Finally got a Sonic!

J

JustinMP91

New member
Hey guys... I am now the proud owner of a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic LT sedan :). Just took ownership of it yesterday, got a great deal on it. I would have preferred a hatchback with the 1.4L Turbo, but honestly, the styling of the sedan grew on me, and the 1.8L seems more than adequate!

I traded in my 2003 Chevrolet Impala .. just hit 100k miles on her - young, I know. It was my first car, and a gift from my grandmother... but it was neglected and poorly maintained before I got it - so much so that the oil level barely registered on the dipstick, and the power steering fluid didn't even leave a mark on its dipstick. Transmission fluid was never changed and was burnt. My dad and I put quite a lot of work into that vehicle, including changing the infamous LIM gaskets, which allowed oil into my coolant. I kept the car up as much as I could, and it was always fairly reliable... but it was time to move on. The transmission would occasionally slip and shift sluggishly, even with an Overkill PCM tune (highly recommend those guys), which did help a lot. If I floored it, it would just slip and not grab the gear on a 2-gear downshift. Recently, I noticed what I think was coolant getting into my oil.. and the engine has been running rich, surging at idle, etc, I decided it was time to get as much as I could for it and get a new vehicle. Repair wasn't a good option, I haven't even listed half of the problems with my old car here :p.

I tried to get a Sonic in 2011 when they were first introduced, but it wasn't financially feasible for me back then. I was offered a great deal on this one, since it is a leftover from '13, and still brand new (has 60 miles on it right now). Just wanted to say hi on here, since I'm sure I'll be here a lot... this forum has already given me a few ideas on future plans for my Sonic! :rolleyes:

IMG_7182sm.jpg
 
Stew

Stew

Sedans Rule!
Welcome! Very nice looking Sonic you have there... Of course I am partial to silver and the sedan body, lol. Sounds like you were definitely ready for something new.
 
J

JustinMP91

New member
Thanks! I actually preferred the styling of the hatchback... but the sedan styling is growing on me, and I quite like the seats that fold down ... I couldn't do that in my Impala, so I think I can fit even more in the Sonic than I could in my Impala.. haha!

The silver is quite nice, although I kind of wanted the white. My partner has a 2012 Ford Focus Titanium hatch with the "White Platinum Metallic Tri-Coat" ... I thought it would have been funny to have my Sonic match somewhat :p.
 
barch88

barch88

New member
Nice man. I almost wish I got the sedan over my hatch they seem like they go lower on coils


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SouthFLSonic

SouthFLSonic

Active member
Welcome to the Forum and great choice on the sedan!!! You will be modding up a storm before long if you hang out around here for too long lol :D
 
Chevrolet Customer Care

Chevrolet Customer Care

New member
JustinMP91,

Awesome! Let us know if you would like for us to email you your build sheet and warranty information. You can reach out to us via private message anytime.

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care
 
J

JustinMP91

New member
FedAgent said:
Partner?

Are you law enforcement also?
Click to expand...

Haha, I'm afraid not. I was referring to my boyfriend when I said partner... Sad as it is, it's still habit for me to use gender-neutral language when I refer to him in public places.

Thanks again for the warm welcome though, everyone :). Just ordered a set of LED bulbs to replace the interior lights and trunk/license plate lights... I figured I would start small :p.
 
Swordsmith

Swordsmith

242hp/252 ft-lbs BNR EFI
My first assumption was business partner. Funny how we all see that word from a different perspective. I've been screwed by several business partners, though, so maybe my guess was closer than FedAgents.

Congrats on the car, and yes the 1.8 is a perfectly good engine. The sedan has more storage space than the hatch, especially if you have passengers in the back seat. Did you get the manual or the automatic?
 
J

JustinMP91

New member
Thanks Swordsmith.. I ended up getting the automatic. I would have liked the manual, but this car was kind of a special deal, since they wanted to get rid of it. I thought the hatch would have had more space, interesting that the sedan does. Looks like you have done quite a bit to your Sonic (looks quite nice!).. I plan on keeping mine fairly vanilla, short of maybe changing the radio/audio system down the road. I'm not too interested in performance, especially since it seems to be expensive for negligible gains, and I'm a soon-to-be college graduate (who needs to spend money elsewhere) :p

So far I have no complaints, other than the car seems to vibrate excessively when stopped at a light. I came from a V6 though, so maybe I'm not used to 4cyl engines. I know there's a TSB about it, so I might see if it gets worse or annoys me more and take it back to the dealership.

It also seems like the transmission doesn't have the right gear available when I want it, but the car is still under 100 miles so I'm going to give that time too.
 
Nimda

Nimda

New member
Yep. Give your Sonic some time as new cars always tend to have that little break in period. The vibration your speaking of could possibly be the fuel pump breaking in. Put some miles on the car and see if that vibration goes away.. I'm thinking it will. I am surprised to hear about the automatic transmission not having the right gear you'd like, though. I own the 5 speed but I've read that a lot of members here have driven the auto and were very pleased with how it performed.
 
J

JustinMP91

New member
Thanks for the tip :) I'll just give it some time. The automatic does seem great for the most part... I think I just need to break the car in a little. It's definitely a huge improvement from my old car... With the Impala, if I was on a hill, I had to very gently ease into the gas, otherwise the transmission would slip and then bang into gear almost.


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ecohauler

ecohauler

New member
Welcome to the forum! Of course, I think I got the best car with the manual 1.4T hatch in blue, but yours will undoubtedly be a great car. It took me a while to come over, but I'm starting to appreciate the look of the sedan as well. The 1.8 is a solid engine, and that transmission is probably the best automatic ever offered in a compact/subcompact car (time will tell).
 
Dubbs_RS

Dubbs_RS

New member
Welcome to the forums! You'll love your Sonic.

JustinMP91 said:
I'm not too interested in performance, especially since it seems to be expensive for negligible gains
Click to expand...

You don't have to go nuts. If you ever find yourself with $300 sitting around I (and I think most members here...) would suggest picking up the Trifecta Tune. Honestly it's great bang for your buck and makes the car a whole different animal to drive. Still brings a smile to my face every time I get behind the wheel.

Though if performance isn't a priority at all that's cool... you already made a great choice on your car!
 
J

JustinMP91

New member
Hmmm. You think the Trifecta tune really makes a difference, even with the 1.8L auto? I had an Overkill tuned PCM on my Impala and it definitely made a difference with the transmission. If it's worth it, I would consider it.. Just maybe not for a little while. Gonna have to move into a new apartment and buy furniture, etc soon :p. Thanks everyone though for the comments... If so many of you love your Sonic this much, it makes me feel like I really did make a great decision in getting one :)


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