Thoughts on Cobalt SS?

[bspot]

I ordered a chevy cobalt SS but I dont have to make a decision on it until it comes in January.

I test drove an Ion Redline since it should drive very similar and I was fairly impressed with the acceleration, and the handling and braking seemed awesome. Shifter was VERY tight and short for a non-honda, and the clutch was nice and short as well.

So here is the rundown for the cobalt:

Heated Leather seats
18" wheels
205 HP supercharged ecotec (although stock redlines are dyno'ing 210 at the wheels, will post these upon request)
Power everything
Sunroof
MP3 deck, with pioneer system with 10" sub
boost guage on the a pillar

$27,000

Advice? would you do it? or look elsewhere?

http://www.j-body.org/gallery/2005cobalt2/X05CH_CB049.jpg

http://www.j-body.org/gallery/2005cobalt2/X05CH_CB050.jpg

http://www.j-body.org/gallery/2005cobalt2/X05CH_CB032.jpg

[BumpinTalon]

I like it. I would say go for it. This is a Honda forum, though, so everyone is going to tell you do get something else. But for all its worth - its a sweet car.

[canadiandaytona]

I don't think I'd buy a new car without test driving it at least....

[bspot]

Originally posted by canadiandaytona
I don't think I'd buy a new car without test driving it at least....

Well...

#1. It should drive VERY similarly to the ion

#2. As I said earlier, I get to decide when it arrives. That means it shows up, they call me, I take it for a spin, we discuss financing, and I make a decision.

[three.eighteen.]

are you sure the ion redline and cobalt ss are built on the same platform?

[canadiandaytona]

Oh well wait and see then :thumbsup:

Looks Like you be sliding all over the place if you take some corners with that leather interior thou....

[finboy]

Originally posted by canadiandaytona
Oh well wait and see then :thumbsup:

Looks Like you be sliding all over the place if you take some corners with that leather interior thou....

:werd:

personally i'd go for the srt4 as it is more powerful, has better seats, and by january you should be able to pick up an '04 for less then 25 and use all the extra money you saved on factory upgrades that will put it well out of cobalt territory ;)

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by three.eighteen.
are you sure the ion redline and cobalt ss are built on the same platform? theyre both built on the new j body platform.

[bspot]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff
theyre both built on the new j body platform.

:whipped: :whipped:

They are NOT j-bodies. They are on the Delta platform which shares absolutely nothing with the j-body platform.

[Weapon_R]

Would you consider the SRT-4?

I think they are exactly the same price, and the SRT-4 should be much quicker and have better resale.

[bspot]

Whats a stock SRT 4 running?

Ion's are running 14.5's stock...

And i thought with the destination chargers/sunroof and all that stuff they were more like 30,000?

[Weapon_R]

Originally posted by bspot
Whats a stock SRT 4 running?

Ion's are running 14.5's stock...

And i thought with the destination chargers/sunroof and all that stuff they were more like 30,000?

I'm not sure what it does on the 1/4, but I dont think the 200hp Ion can do a 1/4 in 14.5...

And i'm 100% sure that the SRT-4 will clear out in the end of the year (very soon) for cheap.

[bspot]

Originally posted by Weapon_R


I'm not sure what it does on the 1/4, but I dont think the 200hp Ion can do a 1/4 in 14.5...

And i'm 100% sure that the SRT-4 will clear out in the end of the year (very soon) for cheap.


The SC'ed eco is underrated for insurance purposes. Several have been dyno'd at 210 whp. I'll post dyno charts when the site hosting them is back up :thumbsup:

[finboy]

stock srt's dyno at around 230 hp and 260 ft/lbs at the wheels, and you can get an '04 for pretty cheap now ;)

in town they run low 14's, i'm not sure the redline would run a mid 14 in calgary, but who knows.

one good thing about the srt4 is the packages you can get that don't void your waranty and give you a LOT more power ;)

[Aleks]

I don't think there are any 04 SRTs left in Calgary...I phoned around and the dealerships said they had none.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Aleks
I don't think there are any 04 SRTs left in Calgary...I phoned around and the dealerships said they had none.

I seem to see a yellow one at Glendeer circle in the Chrysler showroom. Unless that's sold.

Everything on paper and picture sounds great. The only beef I have is the truck like steering wheel and possibly worst seat in the history of sporty cars - it's so flat, it's almost like the bench seats in the 60's, what the heck are they thinking?

But after a 2nd look, the exterior is trying too hard.

It got GT-R tails, Teg side profile, and ugly WRXish wing.

[Z_Fan]

This is just like buying a Z24 instead of a base Cavalier IMO. Not that is a bad thing - but let's face it - that is exactly what it is.

I would consider buying a base base base Cobalt to replace my base base base Cavalier. But I'm not sure I'd spend $27k on the Supercharged version of the car...

All that being said, I do like the general styling of this car. It's much nicer than any of the cars in the line it will replace!! So that's always a good thing.

[AllGoNoShow]

Email me the dyno sheets and I'll host them online for you.

[1badPT]

Definitely take the SRT-4 for a spin before you make your decision. Bone stock it can beat the Cobalt SS and upgrades are easy.

Plus there's always a certain danger in buying a first model year of any car, the 04 SRT-4 is the second model year (the first in Canada albeit).

[Fordpower.ca]

are those ferarri tail lights?

[keith303]

cobalt is definatly better then the overpriced RSX

[403Gemini]

redline does the 1/4 in i think high 15's low 16s stock

im pretty sure the cobalt and the redline are built on the same platform, and id buy either of those cars in a second over a rsx (imo)

not as good resale value, but look quite identical and have similar horsepower (infact more torque)

rsx has better handling and better resale value tho

top 3 cars im probably deciding on is cobalt, redline, and srt-4

[bspot]

Originally posted by 403Gemini
[B]redline does the 1/4 in i think high 15's low 16s stock

im pretty sure the cobalt and the redline are built on the same platform, and id buy either of those cars in a second over a rsx (imo)

The worst run with a redline I've seen is a 15.2. There was also a guy who made several runs in one day and started low 15's but by the end was running 14.5's consistantly.

Handling is 0.86g's, which isn't too shabby.

Also, its not REALLY like buying a first year car because the delta platform and SC'ed eco have been out for a year already.

I'm not trying to say its the best car in the whole world, just trying to give you the facts I know so you can base your opinion on them. SRT-4's are pretty sweet (although I much prefer the styling of the cobalt), but the fact is a similarly equiped one is $30,000, which is just too much for me at this time.

Thanks for the opinions guys.. keep them rolling in!

[JCX]

Originally posted by Xtrema


I seem to see a yellow one at Glendeer circle in the Chrysler showroom. Unless that's sold.


Canada got VERY few (like less than 5) yellow SRT-4s. At any rate, Courtesy Chrysler had about 4 or 5 2004 SRT-4's last week. They also had a couple 2005's.


Originally posted by bspot
The worst run with a redline I've seen is a 15.2. There was also a guy who made several runs in one day and started low 15's but by the end was running 14.5's consistantly.


Source please.

The Cobalt SS should be a decent car. Where are we getting a price of $27,000? I highly doubt that it'll be that cheap. Does that include destination? The GMCanada website doesn't seem to have the Cobalt price yet.

Edit : Looked a bit further, the Cobalt SS is allegedly going to be base priced at $24995 + destinination. Not bad.

[bspot]

Yup, it is $27,125 with a sunroof, destination and all that shit.

The source for that number is just a guy off of a redline forum, unfortunately slips weren't posted. One of the major magazines ran a 14.7, although I can't remember which one so I can't get a good source for that either :confused:

[finboy]

Originally posted by bspot
Yup, it is $27,125 with a sunroof, destination and all that shit.

The source for that number is just a guy off of a redline forum, unfortunately slips weren't posted. One of the major magazines ran a 14.7, although I can't remember which one so I can't get a good source for that either :confused:

if you go by guys on the srt forums, some are dipping into the 13's stock :thumbsup:

[TypeS]

buying a car is all about making yourself happy man, if you like the cobalt's styling more than you will be MUCH happier if you buy that car. sure the SRT-4 is faster, but it SUCKS getting into your car DAY after DAY after DAY with that regret feeling in your stomach cuz you liked the other car more.:thumbsup:

[DannyO]

Originally posted by TypeS
buying a car is all about making yourself happy man, if you like the cobalt's styling more than you will be MUCH happier if you buy that car. sure the SRT-4 is faster, but it SUCKS getting into your car DAY after DAY after DAY with that regret feeling in your stomach cuz you liked the other car more.:thumbsup:

So true, I gotta say this is the first time I seen the Cobalt and I'm impressed, not sure about that that spoiler, but its nice styling and looks good on paper, seems GM is finally turning things around.

[cboyspimp]

looks like chev copied dodge on this one.. neons then cavaliers.. even the interior is similar

[mutsuraboshi]

:D potatoeee rockettzzzz
neon srt4 ion redline cobalt ss

[benyl]

Those seats aren't as flat as they look. The wide angle lens they use to get the whole interior will distort the view.

I bet you can get a left over SRT-4 for around $27,000 if you bargain hard. Also, there should be financing incentives. You can bet that when the Colbalt comes out, 0% financing will not apply to it for a few months.

[Hash_man]

Tower chrysler has a used '04 SRT-4... Came from the auction. Car is damn quick, and feels like new too, so I don't know where it was before... I would personally pick that up way before the cobalt ss.... Theyre asking 25k for it, but i'm sure there is some room for movement.

[finboy]

Originally posted by benyl
Those seats aren't as flat as they look. The wide angle lens they use to get the whole interior will distort the view.

I bet you can get a left over SRT-4 for around $27,000 if you bargain hard. Also, there should be financing incentives. You can bet that when the Colbalt comes out, 0% financing will not apply to it for a few months.

my buddy sold his '04 with 2-3 k on the odometer for 25,500 at the start of summer

[ACX]

I got my srt for 27 when they weren't around anywhere, a year ago.

Do you have a stock dyno at 210 for a redline?

I'll trade you for a stock SRt dyno at 234...

IIRC the torque for the Redline isn't all that high?

p.s. there is lots left in that motor though.. Enjoy.

[awd]

I am not a big fan of domestic rice.

But if I had to choose I would take the SRT-4 over the Cobalt SS, even though it is a neon.

But if I had a choice:

RSX-S > Cobalt SS
WRX > Neon srt4

Some things are a little more important to me than how fast I can rocket my car in a straight line.

[ZorroAMG]

^:rolleyes: How the hell is it domestic rice? Just because it's faster than the base model and an american car, doesn't mean it's rice... :banghead:

[awd]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG
^:rolleyes: How the hell is it domestic rice? Just because it's faster than the base model and an american car, doesn't mean it's rice... :banghead:

my bad, you misunderstood me.

I refer to any american car company monopolizing on the sporty import craze as 'domestic rice' -- not riced-out per say.

But really, look at the wing on that thing, that has Uncle Bens written all over it.

[JCX]

Originally posted by awd
I am not a big fan of domestic rice.

But if I had to choose I would take the SRT-4 over the Cobalt SS, even though it is a neon.

But if I had a choice:

RSX-S > Cobalt SS
WRX > Neon srt4

Some things are a little more important to me than how fast I can rocket my car in a straight line.

RSX S = $34K
Cobalt = $26K (incl destination)

WRX = $35.5K
SRT-4 = $28K

You're comparing apples to oranges.

[awd]

Originally posted by JCX


RSX S = $34K
Cobalt = $26K (incl destination)

WRX = $35.5K
SRT-4 = $28K

You're comparing apples to oranges.

Well not really, I should have said:

Used RSX-S > New Cobalt SS
Used WRX > New Mega Neon

[bspot]

The whole thing about the financing being expensive on it because it will be fresh out is something I have thought of. On the same hand its sweet to have a car that no one else does yet.

Here's the dyno pulls, as promised:

[bspot]

Whole curve.. as you can see a simple rev limit bump would give you a decent amount of HP increase:

[finboy]

hmm, 180 ft/lbs for the saturn, 260 for the srt4, did i mention how fun torque is? :D

[bspot]

Very true :(

Still beats the 150 ft/lbs (crank) I have right now I guess...

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by finboy
hmm, 180 ft/lbs for the saturn, 260 for the srt4, did i mention how fun torque is? :D

To the front wheels, did I mention how fun torque steer is?

j/k :D

[adrianracer]

Originally posted by bspot
I ordered a chevy cobalt SS but I dont have to make a decision on it until it comes in January.

I test drove an Ion Redline since it should drive very similar and I was fairly impressed with the acceleration, and the handling and braking seemed awesome. Shifter was VERY tight and short for a non-honda, and the clutch was nice and short as well.

So here is the rundown for the cobalt:

Heated Leather seats
18" wheels
205 HP supercharged ecotec (although stock redlines are dyno'ing 210 at the wheels, will post these upon request)
Power everything
Sunroof
MP3 deck, with pioneer system with 10" sub
boost guage on the a pillar

$27,000

Advice? would you do it? or look elsewhere?


Looks like a nice car, but expect it to cost a lot to repair once out of warrenty, the current Cavalier/Sunfires self destruct at about 130,000 to 150,000 km. My girlfriend did a $500 altenator and $1500 steering rack/tie rod repair both before 130,000 km, and she doesn't drive it hard at all. This is one of the reasons their resale is so bad, also look at JD Power on these GM products, that may help in your decision? Good Luck

[adrianracer]

Originally posted by bspot
Whole curve.. as you can see a simple rev limit bump would give you a decent amount of HP increase:

A rev limit bump will probably give you a hole in your oil pan as well??

[88CRX]

wow.... the back end of that thing is fugly.

[adrianracer]

Originally posted by 88CRX
wow.... the back end of that thing is fugly.

Thats a matter of opinion, I think the back end of a Civic is boring and lacks creativity! The 88-91 Hatchback was a work of Art though, and well built.

[88CRX]

Originally posted by adrianracer


Thats a matter of opinion, I think the back end of a CRX looks like a bull dog!

:thumbsup: great fuckin story

do you have any problems with my current car

[adrianracer]

Originally posted by 88CRX


:thumbsup: great fuckin story

do you have any problems with my current car

Since you asked.... It's dead slow :thumbsdow

[88CRX]

Originally posted by adrianracer


Thats a matter of opinion, I think the back end of a Civic is boring and lacks creativity! The 88-91 Hatchback was a work of Art though, and well built.

hmmm..... nice edit by the way :thumbsup:

[A_3]

I like it. Clean but stylish interior, good looking exterior, rides a bit high for my liking, but nothing a set of lowering springs can't take car of. 205 hp stock isn't bad at all, I say test drive it first but all in all sounds pretty solid. :thumbsup: Good luck

[BigMass]

These pics of it look amazing.
http://i.tnpv.us/2004/WKA200410/WKA2004102953889_pv.jpg
http://i.tnpv.us/2004/WKA200410/WKA2004102953907_pv.jpg

Looks good :thumbsup:

Plus the sport pack comes with an LSD which i dont think is available on the Redline. I think the Cobalt looks better than the Redline. More compact, lower ride height, 18" wheels, etc. Just looks sportier. Definately looking forward to test driving one

[iceburns288]

The front looks short in those pics.

IMO the car looks terrible.