Just looking for opinions on the Chevy Cobalt SS S/C from any of you who have had a chance to get one out on track. Thanks.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Aquafina &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Just looking for opinions on the Chevy Cobalt SS S/C from any of you who have had a chance to get one out on track. Thanks.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I've heard good things. there was a GRM article on it a while back? Never seen a stock one on track.

 

You're more likely to find people with the answer to your question on a Chevy board than here.

Google finds two links:

http://www.cobaltss.net (not working at the moment)
http://www.yourcobalt.com

 

I found the first link after I posted this.

Went and did a test drive but it was raining. Suspension feels a little softer then my CTR shocks/springs but not sloppy like a base Cobalt. Power is alright but I wasn't really impressed by it, it honestly only felt about a second faster than my car. Didn't like 5th gear cruising, not enough pull.

I think if it had a better final drive (4.05 is stock) it would be a lot nicer. I did like the Recaro seats though.

 

I would think twice about buying one. GM's build quality seems to be getting even worse than it used to be. Especially when it comes to cars. Just about every person I know with a new GM car takes it to the dealership for repairs so often that its astonishing

 

I know all about GM's quality. My dad is the area Service Manager for the reigon I live in.

And one of my jobs is in the service dept at a Chevy/Cad dealership for the past 4 summers.

Only bad thing I've found so far is the steering knuckles are weak and should be replaced with a performance offering by GM. (GM broke one of theirs after 7 passes in an autocross).

 

I drove one at Streets of Willow last November. I remember thinking at the time OMFG! This thing sucks dead bunnies. I know some of the guys who helped develop it and they are good guys. What happened? It handles like a pig, and that's after weeks of suspension development at the Nürburgring... Damned thing must have felt like a radio flier before that. What a ******* pile. Then I jumped into a Pontiac GTO. It didn't handle much better, but at least you could smoke the tires, and go side ways thru every turn at full lock. Then I drove the Pontiac Solstice (same day, same track) and thought it was really bitchen to drive and fun to flick around.

If I had to buy a GM car for auto-x or track duty, it would be one of the Solstice twins. Otherwise, I'd get a Civic Si.

Glad to finally get that off my chest.


Modified by thawley at 2:10 PM 7/29/2006

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by thawley &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">OMFG! This thing sucks dead bunnies. .. What a ******* pile. </TD></TR></TABLE>

We had a Colbalt SS not supercharged model in the office this week for shock development. Since I will soon be in the sub $20k car market soon, I thought "Hey, reports are decent and GM 0% financing might make this work out".

Boy was I wrong. I could not get out of that cheapo plasticy POS fast enough. Everything about it reminded me of the Chevettes that I used to deliver pizzas in in college 20 years ago. Not in a million years would I consider buying one with my own money. One of the biggest automotive disappointments for me of late. Even with Koni shocks and Eibach springs, it was simply a well suspended cheapo plasticy POS. We were commenting that the center console and radio fit and finish and the feel of the dash ***** reminded us of the brand X crap Taiwanese silver boom box radios they sell at Wal-mart. The dash looks like a copycat attempt at VWs Alcantara material but this time they used recycled plastic soda pop bottles. Riding with me for each round of development is a new guy at our office who worked 38 years at GM, most of the time with Pontiac and recently on Grand Prix and GTO. He said there wasn't a great deal of pride working on the small car projects and I can see why.

I know that cars sometimes make statements for the owners and this one said "I have low standards and I didn't bother shopping around". Did I mention that I didn't like it?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CRX Lee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> I will soon be in the sub $20k car market soon...</TD></TR></TABLE>
Little birds have told me: Wait for the Madzdaspeed 3...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by thawley &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Little birds have told me: Wait for the Madzdaspeed 3...</TD></TR></TABLE>

You are correct.. Turbo AWD

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by thawley &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Little birds have told me: Wait for the Madzdaspeed 3...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Again sir, we think alike. I was sent this link just yesterday in an email titled "Lee's next car":
http://www.edmunds.com/insidel...119#5

It looks very interesting. They did mention that it would be FWD and not AWD for weight and space issues. A regular Mazda 3 I though was a good car and I like the hatchback/wagonback body but was soft on the power and fun factor for the money but this dude seems to clear those issues right up without a great price increase. I didn't see a time frame for US availability. Please, please let it be had a uber low financing rates by desperate parent company Ford.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CRX Lee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Even with Koni shocks and Eibach springs, it was simply a well suspended cheapo plasticy POS.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Quoted for posterity.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CRX Lee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Please, please let it be had a uber low financing rates by desperate parent company Ford.</TD></TR></TABLE>
That's just crazy talk. You could almost write the ad copy yourself:
Act now on Mazda's huge end of year financing. Zero down and 0% for 72 months on every new '07 model in stock!!! (This offer limited to inventory on hand. 0% financing does not apply to Mazdaspeed models...)

I could do this for a living.

 

So other than being cheap plastic pile o crap did you like how it handled?

 

I didn't.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CRX Lee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">WHe said there wasn't a great deal of pride working on the small car projects and I can see why.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That pretty much sums up GM. My company uses Avis and I have driven all of their cars. Every time I get into one, I can't help but think it they are designed and built by people who hate their job, hate cars, and just couldn't be bothered.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SPiFF &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Every time I get into one, I can't help but think it they are designed and built by people who hate their job, hate cars, and just couldn't be bothered.</TD></TR></TABLE>
We use Avis as well and I agree with you. I rent enough cars that I am in their Avis Preferred program where you don't have to go to the counter but you just go directly to the car they picked out for you. I still go to the counter because I am picky and bargain however i can to get something that I want to live with for that week. Until they went away, of the GM rental fleet the Alero was my preferred "best of the rest" pick as it was closer to acceptable handling and design than the Pontiacs and Buicks that are normally offered up. A few times I have talked my way into a Galant, Toyota Matrix, etc. that are better all around packages I think. Put a suspension control snob like me into a Buick LeSabre on the rolling wavey roads like San Francisco and someone is going to get sea sick. Although an Alero and a Grand Am are the same platform, back to back you'd be amazed at the differences in control, ride, turn-in, etc.

The ex-GM guy's comment wasn't a reflection of the design employees themselves, but a complaint on what big brother GM management would let them build. Not that they didn't care, but they weren't allowed to build cars that they they cared about. So much dumbing down and cost reduction that what ended up was not a car to really be proud of.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Honda318dx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You are correct.. Turbo AWD </TD></TR></TABLE>

afaik the MS3 will not be AWD, and Mazda is claiming an MSRP of $24k. Count on markups.