# suggestions on buying a used Cruze



## hank1948 (Jan 13, 2018)

Hello, I'm wanting to buy a 2011-2013 Cruze I'm looking for opinions

I drive bout 600-700 (mostly highway) miles a week 

I'm interested in a ECO w/a manual trans but I've read a few bad things about the transmission will it last to 300k without problems?

The automatics any good? anyone have 250k or more on one without any issues?

Also reading that the turbos wont last long...what goes bad with those?

Are the ECO engines fairly reliable?

Thanks


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

I would look for a 2014 or later.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

I had a 14 eco manual, drove it from new to 22k miles, nice car, I averaged 39 mpg. I had zero issues with it. 14 and newer they allowed you to use regular gas, the older ones for some reason really didn’t run well unless you used premium. If I were looking for eco I would want a manual.


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## mkohan (Dec 19, 2015)

I had a 2012 LT manual. drove it 60,000+ no issues. gave it to my son as his caviler was dying. he still riving it with about 90,000. The only issue he had was the PCV, it was replaced under warranty. I'd also go with a manual. If possible, look at service records (oil changes with full synthetic) better chance that the turbo is in better condition. When buying anything used have an independent mechanic look at it for a second opinion. good luck.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Six to seven hundred miles a week?

I don't care who manufactured it.......you will have a lot of heartache ($$$$$) imo starting off with a secondhand car.
Very rare for cars to get traded in because they were flawless.

Buy new and put the longest warranty you can on it.

Rob


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## 2015LT2 (Jan 20, 2017)

I think the 1.4 Litre turbo is the _better_ of the 2 gasoline engines. I would look for a 2014 or 2015 with low miles, as there are still plenty around.


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## hank1948 (Jan 13, 2018)

I wish I could get a 2014 but I only have bout $5500 to spend


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

Take the bus a while longer. You'll be better off.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Avoid 2011 entirely. I'd avoid 2012 models too. Lots of issues were ironed out by 2014-15.

The 2012+ automatics have fewer issues, BUT they need to be maintained. Fluid changes every 45k are recommended.

The manual transmissions have had lots of bearing and flywheel failures. Fortunately, most fail before 100k under the powertrain warranty. I would not buy another myself...that is simply unacceptable in my book, and they haven't been redesigned to be improved at all.

Turbo failures are mostly wastegate pivot pins wearing out, causing underboost codes and the whole turbo as a result needs to be changed. The 1.4T is a DURABLE engine longevity-wise - some have made it to 300-500k miles, but due to a couple design flaws (PCV system, water pump, pistons cracking), isn't the most reliable motor you'll find in a small car. The 1.8 has less issues, but also has a timing belt that needs to be changed every 100k, is pretty gutless, and isn't very economical.


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## hank1948 (Jan 13, 2018)

Do the 2014 1.4 engines has the same PCV issues as the 2011-2013 years?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

hank1948 said:


> Do the 2014 1.4 engines has the same PCV issues as the 2011-2013 years?


Yep

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## AzSandSlinger (Sep 10, 2015)

Just some perspective. I have had my '14 LS 1.8L since ~20k miles. Just crossed over the 100k mark. 

I also drive ~2500-3000mi a month with 95% being long highway miles (like 500mi long).

Having owned many forced induction cars (low and high-end), they add another variable into the "stuff to go wrong" category. If your looking for reliability, I suggest the non-turbo 1.8L auto. I tossed a K&N and some copper plugs to add some oomph and it works fine and has been a workhorse for me. Yes, it has a timing belt. But, in JMHO, you shouldn't base a car purchase on a ~$800/every 100k mile maintenance item.


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## hank1948 (Jan 13, 2018)

So if I'm understanding right, the general consensus in these cars the auto's are more reliable than the manual? Hard to believe...he last 2 cars(Saturn,VW Jetta) I've had go well past 300K without touching the trans. Even had the original clutches


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

hank1948 said:


> So if I'm understanding right, the general consensus in these cars the auto's are more reliable than the manual? Hard to believe...he last 2 cars(Saturn,VW Jetta) I've had go well past 300K without touching the trans. Even had the original clutches


Flywheel issues are relatively common with the 2011-2014s. 2015+ got the upgraded GMPP clutch/flywheel from the factory. Bearing failures and whining in some gears are common with most of them unless they were run on different fluid and correctly filled from the get-go (most were low from the factory). 

The clutches themselves seem to last a fairly long time if the flywheel doesn't crap out first. Some people have had 300K+ on their original M32, but they do almost primarily highway driving.


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## Nescafe (Mar 16, 2015)

Robby said:


> Buy new and put the longest warranty you can on it.
> Rob


This! I thought additional warranties offered by carmax, USAA, and chevy were a scam... that's just what the same people who don't regularly maintain their vehicles say. 

Every car will have some type of issue, just depends on the severity and number of them. Look at the new Focus RS, great car, terrible engine design.


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## mitchd123 (Jul 27, 2015)

I have a 2014 LTZ with 42k miles. The car is great. Purchasing a Cruze, I'd *strongly suggest you or a mechanic run a computer scan* to see if there's any engine code history, or if the computer has been recently been cleared to hide a problem. 

details:
My 1.4L turbo started acting up at 40k, and I had it serviced for free under the warranty. It would have been a $2k job. It took the dealer about a week to get the turbo. The dealer said GM just did a redesign on the part due to problems with it. (so the dealer says) The dealer went on to say that the problem was caused by excessive carbon build up. He suggested a fuel treatment every 15k miles to extend the life of the turbo. While it sounded like a scam to sell me a $25 bottle of fuel treatment, he went on to say that if I continued with the treatment every 15k miles, the turbo would be protected under the warranty of the fuel treatment. It's a reputable dealer, so I'll play along. 

The problem was occur on long highway trips >30 minutes, so you'd never see it on a test drive. I would loose turbo boost. (confirmed using the Torque app.) After the motor cooled off the problem went away. I could run the car around the city and the CEL would eventually clear. After a few weeks of this I brought it in to be serviced. I assumed the waste-gate was getting stuck open due to wear. I tend to be an aggressive drive, and I've only run 87 octane. Reading another thread today it was stated that higher octane is recommended for the 1.4 turbo. I plan to increase my octane, but higher octane can also increase the amount of carbon. I'm not a fan of engine treatments, but I may start using some sort of cleaner every 3-4 times a year in addition to the dealer treatment every 15k.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

The port injected 1.4Ts don't suffer from carbon buildup issues like other direct injected turbo motors on the market do. Most later DI GM engines haven't really had issues with it at all. 

Turbo underboost is usually just the worn out wastegate pivot pin causing boost fluctuation under high load driving (for a Cruze, this is just climbing hills on the highway). When the car detects that, it throws it into limp mode and then you have close to zero boost.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## LanceCruzes (Jan 15, 2018)

Make sure you read many of these posts. There are thousands of them. 


Here is the major problem with the car.
http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/25-g...mly-service-stabilitrac-service-tc-etc-7.html

You will be needing this too:
https://www.dmv.org/ga-georgia/automotive-law/lemon-law.php

This wouldn't hurt either:
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallprocess.cfm

If you have problems with your dealer, contact you State Attorney General's office, and they will help.


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## AzSandSlinger (Sep 10, 2015)

Every car has its share of issues. I can say that I haven’t had any of the issues that were listed. Although I am a bit more “particular” about my preventive maintenance. Mainly since I commute LONG distances in the car. 

Heres the list of what I have had issues with and preventive maintenance I’ve done:
- IMT position error (P2076), fixed under powertrain warranty ~66k miles
- was a bit sluggish in hot weather, replaced OEM plugs with properly gapped coppers
- added K&N more for maintenance ease than “pep”
- change oil/filter with full syn when the OLM says to (5-15%)
- annual coolant flush
- annual brake fluid flush
- drain/fill Auto tranny fluid every 3-4 oil changes
- replaced front brakes/pads ~88k (OEMs still had 30-40% left)
- adjusted rear drums (HIGHLY recommended)
- 2 sets of OEM tires (2nd set ~45k), 3rd set are 90k Michelin’s (installed ~85k)
- timing belt, serpentine and all associated stuff at 96k
- 2 cans of B-12 in the fuel after every oil change
- 1/2 can of seafoam in the crank case in the last 1k prior to oil change
- replaced OEM battery with Optima Red Top ~50k
- replaced driver window regulator ~90k (seriously a 10 minute job, lol)

Only real issue I’ve had was getting the cruise control installed. “middle finger to GM” for that one.

All things considered, it’s been a great econobox/commuter. So much so, the kid can’t wait to get it (and even talked me into keeping it until then). Like is said, I drive A LOT over LONG distances and have zero reservations about this car. Hopefully, I’ll actually be looking for another 1.8L NA Cruze to replace this one in a year or so. 

Knock on wood I don’t have a catastrophic failure right after posting this. Lol


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## daveg66sl (Nov 18, 2016)

I have to agree with Lance on this one, don't buy a Cruze, at least with the 1.4 turbo. My 2014 1LT has just over 63,000 miles, in the last 18 months I've had the battery cable problem, pcv problem, waiting for the turbo to come in at the dealer to have that replaced. Fairly confident the pcv problem will occur again, don't expect more than 50-60K miles out of a replacement turbo. I drive 400+ miles a week and am good about maintenance.

It's a shame, because otherwise I really like the car. It's a decent running engine, just too complicated in my opinion. And no, I don't expect things to run forever without needing something.

That said, the gurus on this site have been great about sorting out the issues. Chevy has fixed it all under warranty, but some of this stuff just shouldn't happen.

Dave


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## LanceCruzes (Jan 15, 2018)

:sigh:


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## LanceCruzes (Jan 15, 2018)

I agree with what you said, Dave word for word. And I also have been delighted with the features on the car, and the handling and nimbleness. It's too bad it has so many problems... I'm now worried about all the future repairs. Chevy needs to insure the dealerships have the tech bulletin (or whatever it's called) out to the dealers so they know what to do when someone comes in with this problem.


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## hank1948 (Jan 13, 2018)

Just seems crazy in the auto industry today that they are building a car that has so many problems. The last 2 "commuter" cars I bought both had around 180K on them when I bought them and didn't hesitate buying them with the amount of miles. My 1st was a 2000 Saturn SW2 manual great car just normal reapirs (brakes,wheel bearings and timing chain) got rid of it wit over 300K 2nd car (which I still have) Is a 03 Jetta TDI manual same thing, just normal repairs and currently has 320K and driving it 600-700 a week but would like to get into something newer. 
Would LOVE a Cruze Diesel but can't afford one...


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

Best bet would be buy a lower mileage certified pre-owned off a dealer lot. Extends the warranty to 6yr/100k miles. 

I've got a '12 lt rs manual and had a lot replaced under the 100k warranty. Wish I would've had it just another 10k miles on the warranty to cover the current oil cooler leak. 

What has been replaced under warranty. Trans,, water pump, turbo feed line, water pump, pcv/intake. 

Still hasn't been a bad car. Purchased at 51k miles and drive around 700-800/wk for work. 7k mile oil change intervals when OLM hits 30% with full synthetic.


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## hank1948 (Jan 13, 2018)

lonewolf04 said:


> Best bet would be buy a lower mileage certified pre-owned off a dealer lot. Extends the warranty to 6yr/100k miles.
> 
> I've got a '12 lt rs manual and had a lot replaced under the 100k warranty. Wish I would've had it just another 10k miles on the warranty to cover the current oil cooler leak.
> 
> ...


Your trans has already been replaced!? Why?


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

hank1948 said:


> lonewolf04 said:
> 
> 
> > Best bet would be buy a lower mileage certified pre-owned off a dealer lot. Extends the warranty to 6yr/100k miles.
> ...


2nd gear bearing whine. Pretty well documented failures due to GM oem fill level and type of fluid. Whole thread on it in the forums.


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## riker (Jan 25, 2013)

Don’t buy a Cruze. It’s listed as the worst used car to buy on consumer reports


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

riker said:


> Don’t buy a Cruze. It’s listed as the worst used car to buy on consumer reports


Wouldn't believe anything Consumer Reports says. They also claim a Jeep Wrangler is a horrible vehicle. If that was true then why can't dealers keep them on a new car lot.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

lonewolf04 said:


> Wouldn't believe anything Consumer Reports says. They also claim a Jeep Wrangler is a horrible vehicle. If that was true then why can't dealers keep them on a new car lot.


They are horrible to drive on-road. But that's not really that point of a Wrangler, is it?


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## llbanks522 (Nov 23, 2017)

lonewolf04 said:


> Wouldn't believe anything Consumer Reports says. They also claim a Jeep Wrangler is a horrible vehicle. If that was true then why can't dealers keep them on a new car lot.


The Wranglers are really popular with the under 22 crowd. My significant equal Gail’s 3 Grandson’s all have them. 18, 21, and 22.


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## ccorradino (Feb 23, 2014)

I was driving a Cruze in 2014 as a rental after current car was totalled. Nearly bought one, spent a lot of time on this site falling in love with the idea. 

Well, I just totalled the Hyundai I did buy and was considering buying that Cruze I wanted to replace it. Now seeing all the issues in this forum and the Chevrolet forum, I have no idea why I would. Juice ain't worth the squeeze.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

A fix for a link posted earlier: Radio shuts off and turns on randomly.. Service Stabilitrac, Service TC, etc..


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## ccorradino (Feb 23, 2014)

riker said:


> Don’t buy a Cruze. It’s listed as the worst used car to buy on consumer reports


Easy to say, hard to back up while you have to pay to see most consumer reports rankings.

I'm looking at a 2013 Cruze, and it is a solid mid-pack in motor trend rankings. It's not listed in the 'Cars to avoid' list on Consumer reports, though almost every other year of Cruze is. 

Now that I've looked at consumer reports, that may actually tip the balance. I might buy it based on that.


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## frankh (Aug 25, 2014)

Hmm wonder what it would take to put my spare Dodge Neon engine/transmisson in our Cruze? That thing is bulletproof.

I love a good project..


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## spaycace (Feb 9, 2012)

ccorradino said:


> I was driving a Cruze in 2014 as a rental after current car was totalled. Nearly bought one, spent a lot of time on this site falling in love with the idea.
> 
> Well, I just totalled the Hyundai I did buy and was considering buying that Cruze I wanted to replace it. Now seeing all the issues in this forum and the Chevrolet forum, I have no idea why I would. Juice ain't worth the squeeze.


When you look at forums for ANY car, most of the threads will be for problems people have with their cars, and the reason for that is because they're looking for answers and to see if others are having the same problems. Go to a BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Toyota, Honda ... etc. etc. forum, and they will ALL have a majority of problems listed and looking for resolution. There aren't usually any "Hey, my car is KICK @$$ and I never have any problems! I love this car!" postings ... although even people here with a few problems still love their Cruze. I loved my '12 Eco 6MT and only got rid of it because the Volt seemed better from an MPG perspective, plus we qualified for the $7,500 federal tax credit, and from the great state of Colorado, another $6,000 tax credit! That puts the price of the Volt fairly close in price to the cost of a slightly higher end Cruze than ours, so it seemed logical to make the purchase. My Volt now has over 160,000 miles on it (110K are gas engine only miles) with a lifetime MPG average of 56.9. I regularly use fuel additives and fuel system cleaners (in addition to using non-ethanol fuel), synthetic oil and oil sample testing (engine oil related failures covered under oil company warranty), regular maintenance and lubrications. I've had 2 mechanical recall repairs on the car: Charge port replacement, and driveline bearing replacement. I had to replace the center touch-sensitive console under warranty due to a stuck door unlock button. Other than that, the car has been excellent ... but I see the same thing on the Volt forums, people complaining about what's wrong and finding fix actions, not so much of the praise. Maybe you should look into buying a used Volt ... Just a thought


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## ccorradino (Feb 23, 2014)

I've literally done a full 180 and about to sign on a 2013 Cruze right now.


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## AzSandSlinger (Sep 10, 2015)

spaycace said:


> ...That puts the price of the Volt fairly close in price to the cost of a slightly higher end Cruze than ours...


+1 to the rest of your statement. 

I also know know what you meant with what I quoted. Just made me chuckle when I read “high end Cruze” lol

Congrats CC. Like I said before, my 2014 1.8l LS has been fairly trouble free for about 80k miles. I’m sitting at 107k and maintenance has been easy.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

Reading this forum actually convinced me that going with a used Gen 1 diesel Cruze was a pretty safe bet. 

I knew going in I might (probably WILL) encounter emissions issues. But the cost for that (plus the option to ‘delete’) vs the much more costly (known) fuel pump and transmission issues with the VW TDI made the decision to do the buyback and switch to Chevy much much easier.

Good luck with your purchase, may you have many trouble-free miles. And for those times where issues crop-up, know there’s lots of folks here with the know-how to get you back on the road.


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