Can someone look at this and confirm the Chevy Aveo LATCH setup? Also cool website

I found this: http://www.chevrolet.com/safety/during/latch/
when I was trying to research new cars. When DH was driving home tonight the wipers on our 95 LHS broke. In Michigan, that's not such a good thing. Since it's barely running anyway we're going to see what we can lease. I'm looking at Chevy sedans (Aveo, Impala, Cobalt, Malibu). According to the above website I can't put a 3rd passenger in the backseat of an Aveo if two carseats are there. I know it doesn't have LATCH in the center but why can't I put a LATCH seat, belted seat in the center, and an adult behind the driver's seat? Lack of space even with Radians? The Malibu allows that but you can't have 3 across with LATCH. So it looks like the Impala and Cobalt have the best LATCH setups by far. Hopefully we can decide on something this week so I can stop bugging you helpful people The Aveo will be the cheapest but if I can't fit 3 across it's not an option.

well, first of all the aveo is a *tiny* car. not much hope of having two carseats + a passenger back there, regardless of what chevy says. there just isn't the room.

second, the aveo is not a good choice, safety wise. it does poorly in crash tests. it's not even a "real" chevrolet. it's a daewoo. remember them? the korean car company that brought really crappy cars to the US (i think they sold mostly on the west coast). they went bankrupt and got bought by GM. now GM imports the tiny daewoo and rebadges as a chevy, so consumers who don't do their homework don't even realize they are buying a daewoo.

stay away from the aveo. really. read about daewoo on wiki.

I don't know much about cars but even I've heard of Daewoo...yikes. Aveo is officially off the list.

Doesn't Daewoo make microwaves? A microwave on wheels?

murphydog77 said:

Doesn't Daewoo make microwaves? A microwave on wheels?

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LOL, yeah, that's right. it seems that most of the carmakers in korea (and japan, for that matter) are part of big mega-conglomerates that have lots of divisions. like hyundai-- they make electronics and shipping barges, and earth movers. fuji heavy industries, the parent company to subaru, is similar that way.

come to think of it, i think we had a daewoo TV a few years back.

I looked at the Cobalt a while back and really liked it, but it was small. I don't know if you could fit 3 Radians back there. I think I was trying Joy's MA and the TBs, but it's been a while. For whatever reason it didn't work for us at the time and so we passed on it.

If you need to fit 3 carseats or passengers in the back seat the Malibu or Impala is going to be your best bet. I am a HUGE GM lover and I too wouldn't touch a Aveo but mine is solely based on it's UGLY!!! Yes, GM now own Daewoo but it's not the same Daewoo's that used to be sold here in the US. GM did not own them back then. The vehicles safety, reliabilty, etc... has changed. Unfortunitly the name does have a bad reputation which is always hard to get rid of.

My dh likes the Colbat SS though but I laugh at him b/c again not something I like styling wise though.

I really like the new Malibu since the redesign of this year model. I know the new Impala will be out in '09

I really like the Cobalt too. I'll be installing seats on Monday to see what I can do. I've pretty much got it down to a new Cobalt or a 2005 Impala. The Malibu looks really nice but it's more expensive and the LATCH setup bugs me. With the incentives they have it may actually be worth buying a 2008. We could use our GM discount from the ILs too. Wish us luck...my mom is pushing for us to get a lease but DH would rather buy.

As someone that has a lease vehicle I will say be very careful. If you do one do the Smart Buy option. Also look at the actual mileage you drive per year and buy add'l mileage if you know you drive more then 12k a year (I did this and so glad I did). Also if you plan on keeping it long term then I would buy outright. Trust me at the end your balloon payment will be more then the value of the vehicle. This goes with any manufacture as you are really only paying interest and a small portion of the principle.

I only recommend leases to those that like to trade vehicles ever few years. There are to many incentives out there now to get a good deal to help lower payments if that is your concern.

My dh did the lease on my Tahoe for the pure fact it locked me into a vehicle for a set number of years. I have a bad habit of wanting a new vehicle every 2yrs and he couldn't stand it anymore. LOL! I have now had my Tahoe for 3yrs and still love it but my lease is up next year and we will be buying that one outright.

As for the Malibu it looks like it either shares a lower anchor hook on the driver side or they do the cross over which is why it doesn't allow 3 LATCH seats at once. But, It still allow for 3 carseats at once. I know the Impala allows for 3 LATCH all at one time if that is a big issue for you. For me I don't really care about lower anchors as I can get just as solid install with the vehicle seatbelts in almost all vehicles.

Yes the Malibu does have 3 sets of LATCH that cross each other. So you can only install 2 seats with LATCH at one time. But you should be able to get 3 across in a Malibu with a combo of LATCH and seatbelts, if you are using narrow seats like Radians. When I had our Evenflo seat in the center, I could get a hbb next to it. It does have 3 tether anchors too, which is nice. Good luck in your decision!

Tomorrow we will be the owners of a 2008 Cobalt! I really hope i get that job LOL. We'll be *OK* if I don't but it will make things a lot easier. Our transmission blew on Tuesday on our way back from looking at cars. Time for a new car. It was $2000 off and with the GM discount it didn't make sense to buy used. I never thought we'd own a brand new car, but it's nice. Side curtain airbags were standard this year, and I'll have a working radio/CD player! Thank you for all the help, and we did decide against leasing. I'll be driving too much and we already share a car.

elle7715 said:

Tomorrow we will be the owners of a 2008 Cobalt! I really hope i get that job LOL. We'll be *OK* if I don't but it will make things a lot easier. Our transmission blew on Tuesday on our way back from looking at cars. Time for a new car. It was $2000 off and with the GM discount it didn't make sense to buy used. I never thought we'd own a brand new car, but it's nice. Side curtain airbags were standard this year, and I'll have a working radio/CD player! Thank you for all the help, and we did decide against leasing. I'll be driving too much and we already share a car.

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Congrats!!! I think for your situation buying outright is best for you.