5th Mar 2007, 13:45
I've owned a Cobalt for about a year and a half, and I'm yet to have any major problems with it. The only thing that I need to have checked out is the alignment, but it was because of my own stupidity. There is no need to bash a Cobalt, it is a perfectly fine and affordable car, and I love mine to death.
5th Mar 2007, 21:05
13;45 obviously didn't' test drive a Fit before buying the Cobalt or he would have had a 180 degree different opinion of the Cobalt. I've driven both and it is like night and day, and the Cobalt is definitely the darkest night.
9th Mar 2007, 13:44
Re: 12.52.
"A fit is a marvel of engineering". Oh Boy, you made my day. I haven't had a good laugh in a while, your comment is priceless. Only a Honda pettifogger would say something like this.
The Civic is, or was a good car. As far as being superior well, perhaps back in the days when their only small car competition was Toyota, but not today. My son owns a 2002 Hyundai Elantra, had it since new and has driven it over 330k. His girl friend owns a 2001 Cavalier, had it since new and has driven it over 300k. Both cars were routinely maintained in accordance with the manufacturers guideline's and both are in excellent running condition. The Cavalier costs less to maintain than the Elantra and gets better fuel economy. The Hyundai dealer wants $18 a piece for a spark plug and $42 for an air filter. A spark plug for the Cavalier costs $3 a piece and an air filter costs $7.
I owned a 1978 Olds 350 Vista Wagon, had it since new and put 410k on it before I sold it to some guy who wanted the engine. I owned that car for fifteen years, maintained it regularly and had only one major expense. I had the transmission replaced at 200k, cost me $700.
So, if you think that a Fit is marvel of engineering then I think the Olds, Elantra and Cavalier are standards of engineering.
9th Mar 2007, 18:42
13:44; The Cavalier is a standard of engineering? And an Oldsmobile? Since I made you laugh, that comment of yours must be a joke to make me laugh? I hope so.
Ever hear of a car called the Honda CRX? The 25 year old compact car that people still pay a lot of money for? The Fit will be the same way; it's a perfectly engineered car. A Honda 4-cylinder (you can't do any better than that), gets 38 mpg, fun as hell to drive, lots of interior space, brilliant configuration of the way the seats can be arranged, feels like a MUCH more expensive car to drive than it actually is, not simple, not over-complex. You can put a whole family it in on a long trip, or take it out by yourself and drive it like a racecar, and it's suited perfectly for both. You're comparing a CAVALIER to this!?
10th Mar 2007, 09:10
Prove to me that the Vista, Elantra or Cavalier can beat a Ferrari through the slalom as the Fit did and then we'll talk.
You apparently like mediocre driving cars that get you from A to B. I like to drive, and therefore love the Fit and its advanced engineering.
I also it find it very suspect that your son and his girlfriend each put something like 90K miles per year on their cars. I mean, when do they have time to see each other when they spend every waking moment behind the wheel of their own cars?
10th Mar 2007, 11:05
It's called grasping at straws, something American car apologists are great at doing.
Next you'll be reading how their "neighbor's" Fit broke down after 1000 miles and they were soooo fed up with the car they traded it in for a "much more reliable" Cobalt.
The tales just get taller the more they are confronted with the facts about the superiority of the Fit.
11th Mar 2007, 05:42
11:05, That's great! That's the truth, isn't it? So many false comments about somebody's 'neighbor' getting their import towed away, meanwhile they have 400 million miles on a Cavalier that grows money in the glovebox! What a bunch of crap. These are the same people who think that Corollas blow up in 30,000 miles, and F-150's are good trucks!
11th Mar 2007, 12:01
Re;18.42 & 9.10.
Personally, I've never owned a Honda, but I may someday in the future, perhaps an Odyssey. The Civic is too small for my tastes, but I suppose for the younger buyer, the CRX is a sought after model for whatever reason. I would never buy one so I quess not everybody wants one!
My decisions to purchase a vehicle are not predicated on marketing hype or what's cool, but rather on practicality and over all total end costs. When raising a family, you tend to make real life mature decisions based on necessity and budget. As far as a Fit being superior to a Ferrari, well that's merely wishful thinking on behalf of some Honda paid journalist that writes dribble designed to manipulate the gullible few who live in a fantasy world. "If it's written, it must be true".
The Olds Vista Wagon was the right car for me at that time and it was truly a good car, perhaps the best. That's my opinion and it's based on fact and experience not blind product bias. I've owned other makes including Toyota's and even a Kia, some good some bad. The Olds was the best regardless of what you make think! Not many Honda's have gone 410k without major repairs so don't kid yourself.
My son is considering buying a new car and has test driven a Pontiac G5, which is the same as a Cobalt. As far as he's concerned it's as good as any other model in the same price range. His Elantra served him well, but it's a bit pricey to maintain so he's not looking for another. He has also driven a Civic and Corolla as well as other makes. Right now, he prefers the Corolla over the Civic, but is leaning towards the G5 based on total end use cost. He puts about 70k on a year and after five years no car with over 300k on is worth anything. The G5 is about $1k less than a comparably equipped Corolla or Civic and costs less to maintain on a regular basis. It also has a better warranty.
Where I live, they use Cobalts as Taxis and yes, they also use Toyotas to. So in the real world, if a Cobalt can be used as a Taxi then it must be a good car. No, there are no Honda Taxis, I wonder why?
4th Mar 2007, 12:52
Just stumbled onto this thread; had to comment. Please: no more comparisons between the Cobalt and Fit. The Fit is a Honda marvel of engineering, harking back to the 80's and 90's CRX's that people still go nuts over because they run forever and are so much fun to drive. There is absolutely nothing special about a Cobalt. Already, GM can't give them away, and Honda can't make enough Fit's to satisfy demand.