Anyone on the Board Own a Chevy Cobalt?

[CJ Krause]

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[adam0408]

ick, buy her a used car. You will be able to get more car for less money... probably lower insurance payments too.

In my humble and limited experience, new cars in that price range and size range are usually deadly in an accident, cheaply made, and unreliable. You may be better off looking for a used honda accord or civic, or a toyota, if that is the size of vehicle you are looking for. Those things run forever usually and are very reasonably priced.

Check consumer reports for reviews of this vehicle.... especially related to safety in collisions. That is the number one thing I would be concerned about if I was buying a car for my daughter (thank goodness I don't even have an opportunity to yet )

[Joe Baker]

Reviews have been lackluster at best. These days just about any car will hold up if you keep the oil changed and don't run it into anything, but it seems to me that there are several better cars in this same price/size range.

Of course I don't know what kind of special deal you may be getting, or what other personal reason you might have for choosing the Cobalt; but I hope you'll do your homework carefully.
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Joe Baker, who dislikes telling other people what they should do, but who CAN tell you HE wouldn't buy a Cobalt.

[ThomasDodd]

if you do, what do you think.
We are getting one for our Daughter.

I'd suggest giving her your current car, and upgrading to something you really want.

There's not much difference in anything out there today, especially in the small and mid-sized market. They look, drive, and survive the same, Most are really imports with a US name stuck on them. Even if assembled here, the parts are imports and lots of the design was done offshore.

Has bio-diesel made it to Texas? Might be worth looking for a diesel then.

Used cars can be much better buys. Proven track record. Affordable parts. And somone else has paid the depreciation already. If well maintained, it'll hold resell value for when she's ready to buy her own.

[rascaljim]

Charlie - My other job besides playing the tuba right now is selling used cars. Chevrolet's smaller cars do not have a good track record for reliablility. If I were in your place I would consider a used honda accord for the same price. The honda accord is not only one of the most reliable cars on the road, they also have one of the best resale values out there. After 5 years, you can expect that chevy to have a resale of somewhere around 5 grand at best, whereas you could expect double that on a 7 or 8 year old accord. They also make comprable accords, they come in both 2 or 4 doors and a variety of engines. If you do the research, you'll find I'm correct. And if not honda, go with toyota or nissan then.
Good luck
Jim L.

[Matt G]

Honest opinion:

If you want to buy your child something new for reliability, warranty, etc go out and look at either a Toyota Corolla or a Honda Civic. In the base model form, they get excellent milage and are super reliable. They are both as safe as a cobalt if they all have similar safety features (ABS, Airbags, etc.)

I wouldn't buy either for myself, because they don't have what I would be looking for. Also, if she may be going off to school where it snows, the Subaru Impreza is definitely worth a look. A few more $, but with AWD standard and good reliability also.

The Mazda 3-series wagon is a great little car with a lot of versatility. The pricing is decent, but their reliability is slightly below average, I believe.

Unfortunately, the US automaker haven't put a lot of effort into refining their sub-compact and compact products. If Ford were to bring over the european version of the Focus, I would recommend that also, but the current model is one generation behind the rest of the world.

There are a lot of good vehicles in the segment you are looking at, but not many are domestic companies.

[JCalkin]

[quote="adam0408"]In my humble and limited experience, new cars in that price range and size range are usually deadly in an accident, [quote]

So USED cars are more crash worthy?

Seriously, though, I am NOT an owner but have been doing a LOT of auto investigating lately. The Cobalt has gotten mixed reviews ranging from very bad to "the car that fortells GM's turnaround [for the better]."

I agree with looking into used cars, especially since you can get them certified with a limited warranty and getting a larger car if possible (my folks put me into the biggest car possible (NOT SUV... don't want to offend any greenies) for safety reasons.

My personal opinions on the Cobalt from research and test drives were that I liked it better than the Civic and lower end Hyundais but not as much as the Accord or Focus (which you can get used and REALLY cheap; I found one 2 years old with 16k on it and had the sales guy talked down to $150/mo). The Honda seemed better put together than the Chev (and their track record speaks volumes) but I thought the Focus was a great little car that drove really well, especially for the price.

[Jeffrey Hicks]

I bought one in January. I really like it. I have put 10k miles on it and it has been great. It was cheaper than a Jetta and much nicer than my brother's elantra. It was light years better than the slightly used cavalier I test drove. It is a really nice car. I only have one minor quibble. Some genius engineer decided that a sensor was better at determining my need for interior lights than I am. Otherwise it is great. It is a sharp looking car. I do not listen to those who say I bought the wrong car. I like it.

[CJ Krause]

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[Tubaryan12]

At least you didn't buy her a Ford
81,000 miles and counting on my 2001 Hyundai Elantra!

[ThomasDodd]

I asked - Anyone on the Board own a cobalt

You know us better than that

I am a Chevy lover and have been since i was 14 when i bought my very first car. 1964 Chevy II Nova and have owned nothing but GM products all my life.

So get her a 60's Nova



230 ci straight 6, powerglide,. currently $2000

[ThomasDodd]

make sure it has a v4 not a v6..

Does anyone have a V4? I think one of the German make tried it, but everyone else is inline 4s. Might make for a compact 4, but I think vibration causes problems.

Now, If they'd bring back the staight 6, or a straight 8...
And of course the V16 would be sweet with todays technology:)

[Joe Baker]

Our family buys American cars, with as little brand bias as possible -- at the moment (including my mother and my wife's mother, who relied on me for advice) we have 1 Chrysler, 1 GM, 1 Geo**, and 3 Fords. The Fords have been as good as any -- an average of 8 years old with 80K miles, only one (my Mother-In-Law's Explorer) has required any repairs, and that was in warranty. Last year we sold a 6-year-old Escort with 75K miles that had never needed any repairs in order to buy a car with an automatic transmission for my daughter who was learning to drive. I don't care a lot for the styling of most Ford's at the moment (Focus -- bleah!), but their days of building crap are over. They build some very good cars.

Actually, all of our cars have been good; other than the warranty repair to the Explorer, and a water pump and a rear wheel bearing for my '95 Dodge full-size van, none has needed repairs prior to the 100K mile mark. You have to maintain them, though, which a lot of folks just don't do.
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Joe Baker, who buys American as long as he can get good quality.

**Yeah, it's a Toyota built in America sold under an American badge, so it's 2/3 American. We just bought it a couple of months ago, and I don't know what repairs might have been necessary in the past so I didn't include it in my comparison, but it DOES have 143K miles on it and, aside from some buzzes and rattles in the cabin, it runs beautifully and everything in it works.

[ThomasDodd]

At least you didn't buy her a Ford
81,000 miles and counting on my 2001 Hyundai Elantra!

76k + on my 2000 Mercury Mountineer. What's wrong with Ford products?

[ThomasDodd]

in order to buy a car with an automatic transmission for my daughter who was learning to drive.

Confused... I know I learned to drive a stick (3 on the column, no power steering). My wife still cannot drive a stick. If you can drive a stick, you can drive an auto. The reverse is not true.

I like knowing that I can get in nearly (big truck with multiple shifters excluded) any vehicle and drive it. Be certain my children will learn on a stick.

[Tubaryan12]

What's wrong with Ford products?

75k on my 1993 E150 conversion when: head gasket, egr valve, catalytic converter all went, along with rusting roof, peeling paint and tie rod ends, ball joints, and a couple of recalls for things I can't remember. Fluids and filters changed on the same schedule as my '92 pontiac grand am that made it to 125k with only engine sensor problems and a fuel pump (car ran perfectly as long as the defroster or a/c was on). Considering Ford uses their truck line as their flagship vehicles, I was very disappointed to say the least with it's quality (obviously, in my opinion, NOT job 1).

For me the Ford Focus is the most practical car for the money (good size, great mileage, low cost) but I won't buy anything from Ford until the memories from the last one are long gone.

btw...I've owned Fiats (2), Volkswagens (2), Renaults, GMs, Hyundais (2), Mitsubishis (2), Honda, and Fords (2) and Ford is the only one I would not want to own again.

[TMurphy]

1991 Ford Tempo with 140,000 miles and still going strong. Only problem I've had in the year I've owned the car was the front brakes needed replacing (there's a whole story there involving a bad mechanic who did the brakes before I got the car), and the rear struts. Both are things that need replacing as time goes on, anyway. And the AC doesn't work, and I don't feel like sinking the money into it to fix it. Otherwise, pretty reliable car.

[Joe Baker]

in order to buy a car with an automatic transmission for my daughter who was learning to drive.

Confused...

Generally, I'm RIGHT THERE WITH YOU. Unfortunately, on the road to the kids' school there is a steep hill (remember, this here's E. Tennessee ) with a stop sign at the top, where cars back up 10-20 deep. That's 10-20 steep uphill 1st-gear starts. Every day. For a newish driver. With other newish drivers behind her, who might not know to give her space. No thanks; I'd spend my life filling out accident forms and replacing bumpers and clutches!

I hope to eventually get her going on a stick, but this just wasn't the situation to learn in. FWIW, I taught my wife to drive a stick when she was 21, and now she does better than I do!
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Joe Baker, who thinks it's just as well for a kid to learn everything else first, then add the clutching later.

[ThomasDodd]

I see you point about the hills. I guess If you buying her a car, get the auto. but I'd teach in my stick anyway. Auto is always easier.

I hope to eventually get her going on a stick, but this just wasn't the situation to learn in. FWIW, I taught my wife to drive a stick when she was 21, and now she does better than I do!
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Joe Baker, who thinks it's just as well for a kid to learn everything else first, then add the clutching later.

Not sure. I trued to teach my wife, but she never could get the hang of it. Part of it was that she knew she could always got back to the auto. She didn't have to learn the stick. Sure, she said she wanted to, but when it proved less than easy...

She'll learn if I ever get her the 'Vette she wants. It will have a stick!

I had no choice. 2 vehicles for me to learn in. a '68 Ford and a '78 GMC. Both 3 on the column. Then my first car was a '69 Cady, with an auto. But I've never forgotten the stick, and have owned several.

[Joe Baker]

My wife wanted to drive my Mustang GT. That was all the incentive she needed.

I actually learned in a real "trial by fire" situation. I worked for Sears while I was in college, in their repair parts store. Once a day I had to drive a van to the warehouse to pick up expedited special-order parts. It was a plumb assignment, as it amounted to a PAID hour sitting down, listening to the radio, and NOT dealing with someone who had a broken-down something-or-other but didn't have their model number.

One day, as I was on my way through the garage to the van, one of the grizzled old mechanics tossed me a key and said "hey, kid -- y'all got a new van". I went out, hopped into the shiny new van and saw to my horror that there were three pedals.

To admit that I'd never driven a stick shift would have brought two certain and unthinkable results: first, I'd no longer have the plumb job of driving to the warehouse; second -- and probably worse -- I'd have to bear the ridicule of all the grizzled old mechanics. It took me about 10 false starts to get out of the parking lot, but by the time I got to the warehouse I had it down pretty well; and by the time I got back to the store the clutch didn't even smell any more!
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Joe Baker, who should add that this was in flat-as-a-pancake Garland, TX.