Yet Another What Car Thread, With A Little Twist

My girlfriend and I are car shopping. We were planning on another Focus, specifically, a ZX5 with the Duratec 2.3 and a 5 speed, onto which I would swap SVT suspension. That should give you an idea of our car needs: basic, efficient, reliable, but not without some entertaining qualities.

Her parents, however, threw an interesting wrench in the gears, though. They have about $2000 in credit with one of those GM credit card deals. I would not be opposed to the prospect of a new car, but I can't think of anything that grabs me from the GM lineup, let alone anything that could walk the line between appliance and entertainment that a Focus can walk.

Maybe a Saab? Does that work with the GM credit?

So, what's out there? What GM car will get me on the lot, on a drive, thinking about supporting American car makers with a new purchase?

The only thing I would buy right now with an American nameplate isn't American at all.

To spend the $2k, go see what they are giving away Pontiac Vibes for.

That is, if your gf will drive a Vibe - lol

Cobalt SS Turbo!!!

COBALT SS TURBO!!!!!

I got to drive the old Supercharged one for my 2 week Florida vacation, and even it was powerful enough to make me think about replacing the P71. Handled well enough to replace the RX-7 too. The new Turbo one is even better at EVERYTHING! More power, more torque, better suspension, bigger brakes...

Even the SS/SC one got 35MPG on the freeways and the interior I thought was very nice, about on par with a bugeye WRX.

Uh the Cobalt SS is the Performance Bargain of the Year for sure. There's waiting lists for it in my area. Employee pricing plus another $2K off would get even penny-pinching "used only!" jerks like me to buy one. We're talking about a car that will spank cars 3x it's price on a road course and still knock down 35MPG. With a 100K mile warranty to boot!

Of course to get a comparable used car (let's say an 04 SRT4 Neon as it's the only FWD Turbo car I can think of that's even close to the SS's specs) you'd have to spend $16K, get no warranty, and have a 5-year old Neon at the end of the day.

Vs. $19K on a SS? I think the extra $3K well covers the performance, let alone the better interior and warranty!

I better stop before I start looking up trade-in values on modified P71's...

I thought the Cobalt SS drove pretty well. Better than almost any GM I've driven previously short of a Corvette. They give them a few breaks to compete in T3, but they far out power anything else in their class, and simply walk off from the S2000's and RX8s down the straight. They are a pretty good bargin, but I would worry about depreciation, especially now. In a year or so I would say you might be able to pick up a used one for under $10k.

G8 all the way, but the GXP isnt here yet

Plane jane cobalt's are not that bad either. Not exciting. In my humble opinion they are on par with the focus. Is the saturn astra nice? The srt-4 caliber may be cheaper but is "different" and not gm.

Last year we bought a new vibe w/the GM card. The 3k off from the card put it in the same market as 1yr old vibes. I don't care for the vibe as much as I had when comparing it to other vehicles. Also the new one has a larger (optional) 2.4 motor which may give lower fuel mileage. And it looks like they made the rear visibility worse.

I don't know if the cobalt ss's are going for 24k now real world like the msrp suggests. But I would imagine you could make a deal.

racerdave600 wrote: In a year or so I would say you might be able to pick up a used one for under $10k.

Nope. 07/08 Cobalt SS Supercharged are going for $15-$19K right now. The Turbo ones will hold their value even better because of the higher demand.

I'd be interested to know if indeed the Cobalt SS sedans are selling for MSRP. I may need to drive one of those - great reviews. Dunno if I can get the GF past the econobox styling, though. I mean, she is a lawyer now, so there are images to maintain... (Something to be said for not drawing the attention of the local constabulary, though. And rolling around small towns in domestic cars, for that matter.)

When's that G8 GXP supposed to roll out?

I hear great things about the new turbo Cobalt SS, but haven't had a chance to try one yet. I've tried the base car, however, and it sucks pretty hard IMHO. All the things that I hated about the base car (seats, shifter, and suspension) should be better on the SS. Definitely worth a test drive.

I really liked the G8, but if you're looking for efficiency it might not be your cup of tea. The new Vibe is less entertaining than the old Vibe, but if you could somehow find one (not 100% certain they exist..) with a manual transmission it could be good. A ZX5 with a 5-speed sounds like more fun.

YMMV.

I believe the GXP G8 is to be a 2010 model

daytonaer wrote: Plane jane cobalt's are not that bad either. Not exciting. In my humble opinion they are on par with the focus. Is the saturn astra nice? The srt-4 caliber may be cheaper but is "different" and not gm.

The Astra is the one you want to be looking at. Decent handling, 5 door hatch, but a little low on power. Let's hope for a Red Line version to match the Holden or Opel offerings overseas. Go sit in one and test drive it. Not sure on current prices, but I can easily see you out the door for under 15k.

And if this comes ashore, watch out all you Mazdaspeed3 owners...

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=122143

I don't think you could pay me enough to buy a new car right now. I'd get the focus and use the extra money I saved on car payments and buy a miata.

+1 for the Astra. Decent car for not alot of coin. The Focus and Miata combo sounds good too!

Corvette FTW!

Datsun1500 wrote:

P71 wrote:

racerdave600 wrote: In a year or so I would say you might be able to pick up a used one for under $10k.

Nope. 07/08 Cobalt SS Supercharged are going for $15-$19K right now. The Turbo ones will hold their value even better because of the higher demand.

Any difference between the 06 and the 07/08? A Dealer here has an 06 with 27K miles for $12K. Yellow with black leather and GM certified. That is what they are asking for it, so you know they got it for under $10K. So a new one is $24K and a 3 year old one is worth less than 10K? Might only be 2 years old seeing as the 09's just came out. With or without the $2000 GM card I still think you will lose a bunch of money.

problem with that comparison is that not all cobalt SS were supercharged. some of them just came with all the appearance stuff but the regular 2.4l ecotec

alex wrote: Dunno if I can get the GF past the econobox styling, though. I mean, she is a lawyer now, so there are images to maintain...

Here is what the GM WWW has to say:

Five-speed manual transmission with 3.84 axle ratio,
Four-wheel disc antilock brakes with front four-piston Brembo® brakes, Chrome tipped exhaust , Performance Handling suspension, 18-inch forged-aluminum wheels with Performance tires, Front and rear body-color Sport fascias, Foglamps, Spoiler ETC ETC ETC!!!

Looks pretty good to me...with 4 doors to boot! I remember about a year ago, GRM did a piece called family haulers...4 door cars that can drop kids off at Soccer then go spank booty in an auto-x...had this been available as a sedan back then, it wouldve definitely been a contender.

Probably the best American <$30k offering in the last 5 years, and best from GM in the last 10

I did drive an Opel...whoops I mean Saturn astra, and its handling was better than I anticipated, and it seemed well balanced between comfort and power. Its looks were a little odd to me though. But I dont have that Lawyer rep to maintain

better than the solstice/sky turbos that use the same great engine?

I've heard from a reputable source that the astra and cobalt have similar suspensions.

Joey

Datsun1500 wrote:

P71 wrote:

racerdave600 wrote: In a year or so I would say you might be able to pick up a used one for under $10k.

Nope. 07/08 Cobalt SS Supercharged are going for $15-$19K right now. The Turbo ones will hold their value even better because of the higher demand.

Any difference between the 06 and the 07/08? A Dealer here has an 06 with 27K miles for $12K. Yellow with black leather and GM certified. That is what they are asking for it, so you know they got it for under $10K. So a new one is $24K and a 3 year old one is worth less than 10K? Might only be 2 years old seeing as the 09's just came out. With or without the $2000 GM card I still think you will lose a bunch of money.

The big deal is that the 09's are Turbocharged and improved everywhere. Kind of like what happened to WRX prices when the STi came out. All of the SS/SC's took a hit now that the new ones are SS/TC. Also the previously mentioned fact that the old SS's could come withOUT a supercharger as well, and those are worth a LOT less.

alex wrote: When's that G8 GXP supposed to roll out?

Dealer told me they'd likely see a 6 speed G8 in the Spring. I liked it when I drove one. If it would've had the 6 speed I would've started banging heads with the dealer on price.

Well, she just remembered how much she likes S2000s. And she's a sucker for anything Honda. I am not one to discourage this kind of thinking.

Does the GM credit work for used cars on GM lots? I wouldn't mind picking up a cheapo AWD Astro for utility duties.

You know, to compliment the S2000.

alex wrote: Well, she just remembered how much she likes S2000s. And she's a sucker for anything Honda. I am not one to discourage this kind of thinking. Does the GM credit work for used cars on GM lots? I wouldn't mind picking up a cheapo AWD Astro for utility duties. You know, to compliment the S2000.

If I remember correctly, no. It used to be like 1/2 the $points for used but I think they dropped that with the card "redesign."

Get a Cobalt SS, definitely. Don't get a brand-new one with a turbo (as someone had said before, you'd be wasting money on car payments for a new car), get an older used one, with the supercharger. The supercharger-equipped ones were really nice, and the new ones with the turbo are even better. But just because the new turbo ones are better doesn't mean the old ones suck. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the older versions are still very, very good cars.