2006 Chevrolet Cobalt LS Base from North America - Off Topic Comments

Sell that car before it buries you so deep in repairs that you won't know which way is up.

Drove one of these as a rental for a week. Acceleration was surpring and it was okay handling. But it was built to the lowest quality standards possible and things were already falling off of it.

And you obviously didn't shop around as there are a ton of better choices for $14K, starting with the Scion xB which had 1 problem in the three years my family had it. Even the small Honda Fit has similar interior room and better gas mileage, in addition to significantly better quality.

And if you can move your budget up a few thousand, you can get a honda civic. I think that your cobalt is going to be problem ridden, but don't sell it because it has already lost much value in depreciation.

I see, so all the Cobalt reviews this site that talk about the same problems are just abberations? Please.

And Consumer Reports is biased? Its ratings are based on actually OWNERS reports. That said, I will agree their individual reviews are suspect, although they did call the Subarua WRX STI the best vehicle they had ever tested.

And any warranty means nothing if GM doesn't back it up, and I guarantee you that GM dealers aren't known for their Lexus-like respect of the customer.

American cars are throwaway vehicles, bought on price and price alone with the rare exceptions of Corvettes, Vipers, 300Cs, etc.

I suggest the poster who suggests that "disposable" means that American cars last 300K miles should read the American car reviews here.

American cars have been, are, and always will be crapshoots. That's why you'll see rave reviews about a model and and equal number of reviews saying it's the worst car ever.

What it really comes down to is some sort of misplaced patriotism. Just because a car is "American" it must be better somehow, forget about reality. I guaranteee you if the Cobalt was built by Hyundai or Daihatsu you would not read glowing reviews here because it was not "American".

And Not every Japanese brand is brilliant, either. One must be very careful when buying a Suzuki or Mitsubishi.

Funny, I've owned BMWs, Mercedes, Toyotas, Hondas, Subarus, and a Chevy Aveo (made in Korea) and NONE of those cars had any problems describe by the original poster, and certainly not within the first year of ownership.

The Cobalt is a "bargain" for a reason.

I suppose the poster of comment 12:13 didn't keep the cars mentioned for very long. With the possible exception of the Toyota (which is now rated as on an equal footing with some American brands in reliability) none of the cars noted in the comment are exactly notorious for being reliable.

We've bought 14 new vehicles since 1972. We've owned 3 Chrysler products, 8 Fords and 3 GM vehicles. Not one of them ever saw the inside of a service facility except for oil changes. Most were driven at least 100,000 miles, one 240,000 miles.

Where the idea that domestic vehicles aren't reliable comes from I have no idea. It certainly doesn't come from owners experiences in our case. People who are easily swayed by ad hype shouldn't advise people on choosing a car. The facts show that domestics are just as reliable as Japanese or European makes (moreso than European ones actually).

Virtually ALL modern cars made in Japan or America are dead even in reliability. The Japanese makers charge more because of the popular myth that their cars are better. European makes have not been as reliable as EITHER Japanese or American cars in some time now. Before making unfounded statements people should have something to base their opinions on.

That is simply untrue. Just peruse this site and you'll find the proof.

There is this one disease that attacked my 1999 Honda Accord V6. It was the attack of the Delphi electronics (alternator). This is known to fail often and I cannot help but think about how many Fords, GM, or Chrysler cars have this same alternator. Thankfully the good ole Japanese Denso alternator is back in Honda's and now reliability has shot through the roof and they are once again bullet proof.

I have just one question... what constitutes and 'American made' car? One built in Canada? What about Mexico? What is a Japanese car? One made in TN? Or is it merely based on the location of head office? Is a GMC made in Oshawa, Ontario an American truck? I think the lines are so blurred in 2007 that these old labels are becoming less and less relevant to most. However, I do appreciate that many people look at a Buick and say, that's American, or is it? I am seriously confused, but not inclined to get into a debate that I really think is more relevant to 1987 than to 2007.

Yup, just go to the Buick LaCrosse posts. These people are bashing Camrys and saying "buy American" because American cars are so superior, yet the LaCrosse is built in Canada. The Camry is built in the US and employs more US workers (which is the argument of the xenophobes - that the US is losing jobs to foreign makes) than the LaCrosse.

I remember that anti-Japanese bumper sticker in the 1980's that said "Hungry? Eat your Toyota". Well, today it would be "Hungry? Eat your Buick".

It's just more blind patriotism.

I wish these people would just get over it. I mean, Vauxhall, Holden, Ford Europe are all American companies, but their respective country residents consider them "homegrown" and don't have the rancor that people in America have about "foreign" brands. Even Hyundai made a billion dollar investment in Texas. Meanwhile the American brands are slashing tens of thousands of jobs right and left in Detroit.

Just as in the case with the import owners using flawed facts in calculating resale value (using full list to figure percentage of resale return rather than actual purchase price) they are again using skewed logic in ranting about foreign companies employing a handful of Americans in assembling various Japanese imports in the U.S. GM, Ford and Chrysler are U.S. based companies that reinvest their profits in the U.S. economy. To try and distort the use of a few American workers by foreign companies into a comparison with the employment and investment impact of companies based in the U.S. is just as illogical as arguing that these same imports are somehow "superior" because they are "Japanese made".

I'm glad there are a few individuals, who actually own a Cobalt, that are posting and responding to reviews pertinent to the vehicle in question. Some good, some not so good.

The rest of you are merely clouding the intent of this site to spout your own bias, worthy or not. What I'm interested in is fact, not unsubstantiated dribble. It's a wonder at just how many people who don't own or never will own a particular vehicle know so much about it. To me, it sounds like the wrong end is sucking air for most of these people.

Now having said that, I'm looking to purchase a new vehicle in the spring. I'll be evaluating other similar makes before I decide, but, judging by the respondents in this site, even the other makes fair no better when it comes to this verbal dribble. Honestly, some of you need to get a grip or find some other way to beat your chests.

Personally I think the Cobalt is an excellent value. I like the Corolla and Civic, but I don't think there as good a value price wise. I've owned a Kia and will not purchase another. The Focus is a consideration as well as an Elantra and perhaps a Suzuki. I'll be checking the postings for these over the next few months hoping to get factual realistic comments from actual owners.