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Started having problems with the radio at about 4,000 miles. Just goes dead including interior lights when it cuts out. A new glitch (that's what I'm calling the problems-glitches) is hard starting. The car turns over like normal, but takes a lot longer to start. The hard starting glitch started just about 200 miles ago. Last glitch so far is the steering. The steering wheel vibrates and you hear weird noises from under the hood turning a corner at any speed, left or right. This started at about 3000 miles.
The car is surprisingly peppy.
Cramped passenger/legroom issue for friends in back.
For a low-end, base model chevy, What can you really expect for $14 grand?!
Sell that car before it buries you so deep in repairs that you won't know which way is up.
Pay no attention to the negative comments. As a mechanic, I can assure you the little Chevy you have is every bit as well built as the competition. The early models of any new car (including those "perfect" Japanese cars) will have minor glitches. This is only the second year for your car, and the "first model" bugs are just now being worked out. As for cars like the Yaris, Scion, Versa and Fit, your Chevy has TONS more horsepower, is much much comfortable and handles far better. As for the Civic, it has about the same power, but costs 6 grand more. For the money it costs you could buy a much higher quality, sportier vehicle such as the new Mustang. Even the incredibly biased Consumer Reports now rates Ford as just as reliable as Toyota and Honda (which really means it is MORE reliable). GM cars are just as good, and now come with a 100,000 mile warranty. As for resale, you paid 6 grand less for your car to start with, so in the long run you are still better off. Congrats on a really great American made car.
I purchased a 2006 Cobalt LS back in the fall. I left a review of it after only about a month and thought it usefull to comment on some of the feedback in this thread.
I drive an hour each way to work and home and have 8500 miles on the car now. As stated in the other thread I sold my 1990 Honda Civic when I purchased this vehicle. In general, I didn't have many problems when I owned the Honda and it had over 250,000 miles on it and still got 40 miles to the gallon on average.
I like the Cobalt. I haven't had any trouble with the vehicle or any interior problems such as the fabric tearing, the radio going bad, or funny noises. I have three young daughters that I drop off at school and daycare and they fit in the back with enough room for them, although it would be a tight fit for three adults.
Overall the car runs great, has excellent gas mileage, and is a comfortable drive. Again, I have not had any problems with the car, which may be why I am happier with it than some of the other buyers who left comments. It is a great car to drive back and forth to work on a long drive. As long as the car continues to run like it has I just don't understand why I should spend an extra $6,000 - $8,000 on a Honda or Toyota like most people in these threads state.
I have a 2002 Toyota Sienna that I bought used about a year and a half ago and I much prefer to drive the Cobalt than I would the Sienna.
Actually, being "disposable" has some great advantages. Many people I know prefer paying half as much for an American car, driving it 300,000 miles and "disposing" of it. At that point the much-ballyhooed "superior resale value" (usually a couple of hundred dollars) of the imports is of no concern.
Before buying my last vehicle I test drive both the Scion and the Cobalt. There simply is no comparison. The Cobalt I drove was faster (WAYYYY faster), smoother, quieter and actually looked like a car. The base engine in the Cobalt is like a Chrysler hemi compared to the Scions. I also learned later that there had been a recall on the Scions for defective airbags. That's NOT a comforting thought!!
Our family has owned Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Volkswagen and a number of GM cars and trucks.
The Toyota was a good car, but more complicated (and therefore expensive) to work on.
The Honda was not as reliable as people seem to think, and had a major engine failure at 90,000 miles.
The Mazda and Volkswagen (both bought used) were total disasters. This may have been due to previous abuse, so I'm not attacking the brands as such.
As for the GM vehicles, they were the most reliable, most comfortable, least expensive to maintain, and felt very solid and well built. In my opinion the quality of our GM vehicles surpassed that of the others.
We now own a 2001 Pontiac and a 2003 GMC. Both are still showroom condition and neither has ever required a single repair.
I've driven the new Cobalt and absolutely love it. I think it's better than anything the competition offers and it's a real bargain.
Oh my, it seems this forum has turned in to people taking sides and looing all ability to be objective. Most of what I have read is purely anecdotal and full of prejudice.
I work hard for my money and when I go to purchase a new car I really could care less where it is built, for example the most popular GM models such as the Grand Prix, Impala and LaCrosse are all built in Canada as well as many of the GM and GMC trucks. Does that mean the Impala is not an American car? Get my drift, the automakers take a global view of the world as should the consumer. Which product is the best value for my hard earned money. None of these companies be it GM, Ford, Toyota or Honda etc, would ever make a money decision without first asking 'what is best for us' as a consumer we all should do the same.
BTW I recently purchased a 2006 Cobalt LT in April and love it! It has currently just over 10K miles and I am very happy with it. I traded in my Hyundai for my Chevy, see I think globally just like the large automakers.
I bought a 2006 Cobalt 2 door automatic 6 months ago in July 2006. No major problems. The windows are hard to roll down and the interior fabric is coming loose around the door handle. Will get that fixed first chance I get, but from my experience GM is very good at looking after the customer with warranty repairs. The dealer I go to gives me a free loaner, so it's no big deal getting those little problems fixed. I owned a Cavalier before the Cobalt, and it was a very dependable car. As far as the import argument goes, final assembly isn't nearly as important as where the parts come from. I work in the industry and have a little knowledge about it as well as the myths that go along with the truth. An assembly plant employs about 2500 workers, but a parts plant that makes just one or two major components can employ 3500 or more. Not to mention all the little parts that go into a car. GM by itself (including all the layoffs that are caused by people buying imports) employs more Americans than all the foreign transplants COMBINED. Also have more assembly plants than all the foreign transplants combined. This does not include the R&D. The state of Michigan alone employs about 10 times more R&D people than all the foreign transplants combined.
I've worked at various car dealerships for quite a long time now, and have been behind the wheel of everything from Corvettes and Vipers to BMW sport coupes to econo-boxes from most manufacturers, not to mention almost every brand of truck out there, etc. Based on personal experience, preference, and economic advantages, I plan to purchase a 2007 Cobalt LS coupe in the next few months. They have better value per dollar than almost any other (new) vehicle I have come in contact with on a regular basis. I find it humorous to find so many people who have built such strong opinions about particular vehicles based solely on a single test drive. My opinions are not based just on driving impressions, but on how often I have seen particular vehicles come into the repair shops and for what reasons. So far, from what I have seen, while in no way comparable to $90,000 ++ sports and luxury cars, the Cobalt is top notch in fit-and-finish and mechanical reliability relative to the other vehicles in the same price class.
<<I've worked at various car dealerships for quite a long time now, and have been behind the wheel of everything from Corvettes and Vipers to BMW sport coupes to econo-boxes from most manufacturers, not to mention almost every brand of truck out there, etc. Based on personal experience, preference, and economic advantages, I plan to purchase a 2007 Cobalt LS coupe in the next few months>>
Funny, all it took for me to realize what a piece of crap the Cobalt was was having a rental one for a week. Cheap interior, lame handling (vs. one-class-down rivals like the Honda Fit), and certainly no bang for the buck.
<<Like I said, the facts must be credible otherwise the debate is pointless and all rebuttals rudimentary. The Cobalt is an excellent value. The majority of the reviews indicate that people are satisfied with the car. So why do others cling to their bias and off the cuff berating of the car yet, they have never owned or likely will own one? I've viewed the comments on Toyotas, Hondas and the like. There are lots of unsatisfied owners there as well.>>
I've driven the Cobalt. Its interior and other fittings are subpar compared to a Honda Civic much less a Honda Fit. It's a car that is competitive for 1995, not 2007.
It's just another in a long line of mediocrity (like the new Avenger/Sebring from Chrysler) that will fill rental car fleets and only be sold on low prices.
<<I've driven the Cobalt. Its interior and other fittings are subpar compared to a Honda Civic much less a Honda Fit. It's a car that is competitive for 1995, not 2007.
It's just another in a long line of mediocrity (like the new Avenger/Sebring from Chrysler) that will fill rental car fleets and only be sold on low prices.>>
I for one, like the design of the Sebring, but I also like the current design of the Toyota Corolla, which should be nominated "the most mediocre car of the decade". Regardless, both are appealing to me.
I disagree with your comment about the Cobalt. I've never driven one, but I had the opportunity to view a Pontiac G5 at the dealership where I purchased my Pontiac Montana SV6. I've owned Toyota's and a Kia and the interior fit and finish of the G5 is in my opinion is better than ether manufacturers offerings for similar vehicles. An acquaintance of mine purchased the new cab forward design Civic with the instrument cluster in the centre of the dash. I like the design, reminds be of the original Mini of the sixties as well as the cab forward Chrysler's of the nineties.
The Honda fit is more or less a car designed for the younger buyer. Personally, I don't like it. It reminds me of a Yugo on steroids. It is versatile, but it's not much bigger than a Mercedes Smart car and is on the same level as the Yaris, fit and finish wise. Wash and wear interior with removable parts that rattle and vibrate when the cars is driven. My son likes it though, he thinks it's cool. He's not in to quality or substance and is quite willing to pay an obnoxious price for a Fit, $24,000. Now I know why they named it Fit, I'd have one if I had to pay that price for something like that.
<<The Honda fit is more or less a car designed for the younger buyer. Personally, I don't like it. It reminds me of a Yugo on steroids. It is versatile, but it's not much bigger than a Mercedes Smart car and is on the same level as the Yaris, fit and finish wise. Wash and wear interior with removable parts that rattle and vibrate when the cars is driven. My son likes it though, he thinks it's cool. He's not in to quality or substance and is quite willing to pay an obnoxious price for a Fit, $24,000. Now I know why they named it Fit, I'd have one if I had to pay that price for something like that.>.
In which parallel universe is your son paying $24K for a Fit? The Fit tops out at $16K unless your son is adding $10K of aftermarket options. In fact, even a loaded Civic doesn't top $24K, and that's a class higher.
What proof do you have that this car has rattles? The Cobalt I drove had rattles, but the Fit I drove was solid.
<<In which parallel universe is your son paying $24K for a Fit? The Fit tops out at $16K unless your son is adding $10K of aftermarket options. In fact, even a loaded Civic doesn't top $24K, and that's a class higher.
What proof do you have that this car has rattles? The Cobalt I drove had rattles, but the Fit I drove was solid.>>
Maybe in the U.S. but here in Canada, equipped with auto, stereo, etc it's grossly overpriced. Honda is directly marketing this vehicle to the younger buyer who will spend the money for this thing regardless, "it's really cool"! It's not a good value for the money in my opinion.
So you've driven a Cobalt and now a Fit, any others that we should know about? Yes, I've ridden in a Fit, but I have not driven one, and yes, it had some rattles and a dash vibration. I will admit that it was about 20 below not counting the wind chill, but it did rattle and vibrate. What proof do we have that you've actually driven these cars? If you drove a Fit then You'd know what I'm eluding to.
When it comes to fit and finish, the Cobalt is on par with any other similar brand. The Cobalt is and excellent value without exception. It's not a perfect example of engineering excellence, but nether is a Honda, Toyota or any other brand in the price range.
I'm sure some Cobalt's may have a squeak or two on oaccasion, but so did my Corolla and especially the Kia Sedona I recently dumped. My wife drives An Audi A4 and it has it share of squeaks and rattles, every vehicle does, and alomost everybody, at least 99.999% realizes this in the real world.
<<<<So you've driven a Cobalt and now a Fit, any others that we should know about? Yes, I've ridden in a Fit, but I have not driven one, and yes, it had some rattles and a dash vibration. I will admit that it was about 20 below not counting the wind chill, but it did rattle and vibrate. What proof do we have that you've actually driven these cars? If you drove a Fit then You'd know what I'm eluding to.>>
Unlike you, I actually took the vehicle on a 30 minute test drive on the highway, city streets, and up very steep hills. It did not do anything other than driving like a sports car (it is faster through a slalom than one Ferrari model according to Car and Driver) with no extraneous noise.
Test driving ANY car at 20 below is ridiculous and is in no way a valid comparison.
And FYI, no BMW I ever owned (five of them) had "squeaks and rattles" regardless of mileage.