Wednesday, March, 28,2007. Today we review our second BuyLine vehicle. Today's choice is not a snazzy one, now there's a word from the past, nor is it the best of it's genre. In fact it doesn't excel in any particular test. So why does it appear in Automotive Declassified? In a word it is inexpensive, let's face it, it's downright cheap. Auto journalists, I think ,sometimes forget the basic purpose of a vehicle amidst the "0-60 times" and" skidpad ratings". The basic purpose, first set out by the Daimler brothers over a hundred years ago ,was to transport a person from one place to another without the use of their own bodies or a horse to get there. I think that the "car" has become so ubiquitous in our society that we forget what it's like to live without one. Teenagers these day's often assume that a car key will somehow magically appear in their pockets. A car has become so routine a part of our life that we no longer appreciate the simplest virtues of a car. We want power, we want style, we want sub-woofers and blue-tooth, (it's starting to sound like the Grinch who Stole Christmas}, we want, we want, we want! There are many growing up today who have never had to walk anywhere, at any time. In fact outside of the city limits our highways and byways are down-rite dangerous to navigate on foot. I'll bet you anything that if you took the vehicle away from those same people who want more they would very quickly look at their vehicle in a new lite. Enter the Chevy Aveo. The Aveo will not win you bragging rites nor will it provide an aspiring driving experience, but it will get you there without aching feet, and at the end of the day sometimes that is all you need. The Aveo was advertised last week by Bennett Chevy in The News Times for $7,776. This is not a misprint, a 1976 price today. For that small figure you don't get much but you do get side-airbags and a useful 5-door layout designed by famed Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. The Aveo's driving manors speak with as much an Italian accent as a cheese stuffed crust pizza at Pizza Hut, but never the less it go's about it's daily mission without a hip-cup. In fact theAveo provokes a certain "counter-culture" grin on your face as you zoom along on the highway at far beyond the speed limit. The Aveo will work it's way up to some very high velocities, accompanied by a seat-of -your-pants feel as road adhesion becomes nearly non-existent.Passing cars that cost a whole car-carrier full of Aveos is a particular delight. In fact you find yourself rooting for the "little guy" like the fat kid in the corner of the field at your nephews soccer game. Sometimes there can be utter joy in something so simple and single minded in it's mission. The lack of guilt is phenomenal when you drive a car you know is keeping money in the bank to spend on, charity, yea that's the ticket, while sipping gas at nearly the rate of those smug hybrid people. Yes pure abandon, in fact you feel so guilt free that it almost encourages you to drive it harder just to prove what less than 8 grand worth of car can do. In fact you may find others getting out of your way as they stare at you pass almost in amazement that such a car could achieve such speeds, check one off for the underdog! The Aveo 4-door actually looks very appealing, especially in the Europeanish color choices. The 4-door I have previously seen advertised for around $12,000 ,which is still a bargain, although it doesn't create quite the same feeling. The whole key to the Aveo is to keep it simple, don't expect much and keep the price down because those underdog feelings can quickly turn to "I'm an idiot" if you plunk down, what can easily become, $16,000 for a car that feels like a ten grand car. At some point you have to wonder if a few more months of savings could buy you a better vehicle. So enjoy the ride and never take for granted your $8000 ride because at the end of the road it is the experiences shared along the journey that matter not the mode of transportation. The Aveo can take you every place you want to go, without it you could only sit home dreaming about the journey ahead.
