gen 1 dsm v. cobalt v. srt4 v. focus

ok this is an extended comparison. now for those of you that dont know ill give a wee bit of background:(all cars will be used in stick version, no auto)

gen 1 dsm: i am referring to the 90 eagle talon tsi awd: a highly decorated early sportster, this car is sought after even today, and is a decent powerhouse. 2.0, turboed, all weel drive, dohc

chevy cobalt: ss 2.0, supercharged, front drive only, chevy's replacement to the aging cavilier ( im notso sure they shoulda though), dohc(i think)

srt4: 2.4, turbo, front drive only(?), basically a 4 door neon on steroids, its like dodge raided the parts bin for the turbo, and all sorts of extras

focus zx3:2.0 (only naturally asperated of the group, cudos on that), front drive only, again dohc. this bubbly looking car was a replacement to the zx2 (or escort)

the reason i put the talon in is mainly because i like the car, and it also has a pretty solid reputation. something to keep in mind is the talon has seniority of the group, it is the oldest, im pretty sure it has the neon by 3 years. so dont be too harsh against it. oh and any comments tagged to the car discription are only my opinion, plus for some people who arent into cars they can say ohhh i see.

Although the 1st Gen DSM's are worthy cars and go fast really cheaply, their reliability is infamous...which means they have very little. I had many friends who had one in their days of modding and they were always broken...there were probably at least 8 of them and never all 8 were running at the same time, it was always at least 3 broken or not running right.

The Focus doesnt really compare to the others...for the price of a Cobalt SS or SRT4, I'd rather look at the new Civic Si...197hp, 6 spd.

The SRT4 is still a Neon in my mind and I've seen lots of people turn around and sell them quick! Wonder why... :banghead:

Only car here I would consider buying is the Cobalt SS. I drove one and it wasnt half bad. Good power, steering, shifter was decent, good sound system (had the subwoofer BANGIN'), and I like its looks. The interior is the downside and stiffer suspension would be nice as would nicer brakes, but that can be fixed.

I like the SVT focus but it would loose every drag race it was in against the others. The DSM was good in its day but I woudn't deal with one of those anymore. The SRT4 is quick but its a neon. The cobalt is new and pretty nice. Not as fast at the Neon though.

focus wasn't a replacement for the escort/ZX2, more of a replacement for the Contour.

and plus, the FSVT wasn't made for straight line speed (lots of people think, oh 170hp.. it should move right along).. this isn't the case.. it was made to take corners and autox

Yeah I know the FSVT wasn't made for straight line performance. AutoX abilities really don't show when it comes to daily driving. Sure there are the fans of it out there but straight line power is what sells for good reason. If ford would add a turbo like they have in europe I think it would be more apealing.

Not a big fan of DSMs, but they're alright if you know how to work on them. The Focus is a good car but it's lacking performance wise compared to the others, the SRT-4 is a great performer as is the Cobalt SS, so it's between either one of those for me.

focus wasn't a replacement for the escort/ZX2, more of a replacement for the Contour.

and plus, the FSVT wasn't made for straight line speed (lots of people think, oh 170hp.. it should move right along).. this isn't the case.. it was made to take corners and autox


well focus basically took over all of the zetec motor line. which im my mind the contour, zx2, and escort 4 door. ( i think thats all off the zetec line)

I like the srt-4 and cobalt SS.

well focus basically took over all of the zetec motor line. which im my mind the contour, zx2, and escort 4 door. ( i think thats all off the zetec line)4 dr escorts have 2.0L SPI's in them.

the DSMs to me are some what like the holy grail. they are perfect in every way except how much people are charging for them these days.

When the SVT got murdered the Focus line lost its only desirable car

I'd get an SRT-4 if i had the money...i kinda like them...comfy behind the wheel, real back seat...and they MOVE right along

I would like the Cobalt SS.....if my head wouldnt always hit the ceiling everytime i tried to get into one, or sit in one, or drive one!

[quote=iPoddityI would like the Cobalt SS.....if my head wouldnt always hit the ceiling everytime i tried to get into one, or sit in one, or drive one![/quote]

thus my love of being short. the srt4 kinda bastardizes the ussual thinking of the sport compact when you think of it. it is the only 4 door. and well to me there should be 2 doors on anything that wants to run in the sc market(or any compact performance bracket for that matter). when i think 4 doors i think a 4 door with some muscle like the gtp, 3.8 superchargered. screaming power, we had a 92 w/ the 3.4 and holy shit those tires would smoke at half throttle.

I'm a pretty big SRT-4 enthusiast. Sure, it's still a Neon, but it'll out-accelerate and out-handle ANY new car for $20,000 easily. Plus, I've never disliked the Neon much; the '95-'99 Neon R/Ts are really solid all-around cars. That said, of the four, I'd probably go for the Cobalt SS. I prefer supercharging over turbocharging, the Cobalt is noticeably more civilized than the SRT-4, and I just really like the way it looks. The only things I don't like about it are the kind of half-assed job they did on the brakes and suspension, and the overweight 18-inch wheels (its twin, the Ion Redline, has 17's, I don't know why they can't put those on the Cobalt SS and make the 18's optional).

for some reason i get better headroom in the Ion Redline then in the Cobalt SS....and...i also just find the quirkyness of the car more appealing to me. its oddly cute

Engine: SRT-4
Looks and interior: Cobalt SS

id go with the srt-4 lots of torque and power and decent looks. if only it were a 2 door it would be a damn beutiful car.