Thanks, all. The Cruze got a bad reputation for failure of turbos, water pumps and other cooling system components, really sluggish performance, even the manual trans. had problems with the 5th/6th gear shaft bearings going out due to underfilling from the factory... but I think a lot of that is due to the mindset of most drivers that do the bare minimum as seldom as possible, but most cars will tolerate it. Cruze just won't, but if you only do a couple things right it'll keep up with pretty much any other.
That's a sweet looking dash!
I like it. Symmetrical, round gauges not unlike a lot of 60's cars but a design that, in retrospect, seems to have been on its way out of favor in '13. The same can be said for the exterior styling, and part of why I bought a Cruze - straightforward, symmetrical sedan styling in a time of angular, insect-esque lines and steeply raked body and window lines. Mine has the red & black cloth interior, and I wanted 1LT trim because I liked those wheels best and the RS package for the few trim/chrome goodies and as a nod to the '67 RS Camaro my mom had when she was young. (Though as it turns out, the rear Z-link upgrade was probably a good thing, too.) My family isn't one to buy new cars often so when I made the decision to buy new, I bought what I wanted within the limitations of what I could afford. It's not a collector muscle/sports car but I may very well pass it down to my kids or just always have it as the daily gas sipper and watch the odometer roll as many more times as the body will tolerate.
