Been visiting this site for a while for tips and how-to’s and finally decided to sign up today. I drive a base model 08 cobalt, currently in the process of coverting my car cosmetic wise to the SS style. Got the front bumper with fogs installed not too long ago. For the rear lip I’m going with the G5 RK Sport lip since I like the look of the rear diffusers.

 

looks pretty good so far. Welcome to the club.

 

Welcome

 

thank you, hoping to keep progressing on the build looks wise (suspension, wheels, tires etc.)

 

Think you will be OK here and your car looks nice but just be aware the SS guys don't like base model guys making their car look like an SS. They already have a hard enough time explaining to non-enthusiasts how their SS's are way different/better than a regular old base model Cobalt. Being an 08 you would be good to go for a tune if you ever wanted to add forced induction. Have you considered that or what are your plans power wise?

 

Hey now, not all of us SS guys get upset over trivial things like that

 

I only get upset when they put SS badges on. Kinda like BMW3 series drivers adding an M badge.

 

Lol I was just giving him a lighthearted heads up. I know on facebook they murder you for putting cosmetic SS parts on a base. Especially the high rise.

 

oh yeah believe me I know about slandering on Facebook groups if you’re not a true SS lol, power wise not really looking to do much maybe headers down pipe and exhaust system but as for forced induction probably not seeing as a full time student and a part time employee it will take forever to come up with the money and having the time to work on the car is minimal since it’s my daily I always need to have it up and running

 

that’s one thing I’d never do add SS badges lol, I’ve seen a few where they have multiple trim badges and it’s so stupid

 

Honestly the smart move with being a student strapped for cash and needing reliable transportation. I would only mod your car if you can handle unexpected costs and for the car to be down for extended periods of time.

 

not looking to invest a whole lot either in my car since it is base model, good thing about studying auto tech in school is we get time in the shop to work on our personal vehicles so we have multiple heads working together and it’s free labor

 

I "invested" a decent chunk into mine because generally modifying cars doesn't improve their resale value so the initial value of the car isn't really significant. I just wanted it to be faster and handle better. I just never could agree with the notion that a car needs to have a certain initial value before it is worth modifying it. I personally like polishing turds myself. I don't know if I could ever justify an expensive car as they aren't just expensive to buy, they are expensive to tag and insure as well. I damn sure would have trouble tearing into a nice new car like I did my Cobalt.

 

Welcome man! Car looks awesome! Have fun with it!

 

that’s also another reason I stick to this car, no payment and I don’t feel bad modifying it because it’s mine to keep I won’t ever get rid of it so the money I invest is to better my liking not to try and “add” value because you’re right parts don’t add value. Currently sitting at 46k miles I still got a long way to go before any mishaps, I’m just having fun with this car

 

thank you I appreciate it!

 

Welcome!!!

 

Man that's awesome. I didn't think there were many base model Cobalts left that haven't been driven into the ground. How many miles did it have and how many years ago did you buy it?

 

got it about 2 and a half years ago at 27k miles. 1 adult owner clean title and everything, it was a steal for $4k so I couldn’t pass up on the offer

 

Yeah pretty much new car for $4k. I'd say you got a good deal. I bought mine with 15k on the clock in 2007 for $10,500. You only had 12k more miles and got it at less than half the price I got mine. Who cares about how many years old it is. Modern day cars have too many bells and whistles anyway.

 

yeah for it not being even the 2.4 SS it was a steal and I was able to put the SS parts on it cheaper than me buying one, yeah I don’t get the engine benefits of having the 2.4 but imo my car is still a clean one

 

The general rule of thumb is that if it has SS badges, it's probably a base model.

Base model owners want to make it look like they have an SS, and SS owners want to hide the fact they have an SS for that sleeper factor. But seriously, I'd bet that there are more de-badged SS's than there are SS-badged base models. Where do you think they get the badges from?

 

lol I know I’ve seen a lot of cars badged as SS’s that aren’t even close to one. I personally think de-badged looks much cleaner