Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
I just looked and it seems the 2011 Cruze is right up my alley. It is offered in Eco with a manual trans. There is also a 1.6T it seems that had 180+ hp, but lookng at pics it seems it is just too crowded under the hood. The 2011 front end styling is the only one tht looks good to me. It keeps gong downhill and then the new body style is a car I dont want in my field of vision. There is this older white,RS I think, Cruze parked near my house and it always is nice to look at. I loved seeing a yellow G5 that was down the treet before she moved.
'11 and '12 had some teething problems - mine being a '13 is a sweet spot model year between the growing pains and a more sluggish factory tune/less than tasteful styling revamps. The worst problem for the early ones is a batch of bad pistons that would crack at the ring grooves, but I believe those parts are traceable and many will have been fixed under warranty by now. A revised PCV valve and turbo oil supply line are the two other things that came along, both of which are fairly cheap and straightforward to fix yourself if you're so inclined. The Eco's really live up to their name, some people pulling over 45 MPG out of them. Mine is LT trim w/RS package and manual trans. - the Z-link rear suspension upgrade was part of the RS package and I'm glad I have that as well as the trim extras. If you're ever in the market for one, join cruzetalk.com first and you'll find plenty of help in avoiding a dud as you shop. I'm with you, too - part of my attraction to the Cruze was its traditional, proportional lines as opposed to a lot of other stuff that looks like something from the year 2,200 or an insect.
