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Sedans Chevrolet Cobalt Chevrolet Cobalt
2171 messages, Last post on Nov 23, 2009 at 6:04 PM
You are in the Chevrolet Cobalt Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Please read, and then post comments, on the Edmunds article here: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=134506 I don't know what it would take to make them happy - maybe a $35,000 Prius instead of a $15k (after rebates) Cobalt XFE? Hopefully the current economic situation will remind people that thrift is a virtue, not a punishment, just like the trend in some forums is to discuss, and hence value, careful driving for MPG. |
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The annual buyers guide from Consumer Reports panned the Cobalt as usual. What was interesting was the black mark signifying the fact that owners (who answered the annual questionnaire) were highly dissatisfied with the car and most likely wouldn't buy another. I wonder what is so wrong with this car. The coupe is sportier than anything else in the price range, the powertrain is fairly simple, gas mileage is average for a compact, and the car rides as well as an Impala. I haven't had any problems with mine thus far although I understand from the dealer that the 05 and 06's had lots of annoying small problems.
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Replying to: dispencer2 (Nov 13, 2008 8:08 am) The Cavalier was made to "American" quality standards - a little loose, a little off, but highly functional (had a 2004). The Cobalt is made to "Japanese" quality standards - much tighter, much better put together. The Cobalt has some features that are outstanding, like daytime running lights, auto on/off headlamps, a digital MPG, average speed, etc. computer, OnStar, and XM radio. It has the biggest, strongest engine in its class, yet also has top fuel economy. So why does CR pan it? Because auto reviews are a large part of its mission, and sell a lot of subscriptions and special issues. In reality, the spread in actual number of defects between low ranked and top ranked cars is very small, but they don't like to point this out, since it doesn't sell magazines. In fact, if you look at the ranked categories, the '07, '08's are very highly ranked by the readers. If buyers are less happy with their sturdy Cobalts than buyers of Hondas, is that a reflection of the cars or of the buyers? If everyone tells you your wife is beautiful and sweet you will feel happy even if she seems like a nag sometimes, but if everyone says she is plain and average, the nagging will drive you crazy and you'll join your friends complaining too. Positive feedback breeds more positive feedback, negative feedback feeds on itself. That's why it's called "feed back." Michael Milken made investors millions of dollars, and companies even more, by demonstrating that junk bonds did not have a significantly higher risk of default than blue chip bonds, back in the 80's. Car buyers can save themselves a lot of money by studying reliability reports carefully and figuring out which cars, like Cobalts and Focii, are being underpriced in the marketplace to to misperceptions on the part of consumers. That assumes you buy them very cheaply and/or hold them long term, since resale is affected by misperceptions too.
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Replying to: micweb (Nov 13, 2008 9:01 am) If we keep in mind that we are talking about a car that carries a sticker price below $16,000, and if all the features and the performance of the Cobalt are viewed from this perspective, then I don't see how anyone could be less than thrilled with this car. I absolutely love my Cobalt, and I have zero complaints. What a fun, economical little car to drive! The build quality is at least "average." The acceleration is unbelievable, and the ride and handling are reminiscent of a much bigger car. The trunk is huge, and there is plenty of leg, shoulder, and head room up front. If the back seat space suffers a little, that's a small price to pay for the large trunk and the front seat room. Only time will tell regarding reliability, but I have no reason to think the car will not hold up over the long haul. Tom
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| well im new to forum chat but all i gotta say is hi to all. i own a 2007 chevrolet cobalt ss/sc basically all stock except the fact i put eibach sportline lowering springs. i will be posting daily and i may need info for my car and could give advice for it as well because i do work in a tire and suspension shop.... | |
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Replying to: tsjay (Nov 13, 2008 11:03 am) |
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Replying to: sseiboi (Nov 16, 2008 7:21 pm) I already have little questions for you that's been bothering me. My other vehicule is a 05 Equinox LT FWD with 235/65/16 (original tires) when I went to buy winter tires the only one I could get in that size were Bridgestone Blizzak's very good tire but to expensive for me. The dealer suggest 215/70/16 in another brand, that was o.k. but when I went to buy them there were all gone so he suggested to put some 225/70/16 instead. That's what I bought. Is that size O.K. for my Equinox? What's the difference between all those sizes? From the 235/65/16 to the new 225/70/16? The tires are named "Arctic Claw" made by Vanderbilt/Cooper. Are these good winter tires? |
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Replying to: grosloup (Nov 17, 2008 10:30 am) I can definitely help you with the situation your in. the original tires you have on the equinox is 235/65r16 which means and tells you alot of the handling capabilities and recommended perfomance of your vehicle. The size is the description of you tires and it is broken down like this: "235" is the section width of the tire, or how wide your tires are in mm. "65" is the percent of 235 which is the profile of the tire, how tall the tire is from the rim. And last but not least, "16" is the rim size. If you look in the door jam, it gives you a recommended tire size and the size of your spare. What you have on your equinox is what you want to stay with when you get snow tires. i can tell you off hand that the dealer was trying to sell you tire just to make money because they went down 2 sizes to 215 and 225 but increased you side wall height. I personally would never go down sizes but it is possible. The only consequence is you lose traction easier due to less contact on the road because the tire is skinnier. What i recommend is searching for the same size you have already in a snow tread. recommended brands: pirelli, bfgoodrich and the high priced Michelin. (in order of lowest price and least perfomance to highest price to best perfomance). Like i said, avoid dealership unless it has to do with engine or transmission or anything with powertrain.... should be warranteed. Hope that helped, feel free to ask questions. Thank you for a reply
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Replying to: grosloup (Nov 17, 2008 10:30 am) |
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Replying to: sseiboi (Nov 17, 2008 7:43 pm) In the older days, we saw rarely 13 inches tires, mostly 14 and 15's but now 16, 18 even 20's Wow! How come? Why?
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