Bought A New Car!

"LongbowMkII" (longbowmkii)
08/04/2015 at 20:47 • Filed to: None

Blurry potato pic!

It’s a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco. I held firm on having the manual 6-speed despite my wife’s reluctance and now she knows how to drive a manual too! win/win. Driving it home from the dealership I got nearly 50 mpg on the interstate so I feel that little green eco badge is well earned. It’s an economy car, but being so new its still very well equipped. It only has a bit over 35k on the odo and all the CPO perks, so that’s nice. This car was only a few hundred more than the 2012 one on CL we were going to look at that evening anyways, so well worth the cost IMO. The dealership experience was good and straightforward, the salesperson did sound a bit like a brochure, but not irritatingly so. What do you mean that not everyone knows this is powered by a 1.4l turbocharged 4cyl that gets an EPA rated 42mpg on the highway? No sense of smarm or bullshit (although a different salesperson was fully leaning on the front fender of a Z/28, uncool) and he recognized the paradigm shift in car sales (carmax was next door). It may have been part of his spiel, but good enough for me. Overall, it was a very good experience. I’ll give a more detailed Opporeview after a few weeks and get to know it a bit better driving it to school and back.

I’m not sure it’ll ever stir passion(although the setting the mpg high score is fun), but that’s not this car’s raison d’être. It’s my wife’s and my commuter and this should be all the commuter we need for a long while.

DISCUSSION (18)

mazda616 > LongbowMkII
08/04/2015 at 20:58

Very cool. I like those. Light years ahead of the Cobalt they replaced!

Big Bubba Ray > LongbowMkII
08/04/2015 at 21:02

Thank you for actually buying a car with a manual! Enjoy they car! I’m a huge fan of the Cruze.

Alex from Toronto > LongbowMkII
08/04/2015 at 21:04

I like the Cruze, pretty good econobox.

Good buy.

LongbowMkII > mazda616
08/04/2015 at 21:06

I had fairly low expectations going in just based off the decades of compact mediocrity from GM, but this is better than bad. It’s good! It feels inexpensive but not terribly cheap.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > LongbowMkII
08/04/2015 at 21:15

I’m curious to know how those mpg stats compare to real-world figures from the Cruze diesel.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > LongbowMkII
08/04/2015 at 21:17

Time to call Trifecta Tuning?

AM > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
08/04/2015 at 21:27

The Cruze diesel can get over 50mpg average on the highway, same as the Jetta. Shame the diesel option is so expensive on the Cruze.

AM > LongbowMkII
08/04/2015 at 21:29

I challenge you to beat my mpg record. My highest so far is 56mpg average for one tank.

LongbowMkII > AM
08/04/2015 at 22:08

diesel?

LongbowMkII > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
08/04/2015 at 22:11

nah, keeping it fully stock. the only modifaction im considering is the holden or daewoo front bumper/grill as the chevy grill is pretty ugly. the active aero would likely be a bother, so doubtful.

Vicente Esteve > LongbowMkII
08/04/2015 at 22:45

That 6th gear green ball.

qbeezy > LongbowMkII
08/04/2015 at 22:48

Congrats!

pip bip - choose Corrour > LongbowMkII
08/05/2015 at 04:00

good choice.

congrats!

pip bip - choose Corrour > LongbowMkII
08/05/2015 at 04:01

Kinja'd!!!

you should replace the grille and be different.

put in a Daewoo one or go for a Holden grille

LongbowMkII > Vicente Esteve
08/05/2015 at 07:24

its a nice touch, this is my first 6speed so it feels a bit much. Plus the green shift light comes on at like 1700-2000 rpm sometimes I never really considered shifting that low since it usually lugged the motor.

Vicente Esteve > LongbowMkII
08/05/2015 at 08:13

I also have the shift light and gotten so used to it I shift right before it goes on. I don’t know if it is good or bad but I can’t take that habit off me now.

LongbowMkII > pip bip - choose Corrour
08/05/2015 at 08:50

I’ve looked into that, not a fan of the chevy grill. It’s hard to justify the cost and effort for, what I assume, is worse aero and lower mpgs. If the bumper needed to be replaced anyways, yeah I’d seriously look into it.

AM > LongbowMkII
08/05/2015 at 09:52

Yes sir!