LandonElf

I am having a mental dilema regarding these two cars. The 5th gen is AMAZING looking, and as an owner of two previos camaros, i have an affection for the nameplate (and GM) that will stay around forever. So, my question is; What will be the performance difference between a mid level V8 5th Gen and a Supercharged Cobalt SS (ideally with stage 2 upgrade)?

If the midlevel V8 5th gen is not in the same league as the cobalt then my question shifts to the V6 model.

As a college kid, I just have a hard time justifying a 26K+ car purchase if i can pay 21K can get numbers that are in the same ball park as the mustang GT.

I really like the new supercharged cobalts and think they look really sharp too.

Please help! You guys have been burning ricers for a long time and i need to know which i should strive for if my budget for car payments has to be 300 a month.

ChrisL

I'd say your Cobalt HP target needs to be upper 200s (keeping in mind the Cobalt will weigh less) to give the mid level Camaro a run for its money.

As far as which one to get... well, you can make any car fast if youre willing to pay, so it really boils down to personal preference and your budget.

Bottom line, until the Camaro is officially announced, and more importantly, content and pricing are set, you just wont be able to make an informed decision.

LandonElf

Yea, your probably right about it being to early to decide, but i was just hoping that some cobalt owners could shed some light on my situation. Or better yet, some of the "winkie club" could give me a yay or nay on getting a V8 in the neighborhood of 26K.

TTopJohn

Tough to say, since we don't even know right now if there will be a mid level Camaro.

But as nice as the Cobalt SS appears to be, Personally I will always pick a RWD dedicated sports/muscle/pony car over a souped up FWD economy car. One because RWD is just more fun, and two because a sports/muscle/pony car has a certain swagger that I think is lacking in an economy car, even when the economy car is souped up to Cobalt SS or Evo or WRX Sti levels.

Evilfrog

The Cobalt does lack swagger.

RussStang

A midlevel v8 Camaro, if it arrives at 400hp, is going to have no trouble dusting off a stage 2 Cobalt. From a dig it will even be worse for the Cobalt. A 300hp v6 Camaro versus a stage 2 Cobalt will be a different story. Advantage from a stop goes to the Camaro, but on a top speed run it may turn out differently. Of course, to be sure of any of this we have to wait for the official specs of the real life production Camaro.

Z28Wilson

Food for thought:

A guy on the Cobalt SS forums just ran a 12.94 with the new Stage 3 package and a few other goodies. He says he has about $1500 in the car, and once they are able to fully unlock the PCM, he says he'll be shooting for 11's. That ain't bad, even though it isn't really my cup-o'-tea.

RussStang

I bet the $1500 doesn't account for the sticky tires he needed to get that time, or the half shafts he is going to end up having to replace when he blows the stock ones out.

$1500 still sounds like he was lowballing the figure alot. Doesn't the stage 3 upgrade include a new blower?

guionM

Simple. Buy what you personally like and what you can personally afford.

You have answered your own question by indicating what you can afford ($21K) and what your priority is (Mustang GT performance). You gave 2 choices, and only 1 fits your perimeters, right??



If you really want my opinion (God forbid ), the 1st thing I'm going to ask is why are anguishing about a car that's not going to be in showrooms at a minimum nearly 2 years from now, plus at least another 6 months of $5K dealer markups on base models. I also have to ask why a person who is still working their way through college is wanting to take a dive into buying a brand new car along with the related 4 to 6 years worth of car payments? Why do you want to get rid of what you're driving now?

Finally, I have to ask why not go used? You can get a very good condition Z28 or Mustang GT for as little as $10K and can easily be paid off within a couple of years, and with the left over cash you'll save in payments and insurence, you can even add your own touches if you don't want to stash the cash.


Bottom line:

1. This is early 2006. The next Camaro comes out in 2008. The Cobalt SS is out now.

2. Why tie yourself up with a new car in college if you can get a used one that costs you alot less & will be paid off when Camaro does come out and you can make a REAL decision?

stars1010

I agree with Guy mostly....

I'm in college too, I'll be done in 13 months....

By the time the Camaro vert comes out in 2009 I should be a few years into my first job...

The last thing you need to do now in college is get into more debt....

I'm just going to wait till I have the cash flow and the stability.

Till then the either the GTP I have now or maybe some other used car is going to have to get me around. How much do used 2004 GTOs go for anyway?

CamaroRSguy

Cobalt SS is a great car IMO. It took speed trails this year, beating out Skylines, STi's, Evos ect, and within a second of the record time. With some minimal upgrades I've heard they're in the 13's easily. That being said, the Camaro is a different beast, with similiar however different perspective buyers. If you want out of the box performance, Camaro. You want something with good gas mileage, tuning potential, but not the same swagger, tradition or heritage but a great ride and a bit cheaper, get the SS Cobalt.

Basically, you want to beat up on Mustangs and Challengers get the Camaro.
You want to beat up on Si Civics, RSX-S's, and all the other over rated rice rockets, get the SS Cobalt.

Evilfrog

No. Its just a pulley, some injectors and a piggyback for tunning. Here is his mods and price. He also owns his own shop. So its not just some kid installing the parts.

Stage3 kit, 525.00
2.6" pulley

Corsa cat back 730.00

Cat delete 30-50.00

Wheels 150.00(I have no idea on this one? Sounds like he bought them off of someone.)

QTP's 320.00

JBS Bushings 199.00

Spec Stage 2+ clutch 560.00

Fidanza Flywheel 320.00

As far as breaking stuff. Im sure he will. Most people that run 12s or so end up breaking stuff within a few trips to the track. How many Fbodies have had to replace thier rear end when running mid 12s?

Sixer-Bird

When I was looking at cars two months ago, 04 GTO's were in the $19k-$23k range. V8 F-bodies with under 50k miles were priced above $16k for the most part, which I think is a stupid considering that the GTO is a better car for $3k more.

If I were you, I'd hang on to your GTP or find something with a manageable payment until the 5th gen comes out. It'll be worth it. My fiance will inherit the Acura, and I'll use my employee discount (hopefully GMAC employees will still get it by then) to get a spankin' new Camaro at dealer invoice

RussStang

By your figures he spent $2635 for everything, not the $1500 figure thrown around earlier. Would have been higher if he didn't get the wheels for $150.

As for the fbody rears. Sure, some of them break in the 12s. I know of far more that haven't broken though on 12 sec cars. The fbody rears are garbage, but most of them can stand pass after pass in the 12 sec zone, especially with the auto cars.

stars1010

Yeah I know, I don’t want to spend all that much but I’m going to need a new daily driver in a year or two. I just past 90k on the GTP and I'd rather not keep cars much past 120k….