New Car: WRX - Si - Mazdaspeed - Cobalt SS

[shadowdlink]

The Cobalt SS Turbo Charged(my second pick) is certainly the fastest of the bunch, though by personal preference the Subaru WRX would be my pick. I love the hatch look.

I don't know what you guys got against Chevy just for being American. Sure reliability used to be an issue with American cars, but Chevy has picked their game up due to the crisis and competition with better quality cars. I'd say that the Cobalt is as the reliable as the rest. Every company suffers from reliability issues in one way or another... you'd be surprised at how many reliability issues the Civic Si has had, or that I've heard of at least.

[mncb7]

If I had those options, I would pick the wrx but thats just me

[owequitit]

The Cobalt SS Turbo Charged(my second pick) is certainly the fastest of the bunch, though by personal preference the Subaru WRX would be my pick. I love the hatch look.

I don't know what you guys got against Chevy just for being American. Sure reliability used to be an issue with American cars, but Chevy has picked their game up due to the crisis and competition with better quality cars. I'd say that the Cobalt is as the reliable as the rest. Every company suffers from reliability issues in one way or another... you'd be surprised at how many reliability issues the Civic Si has had, or that I've heard of at least.

1) It has nothing to do with being "American." Nevermind that cars like the Civic are actually MORE American than the Cobalt, but that is beside the point.

2) GM hasn't proven shit yet. When their cars routinely put out 200-400K without any BS, THEN I will believe they have risen to the level of Honda. Not a moment before.

3) Nobody said no Hondas had any problems, but the simple matter of the fact is that Hondas on a large basis have ZERO issues, and even the common issues are usually relatively minor and fairly limited. GM can't say the same, ESPECIALLY as you approach 50-100K.

[coletrain]

Well I have experience with the new Civic Si. Honestly, I'd much rather purchase a new VW GTi. Ever given thought to the GTi?

The WRX would be a nice car to own. I can't see any reason you'd regret buying one.

The Cobalt SS is garbage. Don't waste your time and money. Who cares about how "fast" it is / can be...it's still a turd.

[Accordlakeville]

Id say Civic for reliability reasons

[lsn92ex]

WRX:
1) AWD
2) boxer engine
3) high boost turbo
4) Ken Block

[h22sparkle]

Go for the cobalt much more potential than the rest. mazdaspeed is cool but not a fan dont know much on the handling.

A civic Si is well to expected expect people to fuck with you and you not being able to keep up because it doesnt have turbo or a supercharger= sloooooow. Fwd yes but less drivabilty issues with a awd drivetrain awd drivetrains' cost bread once they run into issues.

[ONEKLEAN91]

hey man go with the new civic si my buddy has one its so nice!!! thats what i plan on getting as soon as i get rid of my eclipse

[deevergote]

How does the Cobalt have more potential?

The engine used is fairly new, especially compared to the Subaru's engine. In addition to that, GM just recently switched from supercharged to turbo. If it lives up to GM's reputation, it'll pop as soon as the warranty is up. They haven't been around long enough to truly explore their potential.

The greatest potential, honestly, is probably the Mazda. Mazda builds sporty cars. They always have. They always handle amazingly, and the Mazdaspeed3 has TONS of power. It's been around for a while as well, so the aftermarket is supported better.


The Civic would make for the best daily driver. It's quick, but it's already lagging behind the turbo boys, and as soon as they up the boost, it'll take quite a bit of money to keep the Civic competitive.

The Civic would be the most rational choice, though.

[almostJDM]

Either the WRX or civic SI, depending on what year WRX if its before the 08-09 ones they have glass transmissions once you get the power past a certain point they go kaboom, dunno about the GR(08-09)

[XcluziveAZN]

you can't compare Civic to WRX.... 2 different class and type of car.


I would go with WRX.

If you are planning to mod turbo or anything get 08 WRX since it got smaller turbo then 09.

The rod knock issue... I don't think you should be worry about it that much. If you find a 2nd hand a lot of time it already been fix by the dealer. What happen is when they assemble the engine ....they left some metal shaving in the engine and cause the bearing to prematurely fail. Subaru will replace the entire engine for free


with COBB tuning.... get accessport. When you go to the dealer just flash the tune back to stock. Accessport is awesome and you can even create custom map.

WRX don't just come in hatchback. It comes in Sedan too. I like hatchback > Sedan. I can stuff more dead body in the truck with hatchback :P

Oh and you live in New England area......CraZy winter.....Subaru AWD is just awesome and you will have a lot more fun in blizzard condition then summer :P

[Pazzword JDM]

WRX FTMFW!!! I always loved the new hatchback version of this car. I loved it the first time I saw it. Somebody around here has one with a sick ass exhaust on it and it's sooooo sexy. I love the new STI.

My other choice would be the Civic Si, because of the reliability, performance, and because it's a Honda. The coupe is the way to go if you get an Si. I'm not real big on the new civics body style but it's decent overall.

I'm Cobalt SS hater. I cant stand American automakers. Just my opinion. While the Cobalt SS is a power packed beast, you still need to think reliability, and GM has never been one to provide this, outside of their big V8s or torque happy trucks.

I am also not a big fan of Mazda. The Mazdaspeed is a decent car, and I dont mind the look or the functionality of the hatchback and four doors, but for this I'd spring towards the WRX. In my opinion this would be a decent daily driver with a sporty touch but the car has a girly look to it and handling is nothing special.

Subaru + AWD = No Contest

So, WRX STI. Go for it. The thing looks good, has great performance specs out of the factory, and has four doors plus a hatchback which can be very convenient. If it was me, this would have been a no contest choice. The Cobalt SS and Mazdaspeed wouldn't have even been considered.

[awolanin21]

Um either the civic si, or the mazdaspeed, but if your going to get the mazda your better off buying an rx8

[owequitit]

How does the Cobalt have more potential?

The engine used is fairly new, especially compared to the Subaru's engine. In addition to that, GM just recently switched from supercharged to turbo. If it lives up to GM's reputation, it'll pop as soon as the warranty is up. They haven't been around long enough to truly explore their potential.

The greatest potential, honestly, is probably the Mazda. Mazda builds sporty cars. They always have. They always handle amazingly, and the Mazdaspeed3 has TONS of power. It's been around for a while as well, so the aftermarket is supported better.


The Civic would make for the best daily driver. It's quick, but it's already lagging behind the turbo boys, and as soon as they up the boost, it'll take quite a bit of money to keep the Civic competitive.

The Civic would be the most rational choice, though.

I can tell you from personal experience that the SI isn't nearly as "behind" as everyone pretends it is.

[deevergote]

In stock form across the board, it's not.

But when you up the boost on the turbo cars, the Si is going to have a hard time keeping up. It's not so cheap and easy to get power out of the Si. I know the K20 responds well to mods, but cranking the boost up 3-4psi with an ECU reflash is easier and cheaper than any NA mods that would give a similar gain for the K20.


Of course, every tuner equates "faster" with "better"... and that isn't necessarily the case. The build quality of the Cobalt is poor, especially the interior (minus the seats, which I have read are actually good). The interior of most Subarus is fairly uninspired... pure functionality. My personal experience with the Mazda3 interior (first generation) was that it was quite cramped... though I did like the quality of the materials, even in the base model rental car I had.

Of the group, the Civic's interior is very likely the best. Honda ergonomics have always been praised (aside from the recent Accord and TL, with their button-crazy consoles...)

The reliability of the Civic is very likely higher than the rest, due partially to the fact that it doesn't have a turbo nuking the engine on a daily basis, and partially because it's a Honda... running one of Honda's finest engines to date.

The Si's steering has been criticized as being numb. I've been in one, but never driven one... so I can't say for sure. But I can say that my 09 Fit's steering is terribly numb. It's responsive as hell, and I have no complaints... but coming from my power-steering-less CB7, it's a difference I can notice!

The Cobalt probably has the least aftermarket support. The others are all very well supported. GM's performance parts tend to cost a good deal more than their standard crap (I learned this with my GTP), so the Cobalt isn't necessarily going to have "cheap domestic" repair prices.
Subaru's repair parts generally come at a premium. Subaru kinda fills that grey area between luxury and economy.
Mazdaspeed parts are also expensive... though regular Mazda parts are about on par with Honda, I'd think.



Financially, the Civic is the smart buy. Do you really need a "fast" car anyway?