When new the Chevy Spark was the Cheapest car out there. What did Chevy have to do in order to make a profit? What corners did Chevy take?
In this article I will give my honest overview of the car, break down its reliability and answer the questions we are all asking.
Thank you Drive512AutoRanch for allowing me to go through their inventory to potentially help out others!
Specs
There is only one Motor option and that is the 1.4L DOHC 4-Cylinder with a HEEPING 98hp and 94 lb-ft of torque.
The MPG is great getting 30-38 MPG
There are two transmission options: CVT or the 5 speed Manual
Exterior
First off let me tell you something. This. Car. Is. Tiny. I would say it is close to the equal to Japans Kei cars. 
The front fascia is surprisingly nice looking. The headlights, in the LS model, feature HIDs with standard Halogen for the high beams and blinkers. The chrome surrounding the entire front end give the car a creepy happy face, but I like it. 
The wheels are 15inches which match the size of the car
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From the side view we can see exactly why this car get such great gas mileage. It utilizes the famous egg shape to be as aerodynamic as it possible can.
Coming to the back, it is nothing special really. In order to open the trunk the only option is with the key and its corresponding key hole. Here is the first corner Chevy took. Yes, in 2021 in order to make the car “cheap” they have to skimp on a $30 dollar part. That is okay. Brings me back to my 1976 MGB, except that car was MUCH cooler.
It does have a backup camera though.
Interior
Let’s jump into the interior.
When ever I get into a car I always listen to the door thud. The door thud kind of gives me an indication of how the car will feel overall. Unsurprisingly the door thud was tingy. Tingy-high pitched door thuds usually means less of a solid platform, but I was actually surprising with the driving. I will talk about that later.
Okay, so the door thud was not very desirable. Well, there is more!
The windows are manual roll ups. Luckily, they are very easy to use. All of the door locks are manual. Yes, that means you have to turn around and lock those doors behind you. Ahh, the mirrors are also manual adjusted. Try not to get to mad when you are telling your partner to adjust the mirrors for you.
The entire interior is hard touch plastic with fake brushed chrome and piano black trim surrounding the infotainment center and the shifter. Luckily, those cheap plastics really lift the overall feeling of the interior of the car. 
Luckily the spark has some tech. Apple Carplay and Android Auto is a huge deal in my opinion. I did not test these features, so I hope they perform decently. And it has auto climate control. Underneath there is a USB-B and a USB-C port for charging. That is about it.
Overall, the interior is tiny. The backseats are nearly unusuable. My head at 5’8 is touching the roof. I am not tall.
The final thing I would like to touch on in the interior is the fact that the Spark is lacking a center console. There are options to add one for fairly cheap like this that fits in one of the 4 cupholders.
HANDELING
I did take the little Spark for a test drive. Here is the quick and dirty summary.
This is a very light small car. Although it only has 98hp, it does pack a small punch. My option featured the automatic transmission, but I could only imagine how fun and zippy the car would be with the 5-speed manual.
ISSUES
The CVT shuddering is the most common issue. Main issues with most CVTs are the fact that manufacturers smack a CVT in paired with a powerful V6. That will tear up the CVT in 100k miles in most cases.
Here is my issue. With most of the interior behind hard touch plastic I do wonder just how long it will take before it breaks apart like my 2008 Tahoe’s dash that I had to rebuild and use fiberglass to reinforce. I am tired of manufacturers creating products that are only meant to last a very short period. This is why I love my 87 Mercedes 300DT.
Final Thoughts
Chevy Spark, what a car. I have read about a lot of folks reaching over 200k miles without many issues. That is due to the low HP output of the car. Let’s say the car breaks down. Well, it is such a basic build with a small engine and a decent sized engine bay, so it would not be very hard to repair this car.
If you are on a budget and you aren’t bothered with how basic this car is then I think it is a great option.
This car is currently for sale as of writing this article in Austin, Texas. Check them out if you are interested! They specialize in 0% down financing.
Thank you Drive512AutoRanch
If you want to learn more then check out this video: