From personal experience. Get a 2010 LNF. Not only is it the most up to date since it's the last year of release but you also have a chance of picking one up with current bumper-to-bumper warranty which will come in handy to fix any problems that it might have.

 

For max power, LSJ turbo FTW!

Make sure you know what you're getting before you buy it. It took me over a year to find my 05. I wanted a clean car that had not been modified. You never know what tune may be installed on the car which is probably the #1 reason for failure along with a crappy driver. 05-06 was supposed to have the faulty timing chain tensioners but they still seem to go bad in the later years. I've seen guys skip teeth in the assembly on the LNF after installing heavier valve springs and the cheap crappy plastic chain guides will eventually fail as well.

The LNF block is also weaker than the LSJ which is why ZZP prefers the LSJ block for building. The LNF also has issues with the brakes particularly in the rear. Then there's the crappy electric power steering in ALL Cobalt's that has been recalled so if yours ever goes out, take it to a dealer to see if the recall work had been performed. The only issue with the 05's compared to 06-07 that I'm aware of was another recall involving the head liner padding being too thin so the dealer must/will perform the repair regardless of ownership.

The LNF also has higher gearing in the final drive of the trans which is not ideal for most builds but it does help with fuel economy.

At the end of the day however, the LSJ and LNF will impress you and be a fun car to drive. No matter what you get you should shoot for a 300WHP goal and be happy with it. Any more than that and you'll want to sell the car in favor of something that actually has traction in first and second gear on the street.

 

I bought my 07 2-1/2 years ago with about 50,000 miles on it for $11,500 Canadian.
I looked at about 25 cars until I found one that looked like it had been well taken care of. Three of the trips i made were over an hours worth of driving each way. Dont be afraid to travel to find one you like. The time you spend looking can save you yhousands in the future. I would say about 75% of the vehicles I looked at had a dead intercooler pump. It doesn't throw a code so none of the dealerships will fix it unless you make them do it before you buy.
I did look at some redlines and almost bought one but I just couldn't get my head past the gauge position. It was a better deal and the plastic panels would probably last longer up here where they salt everytime there is a 1/2" of snow one the ground. Give em a try. You may save a bunch and if nothing else it will give you more choice when playing one dealer off against another. These cars have terrible resale values and the dealers all know it so don't be afraid to be aggressive when talking price. I can guarantee you the dealer didn't pay a lot for them as a trade in.
Our perception of these cars is much different than the way the majority view them. To most people these are just expensive Cobalts. Most of the people in the compact scene would only consider European or Asian and the majority of those that want a domestic with performance would never look at a compact. These things all help give an advantage to the buyer so don't be afraid to walk if you aren't happy with the deal or the car.

 

For an LSJ I'd go with 07, I like the interior a lot better(wheel and stereo) and for the LNF, 09+ but 2010 is the way to go I think

 

That was 09 not 08. 08s have never had the porous block issue. There was a small run of 08s that were hail damaged when sitting at the factory, however it was fixed at the factory and you'd probably never know today. If I was buying a TC, I would pick up a 10 myself just because it's the newest and any of the small problems that the 08 and 09 had were eliminated by 2010. In an LSJ, I would get an 07 for the 3 spoke steering wheel, which I think feels much nicer than the older 4 spoke wheel.

 

I got my '05 for 10k with 52k miles in 2010. It did have the timing chain tensioner issue that was mentioned. Luckily the dealership covered it. Since then the only issues I've had are caused by modding but that's due to my lack of knowledge.

 

Well said thanks!

 

So the 07 with 70k miles for 11k is the works and the 06 with 100k miles and the aftermarket stuff is my choice if the 07 doesn't go thru

 

You shouldn't have much trouble finding a SC for $10k or less. The TC really killed the value of the SC. For 11-12k, you can find an 08 TC

 

I hope you're happy with what ever car you decide on.

Esthetic facts which differentiate cars that I see as important are as follows;
(I share this because if you truly pick out a car that suits you, power adders can be installed, but paint ect, you're stuck with.)

2005-2006.5 = all had the high rise spoiler
2007-2009.5 = small spoiler standard; high rise optional
2010 = small spoiler standard; none optional

I prefer the 2007-2010 steering wheel, and decks

I don't care for leather seats, all 2005-2007 SS/SC's came with leather ~ the only difference was if heated seats were optioned;
You could get:

• all black
• black & blue
• black & yellow
• black & red

There was also a Recaro interior offered from (?)2005-2006 ~ I believe they were all black, with red stitching.
Recaro equipped cars generally had the limited slip differential (things changed in 2007, but the LSD option code is 'G85'; code read on options sticker under trunk mat near sub, on left side of trunk floor).

The 2008-2010 came with a cloth & pseudo-suede (ultralux) seats;
2008-2009.5 could be ordered with:

• red & black
• grey & black
• all black

There was no optional seat for 2008+; the LSD was a stand alone option.
My top three colour favorites are:

1. 2005-2006.5 "Arrival Blue"
2. 2005-2009.5 "Rally Yellow"
3. 2006.5-2007 "Lazer Blue" (aka "blurple")

The 2008+ had a revised suspension complete with new lower A-arms, larger Brembo front brakes, and wider "dual spoke" wheels.

IMHO the 2005-2007 'LSJ' cars are the more moddable ones, but it was the introduction of the 'LNF' powered cars which made me really stick my head up & take notice.

For the record, I like them all.

 

Let us know what you decide. There's a decent amount of information in this thread to make a decision based whether you want LSJ or LNF.

 

tvs lsj ftw

 

I think you would be happy with either... granted you buy one with the G85 package (LSD)...

With the LNF you get the Brembo's, killer comfy seats, possible RPD, and you could still get some warranty left (mine still has til spring this year)... Plus didn't someone (possibly at ZZP??) say the LNF is the best option for a 400 hp DD??? could be wrong though...

LSJ your pretty much going to end up with a high rise (win in my book), Recaro's (with the G85 package), and you can make more power (or so ive read) on a LSJ when turbo swapped. Plus the whine rocks...

Either way you will be happy but I personally would go with an LNF for all of the added benefits and easy power you can make. If I wanted an all day long drag car, I would have a turbo swapped LSJ. These are just my opinions though. Just dont skimp out, buy what makes you happy/will make you happy.

 

I like the lsj. Im more of a supercharger guy and nothing gets me more excited than the whine. I have the lsd sunroof and the recaros. which i love the seats

 

save your money...youll thank me later

 

i have an 05 lsj and i have had 0 problems with it. just normal wear

 

Recaros came in early 07's as well...

They did not have red stitching.... It was white just like the base leather seats.

 

I have only seen one SS/SC which originally came with Recaros, and I thought I recalled seeing the stitching (at least for the back seat) as being red... but hey, I've been wrong before.

 

lsj-t ftw

 

I almost purchased a brand new Rally Yellow 07' with Recaros.... I wasn't out of college yet at the time, so I waited until late spring before I got my car. By that time, the G85 package was changed to LSD only.

That's when all the questions started wondering if people had G85 or not.

SS/SC's only came with white stitching in all their leather seat options. Not sure where u saw red stitching. Could have been dyed.



The back seats in the SS/SC were the same seats in all non G85 & G85 models. The fronts were the only thing different.

 

I have a 07 lsj with 63k and bolt ons that I will take 7,800 for because I just upgraded to a white 09 lnf 😄

 

oh! - thanks for hte info!!

 

No problem man....

Things got confusing in 07'

 

this!