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Chevrolet Cobalt

2240 messages,  Last post on Dec 23, 2012 at 7:37 PM

You are in the Chevrolet Cobalt Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Cobalt, Coupe, Sedan

Messages Page 155 of 225

#1537 of 2240 Re: wow [exalteddragon1] by micweb

Feb 22, 2006 (10:44 am)

Replying to: exalteddragon1 (Feb 21, 2006 10:10 pm)
Most people who buy Cobalts aren't big car fans. They want transportation. So the majority of owners, without problems, just never care and never post. People who own ANY brand and have problems post and complain; check out the Civic 2006 board for a high proportion of complaints.
 
Chevy hasn't done a great job of tapping into the enthusiast market. The Cobalt has a great engine, a 2.2 liter engine with a LOT more horsepower and torque than its rivals. This shows up on conservative tests, like the 0-60 times on Consumer Reports for the sedan with an automatic - it is about 2 seconds quicker than the Duratec (not Zetec or 8 valve) Focus. With a Getrag 5 speed (yes, they come with Getrags), they are even quicker.
 
Yet, according to Consumer Reports and Car and Driver, the Cobalt delivers some of the best "real world" mileage out there. No, its EPA tests are as high as some of its competition, but in real world scenarios there is reasonable evidence it does better.
 
If you are a "bread and butter" driver, like a young family or single mom, you can get the Cobalt with side curtain airbags that make it, in 2005, one of only 3 small cars that pass the brutal www.IIHS.org side impact tests ("new" VW Jetta, Toyota with airbags, Cobalt), and in 2006, one of only 4 (the upgraded - and only the upgraded - 2006 Civic passes; the 2005 wasn't tested on Honda's request).
 
If you like innovations - the Cobalt has day time running lamps (a great safety feature) PLUS "auto on" for full headlamps PLUS an oil life calculator (not a mere reminder, but a computer function that takes into account driving habits and not just mileage).
 
If you are really, really looking for the most bang for the buck, EVERY Cobalt comes with air conditioning so if you buy an "ad special" you won't die in July, unlike some competitors.
 
I wish Chevy had "upsized" the Cobalt a little, more the size of the Ion (which has a much larger trunk and more back seat room) and I wish they had kept ABS on all trim lines (but at least they have it on the second level trim line and up). Actually, recent studies have indicated that side curtain airbags decrease side crash fatalities by about 50%, but ABS doesn't seem to affect the stats much (possibly due to incorrect application of ABS by drivers). For next year, I am hoping to see side curtain airbags standard on the Cobalt...I'd take them before ABS, even though I've seen enough "panic" skid marks on the highway to worry about panic stops.
 
I WAS surprised that there have been so many complaints of defects on this board, and that Consumer Reports has also shown problems. Not as bad as the first year of the Focus, but I had hoped Chevy had learned its lesson about new car roll-outs. Apparently not.

#1538 of 2240 Re: Frustated no longer [frustrated8] by ub1

Feb 22, 2006 (5:34 pm)

Replying to: frustrated8 (Nov 08, 2005 5:32 pm)
hi..i have a 2005 cobalt that i bought in april of 05 and i am also having major problems and am ready to take the car back. did you experience any pulling or problems with the brakes..when i come to a stop the car pulls to the right or left and the wheel falls/turns the same way...

#1539 of 2240 Re: Frustated no longer [ub1] by poncho167

Feb 23, 2006 (10:35 am)

Replying to: ub1 (Feb 22, 2006 5:34 pm)
What major problems are you having?

#1540 of 2240 Re: Frustated no longer [poncho167] by ub1

Feb 23, 2006 (3:30 pm)

Replying to: poncho167 (Feb 23, 2006 10:35 am)
well...i've had all new tires put on for tire cupping, front struts replaced. when i brake, the car pulls to the left and right and the steering wheel falls/turns. i don't know how to explain it. the car pulls to the left and it's not the alignment. i've just had a 4 wheel alignment. the rime was bent and it was discovered that one of the new tires was bad/chord. and ever since then the brake pedal intermitently is high/hard...that is my best description. i am fighting with gm right now because i don't want the car. i don't feel safe in it and i've taken it to a 2nd dealer and cannot recreate the problem. i don't know what to do?

#1541 of 2240 Re: Frustated no longer [ub1] by poncho167

Feb 24, 2006 (10:25 am)

Replying to: ub1 (Feb 23, 2006 3:30 pm)
It is unfortunate that you are having issues with your new car and hopefully they can get the issue resolved soon.
 
I have seen other people on the site that have had some issues with their car to the point of claiming they would not by another American car again, blah, blah, blah. Well, I find it interesting that all the the forums at this website have people like your self with problems with a new car, but I didn't read enough to find out if they would never by another Japanese car again like some buyers of American cars.
 
On the Toyota forum there was a guy who's girl friend has had a lot of issues with her new Corolla with the worse one being the stuck steering wheel while driving. Toyota said the steering column is warped and would need to be replaced.
 
On the Honda forum there is a lot of comments about noises coming from the front of the new Civic.
 
This all goes to show that no matter what you buy some of us may have some warranty problems or other issues to have to deal with. No car is perfect.

#1542 of 2240 Re: Frustated no longer [poncho167] by m1miata

Feb 25, 2006 (10:32 am)

Replying to: poncho167 (Feb 24, 2006 10:25 am)
Ah, but like in gambling, it is all about the odds!
And reality, is all about your history.

#1545 of 2240 Cobalt Good Enough? by the_big_al

Jun 27, 2008 (4:16 pm)

You know - here is an interesting thought... I test drove a Cobalt the other day - both an SS Supercharged and an SS 2.4L. Both were very good cars and head and tails above the Cavalier. The reason I was there is my sister is actually looking at the Cobalt and I went with her to look. She currently has a Cavalier and even though it is only 4 years old and has yet to break the 70K barrier it sounds like it is ready to fall apart. Everything rattles, the motor sounds like it is going to throw a rod and everything is feels loose or not secured from the door panels to the seat backs. So when we got into a Cobalt, of course we were blown away by how much better it was. Then the salesman made an interesting comment. He said that most of the buyers he had were Cavalier owners and were finding out the same thing that my sister and I did. That indeed the Cobalt was indeed not just a Cavalier make-over.
 
But I wonder, even though the Cobalt is this good, is it because I am used to a Cavalier which is so bad?? Or is it really that good?? And is it better than the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla? It's good enough for those of us who have been laden with the sub-par Cavalier since we didn't know what we were missing, but is it good enough to woo current Civic and Corolla owners when it time to replace thier cars? The Corolla doesn't even come in coupe form, but even still does the Cobalt Coupe have enough to woo even those Toyota Corolla owners looking for a Coupe? Or will the Corolla owner head over to Scion and the Civic owner upgrade to the new Civic because the GM still can't hold a candle to Japanese imports? The Cavalier was a horrid car. The Civics and Corollas it went up against were far above it in every catagory. But now that we have a whole new field of new cars (except the Corolla, but it is still a fresh car with the current design only a couple years old), can the Cobalt measure up.... what do you think?

#1546 of 2240 Re: Cobalt Good Enough? [thebigal] by poncho167

Feb 28, 2006 (10:50 am)

Replying to: the_big_al (Jun 27, 2008 4:16 pm)
The car has been out for more than a year now and as typical with most new cars there was a couple of issues with the first released cars with some power sunroof issues (drainage hose not connected, rattles). I have not heard of anyone with 2006 models that has had any issues.
 
The Cobalt has been paired against the top cars in it's class and has faired pretty positively with magazines typically naming it in the top 3, and a couple had it over the Corolla.
 
If you were to look at other forums you would find that all model cars have some kind of issue and as mentioned the new Civic has some issues right now, not to mention this car was delayed in it's release because of some other factory assembly problems.

Messages Page 155 of 225

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