26th Apr 2010, 19:12

I live in a pretty rural area, and I've seen literally hundreds of foxes around. They aren't that little, and they certainly can do some damage to any car at high speed.

6th Jun 2010, 18:41

All I can say is slow down.

I bought a Cobalt LS with a salvage title. Got it fixed and am pretty happy with the car. I was getting 38 mpgs till I hit traffic. Even when I beat the crap out of it, I still average 26, which isn't bad for red lining most of the gears.

Only real problem I'm having now is my clutch. My fault =p.

12th Sep 2010, 20:52

I also live in a rural area, and it isn't that hard to avoid hitting animals if you just slow down some at night, and watch for their eyes that shine in the dark. Maybe it's your karma for killing the little guys that your car got so messed up. Slow down, and quit out driving your headlights at night.

28th Nov 2011, 11:24

This is the first new car me and my wife have ever bought. It is reliable and low maintenance.

Good gas mileage.

Would recommend it to older seniors for the above reasons.

Good for short or long distance travelling.

22nd Jun 2012, 20:22

The damage you described after hitting those animals was not in any way unusual. It would have happened with just about any car.

Actually, crashworthiness is a big reason I purchased my Cobalt. It is my second; I totalled the first one in a freak accident. I fell asleep behind the wheel and went airborne going over 75 MPH on the interstate, hit the median and rolled 7 times, and landed in the woods after slamming several trees. The cruise control was on, and even though I landed upside down suspended between some trees, the front wheels were still going strong. It was a pretty horrific crash. Every surface of the car was completely smashed, but I walked away without a scratch. The interior of the car was absolutely not compromised a bit. This was a coupe... I don't know if the 4-door would have held up as well, even though I suspect it would. Anyway, it was practically brand-new, so I took the insurance check, and immediately went out and bought the LT coupe I own now.

I have a 2010, and the interior seems much improved in assembly quality compared to the earlier models I've ridden in. For better or worse, all the GM vehicles we've had developed a litany of rattles in the interior over time. So far my Cobalt hasn't, knock on wood LOL! My old one had the gray interior, and the black plastics in the all-black interior of my new car are a little better quality. FYI, the "target" vehicle that GM designers were trying to emulate when the Cobalt was being designed was the 1999-2004 Volkswagen Jetta. The dash, door panels, and especially the door handles are very similar. They didn't miss the mark by far, even though the plastics are a little harder. I like my interior; in fact the early reviews of the 2005 Cobalt in the major car magazines cite the interior as having a premium look and feel. It's not that the interior is bad, it's more that interior design has evolved so quickly, that this car, which was designed in the very early 2000's, has been rapidly outdated by subsequent cars. Admittedly some of the materials aren't the best in the segment, BUT the car was substantially cheaper in price (especially considering actual purchased price vs. the sticker).

1st Sep 2012, 14:21

I own a repair shop, and one of my customers has the Cobalt SS. This is his third visit to the shop for damage to the radiator, A/C condenser and the supercharger cooler. This time around it was a piece of a blown out tire he hit. He must be extremely tired of his car, because I fixed it in the middle of July, and he still hasn't come in to pay for the repairs. I ended up filing a mechanics lien to try and collect my $1200. He always told us he was going to come get it, but never showed.

Now I wait another 25 days to see if I'm the new proud owner of a poorly designed Cobalt SS.