Used car Owner reviews

Comfort Fuel Economy Fun To Drive

Interior Design

Exterior Design Build Quality Reliability

Vehicle

2012 Chevrolet Volt 4dr Hatchback (gas/electric hybrid DD)

Review

My 2012 Volt has been the most trouble free, economical car I have ever owned.
I would encourage everyone to look at and test drive this car. It is a marvel of engineering.
It's truly like driving a future car today. It has an incredible range and the novelty of charging it everyday
hasn't worn off in the 3.5 years I've owned this car. It looks great and is a joy to drive, really fun.

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Performance

Comfort Fuel Economy Fun To Drive

Exterior Design Build Quality Reliability

Honestly it's not all bad.. there are some good parts to this car..
As far as american cars go, it has no squeaks, no rattles, no broken electronics, no issues with interior pieces breaking. It's pretty surprising like that..
The ride quality is amazing, it is smooth, quiet, and pretty nimble in the dry weather.. The Snow performance is about as bad as it gets, my Mustang GT was better, my 1985 Mustang is better.. Generally drive that if it is going to snow.. When you drive it in the summer you get decent AC, and a quiet nice ride.. This car IMO is not a good car for people who live in cold climates.. It gets horrible MPG if you like heat.. and if it snows, it's not the going, it's the stopping.. simply it wont..

Reliability..
Lack of completely.. i traded in a 2001 Sienna with 379K miles on it, which i would take back today if they still had it..
So far i have owned it for 4K miles.. I have put about the same on courtesy cars. It has been in a total of 48 days for repairs..
So far.. (It's at the dealer right now as i write this)
1. Ignition module, can can't find the key if you charge the car at night. (replaced the ignition module and fixed the issue for 2 weeks.)
2. Ignition module, and steering dead spot while driving on the highway.. (TSB on this, replaced under warranty, new ignition module, OK for 2 weeks)
3. Ignition module, Steering column issue returned, no turn signals, no start in very cold. (All fixed under warranty, new ignition module)
4. Ignition module, Electrical issue shorted out my house while charging, as well as a Voltec charging station (Under warranty, replaced ignition module, replaced the inverter, replaced, the charge port, replaced charge port door, and charge port sensor. (-1500.00 for electrician to fix my home)
5. Ignition Module, Front clunk from strut mounts, rust issue under hood, no heat in the winter, and extremely bad MPG. (Replaced ignition module, and gave me 3 new keys and batteries, replaced the front strut mounts, replaced the hood and repainted it to match the car, can't explain the 9MPG in the cold)
6. Oil leak, coolant leak, and issues with over heating engine in -15 degree weather. (Replaced the Oil pan gasket, Coolant line for the battery cooler, and head gasket (at 14K miles) )
7. exhaust leak into cabin, loud engine, sounds like rocks in a drier while running gas, brake squeak in the right rear brake, ebrake sticking, mileage is extremely lessened in the winter, way bellow the EPA estimate, Ignition Module. (Dealer replaced leaking exhaust manifold gasket, engine sounds like rocks in it due to oil starvation and needs to have the engine replaced, brake was sticking in the rear right, front battery bank over heated.. needs to be replaced, Ignition module needs to be replaced again, will get the car back likely in March.. )

If you don't live in the Cold climates, i would imagine most of these things would not happen..
Also if you have owned Toyota, or Honda, do NOT trade it in for anything american, while they are better than they were, they are NO WHERE NEAR as good as Honda and Toyota as per reliability..

Resale Value:
Honestly, the car's value sinks faster than the Titanic..
You will shell out 18-20 certified pre-owned..
In 6 months it's worth 8-10, and in 12 months you are looking at 6K..
It's resale is horrific.. Buy a moped.. You'd be better off..

MPG:
Charging cost in summer - 48cents per full charge at .06 per kilo watt hour.
Charging in the winter - 6.00 per full charge due to the battery warmer, it's expensive to charge in the winter, 6.00 at .06 cents per kilowatt hour.

All Gas Winter driving MPG - (Less than 35 Degrees - 12MPG, More than 35 Degrees 23MPG)
All Gas Summer Driving MPG - (under 75 degrees - 38MPG, over 75 degrees 32MPG)

All electric range Summer - 42 Miles per charge
All electric range Winter - 9 Miles per charge (with heat on)
All electric range winter - 14 Miles per charge (No heat)

So there it is, while it is a nice thing to drive when it works, it is horrific in reliability..
The saving grace is the dealerships for GM are very nice around my area, and while i hate the GM product line, they have always had me in a car to get back and forth to work.. Unfortunately, after driving nearly every GM in the product line as a loaner car, i have to be honest, i can't see ever buying any GM product, unless it is a Vette..

(UPDATE)
As writing this, i am now going on week 3 of no car, they are still working on it..
Currently the steering wheel is not connected to the front wheels, they have replaced the steering gear 3 times, and the rack 2 times..
it is back in the shop.. No way to steer the car.. They claim now it's the steering column.. though i have to be honest i am skeptical..
There was a TSB and lawsuit against GM for this..
It's a well known issue.. DO NOT BUY ONE OF THESE USED..

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Comfort Fuel Economy Fun To Drive

Exterior Design Build Quality Reliability