Grover

Hey guys, new here and my first post. I'm seriously considering buying a very clean 2008 Cobalt with a 5 spd with the intention of supercharging/turbocharging. I've been looking for a tinker-car that I can use as a daily to keep miles down on my truck. Anyway, I've looked/driven the following contenders: Civic Si, Sentra Spec V, MR2, GTI and Miata. I need some space so the MR2/Miata are out. It's impossible to find a clean lower mileage Si or Spec V...I had also been looking for a Cobalt SS for the last 6 months and the only ones up are in very rough shape.

My plans have evolved to buy a low mileage Cobalt and a kit from ZZP and get what I want that way. I do not want a 400 hp FWD monster. My plans are to buy a kit and do some supporting mods and pretty much leave it alone. I have considered building a block outside of the car but to be honest I'll cross that road when I get there...I understand that the '08+ are stuck around 230whp before they experience rod issues.

Basically why I'm posting here is to say hello and ask, from people who own a Cobalt/G5, if this is a worthwhile plan...I want a quick 5 spd car that can get decent mileage on the highway and is easy to work on plus has a lot of aftermarket support. I also happen to like the way Cobalts look. Money isn't a real issue, I have a budget of 10K but if I can get what I want with less $$ why not.

Thanks for your time.

63 Nova SS

iTrader: (3)

You can do as you say, or you can search for a clean 06-07 supercharged Cobalt, which can be had for $5k, or a 08-10 which can run you 6-8k. My opinion is it's easier to start with a boosted car than to have to add all of it. There are a few on here who have added kits, so I will let them chime in instead. 08-10 turbo cars are capable of 35mpg Highway when tuned around 300whp.

cw383

iTrader: (6)

Truth. But you could buy alot of go fast goodies with the extra insurance savings

Wind

exninja

iTrader: (1)

I really doubt the insurance difference will be much. Since we're on insurance, when you wrap your DIY-SS around a tree insurance is going to cover you for how much your LS is worth and not a penny more, they won't care how much your turbo cost you or the exhaust or the intake or the (fill in the blank)...

exninja

iTrader: (1)

If 230hp is your goal you can get that EASILY with an 05-07 supercharged SS for 3-4k. The work is already done. You'll spend much more trying to boost a 2.2 or 2.4L.

chevygirl2006

Can boost a 2.2/2.4 for around 1k

cw383

iTrader: (6)

Seems at least the turbo SS are the worst to insure. Heard this from Chevrolet dealer and I even received a letter stating as much from my own insurance company. On that note, will the insurance companies cover all the things like added turbo ect if you wrap it around a tree? I bet my upgrades are worth more then my car lol. Never really thought about that.

exninja

iTrader: (1)

no they don't cover anything like that unless you can get them to do it specially. Even then, the only way you're likely to do that is with a collector's insurance and you'd need a separate DD for most of those policies.

if you write off your car they look up kbb or nada and offer that. you can then buy it back and try to get your money back by selling off the stuff that's still good.

Grover

Unfortunately I've been looking for a car for a good 6-8m now. There's an 09 SS for sale for 14k in the area, otherwise there has been nothing in what I'd consider acceptable shape....or it has extreme high mileage . I'm in South south Texas, about 4 hours south of San Antonio.

I'm not real concerned with insurance. I'm 33 and I've never even had a speeding ticket.

exninja

iTrader: (1)

14k? better have next to no miles on it

heeter_33

Damn, 14k?! I'll sell you mine for $13,500 CAD

Wind

Your insurance shouldn't be too bad and if I were you join the facebook pages and you'll find something for a better price than that.

Someone posted a sedan lnf for 12k I think its pretty high but you can really find stuff better than that tbh.

hawkssoccer11

iTrader: (13)

was it yellow?

Grover

77k miles on that 09.

Seen two SC cars going for 5kish and over 100k miles, bad paint, obvious accident repair, and other crap.

One SS/TC that was around 5k but it was salvaged and around 140k miles.

Telling you, the pickings are slim

This 2008 has 100k miles and appears to be in excellent condition. 5 spd, 0 mods and he's asking 2k for it. I imagine I can get it for 17 or 1800. Plus kit I'm paying less than what as SS/SC or SS/TC sells for locally and I get to get my hands dirty.

My main issue of concern is block and transmission strength/limitations. I know not all vehicles are made equal but 230hp seems awfully low. This isn't going to be a race car though .I just want something quick, fun, decent on mpg, and easy to work on.


Edit: what Facebook pages?

ECaulk

iTrader: (6)

**** I'd sell him mine for 14k with the KO4+ and other mods, drive it to him adjust the tune and then be on my happy way.

umrdyldo

iTrader: (1)

Dude local to me wants $12k for yellow high mileage sedan.

I was surprised I didn't get more offers when I listed my coupe for less than $5k. It was in great condition. Just higher mileage. Perfect records.

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

the block and transmission arent the issue, in fact, a number of guys are swapping the base model transmission into the ss cars to replace their broken f35 transaxle as those are starting to get hard to find and expensive. the thing that really limits the power of the 2.2l is the rest of the internals arent meant for boost. the compression is 10:1, and the pistons are cast and have the top ring very high up on the piston. combined that with tight ring gaps on the n/a engine, the first thing that generally happens is the ring gap butts together and breaks the piston. this is why people dont run much more than 230 hp before opening the engine up. keep in mind thats wheel horsepower (nobody runs these things on an engine dyno), so in reality the engine is making another 100hp over stock at that point. if you want to push it harder you need to put in some aftermarket rods and pistons, the rest of the engine will take the abuse without issues, all the way to the 400hp range. going past that you run into the same issues as any ecotec engine, and thats the weak cylinder walls.

in reality you will always be better off buying the best version of a factory car if the performance is something your after. a budget of $10k gets eaten up real quick, even on a $2k car. so you buy a blower kit and stick it on, in the end its gonna be $1500. now your likely going to want it to handle a little better, for a set of ss/tc struts and good springs, thats gonna be another $1000. now you have a car that will corner decent and goes quick, but it doesnt stop well. swapping to ss brakes isnt the end of the world, but it also means changing from 4 lug to 5 lug, and then you need to change wheels. so you do all that, and you have a car that performs similar to an ss, but still looks like a base model, and has the cheap cloth seats and light colored interior, all things that can be addressed, however thats more money. and as mentioned, if you get in an accident you end up with a $2k buyout and loose all the time you have put into it.

ive been there before, had lots of friends buy cheap base model cars and added all the stuff to make it like a top level car. its a lot of work, and a lot of money, and in the end you spent more money than to buy the top end car anyways. the only time its really worth it is if you have a wrecked top level car and buy a base model and strip it to a bare shell and swap everything over.

Wind

StevoElSupremo

no just buy the SS, the supercharged are dirt cheap

63 Nova SS

iTrader: (3)

Get that out of your mind

63 Nova SS

iTrader: (3)

I was told just after getting my 09 in early 12 that I could have insured a 08 vette for $40 a year less. Didn't see that coming.

ECaulk

iTrader: (6)

I mean i'd just got buy another one for 14k I could then get one with engine trouble and drop a crate engine in with a 6speed swap and still have extra for a 6758

Henry3959

Is this a base model or a Sport?

ghostmechanic

iTrader: (1)

Insurance on my 09 SS is the highest car I've insured. It's more than double what an LS is. I know this because I had one insured. And I know for a fact I could insure several V8 cars cheaper. I've priced it thinking I might trade & I owned V8 Mustangs before this car. It all depends on the state & the company. I have a friend that had a black 09 SS that was like mine. It was destroyed in a tornado. He had little money & couldn't find another SS so he bought a decent LS car & swapped everything from the SS over to it. Engine, trans, interior... everything he could salvage. He confirmed. His insurance is now considerably cheaper. As old as these cars are getting, what an insurance company will pay off is almost irrelevant. If you total your SS in a wreck they're not paying a lot out anyway.


My advice to the OP... if you're good with a wrench & you can't find a good SS but want to upgrade your LS, buy a wrecked SS if you can find one & swap it all over like my friend did. The big problem is most people that have wrecked ones are parting them out. They're all over the facebook groups.