My name is Jeff and I live in Central Indiana.. I am a former 2001 Cavy Z24 owner and it was an auto and im already making a long post and im sorry.. most wont be this long I promise

I ended up taking on too many projects at once and then eventually I got to the point where I lost interest and felt like I would never get done.. so im done with it.. its going back to stock and my mom is taking over payments on it since her car died and she wanted a cavalier and I wanted a Cobalt lol.. worked out well. Here is a pic of what the cavalier DID look like, and then when I got done with it ( when I gave up )

When I thought I was done:





As of now:





Now Im getting the Cobalt and I put together kind of a list that I am taking to the dealerships with me to see what I can get done as far as getting something ordered. I am trying to keep payments right at or under 400 a month, so I left out the G85 as Im not really interested in an LSD and I would rather the interior accented peices instead of the black Recaros, and I dont want Onstar or XM since im replacing the headunit with a Double Din DVD unit anyways and thats less hassle with that stuff and I have sirius already and wouldnt use Onstar.. so the way it brakes down is..

2006 Chevrolet Cobalt SS/SC
Victory Red
18" Gunmetal Wheels
Leather Seats with Red Inserts
+Power Sunroof ( 750.00 )
_____________________________

20,490.00
+ 750.00
_______
21,240.00
-3,000.00 ( A-buyer )
_______
18,240.00 plus dealer incentives if any

So I figure thats not a bad price.. the ones that were fully loaded at the dealer stickered for 23-25..






Also im hoping since they told me if I wanted to order one they could order it and build it however I wanted ( Razzi Kit or different wheels or whatever ) so I figure ill have them go ahead and throw on

GM Performance Parts Exhaust ( 17802112 )
410.76 + Install

Stage 2 S/C upgrade kit* ( 17803229 )
637.50 + Labor**

* Reflash / Injectors / 3" Pulley / Smaller Belt ( Ups boost to 15psi safely.. DOES NOT VOID WARRANTY
**1.5 hours labor for install ( call PARTEC hotline if questions )

I figure with these numbers and info.. I can just get it done as I take delivery of the car..
Could they do that ? or would I have to come back.. I just want it to be covered by warranty ! and dont want it to keep going back into the shop for the upgrades and this way it would be financed into my loan.. would that work ?






also, if anyone wonders my future plans include...

Drop in K&N Air filter ( Filter # e-0777 )

15% Tint all the way around

18" 5-spoke Black wheels with chrome lip

In Dash DVD player ( Pionner Double Din w/ Steering Wheel Control Adaptor )

I am not gonna bite off more than I could chew project wise like the Cavalier... it ended up being a huge mess, so no body kits or fiberglass work or anything like that.. something nice and simple that looks good with subtle mods instead of needing a total overhaul to make up for being a crappy car to start with..

I appriciate all the help and I will look forward to your responses and its nice to meet all of you !

 

i'd go with an aftermarket exhaust such as magnaflow or corsa.. Sound better imo.

Btw welcome to the site and great choice man, you'll love it!

 

I appriciate that..

I looked into the other exhausts and heard them in the Official Exhuast Thread.. but for some reason I think I liked the tone on the GMPP one the best.. Magnaflow is what I have on the Z24, and I like it, and its my other option.. I just wanted to have it all done at the dealer when I got the car so it could be financed with the car.. if they do offer Magnaflow as a choice I will do it !

 

yea i hear ya. its all about your taste though. im just stating my opinion.. its your car :P. These cars are sweet though man. i'm overly obsessed haha. im dumpin my paychecks into her, but hell im 17 so its all good.

 

im 19. 20 in july.. I guess we are the age to have cool stuff before we have to have a house and wife and kids and other stuff that takes our toys away

I take it you are pretty happy with your car then ?

Im sure it will be a vast improvement over the cavalier.. it was top of the line for a cavalier, but the build quality and power just WASNT there..

 

Yea i love my car.. i have the 2.4L SS/NA but even though it lacks the supercharger it still hauls ass. Great looking car and few of them around. Definatly a head turner and good for mac'n the hunnies. Im off to bed now bro, nice meeting ya and enjoy the site. lots of useful information here. just remember to use the search due to the fact that many issues questions and concerns have already been addressed

 

Stupid question but what does "A-buyer" mean?

 

Thats what the dealer calls the GM discount my gpa gets.. Idk what it means either, but the dealers do, so I guess thats all that matters lol

 

I'll be buying a Cobalt with a GM employee discount soon. A salesman at my dealer said he could knock off an extra $300-$400 off the GMS price. That was for a fully loaded LT at $16,200 (about $2500 off). But, I'll be getting a much better job soon, so I'm gonna wait and get the SS/SC.

I'm still trying to figure out how the dealer can offer a discount in addition to the GMS discount. More importantly, exactly how much they can take off.

 

yeah.. True market value according to Edmunds.. in my area for my options people are paying sticker of 20k.. plus the discount.. I may be able to get the SS/SC for 17k after discounts and rebates..

So id say its worth it to save and get the SS/SC because the LT loaded is gonna be around there too

 

The GMS price of the LT came out to $16,100 loaded with all the options, MSRP is $18,235.00. The GMS for the SS/SC came out to $20,182.50 with everything but the G85 pack. MSRP for the SS/SC with the options is $22,030.00.

 

What's the A-Buyer, is that like the GM employee discount or something? Sounds like a good price to me.

---Edit--- Disregard. I see it was already answered. hehe.

 

Welcome to the boards man. One thing though, according to all the dealers around here that I've been to, you are going to have a really hard time getting your hands on a custom order Cobalt until the 07's hit the street.

According to what I have been told, production has stopped on the 06 Cobalts, which means no more ordering them. They also told me production on the 07's doesn't start untill June, which would put them on the street in roughly September. You could however order one soon, and get the first run of 07's, which is likely what I will be doing, since I can't find an SS/SC that suits me anywhere anymore

 

The only thing I see as a problem is the Red insert interior. With this you can't get the G85.

The LSD is very important, and the Recaros seats are very nice.

 

I'm not sure what kind of GM discount or rebates you're talking about but if you can get one for 17K you should buy it ASAP...is there any GM credit card money your applying here?

I'm a retired GM employee and I would think I would get the same discount/rebates as you, if I can get 3K plus off I'll be down there to buy one myself....hook me up with the saleman and I'll be there.

 

well.. im gonna test drive and get all my info and financing options figured out today and ill keep everyone posted.

I know the dealers are taking the 3k off.. I asked on ever lot on every sticker what it would be with the GM discount and they said 3k off of that price listed, but ill have more info here soon

I really like the inserts and Im not too positive the LSD is for me, and it would save me some cash.. I maybe stuck with the G85 because im not waiting til September I need a car this or next month !

lol. ill keep you posted

 

Its all about wheeling and dealing..
i walked out with a fully loaded (msrp 25k+) for 19,068 walk-out after tax/tag/title and 2 leather jackets..
they can go below the gms price.. but they will have to play with the numbers..

 

Really ? What do you recommend.. im not much of a wheeler and dealer.. I just know what I wanna pay lol

Any buyer techiniques that worked for you?

 

Bring a book or a magazine, or several, to keep you entertained while they leave you by yourself. If someone else is with you, do not discuss the particulars of the deal inside the office. Keep the conversation light, because they are listening to you. If you have to talk about the car, then leave the dealer and go have lunch or something and talk it over. Or walk outside and get far enough away so they can't hear you.

Control your body language, if they see you getting impatient, they'll put more pressure on you to accept their deal. Keep your cool at all times.

Be patient. They'll fight you on everything, right down to the destination fee. They'll tell you they HAVE to charge you the destination/delivery fee, but we walked out of the dealership without paying a penny on it.

When looking for the best deal, look towards the end of the month (like right now.)

Look for a dealer that seems kind of slow (sales wise, but if they're retarded all the better. hehe) , they'll be more desperate to make sales. They have to make payments on those cars they have sitting in the lot every month, so it's in their interest to get rid of them as quickly as possible to make the most profit.

Don't look desperate, don't act desperate, be prepared to walk out of the dealership without the car. If you can't make a deal, write down your name, phone number, and your most current offer, thank them for their time, and walk out of the dealership. You'll probably get a call in a day or two, and the salesman will call more frequently as it gets closer to the end of the month. hehe. --- NOTE: if you call them, then you've lost the battle.

Don't pay more than $500.00 over invoice.

If you have a trade in, negotiate for that price when your locked in on aprice for the new car, not before or during.

When you've negotiated both of those, it'll be time to negotiate the interest rate. (careful here, the interest rate they give you may not be what the financial institution quoted them. You however have no way of knowing if this is the case or not so a degree of flexibility is needed unless you've been to another dealership that already offered you a lower rate.)

Finally, negotiate any extended warranty on the car, if you want it.

Be patient and be prepared not to buy a car that day, and you'll get the best deal possible. If they refuse to work with you, then go to another dealership, give the new dealership the specs on the car you were going to buy from the last one, give them your offer that the other dealership temporarily refused, and work from there. If they go over the price the other dealership was willing to let it go for, then let them know and see if they will beat it, if they do beat it, that might just be the best price you'll get..

If you suck at negotiations, then find someone who doesn't suck. If you're a younger person, bring someone with you who is older, it'll save a lot of hassle if you have someone with you who has been buying cars for the last 30-40 years. hehe.

If the salesman becomes hostile with you, or rude, do not walk, run, and never come back. When I was a kid I actually had some bald bastard get about 2 inches from my face, all the while screaming at me because he knew he wasn't going to close the sale that day. I took it until he yelled at my girlfriend and then I hit him. I ended up NOT going to jail that day, but only because the cop insisted on seeing the security camera tape, and saw the guy getting in my face and then turning towards her. heh. So just walk out.


I always bring my father in-law, I've never seen anyone get a better deal than him. When he bought his Buick Park Avenue several years back, he negotiated for 3 weeks until he got the deal he wanted, but he got the car, and a great deal on it.

And finally, the less flexible you are about what you want (as far as features/options) the more difficulty you'll have getting the best deal possible, and remember, they want to sell the cars they have ON their lot. There is no pressure to make a sale on a car they don't have sitting on the lot, so you'll pay the most for a car that you order to exacting specifications, but to some, it's worth it.

It's a lot of work, but you can end up saving several thousand dollars off the sticker price, not to mention interest you would have paid on that money. And you'll know if you got the best price possible, because they'll make you sit there for several hours while they "get the paperwork" ready, and the salesman won't be extremely happy with you, but should remain cordial. :P

 

Wow.. thanks for the info, I think that will help me be more prepared, my dad is going with me for the test drive and negotiations.. I just dont haggle.. if the sticker is to high I leave lol.. Im not very confrontational, so ill let my dad figure it out, I used Edmunds to find that invoice is 18,806 before options.. most dealers have the base price 20,400 or 21,400 before options.. so there is some room there.

Only options I want is the sunroof.. they all have G85 around here... EVERY ONE I have seen.. so I may have to take it and I didnt really wanna spend the extra 1500 because I like the leather color inserts and price.. oh well and id like to spend 19k with the sunroof only or 20,500 with the Sunroof and G85..

I guess we will see soon enough.. im still parting out the cavy so im not in a huge rush, so I can use that to my advantage since I can wait a few weeks

 

Absolutely. Just remember what I said and it will take you very, very far. And always remember that the sticker price means absolutely nothing. It's just an imaginary number that the dealer is dreaming about, nothing more.

 

Sounds good good idea on gettin the mods into your monthly payments.

 

Thanks !

Jokie- So you think it would be possible to get the car around Invoice ? I wouldnt mind paying that

Heres kinda something I found loaded at the dealer close to me and it sticked for 25k, but it should cost me 22k put add on the 3k for GM discount ill get, and that puts the car at 19k.. def. reasonable ! ( if I can find one with no XM or Side Bags or Ashtray id be happy... but kinda the prices on all the goodies, the one I found was like that)

 

welcome tot he site man

 

Thanks.. nice to meet you

Hopefully I get the car and I can stick around lol