Chevy over another brand ?

[dodgeball12]

Good Morning,

I have owned many different brands of cars..but recently have been purchasing Subaru's which have been rock soild and a nice trade in value in a few years. In the past I have had GM cars and they were terrible but this was back in 1998/2000 era so I assume much has changed.
I find that I really like the looks of the new Equinox but my wife is hesitant to switch from "better" brands such as Honda, Subaru and such.
I know some answers might be biased but I am really interested in thoughts of current and long time Chevy owners.

Thanks in advance...

 

[Hey Vern!]

Hey there,

My wife drives a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek and I have an 2018 Equinox premier. Both cars have 2.0l engines. The crosstrek has 12.5/1 compression and the equinox has a turbo.
Crosstrek wins fuel economy
Equinox wins speed
Equinox wins comfort
Crosstrek wins bad weather driving, but the Equinox is close.
Equinox wins in room, but the Crosstrek would be closer in size to the trailblazer
The equinox has a leaky sunroof while the crosstrek has had the lower engine cover replaced and had a bad rattle that the dealer couldn't fix. Fortunately, i was able to fix it. The Airbox was shaking.
The take away, I think our cars fit us. I would also never buy a sunroof car again.

 

[dodgeball12]

I was more worried about resale value at the 3 year mark but if they are close. I doubt I would have any failures then... Maybe I will lease this one? Thank you so much.

 

[PoManNox]

I owned three Subarus in a row. First was a 2012 Legacy 2.5 premium. Next was a 2014 Crosstrek 2.0L 5MT, base model. Last was a 2016 Forester 2.5 base. Of the 3, the Forester was my favorite. Roomy, well thought out cabin, excellent visibility. What I hated with all 3, was the lackluster HVAC systems in them. Heat is marginal in the cold of winter and the A/C is marginal in high heat/humidity. Subaru has the HVAC systems designed for max fuel economy. Next bad thing is the factory tires absolutely suck in the snow. Again, low rolling resistance tires for max fuel economy. These tires total negate the great AWD system Subarus have. You basically have to get a set of snow tires right out of the gate if you live in such a climate. Another issue is rear brakes. You will go though rear pads and rotors every 25-35K miles, where the fronts are good for twice that. All 3 of my Subarus experienced this.

I had my fill of Subaru. They are extremely popular where I live in Buffalo NY though.

Obviously a Toyota, Honda, Subaru, etc will have higher resale, but IMO, you paid for that upfront.

I absolutely love my 2021 Equinox LT AWD 1.5T. I've only owned it ~6 months and ~10k miles at this point. I bought it used with 34K miles on it. I have zero complaints at this point. Being a product of the General, sure it could bite me at some point. I paid ~$19K for my Equinox 6 months ago, where a comparable import as mentioned above would have easily been $6-8K more.

 

[dodgeball12]

Maybe I will give it a try... I have spent nothing in anything on My Honda's and Subaru's and even my wife who has a Mazda cx-30.. they have been great but I am ready for a new make I think. Where I live in Virginia they are all over too- especially the Outback..

 

[Hey Vern!]

The resale on my equinox has dropped since purchase. My wife could trade her crosstrek today and get what she paid for it in 2020. We bought really well on her subaru. May 2020, the prices hadn't started climbing to the ridiculous level.

 

[dodgeball12]

The resale on my equinox has dropped since purchase. My wife could trade her crosstrek today and get what she paid for it in 2020. We bought really well on her subaru. May 2020, the prices hadn't started climbing to the ridiculous level.

That is my concern- while I think the look of the Chevy is great - The resale value is just not there on these models. I am going to purchase one but as a lease, One of the techs I know at a large local auto group that owns a Chevy franchise said Get one but do not buy it- this way if it's no good - you are not stuck. I just have to check on the best month for lease terms. Thank you to all.

 

[PoManNox]

IMO, if you're buying a basic LS or LT package Equinox, you're not going to have the resale crash you will see with high end trim packages. If you have to have fancy, I'd go with the Toyota, Honda, Subaru,ect.

 

[dodgeball12]

Yeah the higher end models are near 38K in this case it opens up a wide range of better rated vehicles too.... I will go for a LT, lease it and see how it goes - I really do not need much- I see no reason to spend more for this model honestly. Going tonight to check them out.

 

[PoManNox]

.... I see no reason to spend more for this model honestly. Going tonight to check them out.

This 100%

They're a very run of the mill vehicle. As much as I absolutely love mine, I cringe at having even spent ~$19K on it when it was 3yrs old.

 

[dodgeball12]

All set ! I bought a 25 LT (well lease) - the dealer was already discounting off sticker which surprised me for a new model, plus my 500 educator discount. All set for 3 more years...

 

[RacerCool]

I've only owned almost exclusively domestic brand vehicles. Not because I'm overly biased but because price, availability, and requirements have always combined to produce a domestic vehicle. I've never had any real issues other than high mileage vehicles begin to require more replacement and repair.

I bought my 2018 Equinox turbo diesel because of the above factors, and I looked at most if not all of the vehicles in the midsized AWD class. I took several months to make a decision. And two years ago I chose a slightly used Equinox diesel. It has the full length sun/moonroof, AWD, fold down rear seat. I added leather seating and all weather floor and cargo mats after I bought the vehicle.

I've been very happy with the vehicle so far. But my experience includes foreign brands since I travel personally and for work a fair amount, which means I drive a lot of rentals and fleet vehicles. That included US, German, Japanese, and Korean vehicles. I find good things about each of them, but the one thing that I notice more than anything is interior design and ease of use.

The US vehicles are the best in that regard, in my experience. Hi speed ride and feel belong to the German vehicles. Quirkiness and nanny features belong to the Japanese, which is a huge turn off, though the first vehicle I looked at when i was shopping was the RAV4. Korean vehicles seem all around solid and well designed, and if I was going to choose from the foreign brands I'd lean toward Korean. (Unless I can get a Ferrari with Monica Beluccii in the passenger seat)

 

[dodgeball12]

Well the new Chevy died at work- towed to dealer- the dealer found a ground wire someone forgot to attach (or fell off) , which caused a no start condition- All set now - back on the road ! Otherwise then that it has been enjoyable to drive and the red color is catchy.

 

[RacerCool]

Well the new Chevy died at work- towed to dealer- the dealer found a ground wire someone forgot to attach (or fell off) , which caused a no start condition- All set now - back on the road ! Otherwise then that it has been enjoyable to drive and the red color is catchy.

I don't see many red Equinoxes but they are very eye catching. I also like the dark blue and the copper colors on the vehicles.

 

[Autoworker 74]

Good Morning,

I have owned many different brands of cars..but recently have been purchasing Subaru's which have been rock soild and a nice trade in value in a few years. In the past I have had GM cars and they were terrible but this was back in 1998/2000 era so I assume much has changed.
I find that I really like the looks of the new Equinox but my wife is hesitant to switch from "better" brands such as Honda, Subaru and such.
I know some answers might be biased but I am really interested in thoughts of current and long time Chevy owners.

Thanks in advance...

I traded a 2014 LT in on my 2025 LT and it was really tough letting the 14 go since it had been an unbelievably reliable and problem free car. It sounds impossible but in nearly 11 years and 84,000 miles I only took the car in for a repair twice. Plenty of preventative maintenance but nothing broke. The 6 yr 72000 mile warranty was a complete waste of money and yet I bought a 10 75,000 warranty on the 2025. No explanation for this except for the fear of what if and on a new car nowadays there are a lot of expensive what ifs.

 

[dodgeball12]

I don't see many red Equinoxes but they are very eye catching. I also like the dark blue and the copper colors on the vehicles.

Well the suv failed again in my garage.. I wonder if the ground was not the problem. I will work from home today I guess !.... Called for roadside assistance again

My wife is starting to make comments now about the vehicle, I got the Subaru's, Honda's, Nissan's never broke sentence... Lets see what happens.. Still love the look and the interior alot. I called the sales guy- maybe since this is twice so quickly they would consider a swap out?

 

[dodgeball12]

Update- the dealer just called ! It's the transmission. This is why it would not move. 119 miles on it... For now they will give me a loaner Tahoe- crazy its massive. But they think the repair will take over 30 days so when this is confirmed, they are thinking about changing cars but the process is not quite so simple but it can be done. It's OK- I have a nice vehicle to drive and as luck would have it I am going camping this week LOL 1500 mile drive, Better on their vehicle then my lease.

I have to say so far the service department has been quick to help me- the codes popped right up so it was a easy diagnosis I guess?

 

[dodgeball12]

Just an update-Instead of switching vehicles - My wife and I decided to walk away. The test drive of the next one the check engine light went on. My wife was not impressed- Oh well.
I love the design still and the interior but I am not sure QC is quite there yet. GM just ended the lease and all funds were given back to us, the dealer handled everything smoothly.

I think we might return to Subaru or Honda- while not perfect, they never needed a repair in the 3 year terms and this is what I am after, free coffee or not - the dealer is not a place to hang out.

 

[ricklack]

Sad end to the story. Most of us here have relatively trouble free experiences. I've had a 56 Chevy, two 57 Chevy's, 68 Camaro, 68 Nova, 69 Impala SW, 64 Malibu, 74 Malibu, 95 Beretta Z26, 2000 Venture, 2009 Impala, 2013 Nox and my 22 Nox. I may have forgotten one or two LOL. Overall, they were a reliable bunch - yeah, I replaced a motor here and there, once by need, others by choice (we used to do that a lot in the 60s & 70s). The Venture was the most troublesome, head gasket and trans, but I kinda knew it had a rough life and purchased extended warranty. Most of these made it well over 300,000km with the 2009 Impala hitting 430,000km when I DROVE it to the junkyard.

None of that helps you, but it's a shame you took the plunge and got a lemon - it's not a common occurrence. Good luck with your next car!

 

[dodgeball12]

Thank you. I am sure most are just fine- Its man made, things break... that being said we went for a 24 month lease so I am going to revisit the Equinox again. I figure the new model will have items worked out.
I am going to hang around here from time to time, Just to see how everyone else is doing.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone...