'06 GTP versus '06 Cobalt SS/SC: Thoughts?

[traingeek087]

Bad move. I work at a Chevy dealership and i've driven both of those cars. G5 has a better looking interior and still isn't anything fantastic. As for the G6, I didn't like a thing about them until i drove one. Nice interior and the exterior is growing on me. And yellow. Ewwwwwwww

[cavingman]

no one mentioned a G5. i know its the same platform, but the ss/redline (lsj) drives completley different from the base delta platform and has no basis for comparison.
working at a chevy dealer, you should know this.

[Rich]

as for as modding under warranty, they do have the various stages of performance mods that if installed by the dealer do not void the warranty. and if you do get it, they have some nice, black projector/angel eye headlights. i wouldnt want to get the yellow either, its black or nothing with the SS for me. i would go with the SS but not having driven either i guess i cant really say. im sure itll come down to the test drive.

[GA Nightmare]

bad move!

[notsoaveragej0e]

Originally Posted by Rich

as for as modding under warranty, they do have the various stages of performance mods that if installed by the dealer do not void the warranty. and if you do get it, they have some nice, black projector/angel eye headlights. i wouldnt want to get the yellow either, its black or nothing with the SS for me. i would go with the SS but not having driven either i guess i cant really say. im sure itll come down to the test drive.

I just looked at them- these things are sweet!

[notsoaveragej0e]

If I get this car, I am getting a personalized plate that will read "SCPWNSU" because I am that cool, I have decided.

[Bryan]

I've always liked the SS since it came out. Not that I've had any experience with them but I say go for it. And definitely get thsoe headlights.

[GregFarz78]

What did you pay for your car and what are they asking for the cobolt? You're 19 chances are you'll want a new car in a few years anyway at least with the GTP it will have a little better resale than that cobolt might want to keep that in mind. The dealership want you to do this b/c they'll be making out in the deal unload a car with crappy resale before its too late and get a nicer car with better resale so they can mark it up and sell it "almost" new. Dont let them fool you like this deal is in your favor.

[archillasvante]

only if you're talking about teh fast...

i dunno if this has been said already but stock vs. stock the cobalt ss if s/c will win. its 205hp vs. 240 in the gtp, but also 2900 lbs vs. almost 3500 lbs in the gtp.

i still haven't had the chance to race my gtp since its winter and i just got it, but threads like this are all over the g6 forums at g6performance.com. i just watched a video of a gtp coupe get owned several times.

it wasn't very far behind the cobalt (about 1-1.5 cars) but it still lost.

[nascarnate326]

Originally Posted by cavingman

i have the saturn equivalent, and id still take it over a g6 anyday. learned my lession with GM V6s...

Amen to that.

Make sure you get the Recardo (sp) seats. The leather/color inserts seats get old real fast. I like the SS/SC's. 07's get the new steering wheel and such. They also have the idleing issue fixed. As for speed, no v8 less pontiac can touch it, assuming you get stage 2. I hate the large wing, as its hard to see out the rear view mirror, if you get brand new consider the spoiler. 07 would come with a better warranty. Do certified used cars have the better warranty now? Whats yours on the GTP? I say get it. White would be my ideal color, but red and yellow are up there. Good luck!

[Mirage85]

Originally Posted by mr_eh

cobalt ss all the way....

edit; enough with the 4cyl vs 6cyl nonsense, the cars with the most whp on this board arent 6 cylinders =P

Not everyone buys a car for power so they can jump on message boards and flash around their internet penis.

When it comes to the 2 engines, I have learned from experience that when they climb in the miles, the 4 banger loses its pep well before the v6 does. I have driven several cars now, with 4cylinders and V6's that have crossed the 200k mile mark, so I know what Im talking about when it comes to high miles.

Granted, that since he while be buying the car brand new, he probably wont keep it that long, so it probably wont be a factor for him, but its something I have to consider when I buy a new car.

Ive had my grand am less than a year and already have ~25,000 miles on it, Ill probably hit ~30k by the year mark. I plan on keeping this car for a long time, especially since my next large purchase will hopefully be a house, so I need an engine that does lose gobs, at least as noticable gobs of power when it climbs in the miles and the engine starts to wear out.

[DrFabulous]

If all you are doing is a CAI, Exhaust, and a shifter, stay with the GTP. If you might do more (header, pully, etc), go with the CSS. Just think.... the cost of GTP headers would probably be less than a pully, header and CAI for the CSS

[Cormaster]

It's a tough call for me. I basically did a similar switch, as I went from a Grand Am GT to a Cavalier LS Sport due to a wreck. Both are predecessors to the vehicles you are comparing.

Anyway I'll admit, I miss the extra space of the Grand Am over the Cavalier. And I've sat in the Colbalts, and even though GM claims the Delta platform is dramatically more spacious than the J-body, It's not. The only difference is they let you move the seat back the whole way till it touches the back seat, at least from what I saw.

If you can deal with yellow I say go for it. I turned down a 2002 sunfire GT that had a stick option for my A/T cavalier (and I"m a pontiac person and prefer the sunfire to the cavie) because It was yellow. Other than space I really don't miss the Grand Am at all and I prefer the Cavalier to it. Small cars are just more fun, and in general have a much larger aftermarket. I imagine that the weight difference probably gives the Colbalt SS a lot more pick up and go. And isn't the Colbalt rated at the wheels while the GTP is rated at the motor? Honestly the GTP is underpowered for the hype pontiac brought with it.

I think you'll have a lot more fun in the Colbalt.

[tomh]

bad move IMO.. but if you really want, id be more then happy to trade you 2 Grand AM Coupes for the G6 Coupe

[notsoaveragej0e]

Originally Posted by GregFarz78

What did you pay for your car and what are they asking for the cobolt? You're 19 chances are you'll want a new car in a few years anyway at least with the GTP it will have a little better resale than that cobolt might want to keep that in mind. The dealership want you to do this b/c they'll be making out in the deal unload a car with crappy resale before its too late and get a nicer car with better resale so they can mark it up and sell it "almost" new. Dont let them fool you like this deal is in your favor.

The dealer is a close family friend, so its not some shady deal- they actually are hooking me up on this deal. I don't take the car to school, so when even when I am done with school in 2-3 years it will only have something like... ~10,000miles on it, so I don't think resale will be a huge issue.

Originally Posted by nascarnate326

Amen to that.

Make sure you get the Recardo (sp) seats. The leather/color inserts seats get old real fast. I like the SS/SC's. 07's get the new steering wheel and such. They also have the idleing issue fixed. As for speed, no v8 less pontiac can touch it, assuming you get stage 2. I hate the large wing, as its hard to see out the rear view mirror, if you get brand new consider the spoiler. 07 would come with a better warranty. Do certified used cars have the better warranty now? Whats yours on the GTP? I say get it. White would be my ideal color, but red and yellow are up there. Good luck!

Yeah, I hope this one is loaded with teh sweetness seats... I find out in about an hour

Originally Posted by Cormaster

It's a tough call for me. I basically did a similar switch, as I went from a Grand Am GT to a Cavalier LS Sport due to a wreck. Both are predecessors to the vehicles you are comparing.

Anyway I'll admit, I miss the extra space of the Grand Am over the Cavalier. And I've sat in the Colbalts, and even though GM claims the Delta platform is dramatically more spacious than the J-body, It's not. The only difference is they let you move the seat back the whole way till it touches the back seat, at least from what I saw.

If you can deal with yellow I say go for it. I turned down a 2002 sunfire GT that had a stick option for my A/T cavalier (and I"m a pontiac person and prefer the sunfire to the cavie) because It was yellow. Other than space I really don't miss the Grand Am at all and I prefer the Cavalier to it. Small cars are just more fun, and in general have a much larger aftermarket. I imagine that the weight difference probably gives the Colbalt SS a lot more pick up and go. And isn't the Colbalt rated at the wheels while the GTP is rated at the motor? Honestly the GTP is underpowered for the hype pontiac brought with it.

I think you'll have a lot more fun in the Colbalt.

That's really all I am looking for- it's not a Cadillac and I know that, I just want to have a pocket rocket to have fun in.

Thanks for all the feedback again guys, I appreciate it. I am off to the dealership now to see what's what. Wish me luckkkkk!

[GregFarz78]

Originally Posted by notsoaveragej0e

The dealer is a close family friend, so its not some shady deal- they actually are hooking me up on this deal. I don't take the car to school, so when even when I am done with school in 2-3 years it will only have something like... ~10,000miles on it, so I don't think resale will be a huge issue.

It doesnt matter though even with 10k miles you wont get much for it unless you go with private sale, resale on those cars is awful. If you dont plan to drive it much I dont see much point to getting a new car just stick with what you have :shrug:

[Mirage85]

Originally Posted by GregFarz78

It doesnt matter though even with 10k miles you wont get much for it unless you go with private sale, resale on those cars is awful. If you dont plan to drive it much I dont see much point to getting a new car just stick with what you have :shrug:

He's 19, he has no concept of money yet.


Like everyone else says, just stick with what you have and buy something later that will actually be an upgrade. Your G6 will hold a higher value for longer, so in a couple years, you can get yourself something nice.

[notsoaveragej0e]

Originally Posted by Mirage85

He's 19, he has no concept of money yet.

I won't even touch that comment.


Anyways, I test drove the Cobalt today and not going to lie, I was fairly disappointed. For a supercharged car, the get up and go factor was somewhat lacking. I did like the transmission feel though, because it allows some of the vibration of the engine through. In the end, I liked my G6 more because as an all around car, it blew the Cobalt out of the water(like most people on here said). I guess I had high expectations for this car, mostly because my friends with them regard them so highly. Not only that, but they wanted 2 grand more for this car (which didn't have the recaro racing seats or onstar) and I knew that wasn't happening.
If I were upgrading from the old Grand Am to this, it would probably be a strong contender, but still questionable. Perhaps if the car were fully loaded with every option it would win- including a jack to plug in my iPod directly, something I have no idea why this car doesn't have. In the end, I have fallen back in love with my GTP, and I plan on keeping it and lightly modding it this summer.
Off topic: I brought my car into another dealership to get a rattle between the third brake light and rear glass fixed, and they gave me a 4 door G6 as a rental. The 3.5 in this car really has a lot of pep, I can only imagine how it would feel in a Grand Am Also, it would make for a sweet offroader, as I found out about 45minutes ago

[Mirage85]

Good to hear.... if you were buying it as a first car as an upgrade from what Mommy and Daddy gave you, or your first car, being the $2000 beater you could afford when you were 16, then the Cobalt would have been amazing to you.

Everyone just has to experience these things for themselves, and everyone has different opinions... what one person likes, another doesnt.... so it just depends, but going from a little larger car, to a smaller one is usually always a down grade.

[GregFarz78]

asking cavingman about the glass transmissions in those cars...told ya there'd be a catch theres no such thing as an even trade with a dealership they try to screw you in some hidden way.