John Lake

Thanks .. and Sorry... my rant was confusing... Not the front... Truck in back rear ended me. After I took a closer look I noticed more scuffing and an indentation a few inches across near the plate. Still not bad BUT I'll bring it to the dealer after I get back from vacation. I don't think they can do anything to fix the plastic bumper - so - may have to have it replaced. May seem nuts to some.. however.. I just can't deal with it on a month old car... at the same time I'll have the ding in the door fixed.... I'm guessing $1000.00 - to $1500 for both... worth it for my peace of mind.

Cool that you liked the thread - and - glad some are older than me here and what the heck.. We are guys... we never grow up... I still feel like the same teenager that cruised the perimeter of the Mall.. checking out the chicks with my old '72 Camaro - side pipes singing. Probably looked like an idiot.. and woudln't do that now.. but.. that kid is still part of me.

And.. 6 mile commute bites.. car is not even warmed up! But.. you are right.. that 6 miles each way will keep miles low and car in good shape. I think it's great that so many of us really appreciate this car and wish they would still make it.. says a lot.. car is a great/ comfortable daily driver - and - a top quality sports car when needed... great little Chevy! I'm planning on keeping it till it dies... and when/ if that happens I already plan on trying to locate a low milage original to start again. Hopefully some will be out there. Life plans change of course... Something may come out that I'll like more at a reasonable price.. but so far... it's my fave car considering price/ performance/ style.. and I don't see anything I would trade it in for over the near horizon.

I'm keeping mine stock... but lots here have that mod bug. I'm Back down to '0' points - BUT - Any more power and I'm risking my license being cut in half. Thanks for the tip on radar detector! Great idea... I haven't had one in 20 years.

msfitoy

That sucks John...sorry to hear about your Cobalt...I know what you mean about "piece of mind"...my front end is so peppered up from one year worth of highway that even when cleaned, it looks dirty...suppose I'll just throw in for a new front facia next year...

Oh...and my commute will average me around 40,000 miles per year...

John Lake

Thanks man! I'm bringing it tomorrow after work for an estimate - really sucks... especially when there are 6 years of payments staring me in the face!

40K a year.. that blows! My Mom does something like - she has 138K after 3 years(Some kind of Suzuki 4X4 car). The Regular maintenance is bad enough to keep up with those high miles - but - the wear and tear makes everything go faster... She is always complaining. I was upset at my.. a little over 15K a year ... well.. thanks for making me feel better about something anyways.. if unintended !

msfitoy

hahaha...my Mini is semi retired with 68k on the clock waiting on much needed compression work...not to mention all the bushings would need attentions as well...I need at least three toys to spread out my miles lol...

Oh cheese...I don't know why I didn't remember to tell you about this...I've installed this on all of my cars...

http://superlumination.com/braker_installation.html

John Lake

Now that is something I wish I could do. Too many bills. In my early 20s.. while still living at home.. I had a new '87 Chevy Sprint Turbo & 1966 Mustang. It was fun waking up every morning and deciding what car to take. At the time I didn't have a long commute - so - I didn't put much milage on either car. Right before I was married at 23.. I sold the stang and traded in my Sprint for a Wrangler.. after 3 years the Sprint only had 12 thousand miles.

I thought of buying a Mini S a few years ago... right around the time I got my first Cobalt SS. Thing is solid and gets nothing but rave reviews.

Have you seen pics of the upcoming Mini Coupe ? Should be here in 2011 - 2012. I think this looks great - If I could have more than one car it would be on my list.

And.. Thanks for the link! I'll think about the lights.. I don't think I have ever seen them on a car before.

msfitoy

Yes...I kinda wish they had the coupe S out earlier...I've been slowly turning mine into just that...I have no rear seat lol...and I'm considering chopping the roof down 3" later in life...


Those lights are the best insurance against blind drivers behind you! If you decide to get them, you'll need to get the LED bulbs as well as a 5ohm resistor at their site (the pulsing unit only works with LED) and I can help you throught the install...I've never seen another car with it either but that's exactly what makes mine stand out when everyone hits the brakes...

John Lake

I can't see pics here at work - I'll take a look at the pic you attached when I get a chance to log in at home.

ok..thanks for the info!

w1deop3nthrottle

the 2.4 is a pretty sweet car, but me wants an ss/tc please. kthxbye
ps. unless the cruze ss blows us all away.

John Lake

I hear ya... I was happy with my 2.4. BUT... Now that I own the ss/tc - Damn! Like night and day in terms of performance. If you haven't driven one yet - you'll be blown away. Go get one before they are gone... sweet deals out there. If you can't right now... find a good used one a little down the road.

No Coupe for the Cruze.. and even though I would like to believe Chevy has learned from the latest SS .. the performance division that created it was disbanded - More fallout from their massive debt. So.. will be interesting to see what happens.

In any case.. The Cruze is a completely different car... a separate lineage. From what I've seen.. it will better compete with the boring Corolla's of the world - however - I can't see it as being anywhere near as cool as the Cobalt's have become... judging by the Cruze's styling (subjective) and it's weak ass engines (fact). - the Cobalt had a pretty darn good SS right from the beginning ...


Oh.. just a side note - I'm averaging 24.8 mpg... Pretty much identical to my 2.4.. and the Turbo has 89 more horses .. Amazing !

w1deop3nthrottle

I read somewhere that GM was "considering" a high performance cruze, but who really knows. As of right now, the cruze looks like you said, it will be competing with corollas and civics.

The only obstacle standing in my way right now, is that i still owe 9500 on my 2.4. Just started paying $100 extra per month, maybe more next month, so i can get it low enough to near trade in value.

we're both getting the same gas mileage, yet the sstc is way faster! damnit it's not fair!

John Lake

We were pretty much in the same boat.. I still owed quite a bit on mine - so - after the 3K GM discount.. the outstanding balance was added to the Turbo.... I'm basically paying the list price ... . which is fine by me - I think the car is well worth it.

I know.. makes no sense that the milage would be the same ... just move over when you see a Turbo SS approaching

w1deop3nthrottle

I did, I test drove one awhile back and found it hard to walk away from it =[.
thing was ball-dropping fast.

So you zeroed out the debt from the 2.4 with a rebate+trade in, and were able to get into the sstc without a down payment?

John Lake

I still owed almost $9000.00 on the 2.4 (Because I still owed too much on previous trade in car)... dealer gave me $7500.00... and I did put down $1000. The remainder owed was placed on new loan. The Turbo was almost 26K with LSD.. After the 3K GM discount and after all fees new loan is now around 24K.

Not 100% positive on full loan because my wife handles all money matters...

I do know that loan is 6 years at $405 a month... I'll be paying a lot! Many got much better deals.. BUT.. to me.. still worth it. Love the car.. and this is the one car I plan on keeping after it's paid off.

Cars are still on lots BUT they are moving... If you think you can swing it I'd give it a try.. I'll be in Amsterdam for the next few weeks.. (leaving today - in a bit) and won't be touching a pc.. in case you e-mail back. Didn't want ya to think I was blowing you off ... Good Luck!

Finally got to see a pic of your mini.. nice!

msfitoy

Same here...God help me if something were to happen to her...it's been so long since I paid a bill I would instantly go insane...

w1deop3nthrottle

hey no problem, thanks for all the help, really appreciate it.
have fun in amsterdam!

John Lake

You're welcome. And thanks.. it was a blast!


Right there with ya Brother

I was self sufficient until I was married at 23.. and THEN... Haven't written a check/ paid a bill since .. Never used an ATM and have only been iside our bank a few times over years. She wants to do it and God Bless Her! I love it - paying all of those bills adds a lot of stress to your life.. I like NOT knowing.. And yup - I hope she outlives me for many reasons of course BUT one of the reasons is I would have no clue what to do/ where anything is anymore.. I've regressed back to childhood.. I would have to call my Mom for help