krugs

Ok so I really wanted the Cobalt SS Supercharged when it came out but was too expensive so I started looking at the tC. But when looking on autotrader and cars.com recently I've found a fair amount of used SS Supercharged cars in my price range ($15k). I test drove the tC and really liked the quality of the ride and its performance and I know they should be fairly low maintenance when compared to a domestic. But on the other hand the performance of the 205hp (215-220hp stock when dynod) SS Supercharged far surpasses that of the 160 (around 145hp when dynod). Im torn....anyone have any opinions/what would you get?

If this helps:
-I'm a college student
-The used tC's im looking at are going for $13-$14k and the used Cobalts are going for around $15k. So I'd be saving 1-2k if i went with the tC.

mitchelltc1

Cobalt... I don't want to see any more tC's on the road.

Ryhian

Well really its all in how much you want to spend. Have you test driven both cars? the SS is quite a bit quicker than the tC and would probably be more fun to drive. If you've already at least sat in both and like the layout inside of both as well then go with the one you really want.

Also I would imagine the insurance on the SS would be a little bit more, so factor that into monthly costs. As well as using more expensive gas.

Personally I dont like how the SS's look at all and have never been a fan of Chevy.

tC_litigator

well, lets not forget that you're comparing N/A to F/I if you'r elooking at a stock tC and stock SS. So i think that a more equivilant comparison would be the tC with the supercharger and the SS. The numbers will be a little more comprable.

krugs

true the numbers would be more comparable but the prices wouldn't. the max im spending is 15k and i have yet to see a supercharged tc for 15k

DriverXa

i would stick with the tC and get the supercharger for it. a used ss cobalt is going to have some pretty hard miles on it, plus its a gm product(alot of recalls on these cars, advoid 2005 models at all costs as they are the worst). go check out the cobalt forums, alot of people are having clutch problems with these things. you'll be spending more time fixing the thing than enjoying it, thats why I got rid of all my gm cars. ur in college? i was looking at them before i got my xA and all i can say is that the insurance on a supercharged SS cobalt is rediculous. for the same money you might as well have a mustang or a trans-am. there's a reason why theres so many used ones on the net for cheap because they are cheaply made. tC is far more reliable, cheaper to run, won't have to worry about it breaking down all the time, plus its going to hold its value when u decide to sell it one day.

krustytheclown

I wouldnt say a lot of people are having problems with the clutch. Only people that have problems with the clutch are going to make topics about it, yeah some people have problems but the overwhelming majority do not have problems with the clutch. The only real problem that my best friend has (he owns a 06 ss supercharged) is that in the early 06's, they mounted the intercooler and radiator in a way that they physically touch. Friction wore a hole into the radiator.

The problem with a supercharged tc, is that, thats about it that you can do to it and notice much of HP gain (other than exhuast or intake, which I think is added with the Supercharger, which helps bump you up to 200 HP).

The Cobalt SS Supercharged on the other hand, has plenty of GM Performance Parts upgrades to get you above 250 HP and still be under factory warranty.

redwar1441

ok...tc plus turbo puts in to the price range of a cobalt and the performance range f 350z's and evos and sti's plus the thing looks awsome and OH YEAH ITS A TOYOTA!!

or a chevy that will blow up at 80,000 miles. the cobalt is like chevys srt4. Im very disapointed with the car. If they are sooooo great why are they always on sale? Why are scions always out of stock, why do used scions sell at the same price as new ones? because toyota is great.

the tc is way more reliable even with a turbo imo. Unless your a turbo noob then get the s/c.

stay away from the cobalt, at least until toyota starts building it for gm, like the pontiac vibe/matrix and the new saturn sky.

but then again go ahead and buy i see to many tc arund already(for good reason tho)

krustytheclown

Its a cool thing around here to bash GM huh? I love my xB, I dont see getting rid of it for a looooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggg time. But to bash a cobalt just because its made by Chevy is not intelligent. Why are you disappointed with it? Have you driven one? Have a friend who has one? Did that person have problems with it?

I've had problems with my xB. Driveshaft sensor had to be replaced with only 1800 miles on her. Dash was christmas treeing on me. Passenger front door acctuator had to be replaced once already, and needs to be again. Gas mileage is horrible, 20 MPG, doing easy driving in city? C'mon theres something wrong there. My dealership tells me the only thing I can do is pay $89 for a fuel consumption test thats not covered under warranty.

krustytheclown

Oh and what does the saturn sky share with toyota? The sky uses all GM Parts (Opel, Pontiac) stuff like that right?

DriverXa

the saturn sky shares zero parts with toyota, only the vibe which is a reskinned matrix. if you really want a cobalt then go for it its ur money. my last car was a gm car so if you drove that for afew years you too would be bashing gm. i still think u'll come out ahead with a tC. I dunno how insurance is by u but when I was 19 I was quoted $2800 a year for a tC and $4100 a year for an SS (both figures would have been under my parents insurance if I bought either one). if ur considering an SS u might as well consider a mustang for the same $.

redwar1441

I looked into buying a cobalt ss and have a friend who has one. I used to be a GM suporter and still am to a degree but.....not impressed at all, personal opinion i guess. I do not like the engineering theory gm uses. When i work on toyotas everything is put together the way i imagine it even before i ever see the car. Im never scratching my head going "WhyTheF did they put that there!"
shift feel, steering ratio, handleing etc. Car just doesnt feel like the way a car should to me.
the sky shares a few parts(at least engineering whise) with toyota.... cough cough....turbo avenises anyone?


oh and if gm is so great why are they always on sale? they cant even give them away.

XtCFast

i would never buy an american car

krustytheclown

And that all depends of the insurance company, your driving record, your parents driving record, where you live. A supercharged 2 door car is definetly going to be more than a n/a 2 door.

scionofPCFL

Look into a term called "Depreciation". The Cobalt has a lot of it, the tC has little of it.

Oh, and it's not a good thing. A 22k Cobalt with miles and a couple years costs 15k? A 17k tC with miles and a couple of years costs 14k.

Every month you make that payment, you have a certain amount that pays for interest, a certain amount that goes to principal (that actually brings the loan amount down), and a certain amount goes to depreciation....money out the window that you'll never see again, in otherwords.

When you buy a house, your payment is like a savings account. If you bought a house for 10k, when you paid it off in 5 years, the idea is that you'd get 10k + appreciation back. This is how people can double their house purchase and keep the same payment.

Now of course, with cars, you don't get this, all cars depreciate. But the question is, when you are done with the car, in 2 or 8 years, how much of the money you spent on that car is going to be comming back to you? If you're gonna keep it for 10 years, it doesn't matter. However, if you're gonna keep it for 2 - 3 (like 85% of America) and trade it in while you still owe money, then depreciation is the fire ants that ruin the picinic.

If you owe 10k on a car worth 12k, then you've got 2k going into the next auto. If you owe 10k on a car worth 5k tho, what are your options? pay out of pocket to cover that difference, or roll that difference into the next loan, and this is what most people do.

Let's think about this for just a second. People that do this (and it happens thousands of time a day) start burrying themselves in a hole quickly. Paying interest and payments on a car that they don't own anymore!.

Paying interest, on a car, they don't own anymore. Swirl that in your head for minute. On that 5k, about 125 of that payment is for a car that they don't own anymore.

Now, I can understand it happening once or twice in a lifetime, things happen. But what we are now seeing is people doing this 2 and 3 times in a row! 20% or more of their take home pay is going to their auto! And with housing being about 25% for many renters, and 40% for many home owners, what does that leave left for savings, retirement, education, food, medical, vacations, fun? Not a lot.

So the question is, what pill do you want to take, the red or the blue one? Once you take the blue pill, you better plan on doubling your income every 3 years just to get by.

web

Cobalt SS S/C..............power is incredible, car is built better (more sturdy), handles better, nicer package overall.........


I like my tC though but for the little extra money, I'd spend it on the added overall performance from the Cobalt.

scionofPCFL

The problem with the 22k Cobalt, besides it's otherworldly depreciation, is that for 22k (about 5k more than a tC) your auto options open up considerably.

web

Yeah, in that range you can go RSX, WRX, Mazda Speed....a few others.

I just like the Stage II capability of the Cobalt.........~250-260whp and it pulls hard.

javastan

A cobalt SS is a nice car, I have driven one. The only thing I don't like about it, and this goes for a lot of GM entry level cars is that it isn't as tight as a tC. When I test drove a tC with the sunroof closed it was pretty quiet, the cobalt has some small rattles, the one I drove did anyway. The SS is a fast car though, and actually pretty nice looking.

web

Yeah, must have been the test model. My buddy's is solid 100% compared to mine. Stock for stock, mine rattled...haha...........

Just make sure it's the SS S/C....not just SS.