I am 17 and drive a 1999 Acura Integra LS now and its auto, I am selling it sometime between now and September and have been considering the Cobalt SS/SC or the Honda Civic SI... I saw the SC can make some nice numbers w/ some simple mods but what concerns me is the fact I hear the the reliability is not trhat great and the fit/quality isn't either. any input on this?

 

never heard any major reliability issues....but remember the vehicle is only at best about 2 years old....

Quality is in fact a quantum leap for GM and the cavalier platform.

not sure what would make you think that. ive been extremely impressed with the cobalt in general so far.



in the end it comes down to......do you want to drive rice?


or drive a SS/sc and eat rice for dinner

 

The SS/SC can make some pretty impressive numbers with some very simple modifications. Even stock the car makes a pretty impressive amount of horsepower, and is a lot of fun to drive.

As far as reliability, I haven't had mine too long, but I do work at a number of chevrolet dealerships, and I don't see too many cobalts period in their service area. Reliability is going to really rely on how you maintain and treat the car, if you beat the hell out of it daily, its only going to last so long, but if you take good care of it, and beat on it ocassionally, then its going to last you a good amount of time. Read posts on here, there aren't too many guys that have anything more than normal issues with their vehicle.

I'm not sure what you mean by fit/quality. If your talking about body parts, the car is put together a lot better than my previous cavalier z24. The car is actually pretty impressive as far as technology as well, considering most of the car is electronic. (throttle, etc.)
As far as appearance, the car looks really good, and gets a lot of attention from the public. Overally, Im really satisfied with the car.

Im sorry I cant give you any more information than that, mainly because I havent owned the car too long. Talk to the guys who have driven their cars for a while, and have some mileage on them to get a better opinion. I think you will find that most of them, if not all, have not had any real issues, and are satisfied with their car.

One thing is for sure though, its definately going to have a lot more torque than any Honda. (at least those not running forced induction of some sort). I would say your only real issues is going to be the monthly payment, and insurance because of your age.

Chris~

 

There's other factors than just performance and prices, and these should all be taken into account before you buy a car.

Really it all comes down to will the car work for you, will you enjoy it. I suggest taking one for a test drive.

 

rofl and you know damn well when he cracks it and hears that whine he will be sold


you evil evil man!
haha

 

I've had mine for over a year, and i barely trn the key and she fires right up. I have had zero mechnical problems, and I race it around a lot. The ONLY thing that went wrong with my car was one of the moonroof rails broke.

 

I had one of the first 05 cobalt ss/sc and I have had no problems at all.

It's a great car and performance wise it's better than most of the competition (save the SRT-4)

 

I considered both cars for a while. From what I can tell, the Si has better material and fit and finish on the inside. The car is smaller and looks pretty nice. The price is decent as well, if you can find one. Now, the drawbacks are: boring 17'' wheels (vs the SS - can upgrade to sweet one for 1k), very little torque (ask the salesman if you can redline it, otherwise you'll be dissapointed, I know I was). Nothing happens below 6000rpm. And the fact that it's a Honda will help you sleep better at night.

Now for the SS/SC. I feel that it's the better looking car (for me). You get used to the wing and the size of the car (it's big for me, coming from a Mazdaspeed Protege). The inside looks nice, but forget about storing stuff and carefull with those cup holders (especially in spirited driving). The plastic looks cheap, but it's not so bad. The boost gauge is very nice. And if you get the performance package, the Recaro seats are superb (and are not lint magnets like in the Si). Performance-wise, it's a dream. Hold 2nd gear at 50 and floor it and you'll grin, and it goes on and on until you reach 120mph and see that the engine just wants more. It's that sweet! Downside to the engine is a drop in torque in the 3000's and the tall gearing I'm still getting used to. Oh yeah, forgot to mention I purchased a black SS/SC 06 2-3 weeks ago. Enjoying it but has a couple of rattles, and some fit and finish issues that GM is going to fix. Overall fairly happy with my decision to buy my 1st chevy. Need to see if the feeling is going to change overtime. Anyhow, I believe I would have been happy with the Civic Si as well, very nice car. Good luck with your decision!

Thanks to anyone who's reading my oh so long dissertation here :-)

 

Maybe you could clue us in on this reliability thing? What specific problems are people having? Oh wait I forgot you come from the honda world where if it's American made it must be junk. right? Sorry but man am I sick of hearing people say that this car is unreliable and have no proof. I understand your friends probably told you they were crap and all but if they don't have experience with them their opinions don't count. Ours do, we own the car.

No problems here. Also keep in mind the ecotec is a proven engine as it's been around awhile. Also the Cavy that it replaces was reliable too. There were plenty of those cars with a hard driven 150k plus miles on them. Granted this car is totally different but my experience and my families experience with GM reliability has been very good.

All in all and my little pissy fit in the first paragraph aside, you need to go test drive both. Maybe overnight if you can. Take notes on the pros and cons of each right after the test drive and then go compare them. Also check with your insurance guy to make sure you can swing that. Good luck and have fun test driving and make sure the car you choose you will enjoy for the long haul and not just until the new wears off.

 

Same.

 

I just bought mine recently because at that the price they sell the SS/SC for, there is no comparison. Sure you could get a civic SI if you like, it has a cool dashboard.... thats about all I can say for it. The engine needs to be revved to 7-8k rpms for any real power vs ours at 4k or so. Also, you dont get any extras really in the honda. In the SS/SC, you get all leather , sunroof, onstar, trip computer, etc etc, for WAY under what the SI costs. Also, american car dealerships WANT your business, and will WORK to get it. Where as japanese dealerships have a "my **** doesnt stink" mentality and wont do a damn thing to get your business because they seem to be under the impression their cars will drive themselves off the lot. The civic is the only car that lives up to that assumption, its a very popular car so expect no incentives, and expect to wait a while for one as well.

The civic just isnt as much car as the SS/SC. Personally I think this car is one of the best deals in car history. Not only will you smash a civic si's times in it, but youll do it sitting on leather, listening to xm, sirius, or mp3's, with the sunroof open.

if your worried about reliability, get a 72k extended warranty like I did, it was 1600 (I think) and after a little haggling I got the car WITH the warranty for UNDER sticker price, with a 0% interest rate. nothing beats american dealerships.

I havent had it for too long, but this car ceases to amaze me daily. Ive been riding a ducati for a couple years, and just yesterday after I beat a boxter down a local strip in my SS I thought to myself "jesus christ this thing is a ducati 999 on 4 wheels"

 

Yeah I come from a Honda World and am tired of there mentality and childish imature views on things which is why I am looking american now, this forum is much more mature and informative. I am really considering getting a SS in september just because the price and power is hard to beat and the 0% financing and the GM dealer is WILLING to work w. me on getting me into the car. I will probably get it in blue or black w/ the extended warrenty.