2005 Chevrolet Cobalt LS coupe 2.2L from North America

Summary:

Great On Gas... That is about it : (

Faults:

Started rattling (dash) at around 10,000kms.

Door skin fell off around 10,000kms!

Material on seats and on door skin is starting to actually pull away at the stiching.

Lights stopped working today randomly 20,000kms.

Stereo sometimes goes ahead and resets itself! Clock stays fine, but all the other settings reset. (very annoying!) This started at about 500kms.

Sometimes doesn't start the first try!

General Comments:

I bought this car when GM had their 'employee discount' late in 2005. I figured "hey, new car, new Chevrolet spirit, this has to be worth the money!"

...boy was I wrong...

It gets great gas mileage, mind you. The transmission feels real solid, but GM was always known to produce pretty good drivetrains.

It seems to lack in every other neighborhood though. The quality is very lacking in terms of fit and finish, clunking, electronics. It seems like all of these little 'bugs' started around 10,000kms as well.

Does GM program their cars to destruct after 10,000kms? :D.

This is a good car if you want something new, cheap, and great on gas! If you are like me and get annoyed with every single creek and rattle, go do yourself a favour and spend the extra few grand on an import. You will thank yourself in the end!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 14th September, 2006

14th Sep 2006, 22:10

When will people ever learn NEVER to buy the FIRST YEAR model of a new car?? I used to work for a major car manufacturer, and I can assure you the first year model of ANY car (foreign OR domestic) will have TONS of problems. The Chevy Trailblazer and GMC Envoy are good examples. The 2002 (first year) models were full of glitches, but now they are probably the best SUV for the money in the world. You should have bought the Cavalier RS coupe (still made in 2005 along with the Cobalt). It was a tried and true car with all the bugs worked out decades ago. Sorry you got a 1st-year lemon.

18th Sep 2006, 17:04

Original Author - Well, on Saturday I got T-Boned in the car by a lady who ran a red light and it got totalled off..

Another thing to add.

They don't withstand side impacts very well at all!!!

Seriously, save up and spent your money on a car with side airbags at least, they come factory on most entry level cars these days anyway!

19th Sep 2006, 16:06

I'd look at the awesome Dodge Caliber. It has side air bags and is one of the best cars in terms of accident survival (way better than the imports). They are also very reasonably priced and great on fuel mileage. I'd try to find a 5-speed, as they are better performers than the (unproven) CVT. I've driven two Calibers and was very impressed.

26th Sep 2006, 13:13

Next time don't buy a car the 1st year it was made... always wait a year or two to avoid things like this especially GM cars there a hit and a miss... This should be common sense.

28th Nov 2006, 10:23

'06 Cobalt LS They must not have fixed the stereo glitch. Stereo keeps going out for days at a time and magically comes back on. Also the starting issue. Yep I have that also! Doesn't seem the bugs were fixed yet a year later.

12th May 2007, 19:08

They don't withstand side impacts very well at all.

Most small cars usually don't fare so well in any sort of impact.

In reply to 12th May 2007, 19:08

15th Mar 2010, 17:18

My '96 Accord, which managed to drive away with nothing more than a cracked and scraped rear bumper and flat spotted tires from an accident, which destroyed the Buick Roadmaster that rear-ended it, may have something to say to that.

3rd Aug 2011, 08:55

My aunt's 1999 Corolla was t-boned by a full size GM sedan. The Corolla was drivable, but the GM was not drivable.

2005 Chevrolet Cobalt LS 2.2 from North America

Summary:

Good car for whats its worth

Faults:

Rt tail light has water, Rt headlight bulb holder broke, Front of car rattles, Rotors are warped.

General Comments:

I like the 2.2 power it takes off when you need to. It's a good little car. The tires that came with the car were the worse. After replacing the stock "continental tires" with potenza G 009. It handled much better.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 8th September, 2006

25th Sep 2006, 13:57

I just purchased a 2006 Chevy Cobalt a few months back and left comments under a new thread for that. I just felt it necessary to respond to this thread.

Before purchasing the Cobalt I had a 1990 Honda Civic sedan that had 260,000 miles on it. The car still ran great. Besides some nuisance issues, ie., inside trunk latch broke, seatbelt light flashed, etc. I did not have any mechanical problems with the car. I got 40 miles to the gallon and never needed to add any oil. I sold it to a guy I work with and he currently drives it an hour to work each day.

I also own a 2002 Toyota Sienna van that I purchased a couple years ago and it currently has 70,000 miles on it. The van has had a few things go wrong with it since I purchased it. The drivers side sliding door occasionally fails to latch shut (dealership couldn't find anything wrong) and the passenger side headlight fails to come on occasionally.

Although I have had the Cobalt only a few months I like the car a lot. The gas mileage is decent (38-40 miles on the highway), enough room in the back for three children, ages 9 months - 6 years, huge trunk for a small car and there have been no problems yet and I am currently at about 6000 miles. From what I read it seems most of the problems occur around the 10,000-15,000 mile range, so I am holding my breath.

Just my two cents.