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...

I've now had my 2017 Cruze for a couple weeks and have had an opportunity to drive it both in town (normal errands) as well as take it on a couple road trips with the family. As a result, I now have enough of a feel for the car to feel comfortable writing my first review of it. Overall, I have to say I'm still happy with my decision to go with this automobile. I originally was looking for something a little bit bigger but, because of budget limitations, this was pretty much the only size sedan I could afford. However, as I've been driving it, I am discovering the car is exceeding my expectations. One of the things that has really impressed me about this car is the way it has given us more space than what we had with my 2014 Cruze. The cars themselves really aren't any different in size. But, the newer version seems to have made better use of the space. My wife and daughters, for example, think it has more leg room than the other car did. This actually surprised m...