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Chevrolet Cobalt

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Comments

  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    What conspiracy? It has gotten high praise by some, and mediocre or second best by others.
  • merckxmerckx Member Posts: 565
    How is it? My local dealer has no manuals on the lot for me to drive.
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    Newsflash : manuals are not popular.

    ;)

    One would think there would be one or two though, maybe they were sold.
  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    On the other hand, after the recent employee pricing sale it is hard to find ANY Cobalts on the lot.

    In my experience earlier in the summer, most dealers had one or two base models (probably "ad cars") with sticks. It was impossible to find LS's with sticks.
  • allfiredupallfiredup Member Posts: 736
    I've never owned an American car before. Out of nine cars in my life, eight have been Honda/Acura and my current car is a Nissan.

    I went to visit a friend this weekend in D.C. At the airport, they tried to give me a Cavalier and I refused. I just couldn't stand two days in that wretched car. The alternate they gave me was a Cobalt.

    After spending two days in the Cobalt, I'm quite impressed. I've read a lot of reviews of the Cobalt, but rarely did they give it many compliments. Usually they just said it's better than the Cavalier. The Cobalt is very responsive (I barked the tires starting off on several occasions), it handles great and GM has finally figured out how to build a nice looking and user friendly interior.

    Kudos Chevrolet! You done good!
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    Sorry, the Cavalier was never a wretched car. It was just a very good, reliable, dated, no frills car.
  • gvsunursegvsunurse Member Posts: 28
    Even though I have had some issues with my Cobalt LS since I bought it three months ago (sunroof has already been replaced and there was a brake light issue which seems to be well-known, and remedied), I still love it. Unfortunately, I got hit by a deer this week, but from what my auto body shop tells me, parts are affordable (although my insurance is paying for everything so it makes no difference to me)...and apparently the metal or whatever it is on the side of the car (from the door back) is flexible, and there was no damage from the deer hitting it there - there was hair on my car in that area so it obviously hit there - most of the damage was caused from the mirror smashing into the window and door. Anyway, I got a lot for my money in this car - it isn't very often that you get a "cheap" small car that has a leather wrapped steering with with radio controls, sunroof, xm, etc etc etc - - - -this car is a huge improvement on the Cavalier. And as a side note, I am refusing to get a Cavalier or Sunfire for a rental car while my Cobalt is in the shop - it just isn't nearly as nice as my Cobalt. :)
  • m1miatam1miata Member Posts: 4,551
    " Sorry, the Cavalier was never a wretched car. It was just a very good, reliable, dated, no frills car. "
    :::::::::::end quote::::::::::::::
    And may I add, looked better than its replacement.

    Loren
  • nortsr1nortsr1 Member Posts: 1,060
    That is "strictly" your opinion.
  • bad2thebonebad2thebone Member Posts: 5
    I live in Denver and I was finally able to find a 2.4 coupe SS auto, and 5 speed sedan. I drove the coupe first on thursday September 22. The Auto SS Coupe had a lot more pep than I thought it would, it was very responsive, seem a little quicker than the V/6 in the Malibu! I was all ready to order a auto until drove the SS 5 speed on friday, it was a kick in the pants to drive. When merging on to the highway I was doing 65 in third gear, @ around 4000 rpm max torque is rated at 6700 rpm. The variable valve timing is great with this engine, it has excellent torque off the line,and through out the full range! FORGET THE MAGIZINES GO DRIVE THE CARS YOURSELF, AND THEN YOU MAKE THE CALL! I AM ORDERING A 5 SPEED COUPE IN LASER BLUE, WITH BLACK LEATHER! YEE HA!
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    They need to add VVT to the 2.2L also.
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    I went to GM's autoshowinmotion.com and drove a Cobalt LT auto with XM. The car was very nice and quiet. Acceleration was more than I could ask for with the 2.2 engine, very responsive pickup. It handled very well and was very comfortable to drive. I don't understand how an auto writer could say it needed more engine, for what. In my opinion there is no reason to have a higher horse power engine for this kind of car unless you are racing. It moves real good and is a pleasure to drive.
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    140hp is not class leading any more but it's still up there. It's more power than anyone really needs in a compact.
  • 2fastdre2fastdre Member Posts: 59
    1) I am not quite ready to go test-drive yet, but in your opinion is the 2.4L 170hp SS coupe worth the extra bucks over the 2.2L 140hp coupe? Can you feel the extra 30hp? Both engines are claimed to have the same MPG - hmm...
    2) When can we expect to see a Convertible Cobalt? Not sure if it's easy to make one, but it sounds nice.

    2FastDre.
  • m1miatam1miata Member Posts: 4,551
    " 1) I am not quite ready to go test-drive yet, but in your opinion is the 2.4L 170hp SS coupe worth the extra bucks over the 2.2L 140hp coupe? Can you feel the extra 30hp? Both engines are claimed to have the same MPG - hmm...
    2) When can we expect to see a Convertible Cobalt? Not sure if it's easy to make one, but it sounds nice. "
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end quote~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    1) No
    2) That is called the Solstice. Base Solstice, plus air $21K plus or minus $1K depending on if you need it now, or later on. Dealers may pile on extra side sticker prices, so be prepared to smile, laugh and walk away. A convertible would be too close or the same as a Solstice in price and look nothing close to as good.

    Loren
  • 2fastdre2fastdre Member Posts: 59
    2) However, the Solstice is a 2-seater and a Cobalt Convertible would probably be a 4-seater. The Solstice does look very good.

    2FastDre.
  • m1miatam1miata Member Posts: 4,551
    You wouldn't want to be in the back seat with the top down!
    The resale on an econo car convertible is not all that good.
    It is usually a lose - lose situation to buy one.

    The Mustang convertible may be a best option. Also there
    are lots of used Sebrings. I personally would never own a
    convertible without a roll bar. Another option is to win the
    lottery, then buy a BMW or Mercedes convertible. :shades:

    Loren
  • 2fastdre2fastdre Member Posts: 59
    Good point. I would love to have a Mustang GT Conv! But that car is crossing into $30K price range. Of course, Ferrari 430 Conv would be a good buy for my lottery money. ;)

    2FastDre.
  • jossojosso Member Posts: 1
    I have an Alero with the same engine as Cobalt. Trust me, changing the oil/filter in the Cobalt is a BREEZE, almost a pleasure. The oil filter is a cylindrical paper element that "clicks" into a soda-can sized hollow component with a screw top on the top of the engine.. It's quite accessible. Very little mess. I was skeptical at first but it's light years ahead of the old metal filter. Dealers should stress this feature, a big selling point. :)
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    Caddy XLR or Vette.
  • m1miatam1miata Member Posts: 4,551
    " Caddy XLR or Vette "

    The person wanted a back seat, so those two are a non-starter.
    That is why I suggested a Mustang or Sebring. An a V6 is not too expensive.

    Wonder why people would pay that much for an XLR, when a Vette
    is a better car for less money. If I want chisel look, I would go CTS.
    With extra cash on hand, the CTS-V. For a sports car, in the GM
    line, the real deal Corvette.

    Loren
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    I know they are built on the same chassis but I don't think a Vette is a better car unless you are talking performance and sports car styling. What is the difference in spending $80,000 for a Mercedes Benz, Lexus, Cadillac, or any other high-end two door coupe. Too me they are all over-priced, but for that money catagory the XLR is just as good as the others. In fact the Caddy almost dethroned the Mercedes in one road test (Road & Track?). I think this car is considered by many to be the benchmark for high end touring coupes, other than maybe Mercedes. There is no reason an American company can't have a car priced out of reach of most consumers like the German and some Japanese auto manufactures do. This is an exclusive field generally for people who value image before anything else.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    I came here looking for something called a "Cobalt." Anybody hear of 'em?

    Meade
  • gvsunursegvsunurse Member Posts: 28
    I got my Cobalt back yesterday from the auto body shop - minus a repaired passenger side mirror. Anyone have suggestions on action to take when GM doesn't have replacement parts? A friend of mine told me it's illegal for them to not have parts. I am on a waiting list with 20 other people and theyre saying they think it will ship in November.

    Thanks! :mad:
  • allfiredupallfiredup Member Posts: 736
    Meade- it's obvious you're out of touch with the current car market!

    The Cobalt is often cross-shopped with Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac products. :P
  • bigdaddycoatsbigdaddycoats Member Posts: 1,058
    Go to the dealership when they are closed and "borrow" the needed part from another Cobalt;)

    That does seem like a long time to get a part though.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Go to the dealership when they are closed and "borrow" the needed part from another Cobalt ;)

    Hey, don't think that's necessarily a joke! I needed a set of plug wires for my '92 Protege once, and my service writer, finding that the parts department was out of them, disappeared and came back with a set in his hands from a new Protege out on the lot. "We'll warranty that one," he said with a chuckle as he popped my hood and installed them himself.

    Meade
  • gvsunursegvsunurse Member Posts: 28
    I'd love to do that...but I didn't take my car to a GM dealership...I took it to a shop owned by close friend's parents...a co-worker does have a friend who works at a local chain of dealerships who is going to find out if she can get the part for me, but I'm not counting on it. The fact that the Cobalt's have inserts on the mirrors that coordinate with the body color make it that much more complicated I think. At least the car's driveable...but to be honest, I'd rather try to figure out a way to get out of my lease! Cobalt's nice, but after driving an Envoy as my rental, it's been hard to go back!
  • bigdaddycoatsbigdaddycoats Member Posts: 1,058
    1- if you really want to get out of your lease, do it. If you leased through GMAC, you can have someone take over your lease. There is a $595 fee for the new lease. Leasetrader.com has listings for this.

    2- If you can get the part off of the car that you need to replace you may be able to get the new part yourself. Find the part number on the damaged part - all GM parts have numbers on them somewhere. Go to GMpartsdirect.com and see if they have your part. They are usually cheap and ship quickly.

    Do you need the whole mirror assembly? The inserts may be a piece that you could pop out and use on the new mirror?

    Just some thoughts.
  • dbains2kdbains2k Member Posts: 9
    My last car was an Alero. I liked the car except for:
    a)The gas mileage wasn't what I had hoped
    b)The breaks/rotors seemed to wear out WAY too quickly.

    So how are the brakes and rotors :confuse: on the Cobalts?
  • ron_mron_m Member Posts: 186
    dbains2k,

    I don't own a Cobalt myself, but I read Edmunds' long term test on an LT sedan recently. They stated that they are only averaging 24.9 mpg with their test car. That's certainly not as good as I would expect from a compact sedan. This also rules the car out for me now.

    Ron M.
  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    Car testers "drive the car like they stole it" - ymmv.
  • allfiredupallfiredup Member Posts: 736
    Check out some other sites that allow owner reviews of cars. MSN Autos is a good one. I took a quick look there and several people mentioned averaging over 30 mpg. Still not at the top of class, but a heck of a lot better than 23.
  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    Also I just discovered www.fueleconomy.gov has owner reviews of actual mileage up, and the mileage reports on the Cobalt are quite good.
  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    I finally took a Cobalt (2006) out for a test drive with a stick shift (hard to find). What a difference the stick shift makes! The car accelerates strongly and smoothly, and there is little cabin noise. It is a totally different subjective experience from the stodgy (imho) automatic. Of course it didn't hurt, subjectively speaking, to be in a coupe instead of the sedan, and I believe the coupe is 100 or 150 pounds lighter, too.

    My Focus ZX3 is getting a little long in the tooth in comparison. Once the top of its class in NVH (noise vibration harshness) it is now surpassed by the Mazda3 and, yes, even the Cobalt. I thought the Cobalt also handled better than the S trim level of Focus which I have (which is bereft of rear sway bar); so there is an ironic advantage to having a twist bear rear axle which sort of acts like an anti-sway bar, although reviewers view twist beams as a primitive set-up compared to the newer multilink designs on the ZX3, Mazda3 and new Honda Civic. Note that I am not comparing "at the limit" cornering, just typical on ramp grip and feel; and the Cobalt may benefit from a lower center of gravity, as well (you sit lower in it).

    I am now thinking that if I can get a quiet enough small car (because small cars are generally better handling) I will be better off than moving up to a Malibu or Fusion or Five Hundred. We have a second vehicle which can be used for hauling and road trips, so I am re-thinking my goals on my commuter car.

    Don't laugh, but I am seriously thinking about getting a decibel meter to eliminate the subjective factor from my search for quietness....
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,282
    Instruments can lie. Your ears won't.
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    As I posted in an earlier post, the Cobalt (Car & Driver or Motor Trend, July issue) compared 5-6 cars including the Corrola and Cobalt, and the Cobalt averaged over 28 mpg combined, and the Corrola was also right there but something like .02 less than the Cobalt. If you read the forum going back, you will see people reporting pretty good mileage. As always the type of driving and conditions make a big difference. I find Edmund's testing the least reliable and of questionable quality with every test, review I have read.
  • frustrated8frustrated8 Member Posts: 20
    General Motors finally bought back my Cobalt. With 4800 miles and twelve times in the shop and after the "final repair attempt" I am soooooo glad to be rid of that car. Among many other things, it turned out the AC case was cracked and water poured on my passengers side and the condensation poured out of the vents all over the dash. The GM rep who did the "final repair attempt" couldn't find anything wrong with the car and had the service guy from the dealership tell me that "you just have to realize that you can't run your AC on high". I won't repeat what I told him! I wasn't about to accept that so I took it to the reputable dealership where I bought it (70 miles away) and they found everything that was wrong. By then it was 31 days in the shop. But GM couldn't produce a replacement AC case and couldn't even give us an ETA when the part would be shipped. Long story short, I got my money back from GM and bought a Toyota Corolla that I LOVE!! The Cobalt handled nicely but the Corolla handles GREAT!. General Motors will never see another penny from me!
  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    Were there any other issues, or just the cracked a/c case?

    Honestly, it's sad that the dealer you took it in to for diagnosis couldn't find the problem. The lesson is a better dealer could and did. The GM rep has his hands tied somewhat by the servicing dealer - they can't actuallly do the work for that dealer, and they can't tell you to take it to another.

    I hope they were nice with you on the buyback. GM tries hard, in my experience, but when they drop the ball, their customers tend to be VERY vocal. Consider Toyota and their many sludged engines and initial efforts to blame their customers - I have seen very little in the way of persistent venom from affected owners. I agree that Toyota and Honda are better, but in my experience, not by much, and I have had bad Toyota and Honda dealer service departments as well as good (and bad) domestic departments.

    The one arena in which I won't argue with you, is that Toyota and Honda REALLY hold their value...in part due to the "cone of silence" and aura of invincibility. Their problems (like failing automatic tranny's ) get buried, everything GM./Ford/Chrysler does wrong keeps reverberating in user groups.
  • frustrated8frustrated8 Member Posts: 20
    The buy back process left a bitter taste!!! The woman I dealt with was a witch spelled with a B. I know that she was just doing her job and trying to pay me the least amt that she could. But I bought a brand new car for cash thinking that I wouldn't have any problems and thats all I had. They replaced the radio 5 times. The evaporator pan split and flooded the car. There was loss of power while driving down the road. Sometimes it would hesitate when pulling out into traffic. The AC had many problems from day one. The check engine light was coming on. The brake light would flash while driving. The door ajar warning light wouldn't come on unless the door was open at least five inches. I discovered that after finding my back door ajar w/my grandson in the back seat. He was seat belted in....but what is the purpose of a door ajar warning light if it doesn't come on until the door is completely open?? I was told that was an engineering problem and they couldn't do anything about that. HELLO!!! Just shorten the pin in the door!!! When I pull on the handle in my Toyota the light comes on immediately.

    I can't see how the GM rep's hands were tied. He looked the car over and couldn't find anything wrong with it. Although, I did not talk to him. They test drove the car a whole nine miles which is barely enough time for the AC to cool off the car here in Central Florida. The dealership told me that I just had to realize that I couldn't have my AC on high. Its 95 degrees w/99% humidity and I can't use my AC on high? Give me a break!

    I do plan on filing a complaint agaist the dealership and GM to our State Attorney's office. How can anybody trust GM's final repair attempt? Obviously he isn't trying to find any problems. He works for GM. And it was like pulling teeth to get my money back. They even tried to keep my sales tax. I told the woman "when I buy my Toyota I'll have to pay them the sales tax". She said that GM was not prepared to offer me my sales tax back. I told her to call me when they were. I was prepared to go to arbitration. I knew I would win.

    I'm starting to ramble. But the whole experience has been a horrible one. And I could rant on and on.
  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    I see your point - you had a real lemon. That's why we need to support lemon laws (which all manufacturers oppose). Yes you should get your sales tax back.
  • allfiredupallfiredup Member Posts: 736
    Thought I'd briefly share my experience with the Georgia Lemon Law.

    A good friend of mine bought one of the first '04 Ford F-150s to roll off the line. Over the first year of ownership, it was taken to three different dealers for a total of 16 repair attempts and an accumulated 48 days out of service. The biggest problems were a persistent vibration from the rear-end at highway speeds and an intermittent slipping in the transmission.

    I started investigating the lemon law in our state and began the letter writing process. One of the service departments had indicated on a repair order that the rear-end problem had been seen in numerous '04 F-150s.

    After four letters, one final repair attempt and about another 45 days, he finally received the letter from Ford to either request buy back or a suitable replacement vehicle.

    Long story short, the '04 had 18k miles and he paid a penalty of $837 for that. In return, he got an '05 identically equipped with the addition of power passenger seat and power moonroof. Great deal in my opinion. They handled it very well.
  • frustrated8frustrated8 Member Posts: 20
    I did get my sales tax back. And they were as happy to be rid of me as I was to be rid of them!

    I lost $1200.00 on my deal. They offered me a new car but I would have had to pay them an additional $1700.00. I refused to do that. I only had 4800 miles on my car and they charged me $550.00 for the use of my car. The additional money was a rebate that I got when I bought it. I felt that they should have given me a brand new car at no charge. What other product do you buy charges you a usage charge when the product is obviously defective? None comes to my mind.

    Yes, we all need to support the Lemon Law but I think they need to be revised in favor of the consumer. Its kind of like the criminals have all the rights in our "justice" system. Manufacturers don't lose anything when they sell a defective product. They are just going to turn around and sell the lemon at a salvage auction and still make money on it!

    I'll go because I feel another rant coming on.
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    A lady in my office has a 2004 Toyota Corolla she is still trying to have fixed as the A/C smells like rotten eggs. She is stuck with the car though, Toyota won't take it back.

    Given GM did give you your money back, bad mouthing them and saying you will never buy again seems to make you look like the bad guy now. Just something to consider. You had a lemon, there is nothing wrong with the Cobalt in general.
  • hammen2hammen2 Member Posts: 1,284
    FYI, my first GTO was exchanged due to issues (it had an improperly-assembled firewall, and the dealer, unfamiliar with Holden's V-chassis, in attempting to diagnose and effect the repair, damaged, among many other things, the front suspension... after 35 days in the shop in the first 2 1/2 months of ownership, I pushed the issue heavily with Executive Relations.

    The repurchase experience through GM was the worst customer service I've ever experienced as a consumer. For one thing, it took them nearly TWO MONTHS to complete the paperwork on my exchange - from November 17 until January 10th (dealer had the replacement car there in two days -and they were PO'd at GM because they had to carry it on their books all that time/past the end of the year). I was originally told "mid-December".

    As time went by, and no news or apparent action by mid-December, I kept calling and calling my Executive Relations contact, and not getting callbacks. Finally heard from the individual responsible for my repurchase. He was completely incompetent (never called me, just faxed me a repurchase agreement - only got two of the three pages, and confidential personal info was left on our corporate fax machine for other employees to see). He needed copies of the title, registration, et. al., I faxed it to him, he called me two days later and asked me to re-fax the items. Told me a specific date (January 3rd), then the next time he called it was the 5th, then the 10th - and I jumped through all of the hoops and immediately got them everything they needed, but they could never give me an explanation of why these dates kept slipping.

    Went to sign the paperwork on the car on January 10th, and they had forgotten the GMAC loan substitution paperwork - even if I had wanted to leave the dealership with the car that night (I didn't, it was going into storage), I couldn't. Finally got the paperwork and picked it up a couple of days later (flatbed into storage). In mid-February the dealership called me - could I and my wife come in and re-sign the paperwork? GM had lost it.

    I don't wish my experience on anyone - buying a new car should be an exciting experience, not a frustrating 4 1/2 month battle royale like mine was. Fortunately my replacement car has been pretty solid, so that helps soothe the wounds. But frankly, I highly doubt I'm purchasing GM again - certainly not new (and I'm a GM Cardholder and get my mother-in-law's employee discount, too, so that says something).

    --Robert
  • billl1billl1 Member Posts: 1
    Gee after reading all the above I'm a bit afraid of challenging GM, well really I'm not. I have an 05 Cobalt that has had Sunroof problems, First the motor went bad on it, Took the dealer 5 days to get a new one. The car sat in their shop with a hole in the roof for that 5 days, Next I have a water leak that is soaking the head liner. They said they sealed the gutter to roof joint, no luck next day soaked again, that is 6 days ago and the car is still there, they have no clue where the water is coming from, They are supposed to have a factory tech there today, but he hasn't shown up.
    They think there is a manufacturing issue with the sun roof, I'm pressing the dealer to take this car back and I'll move on to something else, Oh yeah, I only have 1500 miles on the car!

    Any thoughts?
  • nortsr1nortsr1 Member Posts: 1,060
    Just one....don't but another one with a sunroof!!!
  • frustrated8frustrated8 Member Posts: 20
    How on earth could I be the bad guy? Because I speak my mind? GM treated me like crap!!! Have you been on any other discussion boards? The Cobalt "in general" is not a good car. It rides okay, but my Toyota rides like a luxery car. No comparsion. I'm sorry that your friend's AC smells like rotten eggs and they can't find the problem. Maybe he/she needs to take it do a differant dealership and see if they can find something. Did it always smell like rotten eggs? When did that problem start? That car is probably past the lemon law stage being two years old. My problems started 3 days after I bought the car. Yes, it was a lemon. And those things happen but one would expect fair treatment from GM and the dealership. It wasn't my fault they sold me a defective product. They should have been honest and accepted the responsibility. And that fact alone makes me say that I would NEVER buy another GM product. It also makes me wonder.....what department at GM do you work for?
  • m1miatam1miata Member Posts: 4,551
    It is best not to run the new air conditioners on recycle air all the time. When you do have it on for some time on recycle, switch it over to outside air for a few minutes before shut down, and if possible just air only and blow that through for a minute or two. I take it that the new cooling ingredient which replaced freon is the culprit. Must be, since many cars now have rotten air syndrome If I have been using it in recycle, I try to remember to send in the outside air or blow the just air on through on high for a bit in hopes of drying out the vents a bit.

    As for the Corolla being a good car, my '98 was reliable, and inexpensive to own -- no real money paid out after warranty. It was like the Eveready Bunny. That is until I sold it and it was totalled out within a couple weeks of the next owner having it.

    Don't have any idea how good or bad a Cobalt is build wise. It looks stats wise like plenty of HP for the money if bought somewhere in the $14-15K range, the price seems
    OK.

    Loren
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,282
    We have a few GM apologists here. It's not reasonable to tell people that have gone through it with these cars, "oh you're an isolated case" or "the japanese makes lemons too". Both our friends with the Cobalt and the GTO had some significant problems and were met with GM indifference and run around. GM lost the business and rightly so.
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