yellowzq8kc

Im new to this forum, and am actually not a SS owner YET. I actually have been browsing the site trying to do some research. I am looking to purchase a new car and the Cobalt SS Supercharged is at the top of my list being that I am a railroad employee and get a major discount on Chevrolets.

The thing is that I dont know much about these and needed feedback from current owners. Back in 2003 I purchased a Focus SVT and wished I had done my homework prior to that purchase as the SVTs were plagued with major as well as minor problems. That car spent more time in the shop than it did with me. It was a blast to drive though!

Basically I need to know if you guys have been happy with your purchase and also if the SS Supercharged is plagued with issues its self?? Im really hoping that it would turn out to be a smart buy, but if it has major reliability issues as my SVT did then I would like to know in advance so I can stay as far away from it as possible.

My other options that I have been considering are a RSX-S, WRX, Sentra SE-R Spec V, or an SRT-4. Of all of them though I think Im most fond of the Cobalt SS/SC. Just need some feedback from those who have experience with the cars and your help is GREATLY appreciated!!

Oh--Also with my SVT, the SVT vehicles warranty covered "loaner" cars from the dealership---meaning that anytime I had to take my car in for warranty work, they HAD to provide me with a loaner car free of charge so I wasnt left on foot. It was a nice touch especially since I had to use it so much---just wondering if theres anything like that with the SS warranties??? Thanks again!

r_fiorda49

I only have 1900 km's on my '06 but haven't had any problems AT ALL
*knock on wood*

Honestly i test drove an RSX typeS and a couple of WRX's before deciding on the SS/SC and basically what sold me was the pricing. The SS was the the cheapest out of the 3 and they all felt very similar IMO. Plus, you can't beat SC'd chevy's

BigZ

50.8 miles here with no problems at all.

GeoChevyCobalt

I have about 24000 miles on a cobalt ss sc and have had only 3 minor problems. One was the tether to the gas cap was missing. No real big deal and dealer fixed. The other was the leather on passenger door but that is covered and they have a fix. I still need to bring it in to have them fix it. The last was kind of my fault. The engine would run ruff and through a p0171 code. I found out that since i did the air box mod and reinstalled the filter wrong it would not flow right. also I was running bad gas. Costco gas is not good to run. You will need to run only the best that is shell or chevron. After those were fixed the car runs fine. The idle problem only happened during the first 2000 miles and I have had no other problems since. Also I get really good gas mileage for a performance car. 35.6 up to 37 mph highway and 25 in city. If I am on it heave it can drop down to 15 or so.

I have heard about some people having some lemons but that seems to be out of the normal. There is an article about how GM has best its problems per car rating to less then 100 per 100 cars. This is better then Toyota and Honda. The eco engine made it in the top 10 in wards best engines so you can feel good about that.

Any way I love the car. I have yet to see another black cobalt ss sc around hear and I will have the stage 2 installed vary soon. I will then start taking it to the track and also use it as a daily driver.

CobaltSS132

i have 20k miles and ive had only a few minor problems that took an hour or so to fix, one i had condensation in my rear left reverse light and some odd knocking noise that was coming from the right side of my hood.

the car is a blast to drive and is great bang for buck (especially since ur getting a discount) you wont wake up one day and say "damit i just dont want to drive my SS tday"
i love the car i still enjoy turning it on and hearing the exhaust note, interior is great and it draws attention from people, like the SRT-4 its a rare car you dont spot them like mustangs or civics so you will always get people turning their head saying "wow"

the car grows on you after your first week you wont be able to see yourself driving anything else,

the only cars in your list that i would consider against the SS is the SRT-4 and the WRX, both are nice cars both have their pros and cons, (but the point of this thread is not for that so moving on...)

about you warranty question you do get a loaner car, any time your car is at chevys shop. At least thats what happened with me and my warranty. so no worries there.

for a first gen car there have been very few minor problems and even less lemon's and ive yet to hear any problems for the 06 (doesn’t mean there arent any)

the only problem your going to have with this car is having to refuel very often cuz you dont want to take your foot of the pedal.

hope this helped you

yellowzq8kc

Thanks for all the info guys its greatly appreciated. You guys have had a LOT more positive to say than the guys did on the Focus SVT Forum that I found AFTER buying that POS haha. I guess my last question would be have any of you had your SSSC long enough to give me an idea of how it handles in the winter elements?? Thats fairly important here in the midwest and the main reason I considered the WRX. My gripe about those is that I want to buy BRAND NEW and the nex WRX front ends are hideous IMO and the interior kinda sucks. I think Im going to head back to my chevy dealer to place my order for an 07 SSSC. They told me that I would have to order one to get it with the options I wanted (black with the recaros and lsd and a power roof), the bad part is they said if I go that route Id have to wait til sept/oct. Thatll be a major bummer there. A major selling point for me on this car was not only my discount (I actually get employee pricing on most all Manufacturers cause we ship for pretty much everyone EXCEPT honda/acura) was the fact that insurance is dirt cheap on these cars even supercharged. Right now I drive a 2002 S-10 zq8 and my insurance is $45/mo and I got a quote from my insurance company today on the Supercharged SS and its only going to make my rate go up by ten bux a month. Major plus. :thumbup:

bluesscobaltSPC1

All I have to say is that I love my Cobalt SS/SC. I don't drive it in the winter but I know of a couple people who did and it wasn't the greatest. All I have to say is look at the tires. They aren't the greatest. I do know of people who had problems with there O2 sensor but only heard that from one owner. I have the arrival blue. I have a injen CAI, Magnaflow exhaust. I have on order a DC strut bar, H&R springs and 5zigen Hyper 5ZR in hyperblack(rims). I love my car and still thinking of ideas on what to do next.

Rusty

I have an '06 SS S/C w/ ~6k miles. If you are driving it in the winter, my only suggestion would be to invest in a good set of snow tires all the way around. You have to realize that ANY front wheel drive car is not going to be great in the snow. It is easier to get traction than a rear wheel drive car, but turning is a little bit more difficult. Unfortunately the Pirelli P-Zero all-season tires that comes with the car suck in bad weather. Another issue to consider is that the bolt pattern for our wheels is on the rare side which makes it difficult to find rims that will fit on our cars. This makes it difficult to buy a set of four steelies to slap on snow tires for the winter. Also, our rims are 18", so 18" snow tires are hard to find and expensive. That's my only gripe about the car right now. I've had it for about 6 months and I absolutely love it. My friends drive around in WRX's, S2000's, turbo talons/eclipses, GTI's, etc, and they are all impressed with my cobalt. On top of that, it handles very well, and the drive is extremely smooth and comfortable. If you do decide to get one, best of luck with it and enjoy it!

Brian MP5T

The P-Zero are the closest thing to a Summer tire that has the word "All Season" on it. It is technically a great semi performance summer tire...

alleycat58

Actually, as Brian alluded to, the P-Zeros that come on the car are NOT all-seasons, hence why they suck in bad weather...unless for some reason your dealer swapped you the Rossos for the Nero M&S....but the factory tires (Rossos) are strictly summer-only.

yellowzq8kc

Yeah I figured that winter tires would be a requirement. My SVT came with the ConitSport Contact tires and I was dumb enough to try getting around on them in the winter. Nothing more embarassing than getting stuck on a flat street in 2" of snow as soon as you back out of your driveway haha. My current ride doesnt do great either. Its a 2002 s-10 with the zq8 suspension (same as the Xtreme minus the ground effects) and the 8" wide tires. Even though my truck was one of the "lucky ones" to come from the factory with a lsd, its one of the worst vehicles I have ever had to drive in the snow.

You guys have been a huge help! And hopefully soon I will be on this forum asking for opinions of aftermarket parts for a new SSSC

ggarcia86

i have an 06' cobalt ss/sc and there have been no big problems with my car and i have close to 19K miles on it.... wow... and the one time i had a problem was when a rock hit my a/c condenser i had to get that replaced (which they did for free even though they arent required to) and they had a loaner i borrowed so i could get to work. they also cut my rotors for free. i'm happy with the car and the gm company as this is my first gm vehicle. also, if u really are a driving enthusiast, get the performance package! the recaros are sweet and the lsd is very nice.

love my SS

i have nearly 32000 miles on my 05 SS/SC. it has been almost flawless. it has had the same leather problems as everyone elses, but has been fixed by dealer, and they provided my a loaner car, but that may be up to the dealer if they all do that or not. only problem i had was a wire harness rubed thru and shorted out the fuel pump, but was easy fixed by dealer. i still have the original tires on this car, till next week, there like drag slicks right now! car is holding up great otherwise. have never regreted buying this car. it always puts a smile on my face when i drive it!!! it turns all the heads when you drive by. you wont be disapointed.