2008 Chevrolet Cobalt or 2008 Pontiac G5?

Question

Which one is better? why?

I am looking at both (coupe versions) to buy for myself next week but can't decide. they look so similar, and the specs seem similar too... I'm not great with cars... Which one would be more of a reliable car?

I'm planning on using it for only 2-3 years, which would be easier to sell after that time?

Anything else you can tell me about comparing both cars is very welcome.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

They are ALMOST identical.  Pontiac is supposed to be more "up-market".  GM DOES do a LITTLE more than rebadge the cars.  The different makes have slightly different driving characteristics.

Pontiacs are geared and sprung to be a bit more sporty than chevies, and have probably a little worse gas mileage as a result.  Example: Base model Cobalt has a final drive axle ratio of 3.82, while the Pontiac is 3.84  VERY little difference there, but looking at the drive ratios of each of the gears in the standard manual 5 speed transmission, the Pontiac has more aggressive (higher numbered) gearing in every gear:

Pont gears: 3.58, 2.02, 1.35, .98, .69

Chev gears: 3.38, 1.76, 1.18, .89, .70

What this means is that, suppose you are in third gear doing 35mph.  The motor in the Pontiac, which is the SAME MOTOR as the Chev, is going to be spinning about 8% faster than the Chev.  It will be putting a  little more power to the wheels, but also using a touch more gas.

EPA ratings for the two cars are:

Chev: 25 city 36 hwy

Pont: 25 city 35 hwy

On the features side, the Base model G5 is most comparable to the Cobalt LT1, which one level up from the base Cobalt LS.  MSRP difference between the base G5 and the LT1 is $555 The Pontiac is more, but I bet you can negotiate that down. The Cobalt LS is about $1200 less than the Pontiac, and $700 less than the Cobalt LT1.  The main difference between them is power windows, door locks and remote keyless entry.  Those are standard on Base G5 and Cobalt LT1, not available on Cob LS.

Although I don't have specific references for it, the suspension is also a touch different.  The Chev strut and shock package is targeted to 'all-purpose' while the Pontiac is going to shift a little toward 'sport'.  The difference will be evident on potholes and sweeping curves. The Chevy may be a bit smoother on rough roads, but if you a driving at speed and change a lane sort of suddenly, the Pontiac will feel more under control.

Knowing the above at resale time would sell the Pontiac before the Chevy.  The thing to do before any attempted sale is spend $150 to have the car detailed in and out, especially out.  That is the buyer's first impression and shiny cars sell.

If there is a difference in reliability, it won't be evident until the car is at least 5 years old, in my opinion., also IMO, the fun-factor of driving the Pontiac, for the same price, outweighs the tiny difference in fuel economy, but that's just my opinion.  The rest of this answer is factual and verifiable.  Good luck to you.

Answer 2

Here is what should prompt concern about the Pontiac G6:

(1) The Pontiac G6 is on Consumer Reports' 2008 list of the Worst of the Worst.

(2) The Pontiac G6 is on AutoOnInfo.net's list of the Worst Automobiles of 2008 with a Composite Reliability Score of -.83 on a scale of -1.00 to 1.00.

(3) The Pontiac Grand Am, the Pontiac G6 predecessor, has a 5-year Reliability Percentrank average of .14, on a scale of 0.00 to 1.00. This puts close to the bottom, likely among the 10 or 15 worst. For reference, the Pontiac overall average is .24, General Motors' overall average is .31, Honda's overall average is .84, and Toyota's overall average is .89.

(4) The Pontiac Grand Am is on AutoOnInfo.net's list of the contenders for the worst model ever made, based on its multi-year reliability since 1987.

(5) The Pontiac Grand Am is on AutoOnInfo.net's list of Automobiles with a Worst Engine (with a score of -.88 on a scale of -1.00 to +1.00).

(6) The Pontiac Grand Am has multiple model year entries on Consumer Reports' 2007 and 2008 lists of Used Cars to Avoid.

(7) AutoOnInfo.net's detailed reliability and durability studies suggest that a typical 3-year-old Pontiac is as troublesome to own as a typical 27-year-old Honda and a typical 20-year-old Toyota.

Here is what should prompt concern about the Chevrolet Cobalt:

(1) The Chverolet Cobalt is on AutoOnInfo.net's list of the Worst Automobiles of 2008 with a Composite Reliability Score of -.17 on a scale of -1.00 to 1.00.

(2) The 2005 and 2006 Chevrolet Cobalts are on Consumer Reports' 2008 list of Used Cars to Avoid.

(3) The 5-year Reliability Percentrank average for the Chevrolet line is .32, General Motors' overall average is .31, Honda's overall average is .84, and Toyota's overall average is .89.

(4) The Chevrolet line overwhelming dominated Consumer Reports' list of Used Cars to Avoid.

(5) AutoOnInfo.net's detailed reliability and durability studies suggest that a typical 3-year-old Chevrolet is as troublesome to own as a typical 26-year-old Honda and a typical 19-year-old Toyota.

So, if the choice is between the two of them, the Cobalt is the better. However, maybe a bit more research is in order.

Answer 3

these are teh exact same car with different badges on them.  they are made in the same plant and for the motors, suspension and overall are even made on the same assembly line in a plant in Ohio (it's along the Ohio turnpike)

Answer 4

Good luck with either.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/f*g/byclass/S...

Answer 5

They are essentially identical. They are both made by GM (most likely in the same plant), and the only differences are in the styling and the badging...and those differences are subtle.

This is actually a pretty common practice for car manufacturers... GM owns both Chevrolet and Pontiac, so they decided not to spend the extra effort to develop an entirely new car twice. For more examples of this kind of thing, take a look at the Mitsubishi Eclipse/Eagle Talon (through the '99 model year), the Toyota Corolla/Chevrolet (or Geo) Prizm, or the Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe. Each pair above is essentially identical except for some styling cues and the brand name.

Basically it's a matter of personal preference...either whichever one you think looks better or whichever one you can get a better deal on.

For more info, check out the Wikipedia article on "Badge Engineering" below...