Cobalt SS vs. WRX?? Which one to buy

TH0001 said:
I cannot afford the used Z06 and the Cobalt/WRX cash at the same time and don't want to lock into payments with the economy on the edge.
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Buy a regular C5 and pull a small enclosed trailer with it. You go faster, be more reliable, get better gas mileage and look way sweeter from a marketing perspective.
 
Todd, have you driven either? I may have missed it. I like the idea behind the Cobalt, but I absolutely despise torque steer. I know GM did a lot of work to minimize it though. I am not sure how you feel about torque steer.
 
Picus said:
Todd, have you driven either? I may have missed it. I like the idea behind the Cobalt, but I absolutely despise torque steer. I know GM did a lot of work to minimize it though. I am not sure how you feel about torque steer.
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I have a Maxima so pretty much anything would be an improvement! :lol
 
Tripperfx3 said:
I would go with the WRX and I drive an Evo lol. My reason for this is if your looking at new cars and can afford to wait til the 2009 models come out the 2009 WRX is getting a nice bump in power and I believe a change in the suspension for the better. This is in order for it to compete with the new Lancer Ralliart which has the same power plant as the new Evo X, but with a smaller turbo and less aggressive cams, but still comes with the badass SST trans.



Plus it's always good to have the extra safety of AWD even if you live in FL for when it rains.
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The Road and Track I just read is a comparision between the '09 WRX vs. '09 Cobalt. The '09 Colbat is the faster, better handing car. In fact Road and Track called the 09 Cobalt SS the best little car they have ever tested, beating the MazdaSpeed 3, the Lancer Evo, and the WRX.



MBenz said:
Just curious, but have you maybe considered some used cars. Both the wrx and the cobalt ss are great cars i agree. But i find that buying good used saves a lot more money and you get just as good of a car. Heck with your detailing skills you can make it new car.
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Used is almost always better, but I see two problems. 1) The 09 models are upgraded. 2) Used pocket rockets scare me because some 18-25 yearold has probably beaten the living crap out of it.
 
Picus said:
Todd, have you driven either? I may have missed it. I like the idea behind the Cobalt, but I absolutely despise torque steer. I know GM did a lot of work to minimize it though. I am not sure how you feel about torque steer.
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Great point Kevin, and another reason why the Subaru is just 'cooler'. Hell my 140 hp HHR has a torque steer and it sucks :(
 
This may not be an issue in your area, but I won't buy a Subaru, because the dealerships seem to be few and far between in this area. They also seem to be sold (change ownership) and change location pretty frequently. I was going to buy a WRX a few years ago, but I was afraid it would be a pain to have warranty work performed (if needed).
 
The idea that the chevy is of "lesser quality" is absolutely absurd. This isn't the 80s/90s anymore. GM quality is VERY good now, among the best. It's like saying Hyundai is cheap korean crap - its something that just ISN'T true anymore.



You can't go wrong with either car, but my vote goes to the Cobalt (I'm a track junkie). It just aggravates me that people still think "american is crap" - just like "jaguars have crappy lucas electronics!!!" - uh yeah, that was 20 years ago.......
 
I bought an '08 WRX, which as you mentioned the '09 has some nice improvements.



I like the car fine and was really my only choice as I had to have AWD in the mountains. I shortly debated betweent the WRX and the MazdaSpeed3 until coming to that conclusion.



Given this is a detailing forum, my biggest piece of information for you is the paint on the Subaru's absolutely sucks. I hate to dog the car, but because I do like it and the company, but the paint was far worse then I ever could have imagined.



My car currently has less then 7500 miles on it and it already has chips in the paint on the hood that are rusting, yes rusting. The chips went all the way to the sheet metal. For comparison, I have a Ford Focus (Another econobox car) with 110k in the same climate, no rust and no chips like I can already find on my WRX. Additionally we had a Jeep Cherokee with 130k (which we sold and got the WRX) who's paint was just fine on the same roads, weather, etc. (Albeit the Jeep is higher off the ground)



Anyway, don't take my word for it:

Subaru's awesome paint



Other then the paint, the car has been good to us. If you get an '09 you should be pretty good to go from a performance perspective, but there of course plenty of mods. If you can find an '08 on a lot you might be able to get a really solid deal. The '08s can be upgraded to similiar performance and feel of the '09s very easily. however voiding parts of your warranty)



Happy to answer any questions.
 
^^^ Agree with that. Old habits die hard, though. People still think Hyundia & Kia and the Domestics are just waiting to fall apart at any moment. I think most cars are inherently reliable now; unless you're looking at a Range Rover I don't think reliability really plays into a car buying decision much (for me anyway), so your research on the model and make sure there are no huge problems, then go nuts.



I'd still watch for that torque steer though. :D
 
Only going a step further (about Hyundia), my wife has on '02 Sonata that is the best car we have ever owned. 80k in miles and still drives more or less like new. Except for some very minor chips and a little leather wear on the arm rest, the car is seriously like new. Amazing car, I was even thinking of getting the new Genesis.
 
TH0001 said:
Only going a step further (about Hyundia), my wife has on '02 Sonata that is the best car we have ever owned. 80k in miles and still drives more or less like new. Except for some very minor chips and a little leather wear on the arm rest, the car is seriously like new. Amazing car, I was even thinking of getting the new Genesis.
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I looked at a Genesis at the Int'l Auto Show. Impressive car, BUT, I would NEVER pay over $25K for a Hyundai.



With that said, I am not a Hyundai basher...my wife had a 2002 Elantra when we got married. We still have it...112,000 miles, and still churns out around 30mpg in-town. We have just kept it to serve as a 3rd car to run errands with. The resale / trade in is worse than that of day old bread. Great car though - no major issues of any kind, and it has held up well. These are pics from when I polished it last fall...

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Dogs152.jpg
 
i have to disagree on the comment about domestics being up to par in terms of quality.



I lean this more towards interior quality. I have friends with recent fords (05-06) where the interior is just falling apart. One girls focus has to stuff paper inbetween the window and lining to keep her window from falling into the door. Her car makes a sound as if she has an aftermarket exhaust, yet the car is completely stock.



I sat in almost every single domestic during last years auto show. I sat in the dodge caliber, charger, various trucks and SUVs, almost every model from Ford and GM,

For the Dodges, the design was uninspiring, the quality of the parts HIGHLY lacks(monotonous grey plastic with cheap texture)

Ford just felt cheap, all the textures and the way the sounded just felt cheap. This even extends to the luxury models from Lincoln...

Out of the 3, ithink GM is really the one that is raising the bar...



When compared with cars like the honda current gen honda civic where the interior quality blows me away. The car looks nicer than it actually is. This is due to the 1) the visual texture of the plastics, 2) the exciting design 3) and the varying textures. Its only when you touch the parts you realize your in a import economy car.



Read any car magazine that reviews an american car, and they will almost always mention the terrible interior quality. one that comes to mind that i watched again recently is Jeremy Clarksons review of the CTS-V. He says the car is a excellent performer, but the overall quality of the car isnt up to quliaty when compared to similar class bmws and audis. "It still had a cheap feel"



The Road and Track review mention this in the cobalt track test. The car is a phenomenal performer, the best FWD car on the market right now. But they mention that the cheap plastic knob ruins the shift feel. I would assume nothing in terms of interior panels has drastically changed in the last year since i sat in the cobalt either...



Now i have to admit that Chevy did amazing things with the new malibu. lightyears better than anything theyve made since the 2000s. This is in terms of the design, and feel of the car. Everything in that car looked and felt nice (although for some reason the auto show car, the center console was moving very easy, i would assume isnt a problem in the production car)





So i ask, how does the cobalt differ from any other american car? I look at the pictures, and yes, it looks nice. The design is pleasing to the eye, w/ varying textures and colors, but being i havent sat in the actual SS i cant comment on how different it will feel to the standard cobalt. which leaves me only with my original thoughts on the cobalt and terrible american interiors, and draw my conclusions from that.



If it was me i would drive them all back to back to compare them. That way youll be able to feel the difference in everything. How it drives/handles/feels on the interior/etc
 
WRX over the Cobalt any day of the week. If you're into cool tech check out the MazdaSpeed 3. They did tons of cool little stuff to that car aero wise and such. I'll try to find a link.
 
Jason M said:
WRX over the Cobalt any day of the week. If you're into cool tech check out the MazdaSpeed 3. They did tons of cool little stuff to that car aero wise and such. I'll try to find a link.
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Speaking specifically as a detailer, I'd never own a Mazda3 simply because the carpet is absolute garbage. In fact, garbage is probably too kind a word. Every try vacuuming one owned by someone with a dog, or who goes to the beach? Spending an hour just vacuuming out normal dirt from one is bad enough....
 
The Mazda (while cool and I LOVE the red metallic) just isn't for me. Same with the Mitsu..



I will drive both tomorrow if I can. Hopefully I will fall in love with one or the other.
 
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