I'm in the process of buying this car right now. Here's my experience: We had a second prius on waitlist and we were going to get it for msrp, but the dealership said they were not getting our package level (I wanted one of the cheapest possible). I'm used to being able to get exactly what I want in a car without games. So I went back looking for cars and found that chevy had the XFE cobalt for only around 15,000 and the best fuel economy out there for its class. The first dealer I called tried to switch me over to a malibu on the phone which lost him the sale. The second place I visited had a 2009 XFE on the lot with the 25/37 sticker on the door. The salesman didn't once try to switch me over to a truck or other car. I got to test drive the car: it's very basic, handles pretty good but the best part was the 32 mpg average in city driving that I was able to get and on long 45mph stretches I kept the instant mpg at over 45mpg. I have no doubt that driving on the highway at 65mph will reduce that to 37mpg but I tend to drive slow anyway. I can probably get better than 32mpg in city driving with practice. The way I see it is we only need the second car a few times per week, so we would only put around 5,000 miles on the second car per year which would not be worth it to pay the extra 10,000 for the hybrid. The XFE cobalt will get traded in for a volt anyway later on.
The switch from the Prius to the Cobalt is entirely up to you, of course, but how much does that thing cost? The base Prius is around $22,000 and you say that the Cobalt is $10,000 less with mileage in the 30s on average. I would be surprised to hear that Chevy would have any problems selling a $12,000 car. And if you can get a brand new one for that I say take it!
The switch was from a prius on waitlist to the cobalt, we already have a prius which we drive most of the time but when my wife and I need to use the car to do two different things at the same time, that's what the second car was going to be for. The end cost is what I'm talking about, the msrp are only 7000 apart, we weren't going to get the prius for less then 27,000 with tax and fees while the cobalt came to a grand total of 16,500 after rebates and no shipping fee and taxes. Despite the fact that GM hasn't put the spotlight on the car, and despite the fact that salesmen don't know it exists in the 25/37 mpg version for 2009 they reported that they are selling a lot more than they thought they would.
Sounds good as long as you don't have to sit in the back seat. I'm curious why you didn't consider an Aveo which has a much better designed interior and is more roomy.
I agree, buying a $23,000+ car for 5000 miles a year is a tough pill to swallow. I don't know if I could have actually gone though with the idea, but I would have at least considered buying a 3 - 5 year old, heavily depreciated Ford or GM SUV.
Better built???? I happened to go along with my son and his wife when he was looking for an inexpensive car. Tried sitting in both the Aveo and then thought to try a "bigger":nono: Colbalt, after sitting in it for a minute we all thought the Aveo was actually bigger and more comfortable. and 3 grand less.
You went from "better built" to "bigger" so you're still not countering what I'm saying. Bigger isn't better built. They're two separate things. I had a Cobalt coupe as a rental car over a week and it was quite comfortable and fuel efficient. This is coming from someone who wouldn't buy an American car. Also you didn't cover my fuel efficiency. The Aveo has a dated engine. It's embarrassing that Corollas and Civics get the same mileage as it.
there's your answer. Bigger != better built. I'm not arguing that it isn't bigger or more comfortable, just bigger != better built.
For someone who only needs a small car and only drives 5000 miles a year a smaller car may make more sense. For an average driver, I'd say it makes less sense. Either way, I'm not sure the Cobalt would be on my list. Compare the following info from Consumer Reports and EPA: Reliability: Cobalt: Average Honda Fit: Much Better than Average Prius: Much Better than Average Customer Satisfaction: Cobalt: 45% Fit: 81% Prius: 92% CR Rating: Cobalt: 50/100 Fit: 65/100 Prius: 68/100 5 Year Cost to Own: Cobalt: $32,250 Fit: $27,000 Prius: $27,250 8 Year Cost to Own: Cobalt: $45,750 Fit: $37,250 Prius: $38,000 CR Fuel Economy: Cobalt: 24 mpg (AT, EPA 26) Fit: 32 mpg (AT, 34 mpg MT Sport) Prius: 44 mpg EPA Passenger Volume: Cobalt: 86 cuft Fit: 91 cuft Prius: 96 cuft EPA Comb Fuel Economy: '09 Cobalt XFE MT: 30 mpg '09 Honda Fit AT: 31 mpg '09 Toyota Prius CVT: 46 mpg Seems to me the Fit gives you a lot more for a lot less money over time. For the same amount of money, the Prius gives you even more. IMHO the XFE series are not particularly impressive. Basically they just put a taller highway gear on them as I understand. Chevy made a big deal about the Cobalt XFE being more fuel efficient than any compact car. They neglected to mention that the Cobalt is classed as a subcompact Even so that only held true for highway mileage. Its combined and city mileage is similar to or lower than a number of larger cars (Corolla, Civic, Accent etc). Rob
I wouldn't put the Aveo on my list either, personally. Add lower safety rating to: Reliability: Aveo: Worse than Average Customer Satisfaction: Aveo: 44 CR Rating: Aveo: 33/100 5 Year Cost to Own: Aveo: $27,250 8 Year Cost to Own: Aveo: $38,750 CR Fuel Economy: Aveo: 27 (Hatch MT, 28 Hatch AT) EPA Passenger Volume: Aveo: 91 cuft EPA Comb Fuel Economy: '09 Aveo5 MT: 30 mpg (AT 28 mpg) Rob
My sisters BF has a Cobalt SS and it's a very nice car. It's much, Much safer than the Cavalier was. Infact, The Cobalt SS and GM dominated Lightning Lap this year HOAHH! GM Dominates "Lightning Lap" 2008 - GM Inside News Forum
Does the Fit have a turbocharged 260 hp version? You can't use this data to judge my car, I have the 2009 cobalt stick shift XFE which I'm sure is not represented by that data above. $27,000 5 year cost for the prius is a joke, you can't even get the car for that most of the time. I've also been driving around town, trying to save fuel, and my average MPG is now 39, in the city, although I use roads with few lights and highways that cross town for part of my driving and I turn off the engine at lights that I know are long, and one might describe my driving as almost hypermiling. My average for the prius is upper 50s. I drive 55 on the highway. My 5-year cost calculation for the cobalt is 19,500 dollars based on the miles I drive and the fuel economy that I get with it. My 5 -year cost calculation for the prius if we drove the same number of miles as the cobalt would be 29,000 dollars. The 32,000 they have for the cobalt above is probably based on the SS cobalt not the 2009 XFE.
Silly me, I thought we were having a rational discussion about the merits of a small inexpensive, efficient car vs. the Prius. One would assume that since you came to a Prius list and posted your thoughts on a Chevy, you were interested in hearing what people thought. Intent was never to "judge" anything, nor was it clear that you already own this car. It seemed to me like you were making a decision and wanted feedback. My feedback is I would have made a different decision, but thats just my opinion. - We were discussing the XFE, so the existence of the SS is of 0 relevance. - The CR numbers are for a LT AT 4cyl, the SS MT costs about $10k more over 5 years. - 5 Year cost of ownership considers depreciation not just sticker cost. At the end of the five years, you are left with something of value whether you chose to keep driving it or sell it at that point. '09 Chevy Cobalt XFE, 5 Year CO @ 5k miles/yr Price: ---- $14,886 (kbb est actual, msrp+dest = $15,670) Interest: -- $2,750 (CR, LT AT) Insurance: - $6,000 (CR, LT AT) Sales Tax: --- $800 (CR, LT AT) Maint/Repair:$1,300 (CR, LT AT) Fuel: ------ $3,097 (EPA, 5k miles/year) Resale: --- ($5,420) (Kbb, private party, good cond, 25k miles '04 Cavalier 4d 2.2L MT) 5 Year Cost to Own: $20,316 '09 Toyota Prius, 5 Year CO @ 5k miles/yr Price: ---- $22,720 (kbb est actual, msrp+dest = $22,720) Interest: -- $4,000 (CR) Insurance: - $4,250 (CR) Sales Tax: - $1,200 (CR) Maint/Repair:$1,500 (CR) Fuel: ------ $2,018 (EPA, 5k miles/yr) Resale: -- ($20,550) (Kbb, private party, good cond, 25k miles '04 Prius) 5 Year Cost to Own: $15,138 '09 Chevy Cobalt XFE, 5 Year CO @ 12k miles/yr Price: ---- $14,886 (kbb est actual, msrp+dest = $15,670) Interest: -- $2,750 (CR, LT AT) Insurance: - $6,000 (CR, LT AT) Sales Tax: --- $800 (CR, LT AT) Maint/Repair:$1,300 (CR, LT AT) Fuel: ------ $7,432 (EPA, 12k miles/year) Resale: --- ($4,795) (Kbb, private party, good cond, 60k miles '04 Cavalier 4d 2.2L MT) 5 Year Cost to Own: $28,373 '09 Toyota Prius, 5 Year CO @ 12k miles/yr Price: ---- $22,720 (kbb est actual, msrp+dest = $22,720) Interest: -- $4,000 (CR) Insurance: - $4,250 (CR) Sales Tax: - $1,200 (CR) Maint/Repair:$1,500 (CR) Fuel: ------ $4,844 (EPA, 5k miles/yr) Resale: -- ($18,250) (Kbb, private party, good cond, 60k miles '04 Prius) 5 Year Cost to Own: $20,264 If anything I'd say CR is being very conservative by assuming the Prius will depreciate $11,000 over 5 years, when currently its more like $4k. Arguably that price is inflated at the moment, but you've never been able to buy a 5 year old prius with 60k miles for $12k. The costs on the Fit are all similar to the Cobalt's, but it does better on value over time since Hondas depreciate much slower than Chevys. There was no '04 Fit, so I can't do a direct compare, but CR puts it at ~$8k over 5 years, vs. $11k for the Cobalt. Rob
Can't really argue with that. A 2004 Civic DX 1.7L MT books for about $9k, and is rated 34mpg combined on the '08 EPA calculation. Pretty hard to beat that from a purely cost based perspective if it meets your needs. Rob
A thought on cost of ownership: No certainty that Prius II will hold the current incredible resale once the III's hit. I'm just saying...
FYI: 2 reasons not to buy a Cobalt: 1. From 2 years of racing experience in GrandAM racing - it's a piece of crap. 2. GM is dumping it either at the end of this model year or in 2009. On a positive note: Buy a Corolla or a Civic. You can't go wrong, even if you buy the most basic model. Unless you drive them "forever", they will always have a decent trade-in value and your net cost of ownership will end up being less than a Cobalt. If overall cost is the opjective, the Corolla will beat out the Prius because it's fuel mileage is up around 38MPG, for the basic engine, driven conservatively.
Cost difference is only half the picture. Cobalt XFE will be missing these features as well because Prius has them as standard. - Automatic Transmission (Choosing manual labor tranny for city driving is not wise) - Anti-Lock Brake System - Rear Decklid Spoiler - Spare Tire and Wheel - Traction Control - Climate Control (XFE just have AC) - Alloy Wheels (I think XFE comes with steel wheels) - Controls / Button on Steering Wheel - Dual illuminating Vanity Mirrors - Side Air Bags - Electronic Brakeforce Distribution
