whats up....i am gettin a new car soon...I went to the chevy dealership the other day and saw a black SS and i fell in love lol....My Favorite car was always th WRX so im stuck between the two....HELPPPPP!!!!

Get the Cobalt SS!! I say that because you can get better gasmileage from the chevy and still it will be fun to drive. Oooo and welcome to the site.

If you want to spend an extra $10k on the STi, it's up to you. I think the Cobalt SS/SC is far better looking in every way and I would think you can mod it to be as fast as the STi without spending the full additional $10k (umm, for those kinda bones I would hope faster). The STi doesn't even have a radio, or so I've read. But comparing the regular WRX and the SS/SC, I would definately go Cobalt all the way.

Disclaimer: I've never driven nor even sat in a STi or regular WRX for that matter, and all the above is based on personal opinion after reading up on the two. But I do own an SS/SC and I love it so far :D

Well actually a radio IS an OPTION (doesnt come with it unless you ask for it!) on an STi, but its like a $1000 option!!! As far as a regular WRX The AWD is good but an SRT-4 can smoke a regular WRX so I would assume the SS would be right about the same speedwise, and dont think just cause the WRX is AWD that it will handle better, the SS pulled a 69.XX mph through a 60ft slalom :eek: :eek: Thats awesome for a stock econocar!!!! The new base model C6 Corvette also trapped a 69.XX just to show you how well the SS performs. Trust me this thing was MADE to handle, and its fast too!!!

Last week, I was in your shoes... I had been studying the market for several weeks. I went out and did my due dilligence. I drove the Subaru WRX STI, the Lancer EVO, the Mazda RX-8, that bolt on Dodge Neon srt-4, the Acura RSX, the honda Civic si, and each one of these cars lacked "something" I was looking for. I had no idea Chevy was even in the market until I saw some wag in some blog mention not to overlook the Cobalt SS. HUH? Chevy is waking up? I went to the Chevy website to have a look. I wanted 18" tires without paying an extra $750 & up... I wanted a car that wouldn't eat my sack lunch at the local gas station. I wanted a car that had enough creature comfort to be liveable day in and day out, as this car is going to be my driver, (I already have my mod tubbed out 73 Dodge Charger... 360 rebuilt, 600 series ProCharger, edelbrock everything else... get the hell out of my way trailer queen...). I intend to enjoy this car for years, and not feel like I was in a 12 round prize fight everytime I stepped out of the car after going crosstown. The second I saw the Cobalt SS, I saw a winner. Excellent looks, excellent performance, and a price that screamed AFFORDABLE !
I opened a picture page on every model I had reviewed, tiled them, and brought my 15 year old daughter and 16 year old son to take a peek at each one of them and asked.... "Which is the coolest looking car????" I hinted at no preference. It was no contest. They both thought the Cobalt SS was the "Bling Machine", hands down! I told my son.. looks can be decieving, so I hunted up inventory at my local dealers, and EUREKA... A local dealer was showing off the only one I could find in the state of Kansas. Saturday, It was off to the dealer for a test drive. The car has the power of a little Hercules, and the grip of a hungry panther on the curves. And that Pioneer stereo with sub woofer???? My ears are still ringing from my son's stereo test drive. (plus it plays MP3s.. 5 years and 30 gigs of downloads were not in vane.) If I REALLY feel the need to go out at night and spit rubber on rice burner windshields and Neon bolt ons,, I'll untrailer the 73 Charger and drive it between gas stations. For the price difference between the WRX STI and the Cobalt SS, I bought a 7 year, 90000 mile $50 deductable warranty, and with the left over funds, and the MPG difference between the STI and the SS, I'll be able to run this car for the full extent of it's warranty and still have enough money left over to pull thru the local Sonic for a burger and milkshake every now and then.
But hey, if you love those higher insurance payments, and lift enough weights to go 12 rounds a day and still be able to hit the dance floor at midnight... Take your pick. My money is with the Chevy Cobalt SS.
Hope this helped... That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

There ya go right there! Firsthand experience!

Oh yeah and I just heard that a LOT of Redline oowners are havin problems with SCDyne so be wary of them!

Get a WRX. You can get a brand new Rexer for the same price as the cobalt. Expandabilty of the car is greater, aftermarket support is greater, the WRX has a legacy behind it, AWD is a plus, stock motor is capable of almost 500awhp. Oh yeah, when equally powered to a FWD car the WRX will guarantee you an almost 1sec quicker quater mile. Did i mention it was turboed and AWD?

Get a WRX. You can get a brand new Rexer for the same price as the cobalt. Expandabilty of the car is greater, aftermarket support is greater, the WRX has a legacy behind it, AWD is a plus, stock motor is capable of almost 500awhp. Oh yeah, when equally powered to a FWD car the WRX will guarantee you an almost 1sec quicker quater mile. Did i mention it was turboed and AWD?


Thats a tough call, why not give it a few months to see and hear more about these cars. I have a feeling they will do well!

It will take more than a few months. it took the srt a year to get where it is with aftermarket support now. Remember research and development takes time. i think it will be a capable car but until GM starts to drop these things off at the dealerships on a daily basis, vendors will stay weary.

1 whole second or a .1 of a second, cause havin AWD will not give a WHOLE second, I have heard of people in older AWD turbo Talons converting them to just FWD and runnin FASTER because of the weight difference!!!

I've driven the WRX. Kinda fun... it had it's good points, but overall, it was a pretty dissapointing car.

I'll reserve my judgement until I drive the Cobalt SS as well... but I'm expecting it to be much much better.

My dad loves Suburu's, but then he's a 64 year old acountant, too. ;)

1 whole second or a .1 of a second, cause havin AWD will not give a WHOLE second, I have heard of people in older AWD turbo Talons converting them to just FWD and runnin FASTER because of the weight difference!!!

Thats bullshit. plain an simple. Your telling me that equally powered, equally modded 1g talons. The FWD will win in the quater?? No buddy its almost a 1 second difference. The AWD car will be damn near half way down the track while the FWD car is trying to gain traction. I grew up around JDMs, the caribbean is a turbo fanatics dream. I have two friends, 1 has a 420awhp nissan pulsar the other has a 430whp nissan sunny( the american sentra) with a SR20det wap. Both cars are equally powered with the same motor, please give me a logical explanation why the pulsar runs 11.9 all day on street tires and the sunny cant manage to get over 12.6-12.8

i'm anticipating your reply.

And also growing up around JDM imprezza turbo's. AWD folks dont convert their car to FWD, that would be ludacris. they convert them to RWD.

I grew up JDM




That's the funniest thing I have heard all day.

That's the funniest thing I have heard all day.

since someone wanted to be a prik.

I grew up around JDMs.

What does JDM stand for ?

I grew up around computer and the internet.

JDM = japaneese domestic models

I have to say, I think I have a biased opinion on this one. ;)
I will admit that out of the box, the WRX is not as straight-line fast as an SRT-4. But it is SOLID. We don't have much data to compare to the SS. Generally the WRX, bone stock, will put down about 170-ish to all 4 wheels. Due to AWD it is heavier and loses about 25% through the drivetrain... but once you get a few restrictions out of the way it isn't hard to bump that power up at all - depending on your level of "mechanicability" and/or desire to learn....(or $$$ if you have that.) AWD will give you a lot more of a solid launch if you plan to drag race. But my personal opinion is that it is trickier, at least on the WRX, and your clutch will take a whole lotta abuse from the AWD traction.

and dont think just cause the WRX is AWD that it will handle better I beg to differ on that one. Among other conditions,drive a WRX in 7 inches of snow and say that. :) :) :) But I do know a lot of research went into the suspension of the Cobalt. It's a win-win situation

WRX gas mileage is 20 mpg city / 27 mpg hwy..so not quite as good, but not too bad.

oh yeah another point....A subaru will hold a greater resale and trade in value than the cobalt would.

Im still waiting on this guy's reply about fwd vs awd in the quater.... im dying to hear the logic.

I don't know about FWD conversions, but I do know Ali Afshar of ESX converted his WRX to an autmatic RWD to take it into the 8's. But he is back with a bigger badder AWD this season.

First off your obviously here to argue. I just said i have HEARD of guys that ran faster by converting them to FWD. Maybe by getting rid of the AWD system they lost a LOT of weight and gained power at the front wheels due to less drivetrain loss, who knows, I just heard the story! I didnt say I would do it Im a fan of AWD just said I had heard of it bein done! And I dont see why people would convert their daily street driven (and streetable)AWD WRXs to RWD JUST to drag race, only reason I could see em doin that would be for drifting! Which is not what we are talkin about!

The guys you are talkin about, your buddies or whatever, obviously ARENT equally powered, for one if the AWD is puttin out only 10 less hp at the wheels then he has a LOT more at the crank! Therefore they are not equally powered! If they both put out lets just say 300 at the crank then the FWD would put a higher % to the wheels than the AWD would! Also driver could make a difference, or ooh ooh I know, one of em has better traction!!!! I dont know, why dont you go ask them!

Oh and its Japanese Domestic MARKET. not models.

Oh and WRicerX, I was actually talkin about handlin on a roadcourse, not on snow!! :D :D

If I was on snow then I would LOVE to have an STi!!! ;)

Edited to be a lil nicer... and to hopefully be better understood...

First off your obviously here to argue. I just said i have HEARD of guys that ran faster by converting them to FWD. By getting rid of the AWD system they lost a LOT of weight and gained power at the front wheels due to less drivetrain loss! I didnt say I would do it Im a fan of AWD just said I had heard of it bein done! And people wouldnt convert their AWD WRXs to RWD to drag race retard, only reason they would do that would be for drifting! Which is not what we are talkin about!

The guys you are talkin about, your buddies or whatever, obviously ARENT equally powered, for one if the AWD is puttin out only 10 less hp at the wheels then he has a LOT more at the crank! Therefore they are not equally powered! If they both put out lets just say 300 at the crank then the FWD would put more hp to the front wheels than the AWD would! Als driver could make a difference, and one car could possibly outweigh the other (ignoring the fact the added weight of the AWD), why dont you go ask them!


Oh and WRicerX, I was actually talkin about handlin on a roadcourse, not on snow!! :D :D

If I was on snow then I would LOVE to have an STi!!! ;)

Actually, CoBizzle... you're wrong bro... if a WRX goes to a two-wheel drive system for drag racing, they go to RWD. FWD is the absolute worst configuration for drag racing there is. Period.

I just said they wouldnt do that to go drag racing, just drifting, never said they should go FWD either.

I would NEVER do it, nor would I recomend doin it!! I JUST SAID that I HAVE HEARD of people doin it and that they claimed to run faster due to their weight loss!!! And this assclown "nasty" starts an argument over nothin!! He is one of these guys that thinks hes a genius and really only makes himself out to be a jerk!!

'Bizzle, I think you got a few points mixed up between me and nastyblacksrt. The stuff I was saying was factual.


FWD is the absolute worst configuration for drag racing there is. Period.
Most definitely. I guess a lot if it has to do with chassis dynamics. The pro's are years behind in that arena since it's a little newer concept.

I just said they wouldnt do that to go drag racing, just drifting, never said they should go FWD either.



Yeah, but that's not true dude... that's all I am saying... RWD is still the best configuration there is for serious, high HP drag racing.

And I really think you must have heard wrong with the FWD/AWD conversion thing....... I know I have definitely heard of them going RWD...... I've certainly NEVER heard of them going FWD.

Ok this will be my final statement just to clear things up on my view.

1) To nasty, I NEVER SAID for anybody to convert their AWD vehicles to FWD and that that would make them run faster in the 1/4, All I said was that I heard of two guys that did it to theirs, they were from Indiana, where my buddy moved to. I dont agree with doin that either that is why I got so heated because to me it sounded like you were tryin to make me sound stupid for HEARING about some guys that supposedly converted their all wheel Tallons to FWD. And for overreacting I apologize.

2) To WRicerX and VeloSSity, A)I agree with you sayin that AWD AND RWD are better drag setups than FWD. FWD is not the most desirable drag setup because when people accelerate hard (with REAL power) the weight of the car shifts towards the rear causing the front tires to have less traction and USUALLY break loose, this is why pros have a sort of "wheelie" bar on FWD dragsters, the bars keep the weight of the car pressed forward sort of like a spring. I understand this. The only thing I was sayin is that the only reason I could FIGURE that those two guys in Indiana ran faster would be the loss of weight and increased power at the front wheels, maybe they used slicks and gutted the cars, I dont know I just heard a story from a friend about some guys at his new local drag strip!

B)The reason I said they wouldnt convert their AWD scoobies to RWD to drag was because of the fact that they arent professional dragsters and dont have that kind of serious hp obviously (Highest streetable daily driven scoobies Ive seen were about 500ish whp, and everybody knows that you could take a 500hp car to any drag strip at anygiven day and have your ass handed to you by someone!). I said the only reason they would convert it to RWD is to drift because drifting in an AWD car IS HARDER than in a RWD car. Bein that the front wheels are pullin hard it is hard to keep the nose pinned to the turnand let the tail slide, so you have to throttle and brake more and overuse the ebrake on an AWD car! Which is not what we are discussing so I dont know why I brought that up...





I am not arguing that FWD the besr or even a good drag racing setup, it is actually my least favorite, like I have said before I want a Camaro for that!

My only argument is that I DID hear of those guys doin that, and no I didnt get it backwards awd to fwd is the way it was, it was hard to sink in for me too and even told my friend Mike that he was full of shit just like you are now tellin me that I am, but like I said that is what I HEARD!!!!! I disagree with it but I DID hear it!

Oh yeah and somebody said somethin about my comment sayin just cause its AWD... handle...

I meant the WRX and the SS, not awd vs. fwd cars in general. I DO NOT think that a WRX will outhandle an SS, I actually believe it would bethe other way around, an STi sure but not a regular Imprezza WRX.

You guys made me burn my food!! :mad: LOL :D

j/k but seriously I did burn my food! $H!T

I am still in awe at the salesman pitch that SSBlack made earlier.
Either way, I'm sure my bolt-on neon will still beat my "stupendously" produced and "magnificantly" designed cobalt bling machine with matching mp3 player.
if money was no option though and F/I 4cyl was the way to go... neither the cobalt or bolt on neon car would be receiving my money, it would be going towards one of the AWD's, most likely the WRX which is more moddable, with high HP (not mid 200hp) will be more able to put the traction to the ground, and if I really feel the need to go fast and spit fumes on rice burner and bolt on neons, I can go gas up one of the F-15's and fly in between gas stations.

I agree, IF money was no object then I would go with an STi (or an EVO) over an SS, but not a regular WRX, IMO. I just think the bang for the buck is larger with the SS than a (non-STi)WRX, overall.

I think nasty just misunderstood what I was sayin. I didnt mean for everyone with an Evo or Imprezzas to go out and yank their driveshafts. All I really meant was exactly what I heard. These guys did it, I didnt tell em to!

Right....and I know that the SRT-4 and the Cobalt are not going to be super bada$$ dragsters. They , as with other quick FWD cars, were meant to be just that...quick FWD cars. We can love our cars all we want, but the srt and cobalt have a ways to go to be put in the same class as an STi or and EVO. Which is why they shouldn't be put in the same class, they are here to compete against each other the redline, the RSX, the Focus, Civic SI, RX-8, Tiburon, and Golf.
The cobalt/redline/srt with less than 3 years under their belts...do not need to go messing around with any of the big boys that have been around for quite a while. It took the Viper a while to get enough street credit and respect from vette and cobra guys. "Sometimes respect is more important" I said it before anyone else could. :)
The young crowd needs to go and pick their battles instead of thinking they are the hottest thing on the road. Those with about 4yrs driving exp stating they are the best driver there is, and end up giving everyone else with the same car a ridiculus bad name, so now, thanks to them and others like them, I can not drive down the street without someone trying to race me at least.....at least.... 4 times a day. Your so fast? Take it to the track and show everyone your numbers.

Actually the quote goes:
"And if I win I take the cash AND the respect!"
"Respect?"
"Yeah, to some people thats more important."

LOL!! HOLY SHIT IVE SEEN THAT MOVIE WAAYY TO MANY TIMES!
Lovely acting!! Grammy material! LOL

I hope Im thinkin of the same quote you are LOL!

yep... you're right on. I just didn't want to do it quote for quote......for less than obvious reasons, :)

Sorry for beatin this to death, but I have one last example.

EVO 271hp and 3263lbs.(per Mitsu's website)
SRT-4 230HP (maybe a lil more cause Dodge underated it) and 2970 lbs. (per Dodges website)

EVO - 3263/271= 12.04lbs per 1horsepower.
SRT-4 - 2970/230= 12.91lbs per 1 horsepower.

So they have VERY VERY close power to weight ratios, with the AWD Evolution's ratio bein better!! Less weight per every horsepower.

Yet....

The EVO WILL NOT beat the SRT-4 by anywhere near a whole second!!!

MAYBE just MAYBE a half a second.

The STi's power to weight ratio is even better and STILL cant take an SRT-4 by near a second!!

Where is your All wheel drive is GOD and will smoke an evenly powered FWD car by a whole second argument now??

Every car is different as is every situation. I dont care if you dont believe the Talon ordeal or not, Im in the same seat you are on this one, I just heard it...

yep... you're right on. I just didn't want to do it quote for quote......for less than obvious reasons, :)
LOL I figured I guessed it right! The infamous "stickers give you more horsepower" movie!!! The Fast and the Furious!!! LOL

Well the SRT-4 is around 270-280 flywheel horsepower, dodge rated it at the wheels, just saying the srt-4 has 230HP...yeah well add in another 15-20% for drivetrain loss and see what you get.
Some can beat by a sec. have seen some srt's running 14 flat, and evo's running 13 flat. Again depending on the driver, but magazine numbers show almost a sec. difference. If you want to see it on paper.
There is a reason why the EVO/STi costs another 10 grand. 1/4 mile time is not the only reason to buy these cars.

B)The reason I said they wouldnt convert their AWD scoobies to RWD to drag was because of the fact that they arent professional dragsters and dont have that kind of serious hp obviously (Highest streetable daily driven scoobies Ive seen were about 500ish whp, and everybody knows that you could take a 500hp car to any drag strip at anygiven day and have your ass handed to you by someone!). I said the only reason they would convert it to RWD is to drift because drifting in an AWD car IS HARDER than in a RWD car. Bein that the front wheels are pullin hard it is hard to keep the nose pinned to the turnand let the tail slide, so you have to throttle and brake more and overuse the ebrake on an AWD car! Which is not what we are discussing so I dont know why I brought that up...
Cobizzle, not trying to step on you or anything, but I said that ESX changed their car to RWD. But they are a professional tuning compay as well as drag racing. They currently have the fastest drag strip WRX in the US. I was just throwing that in there to somewhat support what your were saying.

p.s - If you ever visit your friend in Indiana make sure you stop by and gimme a ride in that SS!!! ;)

p.s - If you ever visit your friend in Indiana make sure you stop by and gimme a ride in that SS!!! ;)
Dont have one.... yet! :D

And I see what you are sayin now.. ;)

I was just tryin to tell him the whole time that I actually had no argument about FWD bein better than AWD (I actually BELIEVE otherwise), just that I heard a story.

Ok this will be my final statement just to clear things up on my view.

1) To nasty, I NEVER SAID for .........

2) To WRicerX and VeloSSity, A)I agree ................

B)The reason I said they wouldnt convert .............





Am I the only one that noticed that CoBIZZLE went "1... 2... B..." ???

:eek: :D

No man it was:

1)

2) A)

then the B) part of two. LOL

I spaced it while I was typin but the forum automatically set it back to the left of the margin. LOL Sorry bout that!

ha, well B and 3 at least sound the same.....least it wasn't threeve.

LOL, I figured he was having a hard enough time so I let it go. :p

I would say if you can get them for the same price then hands down get the WRX. If you can't and the SS is less then it would come down to how much you have and like the cars!

Actually the SRT is more like 255 flywheel horsepower stock, but thats beside the point.

The point is... I cant believe nobody mentioned the Saab 9-2X Aero!

The car is basically a WRX, same drivetrain and everything, but its a Saab! And being under GM, that thing has a HUGE GM discount on it if you can get the employee rate. Something like 17k-18k out the door! For a Saab body WRX with AWD and 250hp turbo charged 4 cylinder. It's a steal.

My brother cross-shopped one with the Cobalt SS. His logic behind getting a Cobalt was, the Saab "felt like a granny car".

Anyway. Just thought i'd throw that out there, as it's a good monetary choice, and not many people know about it.

Although , the 9-2x is a little heavier, a little slower, and has a dumbed down suspension. But.....that would be a hell of a bargain. And with the money you saved you could easily either grab stock parts from a WRX to get it a little more up to par, or even better, upgrade w/aftermarket.

You know, the Saab front end kinda resemble the Cobalt in a way. [puts on flamesuit] :p