2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LS Sedan 2.2 Ecotec

Summary:

Why are Civics so highly regarded?

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with this car in over a year now. Which really is a good thing because I have not taken very good care of this car.

General Comments:

I love my baby. His name is Zoro, because he is all black and sexy!

Anyway, this car has been absolutely excellent. I would like to point out that I picked him out of the bunch because of his nice low price, and lack of optional equipment.

Standard equipment on these cars includes a CD player and air conditioning, XM satellite radio, head curtain air bags, so on and blah blah blah. The base model Civic I had before didn't come with any of it. It came with 4 wheels and that was about it. Who ever heard of getting a AM FM radio as optional equipment on a car these days? Obviously Honda has. Everthing that I got standard on my Cobalt, was optional equipment on the Civic. Except for the air bags.

When I was buying the Cobalt, I appreciated the fact that the sales staff didn't find it necessary to slam my Civic to sell me this car. Even though I did hate the car because it used to make me roast in the summer time, it was still mine. Yet when I bought the Civic, the Honda salesman found it necessary to try and point out every defect with a Chevy or American product to make up for my Civic's lack of everything.

Anyway, to make a long story short, glad I dumped that Civic for this car. This car is more straightforward, cost about $1000 less, and came with creature comforts standard. AND!!! I have a stereo in it! Best of all, I feel proud that I bought an American car. Great quality, great reviews, and saves money.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd September, 2008

13th Aug 2009, 14:35

I just don't like Chevy's. Or any domestic really. Maybe the ones I've gotten have been flukes (which I doubt) but they never lasted me much longer than 100,000 miles. Meanwhile, all of my Honda's have lasted me well over 200,000 miles without any problems.

13th Aug 2009, 18:47

Funny. All of my domestic cars have gone over 200,000 miles with minimal to no problems. I wonder how you treated yours.

13th Aug 2009, 20:40

You dumped a Civic for a Cobalt? Well, the jokes on you then! Wait until you get a few more miles on that dog, than you'll come back to Honda, and realize the mistake you made buying that Chevy.

13th Aug 2009, 22:30

Trading a Civic for a Cobalt just to save 1000.00. Heck the depreciation on the Cobalt will make that look like a small amount.

14th Aug 2009, 00:49

"Why are Civics so highly regarded?"

Because they are built better, last longer, and have a 36 year reputation of being reliable, quality vehicles. That's why.

14th Aug 2009, 11:48

The whole concept of depreciation is a fallacy invented by loan officers and car dealers. Depreciation is meaningless for those who intend to keep their car for 10 years or more instead of becoming a slave to trading every 4-5 years.

14th Aug 2009, 13:59

She (or he) makes sense to me. A loaded Cobalt should be very satisfying compared to a bare bones Civic.

To the other guy: depreciation is not fiction, it's for real!

2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LS 2.2 Gasoline

Summary:

A good economy car for a bad economic time

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with this car. However, I have only owned it four days.

General Comments:

Well, high gas prices and zero percent financing lured me into the Chevrolet showroom to trade my 06 Impala in on a more economical car. My new Cobalt is a rare 4 door with a five speed. It is Victory Red with Gray Interior. I have only owned it four days, but so far I am very satisfied with it.

Overall, the car seems to be assembled well. The Continental tires are very quiet and the car has a very smooth ride. Wind noise is the only complaint and this seems to be a Chevy trait. The seats are fairly comfortable, the A/C works very well in the hot South Florida summer heat and the standard XM radio is a nice bonus. The electric power steering is very precise. It is light at low speeds and firms up as speed increases. All of the instruments are legible and the controls are easily reached. The trip computer is a nice bonus for a basic car. It gives you actual tire pressure for each of your tires, instant mpg, average mpg, coolant temp, average speed, two trip odometers and odometer. The automatic headlights are another nice feature. The clutch engages easily with no chatter. The shifter could be a little less notchy, but it works fine for me.

While this is no luxury car, it does everything it was designed to well. As I have done on my other cars, I will update after each servicing and let everyone know how my new Cobalt is doing.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th June, 2008

29th Jun 2008, 07:15

An excellent review!

7th Jul 2008, 13:48

Thank you for a good review, and please, do keep us updated on how the car performs.

I've driven both the 4-door and coupe versions of the Cobalt, and though I preferred the styling of the coupe, the sedan seemed quieter and more comfortable. Overall, I found it a very solid and good driving car.

We currently own 2 GM vehicles, one an 8-year-old 4-cylinder Grand Am and one a 6-year-old GMC Envoy I-6. Both have performed flawlessly. The Grand Am had the front brake pads replaced at 70,000 miles for a whopping $18 (the rear are still original). The Envoy has had only one battery, and even still has the original Michelin tires. I hope you have as good luck with your GM. GM is currently building some of the best cars on the planet.

14th Jan 2009, 08:34

Update #1: 1,900 miles. As you can see, I don't drive much LOL. This car is more of a pleasure car as I have an older one to knock around in. I have had no problems with this car to date and get around 30mpg in mixed driving. The only complaint are the seats. You sit on them instead of in them. It would not be as noticeable if I drove this car exclusively, but after getting out of my 98 Escort and into this car, it becomes apparent. The cupholders are fairly useless as well. But, reliability counts for a lot and this car delivers.

5th Apr 2009, 13:59

Update 2: The car now has just 4,800 miles, as I haven't been driving too much except back and forth to work. No mechanical issues to report, however, the driver's seat back is showing significant wear on the outer side. Had same problem with 06 Impala.

11th Aug 2009, 18:34

You can't say this is a reliable car if it only has 4,900 miles. It's basically still new at that point. Wait until you get about 50,000 miles. You'll start getting the usual problems that plague all Chevy's at that point.

12th Aug 2009, 18:16

Agreed with the above. Be proactive, cut your losses, and trade it for a Civic or Corolla before the problems start. You'll be glad you did.

6th May 2010, 13:42

I did take a proactive step... I traded for a 2010 Cobalt LT. Having had my previous one for two years with NO issues, I am confident enough to purchase a new one.

2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LS Sedan 2.2 liter Ecotech

Summary:

I love my Cobalt

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong yet, however, I have only 2200 miles on it. One thing though, is that when it's really cold, there's a crunching sound in the suspension when I hit some substantial bumps. I hope somebody can tell me what that is. I hope it's nothing serious. Maybe some ice getting between something or some bum shocks?

General Comments:

Has great take off once out of 1st gear. I can usually leave most in my dust on take off.

Great on gas. Great handling. Very large trunk space. I could fit a whole family in there. It's comfortable enough for me, though some would disagree.

I don't like the automatic lights though. I would prefer to have the option to turn them on if I wanted to. Now I just turn them off in the daytime. Even the dealer said you may go through more headlight lamps.

Other than all that, a very sweet car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th February, 2008