Small / economy car deathwatch: we've passed "peak econobox" again

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by JSH

Bottom trim starts at $20K and the top trim at $24K. A compact hatch that people actually want to buy - Chevy just needed to lift it 2 inches

Chevy is selling about 14K Trax a month. Back in 2019 the Sonic sold 14K in a year and the Spark sold 31K.

Looking at the 2024 Trax:

• Timing belts (yes, it has two) are extremely difficult to replace (must remove all gears with the belts from a small cover from below as it has wet belts and go up into a cavity in the head, so lots of special tools needed to lock the cams and crank in place and to get up in there and remove and reinstall the gears and belts). The good news is that GM says it needs replaced only every 150,000 miles.
• The plastic swaybar linkage is concerning to me.
• Parking brake wires are an inch from the rear tires and held by a small plastic clip, another concern.
• I do love the FM antenna though.
• I love that it does have a "manual mode." When I first saw the PRNDL on the shifter I was concerned that the "L" was like in other cars that choose everything for you, usually with D being too high and L or B being too low (I'm looking at you, Honda and Nissan). But in this car you can hit + and - buttons to limit the top gear. That would be very handy for engine braking here in the mountains where I live.
• Oddly the owner's manual first says not to use tire chains, then it says you can use low-profile tire chains. I'm not sure why it's written this way but it is very confusing.
• Tow rating and spare tire do check my list of things I like.
• IMO it's too tall. That's of course that as an amateur radio operator I want to be able to use a tall HF antenna on top of the vehicle and also be able to reach it to change it out for other antennas. Not having a trunk also means I'd have to put the VHF antenna on the same ground plane as the HF antenna which isn't ideal. But that's just me.

https://www.manua.ls/chevrolet/trax-2024/manual?p=260

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9qTe7LlNy8

[ME_Andy]

Why the F would you buy a Trax when you can get a gently used 2016 Tesla Model X for the same price?

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by ME_Andy

Why the F would you buy a Trax when you can get a gently used 2016 Tesla Model X for the same price?

Probably because the last time I priced a used Tesla (Model S) I was quoted close to $500 per month (that's what I said, "$500 per month" not "per 6 months") for the necessary full coverage insurance.

Besides, I wouldn't buy a new Trax, not right now. Looking at my budget, $50k per year, 20/4/10 rule, $150/month-in-fuel, $150/month-for-insurance = about enough money for a $5,000 vehicle. So a I'd probably get a Honda Fit with 228,000 miles on it, or Redpoint5's Acura.

[freebeard]

Parking brake wires are an inch from the rear tires and held by a small plastic clip, another concern.
...
Oddly the owner's manual first says not to use tire chains, then it says you can use low-profile tire chains. I'm not sure why it's written this way but it is very confusing.

Given your talking points, it doesn't seem confusing to me.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Given your talking points, it doesn't seem confusing to me.

Did I forget to add that it has a direct injection turbocharged 3-cylinder engine built to be cheap and affordable? Obviously the longevity hasn't been proven yet (at least that I know of). But it seems like a poor design decision to me.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Did I forget to add that it has a direct injection turbocharged 3-cylinder engine built to be cheap and affordable? Obviously the longevity hasn't been proven yet (at least that I know of). But it seems like a poor design decision to me.

The 1.3L engine in the Trax has been around since 2018. It is used in everything from small crossovers like the Trax to full size cars like the Buick Lacrosse.

Small direct injection turbos are the bread and butter engines today. 57% of cars sold globally in 2022 have a turbo and DI is pretty much standard now.

Do oil changes on time and use the correct oil and you will be fine.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by JSH

The 1.3L engine in the Trax has been around since 2018. It is used in everything from small crossovers like the Trax to full size cars like the Buick Lacrosse.

Small direct injection turbos are the bread and butter engines today. 57% of cars sold globally in 2022 have a turbo and DI is pretty much standard now.

Do oil changes on time and use the correct oil and you will be fine.

But if it's going to be a 3 cyl turbo, why not a GR Corolla?
Oh! That's right, probably the $38,000 and up price tag for the Corolla.

I do wonder if my short distance driving would exacerbate valve deposits though. I go just barely 1 mile from home to the first job and then around a mile or two between jobs, and the weather here isn't exactly warm (still frosty in the mornings). This is why I long for a PHEV. If it were only one or two jobs then a bicycle would make sense, but doing up to 30,000 miles a year would be a bit hard to do on a bicycle. So far the Avalon is holding up, but I change the oil religiously before the manual's specified 5,000 miles.

[Piotrsko]

Not seeing lead deposits on valves for perhaps 20 years, the faces I have seen black as well as the not moving through guide portions of the stems. The black coating is rather thin.

Egr systems tend to get gummed up with short duration trips which would be a bigger problem as with not cooking out the water vapor and solvents in the lube system.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

But if it's going to be a 3 cyl turbo, why not a GR Corolla?
Oh! That's right, probably the $38,000 and up price tag for the Corolla.

I do wonder if my short distance driving would exacerbate valve deposits though. I go just barely 1 mile from home to the first job and then around a mile or two between jobs, and the weather here isn't exactly warm (still frosty in the mornings). This is why I long for a PHEV. If it were only one or two jobs then a bicycle would make sense, but doing up to 30,000 miles a year would be a bit hard to do on a bicycle. So far the Avalon is holding up, but I change the oil religiously before the manual's specified 5,000 miles.

I'm curious. How do you manage to drive 30,000 a year when your daily commute is 3 - 4 miles?

You are likely changing oil on schedule - not before the required schedule. You do several of the items on Toyota's list of Severe Duty:

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by JSH

I'm curious. How do you manage to drive 30,000 a year when your daily commute is 3 - 4 miles?

I have dozens of places I have to drive to do my jobs, so I accumulate at least 15 miles per day, but in small short bursts. What I don't like about it is there are times during the winter that the temp reading on my ScanGauge won't go above 100°F, unless I idle the engine for an extended period at some point. I have a block heater, but it doesn't seem to help that much, only heating the enigne some 30°F above ambient temps.