Just bought it, my very first Chevy. Didn't think I'd ever own a GM vehicle that wasn't a GTO or F-Body, but here I am. 2009 with 60k miles, and it is completely stock and in near perfect condition.

I am loving it so far. I have some questions that I can undoubtedly search for but I'd rather just ask in this thread. Mainly, what are some classy appearance mods? I want it to look less Cobalt-ish, and I like some of the halo headlights I've seen but it might be a bit over the top for my taste. Any other suggestions? I'd also love to replace the stock shift knob, but the threads I've seen for changing it are for SC SS and I'm not sure mine is the same way. If anyone can weigh in on that, I'd appreciate it.

One last question I couldn't find much on...the 225/40/18 tires seem kinda narrow, can I fit 235's on without rubbing? And how much am I looking at for a lowering kit? I feel like I'm driving a monster truck right now

 

Lowering is the best visual mod you can do without changing to much like wheels/tires in my opinion. Do you want low? good handling? good ride? You cant have all 3 so pick two of those. (unless you go with $1000+ coilovers)

235/40 fits fine.

YYZ springs from crate engine depot (John Powell) have the best ride quality and insane handling cost quite abit though ($325 or so forget how much exactly)

SSC have the lowest drop without riding like trash, cost $200.

H&R/B&G springs drop the lowest for springs but ride like crap.

Megan makes coilovers with an OK drop for $700

BC Coilovers are my favorite, can be custom made for any height and ride quality. Can be absolutely slammed and ride great for $1300-$1500 depending on how they are done. Guy on the FB page Alex can get them for $995 with shorter springs to go low or use Swift Springs for $1300 which are lower but still ride great. And there's a guy named randy here that revalves them to basically lay frame and still have good travel. Those are like $1500.

 

Thanks a ton for the detailed answers. I guess I want low, but not too low...basically, fix the awkward ride height without it looked slammed (I'm not a fan of that look). I also care a lot more about handling than ride quality. It's my DD technically, but I mostly ride my bicycle to work/class so it's almost like a weekend driver to me.

I REALLY like the stance of this car: SS - Album on Imgur and the owner commented that he has it on springs, not coilovers. Would it be possible to get a ride height like that for under $500 INSTALLED, without sacrificing handling and possibly damaging my stock shocks and struts?

 

SSC

 

You can get a short throw shifter or just new knobs from hurst, b&m, twm and a few other places.

As for springs, there are a variety. the Powell YYZ honestly will be great for tracking and dd but if you aren't going to track, may be on the high side? They don't really give it an aggressive drop, still has a raked look.

Is the car stock? or has the GM Stage 1 kit been installed? I recommend that. The car should of came with it stock. But it is a true gmpp kit, consisting of a tune and sensors. Gives you more powa

 

I have GMS1 tune its awesome, but gets old quick knowing that you could easily beat faster cars with the swipe of a mouse and laptop.

HPtuning FTW

 

I had hpt...and yes you can gain a lot, but once you start tuning and modding, you will need to work on the car more. Especially if you request a lot from the tune. The gms1 will allow year round generally safe usage of the car with out monkeying around.

 

Staged07 has been raving about his Road Magnet springs, they're another option.

 

Welcome to the site! Car looks clean, did you get a good deal on it?

 

I think I did. Bone stock 60k miles and in basically perfect condition, for $9300. Clean title of course.

 

That's a great deal.

 

Wow, man. I'm jealous. I bought my '09 on Dec 12th, 2010, with 60k miles on it. The previous owner put 60k miles on it in one ******* year! lol
Cobalt SS' are great cars. Mine is still stock after nearly 5 years of ownership, besides a K&N Typhoon intake, which makes the car sound cooler but doesn't add performance numbers without a tune.
I've been toying with the idea of getting an HPTune through someone on this forum, but I also am wary about changing the car majorly when it's already high mileage. I'm thinking I'll just wait until next year with some money saved up and buy the GMS1.
Anyway, congrats on the car. Looks good. I have yet to drop mine. It needs a drop really badly, but I also need new struts & shocks, so I have to wait until I get those installed first.

 

Yeah, I had pretty much ruled out the Cobalt SS from my search, because I only wanted the t/c and they were all going for 14k+ if they had 40-50k miles. I wasn't even searching for a Cobalt when this SS t/c popped up on my Craigslist search for some reason. I even talked him down $600 from his asking price. It was his wife's car and they were a couple in their 40's, so I doubt she got into the boost all too much either.

 

Also, what were people's insurance prices like? I got quoted at $52/month for an 08 V6 Accord or $65 for a 335i twin turbo BMW (both full coverage). The Cobalt is costing me like $85/month

 

My wife and I have two cars and we pay ~$100/month (in a PHX suburb). Mine's a sedan, so that helps. The coupe will cost more than the sedan. It has a lot to do with the style of the car. You'll find that even a Civic base coupe will be more expensive than much more expensive sedans.

 

Welcome to the forum! Great to have you here and thanks for sharing pictures - your Cobalt looks beautiful. Hope you stick around and find this site useful for yourself.