NON-SS Cobalt Coupe, Any good?

Looking over used cars, I keep coming back to the Chevy Cobalt Coupe. Is there any potential in this for a fun DD/AutoX?

Most will say no. Plastic interior, autotragic, low power, etc....

You would be better off with the SS model.

Ranger50 wrote: You would be better off with the SS model.

But which SS model? The supercharged one, the turbocharged one, or the N/A one?

If you can find a Cobalt Sport, IIRC you will get the suspension, seats, etc. of an SS but not the more powerful motor. Depending on your needs, that might or might not be a good thing. This also seems to imply that upgrading the suspension of a regular Cobalt ought to be relatively easy with OEM or JY parts, but I don't have any specific knowledge about that.

I read an interview somebody did recently with Bob Lutz, in which he said that everybody (especially in the automotive press) dumped on the Cobalt for all kinds of perceived faults, but that, really, it was a pretty good car. The interviewer had driven to the meeting in a Cobalt, and reflected that Mr. Lutz was right. It wasn't exciting, it wasn't Special in any way, but, yeah, it was a pretty good car.

ReverendDexter wrote: But which SS model? The supercharged one, the turbocharged one, or the N/A one?

Turbo'd of course, like this one:

The rental I drove for a while was a miserable POS. Terrible interior and you would step on the throttle and it would sit there kind thinking are you sure you want to accelerate ok then I will.

ReverendDexter wrote:

Ranger50 wrote: You would be better off with the SS model.

But which SS model? The supercharged one, the turbocharged one, or the N/A one?

The s/c ones are cheap enough now to take happily over the n/a's. The lsj drivetrain is thankfully built better than the srt neon stuff.

The turbo ones are faster out of the box, but I don't think they're that much better I'd want to spend the extra coin to get one. Unless turbo SS sedan.....that would be worthy.

You really need one of the boosted SS's. The base car is decent, but the "total package" of the range toppers truly transformed it into a world beater (remember, this car held a 'Ring record). The turbo cars are amazing, but don't discount the S/C ones. Dad's got one and even stock it's quick (and knocks down 30+ MPG). Bolt on the factory tuning package (pulley, tuner, injectors IIRC) and it's like another 75HP! The Bonneville guys love the EcoTec motors. Stock blocks have been used past 1000HP.

Good cars. Oh, and the interior is on par with a Mazda3, so it's not really that bad (compared to other new plastic interiored cars). Holds up well. The seats are great.

93EXCivic wrote: The rental I drove for a while was a miserable POS. Terrible interior and you would step on the throttle and it would sit there kind thinking are you sure you want to accelerate ok then I will.

FYI - ASFIK, all GM rental cars have a different spec build-out than the even the basest of base model "regular" cars. For example, our Grand Prix is an ex-rental and has a rubber steering wheel and shifter (both leather in the GP GT), no Sport/Lock Out button for the shifter, base (SE) cloth seats, etc, etc. I have driven a rental Cobalt back-to-back with a base model regular one and there were definite differences in materials and trims there as well. I'd never judge a real car based on it's rental/fleet/government version.

93EXCivic wrote: The rental I drove for a while was a miserable POS. Terrible interior and you would step on the throttle and it would sit there kind thinking are you sure you want to accelerate ok then I will.

Yes, the 4T40E is a terrible slug of aluminum autotragicness. It sucks the absolute life out of it. The 5spd is SO much better, even in a base model. Plus given it was a rental, it had the crappiest of crappy interiors and those suck even more life out of it. I bet if you got a 5spd decently cared for model, it would be better, not "perfect" but good enough to DD and not suck you into the black hole of boring appliance vehicles.

Last year I got an Impala rental and I HATED it. It was awful. A month later I got another Impala rental from the same place and I really liked it. I learned a lesson about judging a car based on a rental experience.

We have had a Cobalt LS for about 4 years. The interior is fine. It rides good, and it handles GREAT. The power is good, and I don't have any issues with the auto trans, or the drive by wire. The factory Pioneer sound system, although not very good equipment sounds really, really good. I've said it before, my son has an RSX premium. Aside from looks and maybe fuel economy, it doesn't do anything better than the Cobalt. In fact, the Cobalt rides nicer, handles better, and is just as fast. Every time he drives it, he wants to one. I understand the Cavalier having a bad rap, but the Cobalt really is a decent car, and the Eco motor is unbelievably stout. Control arm bushings that wear prematurely is a fairly common problem. It's an easy fix, and Moog has better than factory bushings available for about $20.

My wife loves the car. With the ultra tight turning radius, and electric power steering, she can park it anywhere. In 4 years we have put in gas and done oil changes. I would definitely buy one as a project car, and probably will in the next few years.

I had one as a rental for a week and put a lot of miles on it. I had low expectations and came out thinking it was not a bad car at all. I wouldn't hesitate to encourage someone in the used compact market to give it a look.

I was glad I went with it instead of the sentra (probably a cvt) or corolla.

Javelin wrote: You really need one of the boosted SS's. The base car is decent, but the "total package" of the range toppers truly transformed it into a world beater (remember, this car held a 'Ring record). The turbo cars are amazing, but don't discount the S/C ones. Dad's got one and even stock it's quick (and knocks down 30+ MPG). Bolt on the factory tuning package (pulley, tuner, injectors IIRC) and it's like another 75HP!

The #1 easiest and most cost effective modification to a s/c'd one is a tune.....raise the rev limiter from 6500 to 7200 because the power curve is still climbing at the limiter(6500) and you'll gain a dyno proven 20-30fwhp. Also note, the 205/200 rating they put on them was kinda low....my redline knocked down over 220fwhp with just 3lbs of extra boost via a golf tee.....then again, the redlines always seemed to have a bit more gusto in their stride than the balt.

Had a base model rental for 2 weeks about a month before i got my 05 S/C Cobalt SS. Liked the rental it was not bad at all for what it was. I love my SS it continually gets 31.5 mpg on regular gas my ave speed is normally 46-48 as per the dash board it used to be up in the 62mph range when i traveled the hi-way to work and before the alky was in the fuel i got 34.0 to 34.5 mpg. In 05 i really wanted a WRX or STI but just could not afford it so Cobalt SS was about it, now my wife has her 09WRX wagon and every time i get in it i bash my knee to the dash board (passenger side) and when i drive it i miss the boast gauge on the A pillar and take note of the turbo lag that pisses me off to no end the S/C is right there no lag at all.

Zomby Woof wrote: electric power steering,

That is probably their greatest weakness. The fail modes on those either break your wrists or cause a crash. They don't default to manual steering like they should. I have fixed a few with the wheels turned to one side after the motor failed. Or if the steering angle sensor flakes out and causes either zero assist or an "overboosted" condition cyclic through the travel.

IMHO the problem with the Cobalt is that the Mazda3, Mini Cooper and Focus exist. I mean it seems better the same era Corollas or Civics but that is just my opinion.

93EXCivic wrote: IMHO the problem with the Cobalt is that the Mazda3, Mini Cooper and Focus exist. I mean it seems better the same era Corollas or Civics but that is just my opinion.

The Cobalt is on par with the Cooper in materials/build quality and leaves the Focus in the dust, no question.

We're talking about the Mini Cooper, yes? I know it's subjective, but i just can't quite fathom how to arrive at that conclusion, unless we're only talking about overall reliability.

I've been in a few Cobalts. (Base models, though) I've never wanted to get out of a car so badly in my life.

Javelin wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: IMHO the problem with the Cobalt is that the Mazda3, Mini Cooper and Focus exist. I mean it seems better the same era Corollas or Civics but that is just my opinion.

The Cobalt is on par with the Cooper in materials/build quality and leaves the Focus in the dust, no question.

Surely you can't be serious? The Cooper is SOOOOOO much nicer the Cobalt (and I am not talking base models either).

There were a couple non-SS Cobalts at this weekends autocross, they didn't do badly at all in their class.

When shopping for an SS, remember that the limited slip diff was an option. It's on the code sheet G85. FE3 is an uprated, but not SS suspension.

When the car came out, it got good reviews. GM just never did much with it afterwards except the SS models so the competition passed them by. The Pontiac G5 GT has nicer trim, wheels, and such. Never cared for the round Cobalt coupe taillights. A sedan or G5 bumper swap would fix that.

I don't believe the later Sport got the SS suspension,just nicer bumpers/trim. The non-boosted SS was only for a year or 2 and was replaced by the sport.

They seem to be tough little cars, I see them with a ton of miles, still going strong.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: We're talking about the Mini Cooper, yes? I know it's subjective, but i just can't quite fathom how to arrive at that conclusion, unless we're only talking about overall reliability. I've been in a few Cobalts. (Base models, though) I've never wanted to get out of a car so badly in my life.

Yes, and the SS/SC and SS/TC have quite a bit different inside than the base. (Seats, steering wheel, center stack, gauges, shifter/console, etc). But yes, I was talking about overall build quality and reliability, not just squeaky plastic (which all new plastic interiors have in my old-car-loving opinion).

I've driven my friend's Ion Redline (similar to the s/c Cobalt SS) quite a bit and I think it's a great car. Fun, plenty of power, handles and rides well. The engine likes to throw "check engine" codes a lot but they don't seem to affect drivability. The wing is a little silly and makes rear visibility poor. The seats are some of the best stock seats for a sports car I've ever sat in. I would definitely consider it if you run across one you like.

To be honest, the only cooper I have experience with is an 06 MCS, and frankly.....its interior was leaps and bounds better than every CSS/sc/tc I've been in/driven. The build quality is alot better.

Aside from the typical things you'd expect from something built in the UK, its still the better car.

The balt was more form than function, while the ion was function > form....

Also, I had the EPS fail in my redline, but aside from just going stiff, I was still able to steer fine.

dculberson wrote: I would definitely consider it if you run across one you like.

And there is probably 20 Balt SS's for every redline.....and I won't recommend them to people, body parts are next to impossible to find if messed up. I went through GM attempting to refuse warranty work due to Saturn "Not being GM" or that I had to go to a Saturn dealer(even after they were all closed...) It left a bad taste in my mouth dealing with them.....I personally haven't decided if I can forgive GM for the way I was treated.

I would say the SS coupe isn't any good, so I would definitely say the non-SS is crap.