Given the two options what will you buy?

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Cobalt SS

The reason: 1) It performs better and 2) and most importantly, the 3 series is like an asshole, everyone (especially people who are big assholes) seems to have one lying around.

Now, if we were talking an M3 or M5, then my mind would probably change a little easier.

P.S.

Oh.. And then there's this:

As fast as the Cobalt is, I'd go for the BMW. Nothing like hearing a smooth inline-six howl!

Used to be a guy in my old complex that had one of these with a crappy exhaust system. Would tach it out in first all the way through the parking lot. Had I brought my gun to my apartment, I swear to God I would've been poppin' off shots at him. MOST ANNOYING SOUNDING MOTOR EVER!!!!!! (The only motor I can think of that sounds worse would be a crotch rocket)

Edited April 9, 2009 by FUTURE_OF_GM

[G. David Felt]

Cobalt SS

The reason: 1) It performs better and 2) and most importantly, the 3 series is like an asshole, everyone (especially people who are big assholes) seems to have one lying around.

Now, if we were talking an M3 or M5, then my mind would probably change a little easier.

P.S.

Oh.. And then there's this:

Used to be a guy in my old complex that had one of these with a crappy exhaust system. Would tach it out in first all the way through the parking lot. Had I brought my gun to my apartment, I swear to God I would've been poppin' off shots at him. MOST ANNOYING SOUNDING MOTOR EVER!!!!!! (The only motor I can think of that sounds worse would be a crotch rocket)

+2 Totally agree with both statements.

[siegen]

neither.

[pow]

Used to be a guy in my old complex that had one of these with a crappy exhaust system. Would tach it out in first all the way through the parking lot. Had I brought my gun to my apartment, I swear to God I would've been poppin' off shots at him. MOST ANNOYING SOUNDING MOTOR EVER!!!!!! (The only motor I can think of that sounds worse would be a crotch rocket)

There you go...

[Intrepidation]

neither.

I see your A4 and raise you an S5.

[G. David Felt]

Didn't he want input between the two auto's he was looking at? The audi's are nice but tend to take this thread off thread. I have been wrong before>

[deftonesfan867]

Uhhhhh....what?!?!

B

M

W

[pow]

I see your A4 and raise you an S5.

If you're going to go for a Volkswagen... go all out:

[siegen]

Didn't he want input between the two auto's he was looking at? The audi's are nice but tend to take this thread off thread. I have been wrong before>

Nah, he just chose the two wrong cars to pick between.

His choices should be: A4 or... A4... or 2001 Integra Type R in Nighthawk Black Pearl. Or a 2000 Type R in Flamenco Black Pearl. Hmmm... Blue flake or gold and blue flake.... decisions decisions...

[Dsuupr]

Logic = Cobalt

Not only is the warranty included, you also will know how well the car was cared for.

With that said, I have a friend who frequently gets "new" cars, and he LOVES German products. It cost him $350 to have a battery installed in his VW, and over $2000 to have his brakes done. If VWs cost that much to fix, I could only imagine how a BMW could drain a wallet overnight.

[Dsuupr]

Cobalt SS

MOST ANNOYING SOUNDING MOTOR EVER!!!!!! (The only motor I can think of that sounds worse would be a crotch rocket)

Subaru has the most annoying sound ever. It sounds like it's broken the day you take it home.

[toyoguy]

Have you driven them? I tested a 2006 330i and it was way slow in acceleration. The 3.0-liter engine is a wimp in the lower-mid range, and the engine doesn't sound sporty at all. About the only thing going for its completely smooth, but the lack of power and poor engine note quickly ruled it out for me.

[longtooth]

Bought a G8 GXP (red) and my brother's taking delivery of the Camaro which I had ordered over one month ago and'll likely see it sometime in early October . Dad is breaking-in his 'Hoe LTZ and is still learning how to operate all of the bells & whistles. He loves the remote start and the heated seats.

[pow]

Logic = Cobalt

Not only is the warranty included, you also will know how well the car was cared for.

With that said, I have a friend who frequently gets "new" cars, and he LOVES German products. It cost him $350 to have a battery installed in his VW, and over $2000 to have his brakes done. If VWs cost that much to fix, I could only imagine how a BMW could drain a wallet overnight.

For our 5-series, we bought a Duralast battery from Autozone for ~$90 and had it installed for $20. We got pads (Axxis) and rotors (Brembo) online for, I think, ~$600, and had them installed and bled for $200. If you find a good independent mechanic, maintenance costs really aren't any different.

Speaking of which, the rear brakes on the Cobalt SS/TC seem to be having problems, or so I've heard on Cobalt forums.

[ShadowDog]

Pff, I'm stuck here...

GM offers a lot of vehicles I'm interested in; however, I don't really need anything right now. The Grand Caravan handles all family functions, long trips and multi-passenger transportation. The Optra5 handles all small, runabout trips. The business has the GMC 5-Ton diesel (Top Kick w/ dumper) for all major utility duties; the Chevy 1-Ton diesel flat deck for material hauling duties; the Dodge pickup w/ canopy for covered-needs duties and the GMC 3/4 Ton diesel pickup for hauling or minor utility duties.

About all I could 'use' is a weekender sports car that I just don't have time to drive anyway. It might be a few years before I bother replacing anything. If GM is still around in some way, maybe they'll have something for my needs at that point.

[toyoguy]

Seems people are caught up in the BMW stuff, but Reality check.

true, the the 330i I tested had 50k mi on it, when I took it out on a a rough uneven road the frame showed poor strength and construction. The BMW also had plenty of rattles, kinda funny someone would claim the car is nearly perfect (maybe they missed the wind noise, lousy audio and so-so seats too), BMW should stop designing new cars cause there is nothing to improve. I on the other hand found plenty wrong with the 330i, that tends to happen when your spending your own money. When I decided I'd get a new car instead I didn't even bother testing the 335i. Guess that's how BMW builds cars designed to last 50k mi then start falling apart at the seams or maybe I'm just used to driving cars that actually are built to last.

And I thought the 330i is as sterile and boring as they come, much like the 528i I had in possession for over a month.

Edited April 10, 2009 by toyoguy

[regfootball]

Have you driven them? I tested a 2006 330i and it was way slow in acceleration. The 3.0-liter engine is a wimp in the lower-mid range, and the engine doesn't sound sporty at all. About the only thing going for its completely smooth, but the lack of power and poor engine note quickly ruled it out for me.

the only time i test drove a bmw it was a base model (not perf pack) but i recall thinking the engine was smooth but not all that full of grunt. the CTS (old 54 degree v6) i drove the same day was more fun to drive.

one other thing to throw out there. a friend recently got a new bimmer (traded an M3 for a new 1 series i think it was) had the car like a month and already had it vandalized. something to think about with owning a bmw. that cobalt won't get stolen.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

There you go...

Damn those qualifiers...

Subaru has the most annoying sound ever. It sounds like it's broken the day you take it home.

True...

I've also heard that the Rotary motors sound bad too (Mazda)

Edited April 11, 2009 by FUTURE_OF_GM

[CaddyXLR-V]

Instead of a BMW, or a Cobalt, why not a GTO? You can get a used one with a lot less miles than the BMW, for about the same price. It will be faster, handle just as good, and get the same gas mileage. Insurance rates for me are even cheaper on the GTO. Then you don't even have to worry about buying a non GM car.

[Z-06]

Thanks guys for your input so far. The result as of now is:

BMW 18.5 (68.15%)

Chevy 8.5 (31.85%)

The credit for half votes goes to Roger the GMCTG. I did not find any way to swing his vote.

I will provide the details for which car I went for, but for now, I find it intriguing that on a GM website the BMW won handsomely, despite of it being an older vehicle - although there is no comparison between the two.

As for the CTS-V or the Camaro or the GTO, they were really excellent suggestions. But more than ANY car, I wanted to buy the 50th anniversary Z06 and almost did that till the bank backed off claiming it being an "old" car. An LS6 CTS-V would be an excellent choice, but the car is prone to wheel hops, and most of the GTO's I found in FL were beat down like dirty whores. Camaro was not on the list because I would rather get the V8 than the base LS 6 cyl. after Moltie and Camino effectively convinced me to do so.

Like I mentioned earlier, the BMW came in the picture because of a personal reason, otherwise the cars would not have been cross-shopped. Right now I am too tired for typing everything as I am still jet lagged from my long weekend in Dfelt and Seigen country.

[Cory Wolfe]

With that said, I have a friend who frequently gets "new" cars, and he LOVES German products. It cost him $350 to have a battery installed in his VW, and over $2000 to have his brakes done. If VWs cost that much to fix, I could only imagine how a BMW could drain a wallet overnight.

No, that's called being stupid and gullible with extra emphasis on stupid. I spent a fraction of that over the time I owned mine.

[Dsuupr]

No, that's called being stupid and gullible with extra emphasis on stupid. I spent a fraction of that over the time I owned mine.

The dealer ended up paying for the brakes and our local tire/battery (LeSchwab - well known and highly respected in the NW) store won't touch new VWs because of electrical issues when changing over batteries. Keep in mind, it is a 2005 VW Toureg, a very expensive and over engineered vehicle. Older VW design is nothing like the new ones.

With older VWs you didn't:

1. Remove the front driver's seat with airbag & electrical hookups to get to the battery.

2. Need to reset the computer when a new battery was added.

He can't even go to a local oil change place because of the filter that is used. He has tried 3+ different ones, and all of them say they won't change his oil, and that he must go to the dealer. Oil change at the dealer is $100. Both friends who had/have a VW Toureg noted the same high cost of ownership. Both are car buffs that often do their own repairs, something that was not usually possible with the Toureg.

Edited April 14, 2009 by Dsuupr

[Cory Wolfe]

The dealer ended up paying for the brakes and our local tire/battery (LeSchwab - well known and highly respected in the NW) store won't touch new VWs because of electrical issues when changing over batteries. Keep in mind, it is a 2005 VW Toureg, a very expensive and over engineered vehicle. Older VW design is nothing like the new ones.

With older VWs you didn't:

1. Remove the front driver's seat with airbag & electrical hookups to get to the battery.

2. Need to reset the computer when a new battery was added.

He can't even go to a local oil change place because of the filter that is used. He has tried 3+ different ones, and all of them say they won't change his oil, and that he must go to the dealer. Oil change at the dealer is $100. Both friends who had/have a VW Toureg noted the same high cost of ownership. Both are car buffs that often do their own repairs, something that was not usually possible with the Toureg.

So, you're using the cost of a ownership for a Toureg, an expensive, high-end, luxury SUV filled with more electronic-doo-dads than most vehicles on the market, as the basis for cost of ownership of all VW's in general? Yes, that makes complete sense. I'm sure the Phaeton is a terrific example to use as well, as well.

A newer Jetta is not that far off from a newer Cobalt, as far as cost of maintenance goes. Have you personally owned any foreign vehicle? If the answer is a resounding "NO", frankly, I fail to see what qualifies you to advise us on maintenance costs for a vehicle you've never personally owned and maintained from a manufacturer you've never purchased from and personally dealt with. "My buddy this", "My buddy that" can be thrown around all day, it still doesn't amount to much.