I just got back from a local cruise night. No matter what is there, it is interesting to see. Tonight a late model I am very partial to. A Chevy Cobalt. One of the GM cars that makes no sense to me as to how it was marketed. This one I believe was an '07. Clean sharp and yellow. Not my favorite color but it was sharp with the supercharged motor. Dang. I think it is called an SS. The owner had the supercharger modified with a Chevy upgrade package to go from 210 stock to I think he said 260. And then had it modified again to where it is putting out 15lbs of boost. To me it was car in it's base version was well balanced to drive, had adequate power to keep up and maybe lead traffic and went forever on a tank of gas. I rented a few of them and loved driving them.
This one the interior was even decorative in yellow and black leather.
To me this is why I bought a car in the first place. To me it would run with the best of them and?
Who ever heard of them, much less saw one or even was lucky enough to drive one.
Marketing of them sucked.
But the car?
Dang, this is something I would have traded my Saturn for. I wonder what part of GM forgot they were in business to sell cars. Not to close factories and put people out of work.

 

Man..i miss doing cruises around the city. I REALLY like the Cobalt SS's too. It shares the same chasis platform as the Saturn Ion Redline, LSJ supercharged 4 banger,and even the rear spoiler is the same if im not mistaking. The Cobalt SS was GM's answer to the Dodge Neon SRT4 and MazdaSpeed 3. I think they put superchargers in SS for the first few years of its production and then they gave you an option of a turbo in the later models. If i had to choose one of the three that i mentioned....ehhhhh that would be a hard one. From the factory they all have around the same amount of horsepower (give or take 10hp) and are all within 100lbs of each other, which is pretty impressive considering the Neon and the Mazda are both 4dr. With the right tuning and performance parts you can squeeze a safe 350-425hp out of these cars and still have room to pick up some groceries and the kids from school haha

 

Chevy Cobalt, and ION clone dressed in steel.

 

My Son had a black turbo 4dr Cobalt SS. He also had a Cavalier Z24 sedan. I liked the Cobalt alot. I mean alot. The Cavalier I didn't think a whole lot of. Now with his second child the hotrod is gone replaced by a crewcab pickup. Funny how it works out, they still have the black VUE Redline............

 

My experience with the Cavalier is minimal but they were the clone to the Pontiac J-2000 which left me totally unimpressed unless disappointed could be a compliment. I still have vivid memories of driving one in a rather turbulent snow storm where I went around a long sweeping turn directly into the teeth of the gale and the damned thing down shifted just to keep moving.
GM has had ample opportunity to build and market small cars that were top quality. Saturns and the Colbalt being one of the examples that I think met that description along with the disastrous association with NUMI motors. Yet the ones that GM pushed the hardest on were pieces of crap like the Cavelier, the J-2000 and that incredibly stupid Cadillac based on that car. The Cimeron.
The concept of a corporate platform sure opened the door for the marketing success of Kia and Hyundai.
It is a mark of corporate brain drain when an automobile company who's expertise is making automobiles is turned over to the budgeting department to run it and make the decisions concerning marketing and cars, a field that budgeting has no knowledge in and of that in large had turned GM from a contributor to the gross national product of which at one time they were 5% of the whole thing to a company that is actually questionable as to how long they will be able to stay in business while bragging how profitable they are by closing manufacturing down and dropping product lines. It just seems to me that a lot of people would be turning over in the graves as things are taking place..

 

Back to Cruise Night ............. I've not been out to anything for the last five years. Not the Cruise on Central not to the Pavilions, and I've not been to Firebird for a couple years. I need to get out and have a look see. A look see if anything new is on the streets. Just did a drive by at the Car Show at Harrah's Casino.....didn't stop, looked to be all the same cars that were there 2 years ago when I didn't stop because it was the same cars that showed up every other time I have stopped..........same old cars.

 

Pretty much neither have I. Only the biggest reason I have backed off frankly was the economy has sucked most of my mad money away and just having the money to fill the gas tank has been scarce. I actually have never been to firebird, I live close enough to Speed World and that has always been a good visit.
Just lately I have been able to put a car back on the road and take care of of some of the neglect from sitting to be able to go and enjoy it. My Spirit coupe with the fuel injected engine always has drawn interest even if it has not been in the best of condition. So I go
It surprises me though that I touched base with old friends at a local cruise night and there are more than a few around where I live that asked where I had been. So I was able to really enjoy just showing up and conversing.

On a new subject do you have any idea where the module is that controls the doors for the headlights on a 94 coupe.
My service information (Mitchels computer diagnostics CD) says left front but is buried. I have not been able to find it by poking around from the top.

 

Brother I've never had a S Coupe. Yes I should know but I don't.

 

I really wish I was in Phoenix for cruise night. Actually I just wish I was in Phoenix for any reason at all.