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Chevrolet Cobalt

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  • aladdinsanealaddinsane Member Posts: 182
    I keep reading about how poor the Cobalt is in comparison to other machines in its class. Wotta shame. While it certainly isn't a Porsche or Cadillac it seems to be a vehicle that is satifactory for those venturing from point A to B. GM pays little attention to it though, and instead of improving it they simply continue to churn it out, knowing that many will buy it because it's inexpensive, easy to buy and repair(?). Anyone into wheels can see that there is a great potential here to make this into a first class machine by listening to what buyers want and acting upon that. Telescoping steering wheel, better front seats, durable and well made interiors with plastics that don't look mismatched or cheap...the list can go on. And what does GM do?
    Hmmmmmmm...

    My question is does anyone know what Chevy has in store for the 2008 version? I gather that there will be changes, for the better, hopefully. Is there any web-site online that can furnish what these changes are in detail? I do know that XM radio will be standard, that certain exterior colors are being dropped with new ones introduced, StabliTrak will now be available (finally!)...but that's about it. The SS supercharged model is being dropped too. I hope the interiors get a re-do also. In some models the interior looks like a bad boy racer's dream, if you get my drift. GM, are U listening? I doubt it.

    Thanx!!!

    Peace<- :shades: --
  • grosloupgrosloup Member Posts: 239
    I've been searching the "net" myself to see if any changes were in for 2008 models. Found nothing else but the same info that you have. The only car with major changes for 2008 (and GM is pushing it) is the Malibu, that's all what G.M. is showing everywhere. As soon as I find something I'll reply and let you know.
  • grosloupgrosloup Member Posts: 239
    This is all what I could find. It comes from Wikipedia.

    2008: Supercharged SS dropped from the model lineup, while the SS Coupe and SS Sedan were renamed to "Sport Coupe" and "Sport Sedan" respectively. XM Radio, side-impact air bags for improved safety, and MP3 player are now standard instead of options. StabiliTrak stability control system introduced. Other changes include the adding and removing of several colors and interior colors.

    I'll keep in touch.
  • aladdinsanealaddinsane Member Posts: 182
    Thanx, friend...I appreciate your effort! ;)

    PLEASE keep in touch!! :)

    The 4-1-1 U have is from Wikipedia. I know. And as U said the focus, excuse the pun, is on the "new" Malibu. GM: wake up!

    Peace, and thanx again<- :shades: --
  • vauxhallvauxhall Member Posts: 4
    does anybody out there have a similar problem to the one we have with our 2007 cobalt sedan LT.
    There is a sound around the front doors/windows like the door/windows aren't shut properly, but they are.
    Our dealer has tried to fix this problem but with no decent results.
    I was wondering if anybody else has had the same problem.

    Thanks
  • prdmprdm Member Posts: 145
    We had incessant wind noise from day one on our 2005 sedan and after several hours poking around and sliding dollar bills around door seals while driving discovered that the driver's door outside weather stripping where door meets glass was not fully seated. We pushed down (hard) and it snapped in place. Problem gone. Can only hope it's that simple.
  • vauxhallvauxhall Member Posts: 4
    aladdinsane, I have heard that they are thinking of dropping it or doing a complete new vehicle....maybe they are thinking of using the new Saturn Astra across the line up once they see how it fares in North America.
    I know what you mean about the potential in this car, we have a 2007 LT Sedan, so much better than our 2004 Cavalier before.
    We have some annoying problems that our dealer is trying ti fix but all in all we really like it, apart from the very poor rear leg room!..
  • vauxhallvauxhall Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for the info, I will look into it later, our dealer has reset the small rubber seal around the window and also readjusted the door catches to pull the door in tighter on the seals, but problem still there, just sounds like the window is open slightly, really annoying!...
  • cwo4cwo4 Member Posts: 90
    Hello, It has been nine months since that post and I am now at the 30,000 mile mark on my 06 Cobalt. It has taken me on numerous trips to Augusta, GA, Boston, MA, Virginia Beach, VA, Atlanta, GA, and the Delta of Mississippi. In addition it is my daily commuter car here in the Washington D.C. area. I am happy to report no problems at all with the Cobalt so far. I do advise any owner to read the maintenance owners manual. I listened to the Chevy Service Writer and had the dealership 15000 mile maintenance performed at a tune of $200. All I wanted was an oil change. Yesterday, when I had the oil changed at the 5000 usage mark, roughly at 30,000 total miles, I declined the 30,000 mile service. According to the manual nothing has to be done until 50,000 when the transmission fluid is changed with the oil change. Even with 5000 miles on the oil, the computer said I still had 41% oil life left. So, other than the dealership making extra money off me, my Cobalt is doing fine and serving me well. I only wish XM radio was an additional after market Chevy option. I got one of the clip on receivers for my birthday and absolutely love XM radio. I just wish Chevy had an in dash system I could now buy for my Cobalt. I hope you are having the same good fortune I'm having with my Cobalt. A fine little car!
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    Isn't there an aftermarket XM receiver that will slide in the Cobalts dash?
  • grosloupgrosloup Member Posts: 239
    I'm looking forward to buy a Cobalt in the future. Is your Cobalt a Coupe or Sedan? What model? and I don't know how much snow you get in Washington but if you had some this winter, How did it do in snow driving?

    You're right, I think dealers have their own maintenance schedule because mine and my dealer's differs pretty much. Yes, they like to make easy money on their customers.
  • cwo4cwo4 Member Posts: 90
    Mine is a 2006 Gray LS sedan. Auto, ABS and traction control are the only major options. I even have to roll down my own windows.

    We didn't have much snow this year, but the Cobalt did fine in the snow we did have. Mine came with Continental tires, which many have complained about but they have done fine too, and still have plenty of tread left at 30,000 miles. And now that gas is over $3 a gallon here I'm even more satisfied with my Cobalt.
  • grosloupgrosloup Member Posts: 239
    My son has a school project that he's working on right now. It's about economical compact cars design and owners choices. It's like a statistic thing. He decided to take the Cobalt as his subject. He needs to know two things to build his chart. The model (2 or 4 doors) and the age of the owner.
    Can you please help him by telling what model you own and how old are you.

    Thanks in advance.
  • sharkman1sharkman1 Member Posts: 19
    '06 Ls coupe. 39 years old. :(
  • walterquintwalterquint Member Posts: 89
    Hey sharkman, why the glum emoticon? You have a new car, man!.............speaking of that, I just priced the Cobalt coupe online, you can land one for $11,200, with a/c.

    Sure, it's a stripper. But you can't beat that price! And it has, in my opinion, the best small car engine available. Is the Cobalt the new Model T ??
  • sharkman1sharkman1 Member Posts: 19
    I'm not glum about the car. I love it and enjoy driving it everyday. The glum emotican is for being 39.
  • bporter1bporter1 Member Posts: 229
    My car is a 2007 Cobalt LTZ sedan, and I am 36 years old.
    On another note, I really like my car. It is very comfortable on long drives, and pretty good on gas.
  • times2times2 Member Posts: 45
    2006 Cobalt LS 4-Door. 42 years old.
    By the way 5-speed manual - get between 32 and 35 mpg mixed driving. Zero Problems with the car so far (about 11,000 miles).
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    I read on another forum that the supercharged model will be discontinued after this year. The article didn't say why but the reasoning is because they are switching over to turbo engines. The HHR SS, or whatever they call it, will have a 2.4 turbo.
  • grosloupgrosloup Member Posts: 239
    My wife and I are not sure what color to choose for our Cobalt. We decided on a Coupe LT or SS (not supercharged). We never owned a black car before, my wife would like it black but I'm not convince yet.
    What do you think of black cars. Good choise or not.
    In the past my cars were beige, gray, red and blue. Now my wife wants black for our next car. Need some advise, negative or positive.
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    The darker the color the more dust/dirt it will show. Also waxing will show swirl marks easier if you aren't careful. The car will also be a little hotter from the sun.
  • okko1okko1 Member Posts: 327
    i just got a black cobalt and you can see it on my page. if you get the black it will only stay clean looking for about two days provided it is garaged. the morning dew in combination dust and hard water make it very hard keep water spots and swirl marks from showing. so if you choose the black get ready to put some effort in paint
  • coboltbabycoboltbaby Member Posts: 5
    I have a 2007. Basic model, sun burst orange color. I love it so far but it's my first big purchase on my own so I'm nervous. Plus the $273 a month payment isn't fun but hey, thats how it goes. :)
  • exzur2071exzur2071 Member Posts: 43
    Anybody out there geting annoyed with too much crampled or wrinkled on the leather seats? So far this is the only annoyance I have with the 2006 Cobalt SS Supercharged that I purchased brand new the last day of January 2007.

    When I got the car the leather surface looks fine. After several usess, it started to crampled and wrinkled a lot.

    I got this car with 29 miles on the odometer. At 1,000 miles mark at I reset the mpg computer and never reset since. Today, at almost 6,000 miles on the odo, mpg computer displays 32.3 mpg. Is this accurate?

    I am driving mostly in the Buffalo, NY and suburbs area. Twice I drove the car to NYC. One time to Toronto, Canada.
  • grosloupgrosloup Member Posts: 239
    I don't own a Cobalt yet but a Equinox with leather seats. My seats are a bit wrinkled to and like you, when I bought it (new) they were very nice. Now they're wrinkled and full of lines. I thought I was the only one with that leather problem.
    I see your driving mostly in Buffalo, right in the "snow belt". I am looking forward to buy a Cobalt next year. How did it do in winter driving and did you changed your tires for winter tires or you drove on the 4 seasons? That's my biggest concern... winter driving with a Cobalt.
  • exzur2071exzur2071 Member Posts: 43
    The Pirelli Pzero Rosso tires that comes with the Cobalt SS supercharged are no good on the snow. I think, the other Cobalt models will be just fine driving on the snow.

    It's a 2001 Pontiac Aztek AWD that I drive most of the time during wintery weather.
  • okko1okko1 Member Posts: 327
    yes that is a very nice color is it easy to keep clean
  • exzur2071exzur2071 Member Posts: 43
    I was surprised to see there is no grille or cover to protect the radiator in the front lower portion of the car.

    Dealer say it does not come stanadard. I have to pay $103.81(part # 15773841) plus labor.

    It's hard for me to believe GM allows the car to leave the factory without this important piece to protect the radiator.

    Anybody who owns a Cobalt SS supercharged or not. Does it comes with the lower radiator grille stanadard?

    You may save me over a hundred bucks.
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    I take it you didn't get the optional Recaro seats?
  • exzur2071exzur2071 Member Posts: 43
    What I have is the standard leather seats wuth yellow inserts.
  • coboltbabycoboltbaby Member Posts: 5
    ya. boyfriend washes it. his entire family has chevys and he has an impala so he was proud. :D
  • coboltbabycoboltbaby Member Posts: 5
    Update: today my cobalt proved it can handle. LoL There was some accident on the freeway and the person in front of me slammed on their brakes so I had to swerve twice to avoid an accident. My boyfriend would have been proud :D
  • okko1okko1 Member Posts: 327
    glad to here ya kept the shiny side up and scratch free
  • coboltbabycoboltbaby Member Posts: 5
    well, spoke too soon. Some old man sideswiped my car coming out of Walgreens two weekends ago. Still waiting to hear from them again. But we already had a trip planned for Georgia so we took my car like planned, scratches , dents and all. :sick:
  • grosloupgrosloup Member Posts: 239
    The prices between the Cobalt Coupe LT and the Cobalt Coupe SS (not supercharged) is pretty high. I wonder if its really worth paying that difference between both models?
    We're talking of a couple of thousand dollars here for almost the same car. I know that the SS (not supercharged) is a bit more equipped and has more h.p. but is it worth that large difference in price?
    What would be my best buy for my money's worth? LT or SS?
  • okko1okko1 Member Posts: 327
    well i hope your luck changes or you gonna have to get a hummer
  • okko1okko1 Member Posts: 327
    the lt is the better buy just less standard equipment but most options are available on the lt
  • grosloupgrosloup Member Posts: 239
    Thanks for your reply (okko1). I'll take that in consideration. Very logical. Thanks again.
  • bporter1bporter1 Member Posts: 229
    Well my 07 Cobalt LTZ has 6100 miles on it and as of this writing I still like my car very much. I have a few minor(hopefully) issues to get taken care of ,but overall the car is great. The gas mileage is pretty good, and I am still impressed by the power the engine has. I absolutely love the Onstar, and would recommend it to anyone. I would also recommend the Cobalt to anyone. A very good car overall. :)
  • grosloupgrosloup Member Posts: 239
    I see so much cobalts on the road that sometimes I wonder. What is the most popular color for the cobalt?
    There's so much of them, there must be a most popular color?
  • okko1okko1 Member Posts: 327
    black or orange
  • cmhj2000cmhj2000 Member Posts: 381
    I like my red. But then of course of the 12 new vehicles I've bought over the years, 10 were red.
  • okko1okko1 Member Posts: 327
    i haven't seen many red ones but it is a nice color. is yours a LS.
  • cmhj2000cmhj2000 Member Posts: 381
    Mine's a LT 1 W/Auto, cruise and door trim.
  • coboltbabycoboltbaby Member Posts: 5
    Thanks bunches. It's fixed. I tried to post a comment on your page and it didnt work. :confuse:
  • jaxs1jaxs1 Member Posts: 2,697
    Standard side airbags and MP3 capable disc players.
    Stabilitrak will be available as an option on some models (This is good since it isn't available on many competing small sedans until the new 2009 Corollas come out in February.
    Traction control will be thrown in if you get an automatic with optional ABS brakes.
    XM radio standard on non-fleet versions.
    Standard side curtain airbags deleted from fleet versions

    I think it will continue on with the same old 4-speed automatic since I haven't ready any different, but I wonder if the new Malibu LTZ 4 cylinder models will have better mpg than a Cobalt due to it's six-speed automatic.
    That would be sad, but for the right price it may be an OK car if you don't care much about resale value and low mpg compared to many similar small sedans such as the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.

    I just tried to price a 2008 LT out on a couple web sites and Stabilitrak is not showing as available. It is supposed to be part of the 2LT package, but it isn't listed in the included equipment in that package.
    Maybe it's a "delayed availability" option.
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    Maybe the Corolla is slightly better mpg wise, who knows. It also depends on the magazine you read. In the July 2005 issue of Car & Driver, I believe it was, the Cobalt edged the Corolla 28.4 vs 28.2 in all around driving. They are all pretty close anyways. The Ecotechs are proving tough to beat especially at the race track.
  • karrie08karrie08 Member Posts: 5
    I'm thinking about just trading in my cobalt sedan LS (all stock, no power windows or locks) for the supercharge.

    I'm just curious if someone knows of a website on what happens or what I should do. Also pro's & con's.

    My only worries is that it was one "accident" (I wasn't driving, which makes it very depressing). Cause? Honestly I don't know. Driver says steering wheel & brakes locked up, so we went over a very very small sidewalk curb (one that I KNOW normally wouldn't affect the car). Front axle broke and something else, but I don't know.

    It has been in the shop twice for needing rotation of tires and other things, only because I had a hard time seeing where the curb is when I first started driving (I'm short. Can't quite help it).

    Only problem I have now deals with the windshield wiper having a delay & engine not always starting up the same. But it will be going into the dealership soon, if its under the warranty (which, btw, we got many extended warranties).

    Other than that, absolutely no problem at all. Completely love the car and the MPG.

    I just believe we are over paying for the car. Almost $370/month 60-months for a the lowest trim possible. Quite crazy if you ask me. I might as well get something nicer if we are paying that.
    **By the way, are others paying less or more than this?? Just curious**

    THANKS. I'm really hoping to get the supercharge after the beginning of the year soon. Think thats smarter than upgrading the LS.
  • catbackcatback Member Posts: 8
    No offense, but there were law suits over comparing the brand new Cobalt SS to the eliminated Cavalier in writing. The Cavalier, who was featured in car racing and funny cars, is long gone as of 2004. The Cobalt SS costs $25,000, the Cavalier cost $12,000. Do the math, this is incorrect and is aimed at pushing business overseas in my opinion. They don't even remotely resemble each other.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    I was looking at one of these cars recently and it is a nice package for the money. A new 2008 Cobalt LT 4 door sedan, 5 speed manual, power package, XM radio, cruise control, spoiler, body side mouldings, for a quoted price of $ 14,295, minus my $ 1000 GM card rebate. So $ 13,295 plus tax OTD.

    However, the instrument cluster does not appear to have a coolant temperature gauge, which is odd. Is this true, or is it located somewhere out of sight? If there is no gauge, is there at least an idiot light?

    Are these cars pretty reliable? What are the most annoying issues with them? I know the resale value stinks, but it also does on my '99 Mazda 626 V6.
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