Cory Wolfe

The Camry is pretty awful. Let's also not pretend that the Sonata is the end-all, be-all of midsize interiors. It's not. However, its pretty damn good with a flowing design, abundance of features, and excellent material and build quality. Then, its combined with a powertrain that outpowers its 4cyl competition and gets better fuel economy. Add to that its expressive exterior design (which may or may not be in your taste, but you can't say its boring) and finally, its price that undercuts its rivals. It really is a winning combination. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that it was the 3rd best-selling midsizer last month (its 6th overall YTD).

Yes... And, I'm wondering why it was brought up in the first place. I'm aware of the rhetoric. I don't see the relevance behind the comparison and what point he's trying to make.

Instinct told me to look there as a previous Cobalt owner, but instead of storage, there is just a fuse box opening there.

Click Here For The Full Gallery I finally uploaded a gallery of my work on the Golf. All photos are in mostly sequential order with captions to note the progress. It took me 10 months from when I bought it at the end of November to when I got it inspected at the start of this month. There was alot of down time in between the work I did. Total working time was about a month. Started out as a $500 purchase... I've spent of total of roughly $2,000. To be honest, $400 of that was lost to a scam unfortunately, and then another $400 can be accounted for with parts I bought and decided not to use. Overall, there's about $1,000- $1300 in the car itself. I haven't quite worked out the exact amount, however. It still needs some things and its far from perfect. I still need to switch out the quickly wearing down winter tires for the new all season tires I have mounted on steel wheels. In addition to that, it needs an alignment, the rear struts need switched out to the Jetta's (already switched out the fronts), still haven't given it a tune up nor addressed the CEL, and an exhaust hanger needs replaced. As of right now, I've put 4,000 miles on it since I first drove it home. It's gone from New Jersey to NW Pennsylvania, down to Philadelphia and back, out the Detroit and back and I've had it all over locally. Only thing I've had break so far was the glove box handle due to me yanking on it when I had it locked. Full list of work done: -Replaced hatch -Replaced front and rear bumpers -Replaced left front fender -Replaced bumper support -Replaced headlights and taillights -Replaced grill -Switched out steel wheels for factory alloy wheels -Added factory fog lights including: fog lights, wiring harness, relay, and fog light capable headlight switch -Added factory roof mounted amplified antenna. -Added aftermarket stereo with component speakers and Sirius. -Added factory keyless alarm with dash-mounted lock button -Switched out tan "beaver" interior for black interior including: seats, carpet, floor mats, shift knob, lower and upper A, B, and C pillar plastics, hatch shelf, hatch plastics, and door panels. -Switched out 2-piece door/console mounted seat belts for single pillar mounted seatbelts -Replaced radiator -Replaced front struts -Replaced front brakes -Replaced thermostat, coolant reservoir, and switched to factory VW coolant. Before: After: The next chapter may be written soon. This Sunday will reveal more about that.

A few things I forgot to note... -There is no trunk release button inside, only the hidden button under the chrome strip atop the plate recess. -They've gotten rid of the trunk struts in favor of hinges. -It has drum brakes out back.

This needs to be re-pinned. I was just thinking earlier about how it had gone missing.

And why, exactly, is religion being brought up at all?

You think? Don't think, do. Now. You don't have time to spare... It will be gone before you give it any more thought.

There's alot of mixed styles in there. I'm not sure... We'll see.

That's really what caught me off guard. Dinky wheels, lack of foglights, nothing to really show just how much this car costs. Sure, you can add the RS package for foglights and ground effects for $695 and then you can add 17 inch wheels over the 16" wheels for another $395. But then you're up over $25k and you still haven't opted for a sunroof or the driver convenience package with additional luxuries.

Pictures and quick-review here.

I had the chance to check out the new Cruze the other day, inside and out. I was unable to get a test drive in, however, as they were closed (and were irresponsible enough to leave it unlocked). Let me start by saying this, I was shocked by the car in a few different ways. The first of which, is the exterior impression. As I walked up to it, I was under the impression this was just a base model. Once my eyes wondered over to the window sticker, clearly, it was nothing of the sort. This one was priced at $24k and some change. The exterior is sorely lacking in details. There was nothing to show this wasn't just a tame, pedestrian model. It wasn't until you looked inside, that the price exhibited itself. Very well loaded and the quality was pleasantly surprising. An aura of luxury and premium appeal is instantly obvious as you step in. Precision craftsmanship is found throughout. Everything operates with a certain quality that has always been lacking in Chevrolet's compact offering. The materials are wonderfully lavish in comparison. While you won't find as many soft-touch materials as you will in a Golf, every aspect is top notch for the segment, otherwise. If you come into this car looking for a Cobalt rehash, you'll simply be shocked. Once you look at the price, you'll probably laugh. Otherwise, its a fully competitive offering that definitely stands a chance, as long as you're willing to pay. To offer a bit of contrast, I checked out a Hyundai Sonata SE later that day, as well. Save for Navigation, it was similarly equipped. It's sticker? $23k. What you get is a much bigger car that really shows once inside, a higher quality interior, nearly identical EPA ratings, slightly higher performance, and styling that, while not for everything, is infinitely more unique and interesting that, most importantly, looks more expensive. If I were in the market, I would be hard-pressed to choose the Cruze over a Sonata. You simply get a lot more car for the money and that is going to resonate with shoppers. Exterior: Interior: Also, to note, this car looks much larger than the Cobalt. Sitting beside a CTS, they look nearly the same size.

Rendered: Two-Door Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback By Ed Hellwig | September 21, 2010 | Photo Illustration: Theophilus Chin Next week, the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback will make its world debut at the 2010 Paris Auto Show. It'll have four doors and likely use the same drivetrain lineup as the sedan version that's been on sale in Europe for some time now. As usual, the announcement included a note about sales of the hatchback in the U.S. Specifically, it said that there wouldn't be any sales in the U.S., at least not yet. This comes as a bit of a blow to those who see the Cruze as GM's best shot yet at a true import fighter. Sure, sedans always sell better than hatchbacks here, but if GM expects the general public to start buying smaller vehicles, why not give them a broader selection of such vehicles? And that brings us to the car you see here... Since the four-door Cruze hatchback looks pretty good, we figured we would draw up a two-door hatch to see what it might look like. Not bad, eh? Compare this to the 2012 Civic Coupe we spotted recently and the Cruze certainly looks more muscular, if not taller and more conventional in its shape. With the right hardware, we don't see any reason it couldn't compete with the Civic Si and the Volkswagen GTI. That's a big "if" though, given the drivetrains we're going to get in the standard Cruze sedan. The standard engine puts out 136 horsepower, while the turbo engine offered as an option only bumps the power to 138 horses along with a boost in torque to 143 pound-feet. Not bad for a 1.4-liter engine, but certainly not in the same league as the Honda or the Volkswagen. Then again, GM has built some pretty powerful 2.0-liter engines recently. The turbocharged and direct-injected four-banger in the Cobalt was a pretty healthy setup that produced 260 hp. Drop that into the Cruze hatchback and it would leave the Civic and GTI in its wake. Only the upcoming Focus ST would have a chance. Focus versus Cruze for the hatchback title? Sounds like a good matchup. ------------------------------------------- I must say. If GM had the balls to actually make a GTI fighter and VW continues to cut off its balls and do to the GTI what it did to the Jetta... I might be compelled to buy one.

Checked out a Cruze... Pics and thoughts will be coming.

When most people do 350 small block or 3800 s/c swaps... Me? I'd swap in a VR6 like that guy.

I never saw the big deal about swearing. The world isn't going to end by saying a few harmless little words. Now, on the other hand, I don't generally use such words in public out of being polite and respectful.

Oh, the flames are the only thing I'm not looking at.

Eh, it's Jersey. You can't pump your own gas anyways.

That's definitely a city thing. I've only had to deal with that while in NYC or Detriot. Namely the different gas costs dependent on payment type. I had never heard of such a thing until I visited Detroit for the first time.

Off topic... Where the hell do you live? The dealer discounts in your area are the most discounted I've seen or heard of in any area. Each time you post these figures, I don't understand it.

In my experience, its no quicker or slower than using cash on average. Perhaps off a second or two most of the time, but that's not going to cause a ruckus in line. Alot of it depends on the place. There are a few debit/credit machines that seem to take 5 minutes just to process... There are also places that swipe, and hand back both your receipt and card in just a few seconds, much quicker than any cash transation (granted, this is via Sheetz, one of the highest tech gas/food chains in in the area). Same for cashiers; You may get a quick counting pro, or the impossibly inept. Honestly, I am very surprised to read this assertion about the apparent non-availability of using debit/credit in businesses in what I would assume are urban areas. As someone living in rural Pennsylvania, I simply find that perplexing. In my little town of less than 4,000 people, we have managed full availability of using credit/debit. We have no Walmart, no Target, no Lowes; no major nationwide shopping outlets. You'll see just a handful of fast food places, gas station chains, and hotels up on the boulevard. The majority of this town is kept alive and depends on local 'mom and pop' run businesses. Groceries, restaurants, hardware, pharmacies, apparel, alcohol, sports, etc. All of whom have accepted credit/debit for many years. Perhaps this just means I have one extra virtue to extol of this quaint little sh!thole. This isn't to suggest cash no longer has a place, it certainly does and will for the foreseeable future. Debit/credit has replaced checks more than anything else... And people like myself, would rather withdraw the cash only when needed while the rest of my money sits safely in a bank, where it has much less a chance of being stolen out of my pocket.

In the last 3 years of having a debit card... I've maybe run into maybe half a dozen situations where cards weren't plausible and I absolutely needed cash. Not to mention, in those few situations, my bank or an ATM (with no fee, thank you Sheetz bros.) was just a short drive away. Any time I have more than $100 in cash, I deposit it.

I, actually, would love to see a makeover of the dollar. Might give me a reason to use cash instead of debit 99.9% of the time.

MD Throwback is soooooo much better than regular MD. I can't stand stand to drink it, otherwise.