$14,140

[Sixty8panther]

Here's the Cobalt I'm thinking about getting. Crank Windows, Cloth, NO moonroof, no foglights, 5-speed, Steelies with $5 hubcaps, but hey... it's brandy-new & Yellow. The negatives have stacked up against the used SRT-4, so this is it. I think I might pick this little guy up as soon as things settle down.

[capriceman]

Got the ricey wing. and XM. Nice. decent price on that to.

[Variance]

Got the ricey wing. and XM. Nice. decent price on that to.

I wouldn't call that wing "ricey". It's pretty tasteful compared to the SS S/C's wing, at least.

[Sixty8panther]

I would have prefered no wing but this one is not bad. It's not pretentious or obnoxious. Besides, I even like the SS wing as long as the color of the car is right.

[turbo200]

I think the rear of the coupe is fairly bland without the wing...

[Croc]

Are you specifically not wanting a moonroof, or is it impossible to get one? Those things are so much fun...now that I've had one I cannot imagine going back to one without. Even my father got one on his new DTS (never ever had a moonroof before) and he had the dealership cut a hole in the canvas rooftop he ordered for it! HAHA!

[Croc]

Looking at the image you posted, I finally realized what the Malibu looks like:

[Sixty8panther]

That's harsh. I think the Malibu looks good. The front is not the problem it's the ass that looks too Camry-ish to me.

Now as far as the Moonroof, for me it's the forbiden fruit element. In other words I always wanted one and as soon as I bought the STS in 2002 I was like... Eh, whatever. I hardly ever used it. Of course the STS's power-up-down-sliding mechanism was all controled by one retardedly un-ergonomic and impractical switch that made me want to NOT use it.

The Infiniti, much like Gram's 1999 STS has a better setup for the Moonroof controls. That being said I want a STRIPPED Cobalt. Since the CD player is standard the only option I actually want is keyless... but I can even live without that.

Allow me to exagerate liberally here for a sec., but this way I have the 2006 Equivelant of a 1968 Plymouth Road Runner. Cheap, Cheap, CHEAP!, but still fun to drive since it comes with a 5-speed. The original Road Runner came with steel wheels without hubcaps or even center caps... it was a stripped out Plymouth wiht a nice "big" V8 & 4-speed.

Now I'm going to go kick my own ass for even suggesting that a FWD Cobalt has ANYTHING in common with a 60s Musclecar.

[z28luvr01]

Aw, she's cute

(the Cobalt, not the girl with the braces)

[ocnblu]

Cool man! I hope it works to your advantage and you can end up getting it. The new, lower starting price is great, it allows a buyer to get a few more options than they thought they could swing. Nice.

[Guest YellowJacket894]

What about the Q45... ?

[Variance]

What about the Q45... ?

He got it.

[Guest YellowJacket894]

^ He got that and he may be getting that Cobalt, too? Geeze, pass a little cash my way, huh?

But, seriously, good luck with the Cobalt, '68.

[Petra]

Question: Do you actually need another car?

[Sixty8panther]

Question: Do you actually need another car?

NO I do not NEED a new car, but it's more complicated than a simple yes or no. We now have two payments, one on the Infiniti Q45 and one on the STS which the guy at Continental Auto Sales would not take in trade.

So as it stands I have an STS that has 143,XXX miles with blown out air ride shocks/struts , air pump, RF wheel bearing, a windshield, at least one of the four oxygen sensors also needs to be replaced, the car eats about a quart of oil every 250 miles & cosmetically it's in fair-to-poor shape.

And I still owe about $3150 on ithe car. My payment is $167 a month and the car is pretty much undrivable. In any rate the "service engine soon" light means it WILL not pass emissions without some $$$ invested.

So why keep this car? I don't have $2500 cash to make the car mint again. It's time to say goodbye to the STS. Marcia loves the car like I love my Camaro but all good things come to an end. She's happy wiht the Q and it's time for me to stop driving 2000 miles a month in a 1984 Datsun.

Trading the STS in on a Caprice or other B-body would be my ideal scenario but finding one that can still be financed (no older than 1996 ) means it's a long shot at best. If we can trade the STS in on a brand new Cobalt and go up less than $100 in payment it's a win-win scenario.

Chevy gets a new car sale, I get a new car. Other than the fact that it's FWD and the key is in the steering column instead of the dash there's not much else bad I can say.

It's a 5-speed, it's obnoxiously Yellow, the styling is downright attractive (for an compact car) the interior looks great and the fuel economy is enough to make it a "Thinking-Man's-Prius" while performance is still brisk.

Edited March 3, 2006 by Sixty8panther

[Sixty8panther]

Makes a nice "hold over" car until the Camaro is available.

Yes. Absolutely. More on that later.

Window Sticker

And here's that colage from earlier. Right from the Chevy Website.

[capriceman]

You can always take the bulb out behind the dash. And have done that before. But I dont have to do emmisions testing HAHAHAHAHAHA.

All are smog goes acroos the river to Canada not our problem. Sorry Toronto.

[Sixty8panther]

Caprice:

yeah, that's not going to fly in Mass. They make sure it lights up and then shuts off during the emissions test... and besides, they plug the computer directly inot the OBDIII.

[ToniCipriani]

Wow... exact same package as my old Cavalier, minus the wing and XM.

Should make a nice ride

[Sixty8panther]

I hate the XM. Stupid ugly anteana is a nuisance and the concept of paying for Radio is retarded to a guy who buys a $300 Datsu and drives it for 20K miles.

$10 a month? Yeah, I'm all set. for $120 a year I'd rather buy somethign less useless... like spinner hubcaps, LED windhield washer squirters, fake-J.C. Whitney stick on hood scoop or even curb feelers.

[Flybrian]

What?

If you don't want it don't activate it?

Seriously...

[z28luvr01]

f you're at all into music, you'll be singing a different tune after the three month trial is up. Trust me. This is coming from a fellow cheapskate currently wearing an outfit that cost no more than $50, shoes included.

[Snate]

The cobalt is a good little car. I haven't had any problems with mine after 19K miles and a year.

[Camino LS6]

I wouldn't pay for XM either. But then again, I'm lucky to live where there is an excellent listener-supported radio station.

[ToniCipriani]

I stick to my good old CD burner

[Sixty8panther]

What?

If you don't want it don't activate it?

Seriously...

Ummm.... you missed the point.

Esp. if I do not keep the service it becomes even more annoying. I'm paying $325 for something I'll never use and what do I get out of it? An ugly black blister on the roof. For $325 I could get a professionaly installed remote start, although I'm not a big afn of cuting into a factory wiring harness to any degree for any reason. But you get the point.

Z28Luvr:

Unless I can get multiple channels of 1960s/70s/80s/90s Classic Rock/Alternative & good Techno (the European stuff not the commercial garbage) I think it will go unappreciated by me. From waht I understand there's only ONE 60s station... I already have WZLX for that.

Now if there was a way to order ANY song, real time, on demand I'd be saying different. Or if ther was a separate commercial channel for Beatles, Led Zep, U2, Metallica, Punk Rock, Industrial Etc. then even $20 a month would be worth it.

[z28luvr01]

Z28Luvr:

Unless I can get multiple channels of 1960s/70s/80s/90s Classic Rock/Alternative & good Techno (the European stuff not the commercial garbage) I think it will go unappreciated by me. From waht I understand there's only ONE 60s station... I already have WZLX for that.

They have one station for each decade, 40s-90s. A lot of those songs also spill over into the classic rock stations and pop stations, both of which are plentiful on XM. There's a U-POP station that supposedly has European techno, but I haven't listened to it.

Now if there was a way to order ANY song, real time, on demand I'd be saying different. Or if ther was a separate commercial channel for Beatles, Led Zep, U2, Metallica, Punk Rock, Industrial Etc. then even $20 a month would be worth it.

XM + Napster

In any case, it's probably better for resale if you have the XM hardware already in the car. That's what you're paying for...the nub on the roof, and the box inside the dash that allows the factory radio to receive XM.

[ocnblu]

Camino, I think I listen to that station on my way up to the campground. It's great. What are the call letters?

I've been hearing good things about satellite radio as well, but then when I read about multi-million dollar losses by XM and Sirius, it kinda discourages me from seeking out a new vehicle with the feature.

Edited March 4, 2006 by ocnblu

[Croc]

Honestly? I am not impressed with XM. ONE 80s station, and it sucks. It isn't an 80s pop, or 80s rock, or 80s rap...it's all of those into one. You go from singing along to "Beat It" to hearing "Fight Tha Power." Not cool IMO. Of course, there's like 20 Top 40 stations

That said, I'd get XM. Why? You KNOW they will expand it...

Edited March 4, 2006 by Croc

[z28luvr01]

Yes, the channel numbers aren't sequential. Obviously they have plans for those genres where they skip station numbers. The way I understand it, XM is better for music, and Sirius is better for talk.

[Camino LS6]

Camino, I think I listen to that station on my way up to the campground.  It's great.  What are the call letters?

I've been hearing good things about satellite radio as well, but then when I read about multi-million dollar losses by XM and Sirius, it kinda discourages me from seeking out a new vehicle with the feature.

It's WXPN from the University of Pennsylvania simulcast on 2 other stations in Harrisburg and in Baltimore,MD. The are also on the web in a streaming broadcast at xpn.org . I need no other station.

[ocnblu]

Yup, that's it. A great, eclectic mix of music right there.

[Bimmer325]

Unless I can get multiple channels of 1960s/70s/80s/90s Classic Rock/Alternative & good Techno (the European stuff not the commercial garbage) I think it will go unappreciated by me. From waht I understand there's only ONE 60s station... I already have WZLX for that.

Sixty8, you're into techno?

We may have more in common than I thought (aside from our RWD/inline-6 obsession).

[Sixty8panther]

Sixty8, you're into techno? 

We may have more in common than I thought (aside from our RWD/inline-6 obsession).

Yes but I'm super picky.

I'll listen to the easy-to-find mainstream stuff, like last night me, Ross & our buddy Chris were hanging around after I gave Chirs his first ride in the Q45 and I blasted the theme song from Night At The Roxbury... so very appropriate. 1997 Infiniti... that retardedly addictive song blasting form the speakers. It was the Bomb-diggaty.

But when it comes ot seriously seeking out music I like Techon/new age & other simmilar music. Moby is cool but I like the old stuff even more than the new stuff. Juno Reactor is cool and Jean Michele-Jarre has some great meditation/relaxation stuff. Oxygen is a great CD form him... so very ahead of it's time for 1979.

I still have to get some of those Bhudda Bar CDs, and a few more Ibizza DJs.

[Camino LS6]

You guys should give Tangerine Dream a listen, I think you might like.

[Sixty8panther]

You guys should give Tangerine Dream a listen, I think you might like.

THANX! Will do.

[GMTruckGuy74]

We have XM in the Envoy; I wanted OnStar in my Malibu, but back in Nov. '03 when I bought it the only way you could get OnStar is if you took XM too (that's how the dealers were ordering the fully loaded LT sedans).

I occasionally listen to station 150 XM Comedy, but my 11 y-o enjoys many of the hipper stations. I know the wife listens to the XM radio too, as she has a 32 mile one-way commute to work (comapred to my 7 mile one-way commute). We had the three months free (Sept-Oct-Nov), didn't renew until late Dec. for another small four-month trial (I noticed the renewal form arrived in yesterday's mail). I wonder if the wife will renew?

[Sixty8panther]

...didn't renew until late Dec. for another small four-month trial (I noticed the renewal form arrived in yesterday's mail).  I wonder if the wife will renew? 

That's the thing with me.... I'll spend $10 on junkyard tires just to blow them to smitherines and rubber fragments on the back axle of my Camaro, I'll spend $10 on a bunch of Hot Wheels cars and throw them in the attic with plans of not looking at them again untill 2036, I'll even spend $10 ona medium lobster roll, so it's not like I'm super cheap beayond reason, but paying for radio... it's an akward and foreign concept to me. Same reason why I frown everytime I buy bottled water. SOme things are meant to be free.

[Mule Bakersdozen LS]

So you're not getting ABS either? Sounds good otherwise, for a Cobalt.

[Sixty8panther]

Hmmm... ABS is a great option and I pretty much foprgot it's not standard anymore. I'll have to think that over but it's probably worht it to pay the extra... *chekgin website* damnit how muhc extra does ABS cost?

In any case here's ANOTHER reason why the Cobalt is better than most POS Japanese econoboxes like Civic, Lancer, Protege & Corolla.

(blue highlight)

Just one question thought.... WTF is a "Semi-Independent" rear suspension? I had (incorrectly) assumed the Cobalt had whishbones in the rear.... this is dissapointing.

Edited March 8, 2006 by Sixty8panther

[z28luvr01]

All Cobalts have a semi-independent torsion-beam rear suspension. Don't get your panties in a bunch, though. The car handles awesome.

Oh, and I'm gonna have to start charging royalty fees for using my car in your sig.

[Sixty8panther]

Right off the Chevy website.

[Dsuupr]

26,000 miles in a little over 7 months and we LOVE our Cobalt.

I took it to Denver last weekend and found it to be more comfortable than expected. The guy I went with even got a ticket for doing 100 mph, though earlier he was doing 110 mph in Wyoming. It was so quite at that speed it was hard to tell he was even speeding.

I think it's a great idea and money well spent.

Edited March 11, 2006 by Dsuupr

[AAS]

All this talk about the Cobalt has pulled me onto the bandwagon.

I've been working with the following scenerio... Pick up a Cobalt coupe within 0.5-1.5 years in order to...

1) park the SS

2) save $$ on gas (more efficient and doesn't require premium fuel)

3) save $$ on insurance

...and most important...

4) save $$ towards a new Camaro in '09,'10.

The question is, can I work with an LT or will I cave and get the extra 30-some horsepower with the SS (non-SC, uses regular fuel)? The LT's price (MSRP) is right, but my family's GM card earnings and good friends at the dealership could make the SS a possibility.

I think I'll have a better idea of what to do come summer. Right now I want the car, but my dad wants me to invest in a condo...

[Dsuupr]

Do the math and you'll find the Cobalt money well spent. We figured out that driving the Cobalt saved us over $100 a month (including depreciation, gas, repairs, maintenance, etc). Even when we just did the basics, gas & car payment, we still found it cheaper to drive the Cobalt vs many older cars (Regal, Roach II, T-Bird, etc).