Steven Helmer Publications

  About a year ago, after a series of mechanical issues made me decide to get a different car, I took out a lease on a 2024 Chevy Trax. Now that I've had nearly 12 months to test it out, driving to the store and as far as the Mississippi Gulf Coast , I think I can accurately give my opinion of this vehicle. I'll start with the positives of this car. One of the main things is I am very impressed with the gas mileage. The car, at least in appearance, is larger than the Chevy Cruze I replaced it with but gets just as many miles to the gallon. Part of the reason for this is the three-cylinder engine, which I was admittedly skeptical about, but doesn't seem to have any impact as far as horsepower is concerned. No issues at all getting it up to 70 mph. Unlike the Cruze, this car does have quite a bit of leg room in it, enough for my daughters (15 and 20) to sit in the back seat without complaining about being cramped. The cargo space is a bit lacking, at least compared to what I ...

One of the main reasons I choose to lease a new car rather than buy a pre-owned (more affordable) one is I simply do not trust cars enough to feel comfortable having one without a warranty. Today, that decision paid off for me because the 2017 Chevy Cruze I leased just a few months ago had its first mechanical problem. To tell you the truth, I was a bit surprised by this. My "check engine" light came on while my wife and I were at Costco on Saturday and I just figured I didn't get the gas cap tight enough the last time I filled it. The fact the car seemed to be running just fine supported that theory. However, the light stayed on and I ended up taking it to the dealer today. Two hours later, the check engine light is off and the car has a new oxygen sensor. The fact that sensor already needed to be replaced (the car only has 3500 miles on it) is something I'm definitely going to be taking note of. It might just be a fluke. But, it might also be a sign of mo...

Our bathroom sink is clogged and, before work, I stopped at Wal-mart to pick up something to unclog it (it's the only store open that early in the morning). This was a last-second decision and, since I didn't want my wife to do the same, I sent her a text from Wal-mart's parking lot to let her know. After getting to the office, I checked my phone to see if she replied and was surprised by this message: At first, I was a little confused because I couldn't figure out why my wife was driving (my youngest daughter didn't have to be at school yet) or why she would text me to let me know that when she is opposed to texting and driving. Then, I realized the message came from my phone. She apparently replied to me while I was driving and my car decided to reply back to let her know I was too busy driving to answer her. This was a complete surprise to me. I've never seen it do that and never knew it could. On the surface, this is really cool. But, as...

I started the car up yesterday afternoon and this message popped up on the radio. I know GM had good intentions when they added features like this. But, it seemed to be worded kind of harshly, especially since the car was still in park at the time.

There is still some debate as to what color it is. The dealer says blue, my wife says purple and I think it looks silver. I think it really depends on the lighting and angle, which is cool because it means paint is somewhat unique. I ended up going with the 2017 Chevy Cruz because it was the one that fit my budget best. Leg room wise, it seems to have a little more than the 2014 version, though that may just be my imagination (if it does, it isn't much more leg room). But, it definitely has a bigger trunk (a must for the girls' skating/dance competitions and Costco runs) and is supposed to get better gas mileage. I have to wait a day or so for the satellite radio to activate on it, which is a bit of a nuisance (we don't have many traditional radio stations to choose from), especially since CD players are apparently no longer standard. And, I'm sure my daughters won't like the fact there isn't a built-in cup holder in the back seat (I think I still have on...

My lease is running out on this car in a few weeks so I'm going to be going on a test drive later today and will most likely pull the trigger on replacing it (same type car, a Chevy Cruz, just a newer version). Overall, I've had no major complaints about this one, other than maybe the need for a little more leg room (not a problem for me, but my wife and daughters all have long legs). However, I have not had a good history with cars that are no longer under warranty so I'm much more comfortable moving on to a newer car knowing any mechanical issues will be the dealer's responsibility. Not to mention, my wife HATES this car. In addition to the lack of leg room for her, it seems to have it in for her. I nicknamed the car Christine (after Stephen King's book/movie) because the passenger will suddenly close as my wife is trying to get in. She's gotten bruised a couple times as a result and I've never seen that happen with anyone else. Maybe she'll lik...

Just some photos from today's car show, held at Swan Park in Beaver Dam, WI.