I just got my cobalt. Love the car with the razzi bodykit and rims. But its an automatic. I believe that it is ossible for me to swap it out for a manual but does anyone have an idea as to how much this will cost and how long it will take if i have my GM dealer do it for me? Thanks. Great site by the way.

 

If you have the stealership do it for you? ROFFLMAO!!! Dude, You have two options, A: Learn to live with the auto. B: Take the car back to stock and go trade it in for a manual tranny car. The work that would most likely be involved to do this would cost an arm, leg, and a piece of ass to have done at your local stealership.

 

if you just got your cobalt why didnt you pick out a manual n then order the body kit and have the cost and install put into your loan...not trying to pick on ya but maybe a year from now u wanted to swap but if you just bought it should of went with just standard bud lol

 

Yea, you would be better off going upside down for a while rather than trying to pay off a new tranny. The tranny alone would cost ~1k. Plus around i'm gonna guess 40-50 man hours at the dealership = LOTS OF FREAKING DOUGH!!

 

well, you're options are:

1) bend over and take it up the ass
2) stand up straight and take it up the ass
3) lay down and take it in the ass

you get the point... your manual tranny swap will make a $30,000 cobalt... hell no, that's not a good option..

optoin b, is you trade your car in, eat the negative equity because it is worth 7,000 less the second you drove it off the lot... this is the worse of the 2 options, and would make your cobalt probably more than 30,000.... either way, you're pretty much assed out...

why didn't you just get the manual from the dealer?

 

Do the swap yourself. It'll save money.

 

if he knew how to do the swap he wouldn't be asking now would he? and it doesn't sound like something to attempt if you don't know wht you're doing...

 

I just made the suggestion that if he do it, he do it himself. I don't think its feasible to do but if I wanted it done, I would try and do it myself.

 

what about a shift kit?

 

The auto is only an 800$ option so to take out the manual and swap in the auto only costs 800$ why wouldnt cost the same to go the other way?

 

Because thats the cost difference in the manufacturing process. To build the car manual or auto is easy. To change it after the fact would require an enourmous amounts more.

 

Also, the $800 cost of the automatic represents the full cost of the automatic, minus the cost of the manual tranny, which was never put on the car in the first place.

Like Halfcent said, it would cost a fortune to do the swap. Besides the tranny, you would need the new pedals, master cylinder for the clutch (they use the brake fluid on these cars if I remember right?), drive axles, shift cables, different steering column, mounts, and radiator possibly, possibly different ECU.... many many hours if done at the dealer.

The way to do it would be to do it yourself, if you knew how. My Fiero was converted years ago, but all the parts came from a parts car. Actually, that's what would be the easiest - buy a wrecked 5-speed Cobalt and swap all the parts over from it. But like everyone is saying - it would be easier and faster just to trade in and get a 5-speed car that was built that way.

 

I wasnt planning on doing it right now. It will only take me about a year and a half to pay it off. I would have bought it with the manual but they didnt have one at the dealership and it was actually the last HOURS of a sale. Sooo. I took it. I dont have a problem with the auto just was curious. I actually could have my uncle do since thats all he does is autobody and engine repair. I asked what itd be at the dealership because then id know what itd be in the real world. Dealership cost - $1500/2000= real cost.

 

yea... sorry for my comment last night, i just looked at it and it seems a little harsh... didn't mean it that way... was a long day!