From One Chevy to Another...

[NOS2006]

So.. I know what you're all thinking.. And I'm thinking the same.

I love my Camaro, I really do. I love most everything about it. However, it's wearing on me and isn't as fresh as it was 2 years ago when I started driving, much less 6 years ago when we bought it. What's bugging me about it? Read on.

Let's date back to when we bought this thang: almost exactly 6 years ago. Since the first day we had it in the garage, it has had a very slight oil leak. I'm talking about maybe one drip of oil on the garage floor after each time of taking it out for a drive. Not a big deal, no, but it does mean that my rear main is bad. But.. we fixed that with the engine rebuild, right? Obviously not, as it still leaks. As quoted by a transmission shop who can fix the problem, it will be $450 out the door.

Next, there is the slight problem that includes two cracked front fenders along with the front bumper. These aren't noticeable to anybody glancing at the car, but they irritate the hell out of me just knowing that they're there. As a matter of fact, this damage has been there for about a year now and not one onlooker has noticed it unless I point it out. But, I notice it, and that's enough for me. Price to fix these pieces: $55/fender and $75 for the front bumper... all plus S&H and paint. Now the total is up to $635.

Then we figure in the Air Conditioner that's suddenly making a metal-on-metal grinding noise until I turn on the A/C and it goes away. For a new condensor, that's another $265 plus S&H: total's at $900 + S&H and paint.

And, one final note is that I found out all Camaro V6 automatics, '98 and up, came with traction control, which makes it impossible for me to burn out. I mean, yeah, burning out is pointless and irrelevant, but I'd still like to light 'em up here and there, ya know? At least my car takes off quickly without wheelspin, I guess..

So, this brings us to the Cobalt. I'm now planning on getting a black 5-speed 2006 Cobalt SS Supercharged Coupe to replace my automatic 1998 Camaro V6. It's going to be a little quicker, much more modern, many less squeaks/rattles, flawless body/engine, it'll have a warranty on it, and it'll be awesome. It's a manual, something I've regretted not having in the Camaro. Every aspect of the Cobalt SS SC is screaming my name: it's small, light, quick, and ready for aftermarket accessories. Will I rice it out? No. I'll try to keep it tasteful; I've already got headlights, modified taillight covers, and grilles in mind. Also, I'm already planning on getting rid of the spoiler and getting spark plugs/intake/exhaust/pullies done.

I've been doing my research on this car for a few days now and tomorrow I'm hoping to test drive one, if not just check a couple out. I'm already excited as ever, as I'm sure you can imagine. This car will be a perfect stop-gap for me between the current Camaro and the next, when I'll go from one SS to another. Only problem right now is that I have to find out how much money this car will be monthly for insurance and payments. We'll see. The cost is the only thing that could hold me back, because I finally got my dad to cave in because he was pissed that we just did all this work to the Camaro and now I want to just get a whole new car. But, I gave him a few good, logical reasons why to get a new car, and he seems to be all for it.. intrigued about the Cobalt I'm looking into now and agreeing with me on getting one. Maybe my parents will help me pay for it too, I don't know. But, yeah, I'm excited!

[ocnblu]

No one can deny the SS/SC is a sweet ride. I always have "mine" in mind, Laser Blue with Performance Package (LSD and Recaro seats), then changing the decklid or getting a flat, aftermarket spoiler to cover the holes. My 50-something coworker loves his black one.

Good luck, Nos.

[Sixty8panther]

O.B. nailed it, If you get the $1500 performance pkg. (LSD & Recaros)

then I say go for it, otherwise stick with your Camaro. Don;t trade the

Camaro, you will not get as much as you can through a private sale or

ebay. Look into it and throw your car on craigslist.

[z28luvr01]

As much as I'd love another Cobalt driver, I think the best thing is to stick with the Camaro. College life gets pretty expensive, and not having an extra payment will leave that much more in your pocket.

The rear main seal is worth getting fixed, because that'll only get worse. It could be that you got a bum seal from the rebuild kit. That happened to me on the front pump seal on the tranny in my truck. If you have the shop do it, make sure there's some sort of warranty on that problem.

As for the fenders, scour the local junkyards for a black Camaro front clip. I'm sure that'll come out cheaper than buying the parts new and having them painted. You might even find an SS hood .

Are you sure the A/C problem is the condenser? It sounds to me like the compressor, as it's the only moving part in the whole A/C system. If it's the compressor, it might just need some lubricating oil...only thing is, I'm not sure if you have to evacuate and recharge the system to put the oil in.

[NOS2006]

Yeah, I'm planning on, if I get it, having a sunroof and the G85 Performance Package as the only options. Hopefully I can still get yellow inserts on the door panels, but if not I'll live with it.

I'm going to try ebay first, after I find out about selling cars/shipping cars on ebay, Sixty8. I'll set a real high reserve price and see what the Camaro's worth is out there on the market, then maybe I'll set up an AutoTrader or Craig's List deal and see what's up.

Z, do you realize how much I already pay monthly on insurance for the Camaro? My insurance payments will drop about $100 (after talking to some other Cobalt SS2 owners.. they each pay about $80-85 for full coverage on their own plans -- my Camaro costs me $200/month just for insurance) plus the car payments, which should be near or less than $200/month (the one girl I talked to put $8000 down and is paying $156/month on the SmartBuy program.. I'm hoping to put down at least $6000).

Also, you're probably right about the A/C, but every other day it seems like there is a new problem or my dad is complaining about an old problem. So, we've decided that getting a new car is the best ultimate option. Let me tell you, getting rid of the Camaro won't be easy, and this decision has taken me months to come to (I've been debating it within myself for awhile without mentioning it to anybody else). I think I'll be much happier in the end.

Edited June 12, 2006 by NOS2006

[Cory Wolfe]

You're having a BV moment. I was in the same state with my GA... then the engine took a $h! on me and it sat in the garage for 7 months until my dad halfassedly tried to fix it just for it to blow up. Dont let the same thing happen, atleast... Get that Cobalt as soon as you can so the Camaro doesn't turn into a nightmare.

[NOS2006]

You're having a BV moment. I was in the same state with my GA... then the engine took a $h! on me and it sat in the garage for 7 months until my dad halfassedly tried to fix it just for it to blow up. Dont let the same thing happen, atleast... Get that Cobalt as soon as you can so the Camaro doesn't turn into a nightmare.

:rotflmao:

[z28luvr01]

If you get the G85 package, you're stuck with the black interior because they don't make the Recaros in any other color. I think it's a worthwhile tradeoff, as the stock seats don't have enough side support for those high-G turns. If they made a set that didn't have the SS logo embroidered in it, they'd already be in my car.

[NOS2006]

If you get the G85 package, you're stuck with the black interior because they don't make the Recaros in any other color. I think it's a worthwhile tradeoff, as the stock seats don't have enough side support for those high-G turns. If they made a set that didn't have the SS logo embroidered in it, they'd already be in my car.

That's dumb that you can't still get the yellow inserts on the door panels, but whatever. I'll deal with it.

Going to go test one out in a few minutes! If we can't drive it, at least we can check one out!

[Satty]

NOS, if you have any tickets, your insurance wont drop until they come off your record. Plus insurance for guys is insanely high until they hit 21, you might want to get a quote or two before going too far with this.

[deftonesfan867]

Good luck with your search. I remember the first SS S/C I saw. It was at the GM dealership in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Copper colored fully loaded. That was a sweet looking car, even seen a bunch of the import kids checking it out. It only lasted a week on the lot, if that.

[Northstar]

So how did the test drive go?

[NOS2006]

NOS, if you have any tickets, your insurance wont drop until they come off your record.  Plus insurance for guys is insanely high until they hit 21, you might want to get a quote or two before going too far with this.

Yeah, I definitely know what you mean. I only have one point and I'm pretty sure they haven't caught it.. and we just switched insurance agencies and my insurance dropped at the new place, so who knows. I'll definitely have to get quotes though.

Thanks for showing concern and not a smartass type comment. Thanks, really.

So how did the test drive go?

Oh man that car's sweet! Drove a yellow SS SC with black/yellow leather interior. Only thing is that it didn't have the Recaro seats and limited slip (G85 package), which I'm going to get, but it did have a sunroof, so that's a plus.

Anyway, being my first time actually driving a stick down the road (I've only launched a stick once, but that was a year ago), I stalled a few times because of stupid things I didn't know you're supposed to do. Anyway, after getting it into first, I was able to get the car moving quite quickly through gears. Coming home, I brought her up close to the redline and chirped into second past a cop (I didn't see him because I was WAY preoccupied on shifting and all that), but he didn't do anything. The car's fit-and-finish is so much better than the Camaro's, its radio is very clear and precise (7-speaker Pioneer system with tweeters and sub), and everything about it just seemed great for such a little car. It'll be the perfect replacement for my car.

The guy gave me a quote for $20,420 + tax with the G85 Performance Package and sunroof and that's pretty much the lowest I can get it for after the rebates (not many) and GM Employee Discount. They also said they could take the Camaro for an absolute maximum of $4,000 and I chuckled, knowing I can get a few more for it than that. So, as soon as I can get the Camaro out of the driveway, it looks like I'll have a black Cobalt SS SC with the G85 performance package!

[Northstar]

Sounds good, NOS. Black isn't my favorite color on the Cobalt (red, blue, silver), but whatever floats your boat is fine!

[NOS2006]

Yessir! Black's my all-time favorite color on most every car, although it's hard to maintain, but I'm willing to keep up at it! I kind of just like the stealthier look with a black car, I guess.

Whatever. The choice is mine, and I choose black.

[Guest Josh]

We will race.

[NOS2006]

And I will win.

I have to race you once before I get rid of the Camaro though.

[Guest Josh]

Funny story, I was driving home from the P Rabbit a few nights ago and had a lady friend in the car...well some dude pulls up in an 80's caddy with 4 hot girls in the car. He keeps revving his engine I'm like "wtf is this dude thinking" lol

So anyway the light turns green he squaks his FWD tires lol and I get the best launch of my life. Pin the girl back she's like "holyf@#k"...well i took it up to 30 you know because that's the limit and this dude was way back, so I slow down and all the girls are laughing at him telling him how gay he just made himself look lol

I was loving it.

[z28luvr01]

You've made a wise choice to join the Cobalt mafia. Let me show you around....

Glad you had a good time, NOS. It's no secret that Cobalt SSs are a hoot to drive. If I was willing to pay for the premium gas and deal with the lower MPGs, I'd have gotten one. Cobalts are solid and tight vehicles, with handling prowess your Camaro could only dream of. That's a pretty darn good price he quoted you, given that my car, before discounts, stickered for a few hundred less than that.

[NOS2006]

You've made a wise choice to join the Cobalt mafia. Let me show you around....

Glad you had a good time, NOS. It's no secret that Cobalt SSs are a hoot to drive. If I was willing to pay for the premium gas and deal with the lower MPGs, I'd have gotten one. Cobalts are solid and tight vehicles, with handling prowess your Camaro could only dream of. That's a pretty darn good price he quoted you, given that my car, before discounts, stickered for a few hundred less than that.

Actually, this car gets about the same gas mileage as the Camaro before I added the cam, gears, etc. and has the same size gas tank. Only difference is that I'll be paying 10 cents more in gas per gallon (I always use the mid-grade stuff, 89 vs 91). It's a win-win!

[Cory Wolfe]

Hey, NOS... isn't your Camaro black? My moniter isn't quite accurate, so it's hard to say.

[capriceman]

hmmm..... No coment

Its 24 years old when insurance goes down, Satty.

But since the truck even tho it was a non fault acciedent my caprice jumped from 500 to 1100 on PLPf@#kINGD. And the lowest any one else will give me is 900. its not worth switching for $200. I have no points either. since a police scanner really does work.

But do what ever you want to do NOS.

And my 2 1/2 ton 185 HP GM AUTO 4 SPEED Caprice can take out a 200 HP Intreped in a race. So dont be judgeing cars and there quickness by looks and words :AH-HA_wink:

Edited June 13, 2006 by capriceman

[NOS2006]

Tomorrow we're going to check prices on insurance and I'll update you guys. I can't get the car out of my head! Ahhh!

Yes, BV, I'm going from black to.. uhh.. black. You know what they say about black :AH-HA_wink:

[Turbojett]

hmmm..... No coment

Its 24 years old when insurance goes down, Satty.

Actually, I believe it's more like 25.

But hey, turn 25, get married, have a kid, don't get any tickets, insurance will be dirt cheap.

Anyway, you'll really like the Cobalt. I never did get a chance to drive an SS (They weren't out yet when I bought mine), but I can imagine that they are fun as hell to drive. Because even though I'd never call mine fast, it still scoots. Anyway, if I'm not mistaken, you can get the basket handle taken off as a delete option, but you can also order the SC/SS with the regular spoiler, which is what I'd reccomend. The Cobalt's butt looks kinda droopy without it, even with the rising beltline. One warning though, that rising beltline can hide a whole Miata in your blind spot.

But how I'd love for my car to be an SC/SS. It'd be cool if I could just supercharge the 2.2 (Then it'd probably be faster than the SC/SS) but I've been advised against it by smarter people.

If you get the car though that'd be great. It's one more Cobalt on the road, and they're already selling very well.

Edited June 13, 2006 by Turbojett

[Satty]

I talked to my insurance agent to get a quote earlier today (or was it yesterday? what time is it?) and basically he said that their "adult" rates go into effect at 25 but since I'm having a kid I will get the "adult" rates at 22, which is how old I will be when he's born. My rates dropped when I turned 21, but not by much, like $20 which is a drop in the hat when you're paying $275/month.