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<<I was cross shopping new and used subcompact and compact cars including the Honda Fit and Cobalt.
Having previously owned Honda cars with great success, I was very interested in the Fit. Ultimately, however, I purchased a very slightly used Cobalt under GM's Optimum program.
The Cobalt lacks the refinement and efficiency of the Honda, but represents outstanding value. The Fit would have cost approximately $9,500 CDN more than the Cobalt with the same equipment level. (Of course, the Fit was a new car.)
The Cobalt is not without its virtues. Its automatic transmission is seamlessly smooth. Its interior is quiet. Its engine has considerable torque for a small car. Its traditional layout provides better forward visibility for me than many of its newly designed competitors.
After a little more time to evaluate my Cobalt, I will follow up with a full review.>.
The two cars don't even compare. The Fit is a vastly superior vehicle, and a loaded Fit is about the same price as the base Cobalt. Of course, Cobalts aren't selling because they are garbage so Chevy is incenting dealers to get rid of them. Honda Fits are in short supply because of the huge demand, so dealers aren't dealing. This will change when Honda ramps up production.
I'm currently renting a Cobalt for a week while another car we have is in the shop for repairs. So far, the Cobalt LS seems tight, sound, responsive, and very smooth. The odometer has just turned 10,000 miles. I'm seriously considering the Cobalt as my next commuter car. The price seems right and mileage is great. The interior is somewhat cheap looking, but, hey, the price dictates that.
I've owned a Cobalt for about a year and a half, and I'm yet to have any major problems with it. The only thing that I need to have checked out is the alignment, but it was because of my own stupidity. There is no need to bash a Cobalt, it is a perfectly fine and affordable car, and I love mine to death.
Re;18.42 & 9.10.
Personally, I've never owned a Honda, but I may someday in the future, perhaps an Odyssey. The Civic is too small for my tastes, but I suppose for the younger buyer, the CRX is a sought after model for whatever reason. I would never buy one so I quess not everybody wants one!
My decisions to purchase a vehicle are not predicated on marketing hype or what's cool, but rather on practicality and over all total end costs. When raising a family, you tend to make real life mature decisions based on necessity and budget. As far as a Fit being superior to a Ferrari, well that's merely wishful thinking on behalf of some Honda paid journalist that writes dribble designed to manipulate the gullible few who live in a fantasy world. "If it's written, it must be true".
The Olds Vista Wagon was the right car for me at that time and it was truly a good car, perhaps the best. That's my opinion and it's based on fact and experience not blind product bias. I've owned other makes including Toyota's and even a Kia, some good some bad. The Olds was the best regardless of what you make think! Not many Honda's have gone 410k without major repairs so don't kid yourself.
My son is considering buying a new car and has test driven a Pontiac G5, which is the same as a Cobalt. As far as he's concerned it's as good as any other model in the same price range. His Elantra served him well, but it's a bit pricey to maintain so he's not looking for another. He has also driven a Civic and Corolla as well as other makes. Right now, he prefers the Corolla over the Civic, but is leaning towards the G5 based on total end use cost. He puts about 70k on a year and after five years no car with over 300k on is worth anything. The G5 is about $1k less than a comparably equipped Corolla or Civic and costs less to maintain on a regular basis. It also has a better warranty.
Where I live, they use Cobalts as Taxis and yes, they also use Toyotas to. So in the real world, if a Cobalt can be used as a Taxi then it must be a good car. No, there are no Honda Taxis, I wonder why?
To 4.50.
Have you ever owned a Cobalt? Perhaps you've owned another model domestic brand you can berate for us. Or perhaps you know of someone else who's owned a Cobalt or other domestic brand that, according to you, was a horror story. I'm sure we'd all like to hear what you have to say. So what story will it be, make it a good one!
While your at it, think about why Honda installed bogus odometers in their cars that actually record higher mileage than actually driven. There's a class action suit in process, maybe you can still get in on it. Then again, you can think about unprecedented transmission failures in Honda Odysseys. There are many people who've been denied warranty by Honda to the tune of $3,300 a piece for transmission repairs because according to Honda, they've driven beyond the warranty coverage.
At least domestic manufacturers have integrity and don't resort to such shameful tactics. Shame on Honda!
14:13 "Fits" are Kiddie cars not family cars. The Cobalt is a true family car, reliable, reasonably priced and easy to own and operate. Take your "Fit" to the track and watch a Cobalt peel the skin off of it.
Like the other poster said, some people believe anything just as long as it suits them. Really, a "Fit" superior to a "Ferrari", my god, how symbolistic!
I traded my new Fit for a new Cobalt LS. Why? The Fit was in the shop for transmission problems the same week I bought it. The techs didn't know how to work on it. They (eventually) replaced the whole transmission, but the car didn't drive quite the same way after that. An aberration, perhaps, but I won't buy another Fit. Why did I trade it in for the Cobalt? I had to rent a car while the Fit was in the shop, and the rental place gave me a Cobalt. The power difference was substantial, and the ride was much more comfortable. I test-drove an Xa, Xb, Corolla, Yaris, and Focus to compare, and I settled on the Cobalt, as it was the most powerful and comfortable. I've had it for 8 months now, and it has not had to go to the shop for anything. The interior of the Fit was nicer and more modern, but that's about all I miss about the Fit. All you image-conscious kids can have your riced Hondas; I'll take my bland Cobalt and beat you off the line any day.
Those of us who have experienced both cars know that the Cobalt is junk and the Fit is lightyears ahead in quality, handling, and every other feature.
There are ENDLESS domestic people on these boards that have NEVER even seen a Fit, yet feel free to comment on how it is tiny inside, horrible quality, and so on - all without any proof or even personal experience.
And, once again, if the Fit is sooo inferior to the Cobalt why are Cobalts rotting on dealer lots and the Fits get asking price or above? The answer is obvious to everyone except those who think because it has a Chevy badge on the hood it must always be the best car out there.
5.35 Obviously you're not well informed or you have a bias as big as all outdoors. The Cobalt is a true value plain and simple, way better than Honda or Toyota.
Every manufacturer is offering incentives today including Toyota, Honda etc. Honda has just been caught putting bogus odometers in cars and Toyota has one of the worst recall records ever in a single year. Not everybody is lining up to buy these brands because those of us who know a thing or two about cars know a good buy when we see it. Honda and Toyota aren't as good a value and it's time to stop criticising something you obviously know nothing about or care to know anything about.
Drive a Chevy and you drive a winner!
6.12 & 8.55 Your logic escapes me. My Daddy went to war to fight for his country and you have the audacity to ridicule him and millions of others who fought for your freedom just because they bought Domestic vehicles.
We used to enjoy a very good standard of living, but Toyota and the like are ruining it. They pay poverty wages, just enough that workers can afford to shop at Wal Mart. People working at GM, Ford & Chrysler make a good living and in turn, they spend it. They buy houses, furniture and all the other things that make the economy grow.
You have no reason to ridicule those of us who are patriotic and buy domestic. There's absolutely nothing wrong with buying a Chevy!
Yes, the Big 3 outsource, they have to in order to stay competitive. However, they're outsourcing is no way near what Toyota, Honda and the like procure. You really need to get your facts straight.
To 15.48 You just don't get it! There's nothing wrong with the todays domestic brands. There as good a value as any Japanese offering and in my mind, better!
I'm sure the folks at GM, Ford & Chrysler will enjoy your criticism. My neighbor works for GM, he's been there since the seventies and has seen over a hundred thousand workers lose their jobs because of our governments pandering to Japanese manufacturers.
It's easy to say you offer better made vehicles when you only pay your employees half of what our domestic manufacturers do, and don't blame the UAW. These folks spend what they make and that's good for you and me. How many municipalities lined up to offer Toyota and Honda free land and zero taxes just to build a plant in their back yard. I didn't see the Big 3 offered any breaks. Don't think the Japanese haven't taken advantage. I wonder how competitive they'd be on level ground.
We've all heard the stories about somebody that someone knows who's sorry they ever bought a domestic vehicle. I've owned Japanese models back in the eighties because there were no similar domestic offerings or reliable European offerings. I wouldn't say that these Japanese vehicles were any better than domestics I've owned, they broke down and cost money to fix, but I understood that.
Shellacing all domestic brands as junk is fact-less and offers no credence to your argument. I'm sure there's folks out there who're sorry they ever bought a Toyota or Honda and can tell stories about a friend who owns a Tundra that's been subject to fifteen different recalls or a Honda that has an odometer that records more mileage than actually driven.
I drive a Chevy because I know true value, not because I've been brain washed. I'll buy another and another and another because I believe they're the best.
I just test drove a Corolla today and I must say that it was a very nice little car to drive. The dealership had lots of them to chose from and was offering a Toyota.09% purchase finance incentive. It was comparably equipped to a Cobalt LS I test drove on the weekend. GM was offering a 2.4% purchase financing incentive on the few in stock vehicles available or the dealer could place an order which would take up to six weeks for your car to come in, at 4.9%.
It is my opinion that these two models are comparable in value if not price. Each one was equipped with automatic, P.S, P.B, key-less entry, power windows & locks, CD and other nice little amenities. The Corolla is assembled in Canada and the Cobalt in the U.S.
Both vehicles provided adequate power for highway driving and both were rated at over thirty five miles per gallon. The Cobalt has a much greater dealer service network and better warranty coverage. The Toyota boasts better reliability and resale value albeit the Cobalt costs much less to begin with.
I think the Corolla is better built, but I don't think it's worth the money. My son owns a 2002 Hyundai Elantra with over 300k on it and new, it's priced less than the Corolla.
Understandably, the decision won't be easy, but I'm leaning towards the Cobalt. It rides nice, it's priced right and the warranty is better. I really don't want to hear what anybody else has to say about why GM needs a better warranty or that I should by a Corolla, I want to hear clear and objective reasons pro or con. There may be something I'm not aware of and I'd like to hear from you.
9:45 Undoubtedly, over the past forty years, the Corolla has garnished a solid reputation for quality and reliability. This car put Toyota on the map in North America and opened the door for others to follow. However, my decision on what make and model to buy is based on what's available today, not twenty years ago.
It's my opinion that most of todays offerings are basically the same in quality and price with a few exceptions such as Kia and the offerings soon to arrive from China. As for the Cavalier, GM started selling them back in 1986. They sold a lot of Cavaliers because they were cheap to buy and to insure. Granted the Cavalier is not as well built as the Corolla, but there are many high mileage older model Cavaliers in service that have proven to be a real value similar to the Corolla.
The Scion is not for me, too small and trendy, they're not as well built as the Corolla and they're too expensive for what you get. These are targeted to the youth market, not people my age who want a little ease of entry and comfort.
One thing I've learned over the years is that "we" North Americans want our cake and to eat it to. We will buy cars like a Yugo or Lada and then complain when it breaks down or when the price of parts shocks us. Not many of us buy products rationally, but rather on impulse and what's trendy.
Personally, I think it's in my best interest to buy products made in North America, a task that's proving harder and harder to do. Yet I'm not prepared to sacrifice my hard earned dollars on sub par products. If I didn't think the Cobalt was a good value, I would not have considered it.
I've still not seen any reponses that are truly objective or impartial. I consider the Cobalt to be a good value and would like to hear from those of you who care to comment.
9.03
Sorry, but your comment lacks substance and is purely bias. The only Toyota worth buying is a Corolla. Scions don't measure up and never will, regardless of where they're made. They won't stand the test of time! They're over priced and marketed to a gullible few who think this junk is cool and will pay obnoxious prices for them.
Your comment about the Focus is a "bare faced lie". My son purchased a new 2002 wagon and has put over 200k on it. Other than regular maintenance nothing has gone wrong with it. It truly is a very good car for the money.
Obviously your point of view is extremely bias and your participation in this review pointless. For those of us who are not on Toyota's or Honda's payroll, please submit your factual unbiased comments, I'm interested in what you have to say about the Cobalt!
In case anyone out there hasn't heard, Toyota just pulled the rug completely out from under GM. They sold over 100,000 more vehicles than GM just recently and, as all Toyota drivers knew was inevitable, they are now the best selling auto manufacturer in the world. Congratulations to Toyota for gaining the well-earned #1 spot. Bye, bye, GM.