I am a current owner of a 99 Z24 2.4L and it has been a very reliable car but with over 250k on the odometer its time to look for a new car.

I took a SS/SC out for a test drive and was impressed with the car. The handling was quick and crisp (gotta love it when the salesperson hands you the keys and says have fun), quick on acceleration, good on breaking and pretty comfortable except for the steering wheel. The problem that I have with the steering wheel is when they designed it they should have looked at the some of the other cars that are on the market. With anyone who have watched any type of racing (nascar, F1, Rally, indy ect.) the drivers have their hand positioned at 3 and 9 o’clock. With the cobalt the way they have laid out the wheel is such you cannot wrap your hands around the wheel because of the controls for the cruise and radio controls that are on the wheel. But I guess I can learn to live with that.

From the reviews that I have read on the net so far that people seem to like the car but haven’t found any real life feedback on the reliability of the car from real owners just mostly test pilots.

I am looking for some feed back on what you the SC/SC owners think of the car since you have owned one. Pet peeves, watch outs, how the car handles in the winter (since I am a Canadian ) ect.

Or if you can post a link

Thanx in advance

Fidget

 

the car is something that chevy shouldve done long ago when the rsx came out... the axeing of the cavalier is a good thing, (but sad). and they brought out a replacement car thats 50x better. its not like when they axed the V6 in the cavy and brought out the monstrosities in 1995 w/4 cyl.

these r really good cars. u get what u pay for.

 

I was quite impressed when I took the car out for the test drive. One thing that I miss in the cobalt verses my Z24 is having the windows controls in the centre console.

You would figure though with being a $30k car is that compared to the other fit an finishes that are offer in the cobalt line that you cannot get the heated seats or a block heater for the SC trim. Again hello.. Canadian here… its something that I would take advantage of.

Has anyone got the Recaro performance package with limited slip differential? Is it a worth while option for $2,400?

 

i do, and its worth it

 

the performance package is 110% worth it. in the US it costs $1500 and just the price of the recaros and LSD if you bought them seperately is approx $2500. thats what i call a bargain. if u actually plan on driving the car with snow on the ground, you will need winter tires or at the very least all seasons. Other then that my 3000 miles has been completely trouble free and a lotta fun. and now with the stage kits actually out, its even a better option. the only thing i would watch out for is some people have had there clutches give out. kinda weird bc some people have modded there cars and the stock clutch is strong as ever, yet some stock cars clutches have given out. not really sure-possibly the driver?!? anyway-i love my car. very quick fun to drive, get a lotta looks. cant go wrong!!!

 

Only thing that really pissed me off going from my 2.4 to this is the sunroof button. You have to hold it down. If the cavie can get a one touch button, why can the cobalt?

Other than that. Go for it.

 

The $2500 was in Canadian funs for the Recaro & LSD. I bet its a lot of fun at the track.

I have read that a lot of people are putting stage 1 and stage 2 kits on their Cobalts. What are the gains for each on average and what is the pricing on them? Do they void the warranty if installed by a GM tech?

From what I have seen the aftermarket sector for the SS/SC is pretty expensive. Is this attributed that the car is relatively new?

Thanx again for everyone’s feed back so far. I’m more leaning towards getting one every day… just can’t afford one and a house at the same time.

Fidget

 

my pet peaves after 2,000 miles.

sunroof takes forever to open while you hold down the button
interior seems 'cheap'
rear wing blocks view (though i dont really mind)
car looks kinda girly from the front
i drive an STi aswell and this car isnt as fast =P
i had 1,000 miles on the car and the outside of the windows scratched (i live on a dirt road)
forget driving it on snow (with stock tires). i live in a ski resort and couldnt afford winter tires when i bought it in Feb. .... basically the pirellis are useless on snow. with winter tires, ppl say it is great
edit: oooohhh, and ppl see the "SS" and assume you are super fast.... or that you are rich... or something.... but ppl either love the car or HATEEEE it. cops tend to hate it more often than not =P

pros:
supercharger whine is loud. i passed my friend at about 4,000rmp today and he said that the supercharger whined really loud. when i told him i wasnt even floored he didnt believe me
stock exhaust is noticeable (i love it... it actually pops on a neutral rev)
fast... if you know the car you should know GM under-rate it at 205bhp ... ppl are getting 210whp stock
wheels let loose on command
steady at high speed (130+)... i was certainly impreseed
the coolness factor. how dope is that body kit straight from the dealer?
dude... ur driving a cobalt SS supercharged. hellzzzz yeah. (dont know how else to put that)


... other than that i LOVE the car. you get what you pay for. its somewhat inexpensive and you get a lot of performance that can be upgraded. fun car to drive.

note** i don not have the performance package with LSD and Ricaro's.
----- i do not have a Stage I or II kit. i am planning on getting one and it seems more than worth-while. somebody that has one could possibly give you better input. (or just look at the topics that members have posted)