Thoughts on a Chevy Cobalt?

[Keifersmith]

I'm looking for a car for my daughter and she really likes the 2dr Chevy Cobalts. Can't say I'm a big fan but they do look somewhat sporty. my concern is the quality of the car. Anyway, I'm supposed to go later this afternoon to look at a 2007 Cobalt LT with 45k miles. The price seems to be pretty decent. From the photos it looks to be in really nice condition.

So here's my concern, I ran an autocheck report on it and got the following:

12/20/2006 CA

5

Motor Vehicle Dept. ODOMETER READING FROM DMV
REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL
TITLED OR REGISTERED AS A RENTAL VEHICLE, OR PART OF A RENTAL FLEET 12/29/2006 LOS ANGELES, CA
Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE (Lien Reported) 03/04/2008 TX

26,151

Auto Auction REPORTED AT AUTO AUCTION AS MANUFACTURER VEHICLE
So it looks like it was initally a rental car in california for about 16mo. I'm a little leary of a former rental car but I guess if I can't find any signs of misuse/abnormal wear then it's probably ok. Also wondering if this means it's got some kind of goofy California emissions crap on it?

Anybody have any thoughts/advice/recommendations? (yeah, I know if it was up to me she'd be getting a Mazda 3).

TIA,
Keith

[motorollow]

What's your price range?

[Keifersmith]

What's your price range?

Nothing hard set. probably like to stay under 10k. The guy is asking 7k for the Cobalt. I've known a couple of people that have them and like'em but I'm just not sure they're as high of quality as other options. They are somewaht inexpensive cars so if she drives it though college I guess we'll have gotten our money out of it and then some.

Keith

[Majik]

My wife has a cobalt. So far at 60k miles the only problem it has had is a sticky gear selector that wouldnt let the keys out of the ignition. That was fixed quickly under warranty. I am a bit worried, because I expect things to go down hill from here, but so far it hasnt shown signs of falling apart.

[Darron65]

My wife has a cobalt. So far at 60k miles the only problem it has had is a sticky gear selector that wouldnt let the keys out of the ignition. That was fixed quickly under warranty. I am a bit worried, because I expect things to go down hill from here, but so far it hasnt shown signs of falling apart.

Hmm, yeah I had a rental HHR that did the same thing in a Miami downpour. Did not make a good impression. National replaced it with a Corolla which was much better.

[CosmosMpower]

You can get a decent Civic/Corolla for under 10K (might not be as new as a Cobalt) but probably will be much less headache in the future.

[altiain]

I'm not sure I would want to own a Cobalt long term, especially if it was being driven by a teenager.

I know for sure I wouldn't want to own a former rental car. Ever.

$10k will buy you a pretty nice used Corolla/Civic/Camry/Accord/3/6. I'd opt for any of those over a Cobalt.

[jeepinbanditrider]

For 7k you can get an Ion Redline or Cobalt SS if you look hard enough. For a little more she can get an SRT-4

[trickyrix]

As long as you keep up with the maintenance, just about any car should be good for the long haul. With a car like the Cobalt, a rental company probably would've taken better care of it than your average low-budget buyer. Granted, it could have been through the Rent Car Decathalon, but you should be able to spot that if you give it a good once-over and a thorough test drive. My first car was a 5.0 Mustang with 30K miles that came from Budget Rent-A-Car in Oklahoma. There was even a cryptic note inside the owner's manual that noted "Bald Tires." I didn't have a lick of trouble with it over 5 years and 75K miles - and that was with ME driving it.

Honestly, I think most of the bad rap on American compacts comes from seeing the ones that have been put through the wringer by crappy owners. Not to stereotype or cast aspersions, but I think your Toyota and Honda owners tend to give more of a shit than your average Cobalt/Cavalier and Escort owners.

[Walsted]

Having worked at Hertz, I will do my best to avoid buying a former rental car.

[Miatamaniac92]

You can get a decent Civic/Corolla for under 10K (might not be as new as a Cobalt) but probably will be much less headache in the future.

I'm not sure I would want to own a Cobalt long term, especially if it was being driven by a teenager.

I know for sure I wouldn't want to own a former rental car. Ever.

$10k will buy you a pretty nice used Corolla/Civic/Camry/Accord/3/6. I'd opt for any of those over a Cobalt.

+1.

The only GM product I would purchase is a Corvette, and not b/c it has great reliability/interior.

The Japanese (or even Korean) econo's are going to stand up better to the abuse while maintaining slightly better resale value.

Compare an average 10 year old Civic or to a Crapalier, you'll see a significant difference.

Chris

[juxt3r]

I have no issues regarding the Cobalt. However, given the rental history, I'd run in the other direction personally.

Compare an average 10 year old Civic or to a Crapalier, you'll see a significant difference.

While the Cobalt and Cadavalier are completely different vehicles, I see what you're getting at...and you're spot-on for the average of each.

[icepenguin66]

So what did you decide to go with?

BTW, although I still consider their interior parts a step behind the competetion, just wait and see when maintainence for your $10k Kia cost as much as a BMW and you have to special order the parts. GM has always had good drivetrains, etc. only their interior materials used to be sub-par. But if you step foot into quite a few Asian cars that so many people hold in high regard, they resemble a mid 90's Pontiac inside! Go test drive an 09 Sierra then test drive the new Tundras. Nothing like hard, rough plastic to rest your arms on...great job Yota!

My sister has an 07 Cobalt and I have to admit I am impressed. Not as nice as the new Altimas but after seeing the cost of parts & availibilty from working on them at work, I would gladly pass on any Nissan. That was the only complaint of the 2 Nissans we owned in the past, great till you do have to repair something. Also beware of the new Kia and Huyndai (however ya spell it!) cars as their parts are very often outrageously overpriced and often have to be ordered! ie: Average cost for struts installed at NTB for most cars = $140-180 each, and for Nissan/Kia/Huyndai/BMW/VW = $240-400 each! My favourite was a poor lady that hit a curb in an 08 Sentra and needed a new 16" steel rim & hub cap. The wheel was only availible from the dealer for $490!!! She bought 4 aftermarket alloys for less! While on the topic, I see quite a few Hondas, Yotas and Nissans with an abundance of stupid problems that you wouldn't expect from newer cars. With exception of interior quality, I would say the Domestic cars hold up equally well and in some models much better than any import with the advantage of actually being able to afford the parts and be easy to work on yourself, without dealer only serviceable transmissions using dealer only fluids, etc.

Anyways, ending my rant....yous guys may want to re-think before blasting the Domestic cars. And for those of you that know me well, that comment coming from me would be blasphemy several years ago, so give them a look and you will be surprised!

[Titus]

Bringing this thread back from the dead as I now have some experience to relate. Last week I had a Toyota Yaris rental car for the week. I hated it, and ended up changing rental companies last weekend. This week I have a Cobalt, and I REALLY like it. It rides very nice, has some get up and go, and the interior is surprisingly nice for the price range. My only complaint is the trunk lid- small opening and does not open or close easily. If I was in the market for something like this, I would seriously cross-shop it with the Mazda 3.

[Nexus Flux]

Well, last week I had the distinct displeasure of driving a 2008 Cobalt LT.

OK, I understand it's a rental, so it has probably not had the best life in its 38K miles, but holy smokes what a piece of steaming . Engine was OK, but really thirsty, even though it's only a 2.2 L with 145 HP. Controls seemed like the engineeres never heard of the concept of ergonomics. Inetrior materials were on almost on par with a 96 Accent i used to own. Seat was way too mushy, no back support, and the seat can't be relicined while the door is closed. The adjustment lever is 2 in long and all the way back by the hinge of the seat back. I, with my small hands and arms, could not fit my hand between the door and the seat to reach the handle to adjust the seat. Brakes, even though the pads and rotors look nearly new, crapola. I had to push the pedal about 1/4 stroke before they did anything, and then for the next 1/2 stroke they did about the same amount of braking, the last 1/4 of stroke they would finally grab and it would feel like it was threshold braking. Weird :s The floor mat wedged the gas pedal floored twice, cuz then it ended up in the back seat. Traction control was good for losing what little control the car had.

Overall, less than meh. The car looked, drove, and felt like it cost $6K to build, so I could see paying, at most $10K for it (it is a 4 door). When I went to the Chevy website and priced one out just like the rental, it was $17,750. I nearly p*ssed myself from laughing so hard.

[icepenguin66]

Bringing this thread back from the dead as I now have some experience to relate. Last week I had a Toyota Yaris rental car for the week. I hated it, and ended up changing rental companies last weekend. This week I have a Cobalt, and I REALLY like it. It rides very nice, has some get up and go, and the interior is surprisingly nice for the price range. My only complaint is the trunk lid- small opening and does not open or close easily. If I was in the market for something like this, I would seriously cross-shop it with the Mazda 3.

Lol yeah huge trunk if you can get anything through the opening!

[icepenguin66]

Well, last week I had the distinct displeasure of driving a 2008 Cobalt LT.

OK, I understand it's a rental, so it has probably not had the best life in its 38K miles, but holy smokes what a piece of steaming . Engine was OK, but really thirsty, even though it's only a 2.2 L with 145 HP. Controls seemed like the engineeres never heard of the concept of ergonomics. Inetrior materials were on almost on par with a 96 Accent i used to own. Seat was way too mushy, no back support, and the seat can't be relicined while the door is closed. The adjustment lever is 2 in long and all the way back by the hinge of the seat back. I, with my small hands and arms, could not fit my hand between the door and the seat to reach the handle to adjust the seat. Brakes, even though the pads and rotors look nearly new, crapola. I had to push the pedal about 1/4 stroke before they did anything, and then for the next 1/2 stroke they did about the same amount of braking, the last 1/4 of stroke they would finally grab and it would feel like it was threshold braking. Weird :s The floor mat wedged the gas pedal floored twice, cuz then it ended up in the back seat. Traction control was good for losing what little control the car had.

Overall, less than meh. The car looked, drove, and felt like it cost $6K to build, so I could see paying, at most $10K for it (it is a 4 door). When I went to the Chevy website and priced one out just like the rental, it was $17,750. I nearly p*ssed myself from laughing so hard.

Damn you definitely got a ragged out rental car. I actually took my sister`s out last night, forgot my wallet so I tore ass back home & it was quite nice for what it is. Had some pep, handled decent for that type car & brakes were very nice & had good pedal feel & modulation. Also gets ~33 hwy last trip to grandma`s. Of course she doesn`t beat the hell out of it & overheat the brakes by riding them etc like that poor rental has probably had done!

[Keifersmith]

Sorry for the slow update. Work has been incredibly busy since the first of the year. I wound up buying the Cobalt. It was in incredible shape and had been really well maintained. interior was spotless and still has the new car smell when you get in. It won't hold resale value as well as some of the other options but I purchased it for quite a bit less to start with than an equivalent mazda3/civic/etc so it'll probably all even out in the end. It's really not a bad car and drives pretty nice. It's still got a 5yr/100k mile drivetrain warranty that should be good for 2 more years. I probably wouldn't buy one for myself as I really like the Mazda3 but it's a great inexpensive car for a 17 yr old that will hopefully last her through college.

[mtrx804]

I thought the older Cobal SS S/C were awesome but Saturn Ion Redline was pretty much same car it was better looking in my opnion. :)

[OZMDD]

I think its an excellent choice for a 17 year old. Not too risky - power wise - affordable to buy and drive, plenty of parts availability and people who can service it, and won't break your heart if she trashes it or dents it up. Also, she'll appreciate a better car down the road that she has to buy herself if her first car experience is safe but mediocre in terms of coolness and luxury. Kudos!