ok well I'm looking in to get a new car but I want to buy used, I searched a bit on this topic and I want your unbiased opinions please (try to be as neutral as possible if you can). Well my parents say yes to me getting a car and I can't think of buying anything else than a Cobalt SS
So I ask is it reliable? I've looked into it a bit and I keep getting things like ITS STILL IN THE SHOP, POWER STEERING TOOK A CRAP ON ME, Car completely died while driving, and on edmunds most ratings by reviewers were 5 and under out of 10 on the reliability scale.
I do not want to waste my parents' money on a lemon or something that will break down often, I want the SS/SC for sure...BUT were there any certain years which were extremely unreliable and some that were a bit more reliable?
What should I look for when I go to the dealer besides the regular service history? Anything in particular?
Once again I do not want my parents money to go to waste, well to me it wont be a waste I'm a car fanatic and performance and looks wise this takes the medal for me in the price range.I found one at a Chevy dealership 2005 Black for $14,999 with 65,000 KM on it (yea I'm Canadian.)

As a final question, should I buy one?

THANK YOU SO MUCH IN ADVANCE

 

Whats you max budget. The turbo Cobalts are nice. As far a reliability every make and model is going to have its quarks and to be honest you usually only hear about the complaints, not the oh my car is running great today. GL on your search and welcome to css.net

 

hey bro im fellow Canadian i got my 07 s/c when i was 16 now 18 and only problem i have is my front struts have gone to **** but gm replacing this week thats the only problem i have had with this car.mods are in my sig nothing 2 great but still puts a smile on my face as i fly past my buddys modded 01 jdm h22a prelude.

 

I got my 05 as soon as it came out, it was the first one the dealer got and i havent had a bit of problems. The only thing i would say is junk is the stock clutch if your modding. I put the stage 2 kit, intake and catback shortly after i need a clutch.

 

first off, be happy your parents are buying you a car, even spending more then 14,000 bucks on one. cobalts are good cars, if you take care of it, it will take care of you . I have an 06 with 73,000 miles and no problems, i still have the same brake pads on the car from factory.

 

dude stock clutch really isnt that bad. mine is holding up just fine

 

Buy a $8k car and ask for the rest to be put into a CD for 3 years

 

These are actually very reliable cars. Yes, some have had some issues but overall they are quite reliable (from personal experience and from what I've seen from these boards). If it wasn't for GM ruining their own reputations over the years more people would consider the Cobalts as more than just "an updated Cavalier".

I owned a '98 Sunfire GT and the difference is quite remarkable between them. Hands down the Cobalt is way better and compares favourably with other cars in it's class.

As for the '05 you are looking at, that dealer can definitely sharpen their pencil. I'm in Canada too and have watched the price of the older SS's. You can get them to lower that price as long as you don't fall too much in love with it...

 

Hello, I'm new to the forums and have the same kinds of questions as Bop. I'm thinking about buying a new car, and so far, from what I've seen, I like the Cobalt, but I have a few issues/questions I hope you guys can shed some light on. I haven't searched these forums extensively, so please forgive me if I ask about something that's already been covered in another thread and head me in that direction. Thanks.

First of all, the electric power steering. In other places, all they do is complaing about it, which makes it sound as if it goes bad in every single Cobalt, and the power steering motor needs to be replaced every couple of years for $2000 a pop. Here it seems more like the problem is just a dirty connection. What's the real deal?

What's the difference in all the lettering? I've seen LS, LT, 1LT, 2LT, SS, and XFE. I gather that the SS has the more powerful engine and better transmission and suspension, but as a consequence, gets worse mileage. Is that the only difference, and the others just represent different options like more cupholders or something?

And that kinda leads into the next question: how upgradable are the parts? For instance, if I get one of the base models, but sometime later want better handling or a stiffer suspension or something, can I swap out some of the parts like basic springs and basic sway bars for the sport ones?

I think that's about it for now. Thanks for all your help.

--Jay

 

You asked for unbiased opinions on a Cobalt forum? Good luck with that one

You have to remember, the majority of people who have these cars and do not have problems are probably not posting on the boards. You go to the boards when you have a problem you can't figure out.
As well, many of the problems are sheer abuse imho - snapping axles at the dragstrip, frying clutches launching the car at 4000 rpm, blowing up trannys powershifting......no car will stand up to that on a regular basis without something letting go. If you can't afford to break it you can't afford to race it.

My opinion - the Cobalt is light years ahead of the Cavy (no offense to any Cavy / Sunfire fans out there), if GM had been building cars like this 15 years ago they would not be in the hole they are now.

There are issues - the interiors rattle, control arm bushings are a bit wimpy, some steering failures - but overall, for a < $25k economy car (ok, an economy car with ***** ) they are pretty decent. Good rigid chassis, stout engines that are easily tweaked for more performance, good aftermarket support, respectable mileage.....I have no regrets buying mine.

Only question I would have with a used SS - did the previous owner bag the **** out of it? Unless you know who had it, there is no way to tell beyond having a proper third party inspection done on it, and even that won't find all the potential problems. Any reputable dealer should have no problem with taking an offer that is conditional to the car passing an independant inspection. If they won't do that, walk away, quickly

Another consideration would be insurance - you will be paying more on an SS than a lower model. The SS will have a higher theft rate and likely a higher overall claim rate and the insurance company will therefore charge more.