So I have a tough decision laying in front of me in the near future.

I have been doing some research and I can't decide if I should buy a cobalt SS/TC. I always wanted a turbo but would you guys consider it a reliable car. The brakes are a pretty cheap fix for me but seeing as im a teenager i really dont have the resources to be fighting the dealership on warranty issues or even replacing a clutch. so do you guys suggest getting the SS or just getting a newer civic si and turboing it in a few years?

 

buy something else. lol

 

If you keep it stock, the warranty should cover almost everything. If the car is in shop for warranty issue you get a loaner car till its fixed. So get you a cobalt ss/tc now, enjoy the turbo at stock level (kicks ass at that) and when you pay it off, mod the hell out of it. Your not going to find a faster stock turbo car with a warranty cheaper than the cobalt ss/tc.

The cobalt ss/tc will beat up on some pretty pricey cars in stock form.

 

^ Exactly!

Don't mod it and everything will be covered under warranty and if you want more power just get the GMS1 and your still covered under warranty.

A new Civic Si is about the same price as an SS/TC (here in Canada anyways) and the SS/TC will put such a bad hurting on the Civic it's not even funny straight line or track, hell even with a Turbo Kit on the Civic Si I would still put my money on the SS/TC and if the SS/TC is tuned it will walk the Civic. So if cheap speed is what you want you can't go wrong with the SS/TC.

 

Never had to go to the dealer so many times in my life. This isn't my first rodeo. Have fun.

 

have had no problems besides the rear brakes. also my 07 had no problems except for the speed sensor i blew but that was my fault for spinning all of 1st and 2nd out. plus my car has had a tune on it for the past 15k miles and no problems at all

 

There always seems to be something off about my car, but except for the time when the battery crapped out, it always starts, runs and drives.

 

how about the clutch? is it a pretty common problem for it to go out prematurely. cuz lets face it im a teenage and with a monthly payment i won't have 1500+ dollars to drop on a new clutch.

 

The clutch will be fine unless you get a really agressive aftermatrket tune (Trifecta or HP) so long as your not going WOT in 4th or 5th gear at low speeds that's the hardest thing for a clutch to handle.

If you stay stock or GMS1 and don't do what I said above your clutch will be fine.

 

The ecotec engine is known to be an extremely reliable engine, especially the LNF. It wasn't so much about reliability for me because GM will cover the engine for 100,000 miles/ 5 years. And then you can always add an extended warranty on top of that for other items that are only covered for 3 years/30,000mi. You can essentially have the entire car covered for 5 years/100,000mi. The trick is not modding it. There are so many upgrades for it.

Besides, the insurance for us "younger guys" can be pretty expensive, depending on your state because you have to have full coverage since its a new car.

Make sure you know how to drive a 5 speed, because the clutch will not be covered. It's just like brakes and tires, which you will go through fast too. You should check out places like edmunds and MSN because they will give you a projected Total Cost of Ownership on the vehicle. I know I didn't realize that Oil changes and tire rotations are $80 at the dealer because they use Mobile 1 fully synthetic, and every time I fill up its $40 because you should run premium (well I have to since I have stage 1). Trust me, you go through gas quick. Yea the car advertises 25 city and 34 highway, but your going to have your foot in it ALL the time... ALL the time!!

Overall, I would say reliability is great! Personally I went from a 1999 Grand Am GT with 150,000mi to the Cobalt, and its like night and day! Good Luck to you in your decision.

 

its been alomost a year since i own my 09 turbo cobalt. tuned, coilover, and couple other mod. no problem at all so far, just a cheaply build car. but i got to say the motor is a quality build piece of art. its a reliable car in my opinion.

 

I've had my Cobalt since Nov 08 so a year and a couple of months. It is my daily and has 25K miles. Aside from blowing out a tire on the freeway (luckily my car had the spare option because something was in my sidewall) that's the only time the car has slowed me down. It is very reliable, cranks everytime, runs fine, never overheats, etc. A lot of people bitch on this site about little nit-picky things. I've installed springs on mine and now some panels rattle and squeak.... In the rain the brakes take longer to stop at first....some people have clutch slip (I don't and I bang on my car pretty hard sometimes 25K miles on stock clutch) some people have the oil leak which is always fixed for free under warranty and is a small percentage of all the cobalts sold...


My point is this is the fastest reliable car I have ever owned for the low $20s. It also covers your engine and transmission for 5 yrs or 100K miles. If you don't like interior rattles go buy a 60-70K sports car.

Go and buy one....you'll thank me later