80LS1T Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 My girlfriend is looking at new cars and the Cobalt is on her list of "cute" cars. I just want to know if its a POS or a fairly reliable car. Anybody have one or work at a GM dealership that can give me some info on it? I dont want her to buy a car that is "cute" but unreliable. Especially since I will be the one fixing it once its out of warrenty! Thanks, Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HBZ81 Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 My girlfriend just bought one about a month ago. It's basically the Saturn Ion chassis with the Chevy Cavy engine. It's a decent car, the sedan's are "cute" but the coupes are hot IMO. We got a sedan and a SS in the parking lot here. Last time I checked there was more aftermarket parts of the regular but little of the SS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 good little car, pretty much a cavy.. new little honda civics are reallll nice though mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted September 22, 2005 Author Share Posted September 22, 2005 Sorry Mike but there is no way she will be getting a Honda or any other car from overseas. I cant stand fixing them. Especially when you start to get into wiring. They(foreign car makers)just dont seem to know how to make a wiring diagram if you ask me. Mitsubishis are the worst if you ask me. Great mechanical but crappy wiring. Thats just my opinon and I dont want this thread to turn into a domestic vs foreign debate! As long as the engine isnt the same as the Saturns Im ok with it. All I ever see/hear about Saturns is how they like to burn oil once they get some milage on them. Im not interested in fixing that either! I want her to get the SS supercharged one but I doubt she will, she says she doesnt need a supercharger. I say who doesnt need a supercharger?! I think the coupe is nice looking too. We are going to start looking this weekend. So we will see what she finds "cute" and then test drive them. I cant wait to be treated like a moron by the salesmen. Thats the part about buying a car that I hate most! Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 well why not a SRT4? you work at a dodge dealership dont you. what you think about them. i cant see how the honda or toyota or even nissan wire diragrams are bad.. i think there alot better then any of the BMW, Benz, Chevy and ford ones ive delt with. with honda and toyota being the best. yes mitsu is a skull-**** from hell... still rather own a Civic, RSX, Sentra, corrolla, Mazda 3 (great car) or a SRT4 over the cobalt. mike p.s. if this is a new car you wont be fixing them.. warrenty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted September 23, 2005 Author Share Posted September 23, 2005 Oh trust me I would love her to get an SRT-4. I can get the Stage 3 with turbo toys for $3800! Retail on that is at about $5600 + labor to install it. We have 2 SRT-4's on the lot right now, a red one and an orange one. We are going to test drive one just for the fun of it. She's not a big go fast person though. But who knows maybe she will love it! I personally think the SRT-4 is a great little car with lots of potential. But shes not a car freak so mods would probably not be in its future. About the fixing it, it will be out of warrenty in less than 2 years because she drives 50 miles to work one way. So she puts on a ton of milage every year so she'll be out of warrenty on milage. So I will be fixing it sooner or later. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 :( I still want an SRT-4 so bad... and time is almost up to buy one. I'm wearing my wife down every day about it, but I don't think she's going to give in. I still can't believe the amount of power that thing comes with for being such a cheap car. It's as fast as, and handles and brakes nearly as good as, the 350z, for thousands less. It typically dynoes MORE power to the wheels than it is rated for at the flywheel by the factory!!! I think like 230-240hp to the wheels?? But I have to wonder, well... you know how the saying goes... "you get what you pay for". I have been over to some SRT forum a bunch of times, and saw they were already many owners plagued with mostly small problems. I wonder what the overall reliability of them would be. I have heard that mechanically the engines are very stout, but what about the rest? I would hate to buy a new car, my first ever, and have it be junk. It's a big decision, one I have thought about almost every day for the last year or so, and it's stressing me out because the model year is just about to roll over and than it's bye bye forever SRT-4... and I refuse to buy a used one, used turbo cars are scary prospects. My 280zxt donor motor proved that to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted September 23, 2005 Author Share Posted September 23, 2005 Well I just got off the phone with her. She looked at the Chevy Aveo tonight. So that might also be a possibilty. We are going to test drive the Neons on Saturday morning. Then she is going to test drive the Cobalt and Aveo later on Saturday afternoon. Sure would be cool if she got the SRT-4 but Im not holding my breath! As for the reliablity of the SRT-4's....We have about a half a dozen of them that get service at our dealership. None of them have any serious mods for HP. All bling bling stuff. From a stock stand point the only thing we have seen are emissions leaks. This is very common on all of the Dodges though. I personally think the PCM is just too sensitive to emissions leaks. Other than that they have been very good. Headgaskets are holding up just fine after 25,000miles(most of the SRT-4's that we have service at our dealership have over 20,000 miles on them now). Hard to say though in the long run. It wouldnt really matter for her though since I work at a dealership and we can find ways to cover things under warrenty for employees. Bastaad525, I say get the SRT-4! You'll love it and when/if it breaks you wont have to fix it! Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 I've been hanging out at the SRT forum off and on... they report a lot of small problems, like windshield trim/rubber coming off, or electrical problems. I have heard a LOT of good things about the 2.4L motor itself, but nothign about the rest of the drivetrain. I'd say right now there is about a 30% chance I will end up getting one... I really want one, it's so odd... I never thought I'd hear myself say I really want a Dodge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudypoochris Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 my girlfriend drools over any miata, just recently she saw the new miata. She definatly wants that now. yar, is your girl hardtop or convertable. I'd never get a convertable personally just for performance reasons, but from what i hear the new miata is much more stiff than before. My all time "cute" car is the mini cooper (original only please) or your girl wants something brand new? If so then i would get an rsx or a se-r. But since you want american seems like your stuck with the focus, the fusion if it is out yet?, neon, and the cobalt. I would choose from those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HBZ81 Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 About the Aveo... I got one. It's kind of slow but the gas milage is insane. I went from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Detroit, Michigan on 2 1/2 tanks of gas and Tulsa to Las vegas, Nevada on 3 tanks. (A/C most of the time) I put a K&N CAI on it and a straight pipe exhaust and it made it a little faster. I have plans on porting out a exhaust manifold and intake manifold to put on it to help with the power issues. Only real issue i have with the Aveo, besides to speed, is it tends to get kicked around by the wind when driving above 55mph. but all-in-all, it's a decent little car for the money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifegrddude Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 The only problem I've heard from the SRT-4 guys (well actually 2 friends) is the shift fork getting bent, and a clutch that doesn't fully disengage at times causing 3rd gear to grind every now and then. Haven't heard anything about the motor except one minor issue regarding the TPS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted September 23, 2005 Author Share Posted September 23, 2005 About the Aveo... I got one. It's kind of slow but the gas milage is insane. I went from Tulsa' date=' Oklahoma to Detroit, Michigan on 2 1/2 tanks of gas and Tulsa to Las vegas, Nevada on 3 tanks. (A/C most of the time) Only real issue i have with the Aveo, besides to speed, is it tends to get kicked around by the wind when driving above 55mph. but all-in-all, it's a decent little car for the money[/quote'] So what kind of milage are you getting with yours? Gas milage is deffinetly an important thing to her. I dont like it that its not stable above 55mph though.... Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slownrusty Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 I just found out that 2005 is the last year for the SRT-4...no more after this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmyntti Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 I have an 04 Aveo and I get around 35 mpg driving at around 70 mph, mostly highway mileage. That being said my 99 Neon DOHC got 36 mpg and was much more fun and never broke down in 125,000 miles I put on it. My 92 Hyndai Excel (talk about getting blown around) gets 38 mpg, I kept that one for the kids to learn to drive in and now can't sell it because it isn't worth anything (160,000 miles). The Aveo is a very easy car to drive long distances and I don't have a problem gettind blown around. The Aveo is however just a rebadged Daewoo, so it is an inport and is wired just like one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jeewiz13 Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 According to Consumer Reports, the cars that went in for warranty work for 2004 per 100 cars the least amout of time was : 1.Subaru (I own a WRX ) 2. Hyundai (They really stepped up there quality). Not sure which one was for 3 or 4 but they were Honda and Toyota. The Last 5 was a Chrysler brand, a GM brand , Ford, Nissan, and Mercedes. Pretty much the same for 2003 too but instead of nissan it was BMW and Hyundai wasn't top 5. As far as an import goes, most of the cars are built in the US. Nissan builds its cars in tennessee, Hyundai in Alabama, Toyota in multiple states. My buddy had a srt-4 and did something to the tranny with the shifting. The dealership fixed it with a new clutch too but didn't turn the flywheel. Before he could get the shaking start fixed, he smashed it. The car was quick but it makes you think what corners chrysler cut to make it cheaper by when they make the back windows manual. Could never get over that fact. As far as having to fix a car from overseas being hard to work on, I don't think there is much comparison. I can see it if you were to get a european car. The same buddy now has an Audi S4 nowand there is no room in engine bay. GM is now making V8 FWD cars. Imagine working on a horizontal v8 in a grand prix or impala. As for most japanese cars, have you looked at incentives or warranties? They are nothing next to any other car company but yet they are still selling. A reputation speaks more than any other selling point. While GM has there employee purchase program going on and all US auto makers followed, none of the "import" companies have done any new marketing to real in new business. Toyota is a top 10 out of the fortune 500 companies. Honda has the best resale value of any car company. If warranty is not going to be an issue then get a civic or corolla. Never heard of anybody complaing about having to fix anything with them. Links to where I got some info from: http://www.toyota.com/about/operations/manufacturing/index.html http://automobiles.honda.com/info/news/article.asp?ArticleID=2002022846400 http://www.nissanusa.com/insideNissan/NissanNorthAmerica/0,,,00.html#AS1359 http://www.hyundaiusa.com/about/overview/overview.asp One last one that might get you thinking of the history of the vehicles (Notice jap vs the rest): http://autos.yahoo.com/consumerreports/article/best_and_worst_used_cars.html;_ylt=AlRlc4c8ZSoliQQB1GhibJZrc78F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HBZ81 Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 So what kind of milage are you getting with yours? Gas milage is deffinetly an important thing to her. I dont like it that its not stable above 55mph though.... Guy yeah above 55mph and 20 mph winds the car gets pushed around alittle bit I get around 40mpg on the highway with no AC, but that's also with my exhaust system and air intake. Tulsa to Lawrence Kansas = 1/2 to 2/3 Tank = 217miles Tulsa to St louis = 1 tank = 395 miles Tulsa to Detroit = 2.5 tanks = 943 miles Tulsa to Las Vegas = 3 to 3 1/3 tanks = 1222 miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxilary Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 yay tupperware interior! When you drive the cavalier off the lot, you'll hear a loud thunk. Don't look in hte rear view mirror, you'll see the resale value resting on the dealership lot. I should know, I bought (and yesterday sold) a neon. If you want cheap and economic transportation, buy a 1 year old used ford focus. Still warrantied, 5k cheaper than new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted September 25, 2005 Author Share Posted September 25, 2005 Well we test drove the Neon SXT and Cobalt LS and SS. She loved the Cobalt but it is just too far out of her price range. She likes the Neon too and its in her price range. She doesnt like the Aveo anymore because it looks too much like a Focus. Shes going to get the Neon SXT. The sales man for the Cobalt was a complete jackass too! We just wanted to test drive one but it turned into a 2.5 hour ordeal with him trying to sell a car that she just couldnt afford. She wanted to look at a Cobalt LT but they didnt have any and all they had was the base model with no power options and the Cobalt SS which was out of her price range. So he tried to get her to lease it and then we explained that she drives too much so milage would be an issue. Then he tried to sell her on the "Smart Buy Option". Which would have made her payments low at $280 but she would have a lump sum due at the end of 4 years..............YEAH FOR $9200! Yeah ok we'll sign up for that! Then he tried to sell her the SS even though the payments were $60/month out of her price range. So he told us to take the SS for lunch and come back with our "thoughts". So we did just to make him happy. We came back and said "sorry we just cant make this decision today and we'll let you know" so he tried to give us the car for the weekend. Yeah were like "ah no, its not that she doesnt want the car just that she CANT afford the car". This is when he finally gave up........after 2.5 hours! Yeah we could have left but we are both too nice and just couldnt get up and leave even though we both wanted to. Next time either one of us buys a car we are just going to go into the dealership and say "yeah Im looking for X model with these options, do you have one and how much?" " oh and Im not buying one today so dont try to sell me one" This guy we delt with pissed us both off. We werent buying TODAY but he thought that even though we werent buying today that he could get her to buy today. Sorry but salesmen are POS's if you aske me!(yeah that guy really left a bad taste in my mouth) Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted September 25, 2005 Share Posted September 25, 2005 good little car' date=' pretty much a cavy.. new little honda civics are reallll nice though mike[/quote'] My next company car! Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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