012 Sonic! The only thing I wish is that it has cruise control, and all the ports for cell phone and other things the newer cars have. My fault. I didn't realize they came with that stuff, and I forgot to check out the cruise control feature, because I was having so much fun when I test drove it. It's a hatchback and I toted an 8' x 2' x 1" board home with me for an entertainment system I built. Just about as good as a little truck, which is what I was looking for. Love all the little storage features it includes. Can't say enough good about my Sonic, which I've had for about three months. Whoever designed it had women in mind! I've already taken it on three long trips. Ohio to NC twice, and Ohio to Syracuse NY once. I went 70 mph with no problems, and it's a whole lot of fun to drive. In a few years, if I'm still on this planet, I'll be looking to get a newer Sonic with cruise! December 2019 I have about 113,000 miles on my car now, and just had to have the water pump and the gizmos that handle the belt spinning. It cost me $530, but this is the first repair I've had to do to the car, except for tires. Brakes are still good, nothing else is breaking. I'm happy with it, still.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Things start falling appart
wilhitejm, 09/08/2014
2012 Chevrolet Sonic LT 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
12 of 15 people found this review helpful
I drive about 120 miles per day and do get a little better gas mileage than my last car. The problem is the gas tank is so small I have to fuel up every other day, although the tank is smaller than my last car. My check engine light started coming on recently and I had the codes checked, indicating an oxygen sensor. I checked and the bold that holds the bracket and wiring for the oxygen sensor had fallen out and was gone leaving the oxygen sensor cable on the hot manifold. Can't find the bolt so I have it zip tied to a little loop on the engine. I have checked some forums and it is common on the Sonic and Cruz (same motor) The engine over temp light started coming on as well.
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Great little car for the money
stoopid3, 10/05/2012
2012 Chevrolet Sonic LT 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Went from a 2007 Civic to the Sonic. Got a good deal on a 2LT ($16,500). Now at 5k miles on the Sonic. Handling is solid, though I've ordered some new tires to get rid of that squishy ride that I attribute to the stock (soft) tires. Gas mileage is on par with the civic (~30 MPG mixed). If I had a lighter foot on the highway I'm sure I'd get the rated 35MPG and then some. Features set can't be beat in the price category. Only the Kia Rio (?) comes close. What Edmunds fails to stress is that dollar for dollar you get much more with the Sonic than any competing vehicle. No brainer.
Great Buy!
themrchen, 12/20/2012
2012 Chevrolet Sonic LS 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
bought this car for my daughter, I was enjoying my new camaro and noticed what a sharp looking vehicle this was, she needed a new car and we got a good deal, about 14k. car gets over 35 mpg highway and 30 mpg in town mixed communting, never misses a beat. handling was funny when new, car came with 46 pounds of air in tires, tail would wag on hwy, reduced pressure and broke tires in and handling is perfect. what more could you ask from this 14k$ car? its fantastic
33k on 2012 Sonic
gnonnemacher, 08/10/2014
2012 Chevrolet Sonic LT 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Bought this car new. Stock tires are useless in MI winters, so 4 snows are used in winter. Still gets 30+ mpg with snows! Good equipment package on LT models. We just got back from a trip to the UP of Michigan. Got 38.5 mpg overall and its rated at 35 hwy. I'm picky about my cars and this one has had minor damage and repairs (others fault) twice. Drives very well at highway speeds and has usable seating for four. Holds a good amount of cargo with rear seats folded down, even in the sedan. No mechanical problems or issues to date. My only complaint is that it is not very forgiving on rough roads and we have a lot of those around here.
The Sonic
andrewhudson, 11/23/2011
2012 Chevrolet Sonic LT 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
77 of 111 people found this review helpful
My wife and I were looking at getting a used cobalt when we noticed online that Chevy was releasing a new vehicle (the sonic). I was a little worried at first with the track record of the aveo but went for a test drive and we noticed the quality difference right away. We fell in love with the car almost instantly and bought it a number of weeks later. This car combines smart technology with a stylish fun to drive vehicle that gets excellent gas mileage. A soon as we can we will be getting another one, and as many people say it is one of the cars from the transformer 2 movie so it gets extra cool points.
Plastic Toy Car!! DON'T BUY!!!
carman_, 04/02/2014
2012 Chevrolet Sonic LT 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
10 of 13 people found this review helpful
Do not buy this car, I repeat do not buy this car!! This car is hunk of junk. The out side design and interior are unique and appealing, but don't let that suck you in. You feel every single bump no matter what, and the suspension is horrible. This Car Has Terrible heat, absolutely terrible. If you live in Canada like myself, stay clear. The gas mileage is good as it's 90% hwy driven. The gears shifting are very noticeable, and acceleration is very slow (1.8 L). The sound system is terrible and most LS, and LT's don't even come with rear speakers. Besides the appealing look it, its horrible to drive, It's like driving a plastic toy car! Not worth the $, buy a cobalt, anything, but not this!!
Should have bought a Ford
Diane Shafer, 02/06/2016
2012 Chevrolet Sonic LS 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
10 of 13 people found this review helpful
First thing I noticed was the headrests were too high to see over. I was told I would get about 30+ mpg. I get maybe 24, pushing it, and I drive mostly highway. There was a recall on the transmission and I had it repaired in 2014. In 2015, the transmission went out, and so did the brakes. The wiper blades are custom, and cost anywhere from $35 on up. Very disappointing and if I didn't want to get this thing paid off and not deal with a payment again, I would have gotten rid of it.
supersonic
chetj, 08/13/2012
2012 Chevrolet Sonic LS 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
this car runs great, gets 37 mpg, is roomy and gutsy. I am very glad i bought it. My price was 13 k total after gm card rebate. Assembled in mich too. Help the workers in lake orion GM assembly and buy a sonic
Awesome little car!
sooogud, 02/04/2013
2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
9 of 13 people found this review helpful
It's an awesome small car that doesn't drive like a small car. I've had it for over 7 months and 10,000 miles and it's been a great experience. The 6-speed manual turbo is a must for this car, though. I test drove the 5-speed auto 1.8L and it doesn't cut it for highway driving. The turbo engine is pretty responsive makes on-ramps and passing a blast. MPG is pretty decent at about 3640mpg on average, and that's not taking it easy on the accelerator. In cold weather (i.e., 32F or lower), however, mpg drops to about 3034mpg. Great little car, definite recommendation from my experience.