Anybody Own a Cobalt - Considering One

BaronsMom · #1 07/03/08, 11:52 AM

Anyone else own a Chevy Cobalt?

I've got a chance to look at a 2005 Cobalt with 30,000 miles, Auto Trans, AC, New Tires - $6500

It has a salvage title - had a door crunched in a accident. So no warranty. But guy doing the body work and selling the car is really good at finding quality vehicles he can repair at his Auto body/mechanics shop.

I've bought two other car from him - the last one I bought from him is nearing 300,000 miles. The one previous was over 200,000 before DH wrecked it and it was running fine.

I have a 100 mile commute to work (roundtrip) so need something more reliable and better on gas than the car I have.

Any opinions on the Cobalt would be great! Thanks...

alabamared · #2 07/03/08, 11:59 AM

I have an 07 that I bought new Aug 06. I've never had any trouble with it. I'm up to over 80,000 miles on it.

haypoint · #3 07/03/08, 12:41 PM

I rented one this Spring. I liked it. The metal under the door (rocker panels) seemed thin/tinny, like I'd expect it to be more solid.
To get a salvage title the repair cost is greater than the car's value. Generally, insurance companies pay to repair right up to the car's current value. I've seen an insurance company pay $9750 to repair a car that would be worth $10,000.before the accident. I don't doubt that the door was crunched, but to get a salvage title, I think a lot more was crunched, too. Any "before repair" photos?
I'm not saying don't buy it. Plan on driving the wheels off of it, because the big discount you get because it has a salvage title generally gets passed along.

BaronsMom · #4 07/03/08, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haypoint

I rented one this Spring. I liked it. The metal under the door (rocker panels) seemed thin/tinny, like I'd expect it to be more solid.
To get a salvage title the repair cost is greater than the car's value. Generally, insurance companies pay to repair right up to the car's current value. I've seen an insurance company pay $9750 to repair a car that would be worth $10,000.before the accident. I don't doubt that the door was crunched, but to get a salvage title, I think a lot more was crunched, too. Any "before repair" photos?
I'm not saying don't buy it. Plan on driving the wheels off of it, because the big discount you get because it has a salvage title generally gets passed along.

Good to know - I'll ask. Thanks.

Danaus29 · #5 07/03/08, 01:00 PM

Check to see if the frame is bent. In order for a relatively new car to be totalled like that, there would have to be significant damage. If you had close-up pictures of the gaps around the car (doors, trunk, hood) I'd be able to tell you if the frame is badly bent. Some can be straightened, some can't. If the frame is bent beyond repair then $50 for the car would be too much.

Have you driven the car? With a bent frame it will pull hard to one side or the other. If you can't keep the car on the road at 55 mph, don't buy it.

BaronsMom · #6 07/03/08, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danaus29

Check to see if the frame is bent. In order for a relatively new car to be totalled like that, there would have to be significant damage. If you had close-up pictures of the gaps around the car (doors, trunk, hood) I'd be able to tell you if the frame is badly bent. Some can be straightened, some can't. If the frame is bent beyond repair then $50 for the car would be too much.

Have you driven the car? With a bent frame it will pull hard to one side or the other. If you can't keep the car on the road at 55 mph, don't buy it.

I'm going to look at it this afternoon....yes, I was also worried about the frame.

Generally, the guy who is selling the car, avoids cars that have any damage to the frame. But, I was also surprised at what he wants for the car - which is awfully low for such low miles.

The two cars we bought from him previously were also salvaged and they turned out to be terrific cars for us. But, I want to make sure -

I'm certainly learning a lot - and since this car needs to last me a good long time and be dependable, I'm taking everyone's advice and checking thoroughly!!! (will take my camera along...)

Danaus29 · #7 07/03/08, 01:25 PM

We're currently driving a car that was supposed to have a salvage title (we wrecked it, we have no intention of selling) so I know salvage cars can be just fine. But the Cobalt has a unibody which is just not as stable as the full frames on older cars. In some cars it doesn't take much to permanently mess up the frame to the point where it is beyond repair. A friend of ours messed up a Nissan by hitting a downed tree which he didn't see. It bent the frame all up. The repair shop kept insisting the frame was fine. I drove the car and kept telling him the frame was messed up. After 20,000 miles more it was obvious the frame was bent because of the way the tires were worn. The shop that repaired it still insisted the frame was fine and refused to fix it under their lifetime repair warranty.

Did the guy who has it ever drive it? The way to tell if the car is aligned is to drive down a straight road and let go of the steering wheel. Don't be driving very fast or in traffic just in case. If the wheel stays straight for a couple seconds then it's most likely ok. If it goes right off to either side, the alignment is really bad, if it slowly goes off to one side the alignment is bad but not real bad. If you are driving down the road and you have to keep constant pressure on one side of the wheel DON'T let go of it! That is a horribly messed up alignment.

Focus on the gaps down at the bottom of the doors and the front edge of the hood and the back edge of the trunk. A ruler or something to show scale laid over the gap helps tremendously. The gap will be wider on the side away from the crunched side if the frame is bent. If the car has only 2 doors the gap will be larger at the bottom of the door and narrower at the top if the frame is bent. It's a real easy test if you have a ruler with you. I always have to judge by eye because who carries a ruler when they go car shopping?

Ohiogal · #8 07/03/08, 03:56 PM

I have an '07 that I bought last December after I totaled my '00 Toyota Corolla. To be honest, I like this car a LOT better, and it gets the same gas mileage for me. Its slightly bigger than the Corolla was and its quieter. I average 31.9 mpg in mixed driving, which is probably 70% highway. I have a 4 door sedan and the LT2 model, nothing special. Auto transmission.
The engine and drivetrain and tranny are well tested and they come highly regarded for lasting a long time with proper maintenance. That was tested on the Cavalier, which the Cobalt replaced but was the same drive train just a new body style.
If I were considering a salvaged vehicle, I'd have it looked at by an independant mechanic and put up on a rack to check for alignment. A lot of times, you can tell frame damage by the tire wear. Also, rule of thumb is that the car needs to have 75% of current -wholesale- value to be totaled by an insurance co. So figure out what the car was worth and what 75% is and that'll tell you how bad the damage was.
Happy car hunting!

BaronsMom · #9 07/03/08, 04:52 PM

I drove the Cobalt. It drove great. No apparent alignment problems - drove it on the highway and had "no hands for a good 3/4 mile" - and stayed dead center - which is about all the straight road I get to play that trick on.

I carefully checked the doors, trunk, and hood seams - and had a frank talk with the guy selling it. He went out and showed me everything he replaced. The car was hit on the driver's side. He had to replace both side doors and rear quarter panel. He even showed me a place where he got rushed and it isn't perfect...most wouldn't notice.

I may ask the mechanic if I can take it up to my dad so he can look at the engine. I'm sure I can do that over the weekend - in fact, the guy told me to just keep it all weekend - I can't do that (although I would LOVE to)

Blue book on the car is 8700-10,000 so 75% of that is about where I'm at.

Gotta tell you compared to what I am driving now - it is a cadillac.

Thanks everyone for your help - I was more prepared when I went in there!

**clovis** · #10 07/03/08, 06:17 PM

The Cobalts are very good cars.

BaronsMom · #11 07/03/08, 06:23 PM

I had to get a loan for some of the payment...which was approved in abaout an hours. Way too fast...I had to call the bank to double check.

I'm both nervous and excited...(so are my kids!)

So I'm buying the car -

**clovis** · #12 07/03/08, 10:21 PM

Good for you!!!

Take good care and maintenance of your car, and it will take good care of you.

When we bought our last car, which I hated to borrow some of the balance, we scraped up all the lose change around the house...about $68 total, and applied that to the amount we owed for the car. Sounds wierd to most, but that is $68 we didn't have to borrow from someone, and eventually pay back.

We also dug deep into our weekly budgets, and came up with another $400 or so to add to the $68 and our BIG down payment.

Clove

frogmammy · #13 07/04/08, 07:28 PM

My daughter bought a new Cobalt. Two months later she hit a **possum** with it. Had to have the motor rebuilt & fan replaced, among other things. STILL doesn't drive right, although she drives it on trips.

Main problem with the Cobalt is ground clearence...not much! (was it 8 inches?) Just keep that in mind while driving! Great mpg, BIG trunk, comfortable ride....just that little clearence problem...

Mon

BaronsMom · #14 07/04/08, 09:28 PM

I've heard clearance is an issue with many of these smaller cars. Friend of mine hit a raccoon and nearly totaled her Neon. My son has a Nisson with even lower clearance and he has problems driving in snow.

I'm going to get collision and liability insurance on it - just in case. Thanks - yes, it does have a nice big trunk!!

Beeman · #15 07/05/08, 09:56 AM

I stay away from salvage titled vehicles. The salvage title should lower the price on that car way bellow any retail book value as you will have a hard time selling it and car dealers won't accept them for trade in most places.
If you do consider it check systems like the ABS and air bags to see if they function. Air Bags deploy in many crashes and their expense is what totals or drives the price of repair high. To make a profit many salvage rebuilders don't repair or replace the air bags. I know many don't care about having an air bag butt if someone else is riding or driving your car and something happens it's going to haunt you.

Darren · #16 07/05/08, 01:24 PM

The Cobalt is a fine car as long as you don't hit anything. I suspect you'll carry insurance to cover its replacement. The daughter of a friend has hit deer on two occasions with her Cobalt. Fortunately she wasn't driving fast. The first time required replacing a fender, the hood, the radiator and a bunch of the supporting sheet metal. The second took everything above plus the subframe. Since my friend does body work it wasn't a problem. But he is trying to get his daughter to get rid of the car. I suspect at higher speeds a collision with a deer could result in injuries to the driver. The car is not very sturdy.

Be careful.

canfossi · #17 07/05/08, 06:42 PM

Congrats! Sounds like you/ve checked the car over well, hope your happy with your new purchase. I don't know anything about them, but I'm sure it wil be a great car for you and your family. Chris

BaronsMom · #18 07/05/08, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beeman

I stay away from salvage titled vehicles. The salvage title should lower the price on that car way bellow any retail book value as you will have a hard time selling it and car dealers won't accept them for trade in most places.
If you do consider it check systems like the ABS and air bags to see if they function. Air Bags deploy in many crashes and their expense is what totals or drives the price of repair high. To make a profit many salvage rebuilders don't repair or replace the air bags. I know many don't care about having an air bag butt if someone else is riding or driving your car and something happens it's going to haunt you.

Good idea on the airbags... I'll doublecheck with him. Right now my Chevy Cavalier has no airbags at all.

The other I don't like on these newer cars is all the electronics that tell you what is up with the car. I prefer the old dials and such on the dash. And no way for me to check the transmission fluid anymore - no dip stick, got to take it into a dealer if one of the "lights" go on. Even as a "mom", I'm pretty hands-on when it comes to my car - part of the reason I'd like to think my current car has lasted as long, and put as many miles on as it had.

Yes, the Kelly Blue Book on this car is $8700 - $10,000 so at $6,500 sale price the price is lower. I would hesitate on a salvage title if I hadn't already purchased two other cars from this family-owned business. We're fortunate to have this young man with his shop in town - he has a very good reputation for providing sound cars for families in the area. Both my other cars that we bought from him had salvage titles and since I drive a car until it can basically they can go no more, we don't worry about resale...just function.

At least now I'll have some experience with the vehicle if anyone asks how they like one. Thanks again...