significant upgrade from Cavalier?

im going to be getting a new car as soon as i graduate college (october of next year) and i was going to get a cobalt, but im not sure it would be that much better of an upgrade.

can anyone let me know of a few good cars under 15K that would b a good platform to start with? (i was looking at the Dodge Neon STR-4 but thats a little pricey...:frown:

thanx in advance for the information anyone can provide

well what kind of money are you going to be making after you graduate? what kind of condition is the car in? will it make it another year or so? i would wait and save some money then be able to spend like 20k or so on something with more power than a cobalt. i think you would be happier in the long run with a car higher up on the platform range. thats my opinion.

Does it have to be brand new or could it be something with a few miles on her?

it would be better to go used but by the same token look for something "worth it" while srt-4's are nice, gas miliage is not their thing

im not now, nor ever will b worried about gas prices...(they wont affect me until it stops me from driving (25.96 $$ a gallon lol) my car will last another 3 years mabye but im sittin at 82000 miles and just replaced the clutch not to long ago.
cars in good condition but with all the aftermarket parts, i doubt anyone would wanna buy my car for much because like everyone knows...if you want to tune a car u want a clean slate, and if your not into tuning cars then you want the factory settings...
also a slightly used car wouldnt be bad at all...new cars lose almost 1/10th of their value as soon as their drivin off the lot, so if you could suggest a car i could look for used that would be ok, but i dont want a bucket i need a new engine for.

did you say 15k???

you can get some fly shit dude... you need a chevy or gm? or could it be any car? 2door or 4?

i'm thinking you get a 2003 impala for like 11K-13K

or even a monte carlo...

im into imports or domestic style cars that arnt looked at as a import or domestic tuner's dream (such as Dodge neon, Cobalt, older Civic Hatchbacks, Acura Integra / RSX, Scion TC and many more) so im not a fan of older cars or v6's / v8's

keep in mind if you suggest sumthing, and i dont like it (weather its 4 dr, 2dr, or whatever) il look at it and let you know if its an option

I myself if i had 15K to play with I would pick myself up a 2002-2004 BMW 325XI ( should have around 50K on it for that price) or an Audi A4 1.8T or 2.0T with some mileage aswell. Something where i could put a nice performance suspension on the vehicle and a set of 19"s and be happy. I would only pick one up from a southern state tho.

no v8's or v6's???

get a Scion tC. That's a sweet little car!

Soo are your parents basically buying you a new car?

wow. he doesn't want a v6 or 8?

i can't help a man who isn't a man.

cobalt ss

lol, first off i like your idea cody...audi and BMW have very good reputations and a few miles on a car wont hurt.

second...i have gotten everything i own to this day by myself for myself. my parents offered to buy me a car, and i declined because i want to make it on my own 2 feet.

and lastly, me not wanting a v6 or v8 has nothing to do with the type of "man" i am but if owning a v6 or v8 makes someone a man what does that make you? :)

thank you all for your comments, and keep them comming

Oooh yes, for some reason that monte carlo ss has been reaching out for me lately.. 303 hp and 323 torque sounds nice.. Anyways a cobalt ss wud be a good platform to start with, plz dont go neons.. u cud also get like a nissan 240sx or a sentra/altima/maxima.. good platforms imo. toyota celica supra 200hp awd wud be nice, theres one for sale across the street... :) subaru wrx sti wud be nice, 300hp awd out of the box if u have the coin by then.. Its really up to u..

lol 15k wouldnt buy the body of a supra and subaru is my dream car (I.E. the dream of driving it off the lot and being pulled over 10 minutes later...lol)
and whats wrong wit neons? i saw a STR-4 wit a Borla exhaust setup and some kind of aftermarket BOV on it and OMG i came when that turbo went off....

pretty much every car with a V6 or V8 that is domestic is still pushrod! This is dead technology it's the 2nd oldest engine design out there and is merely a modifed version of the flathead with the valves being replaced by pushrods. To GM DC and to some extent Ford they need Cubic incehs to make power and not just great engine design! I wouldn't put money into that!

cobalt ss
:grinyes: Exactly

cobalt SS or cobalt SS SC?!!?!??

cobalt SS or cobalt SS SC?!!?!??
either way they have one of the cheapest interiors I have ever seen, worse than a hyundai accent, the plastics are hard and hollow, the centre console looks like a venturer cd player, the leather is just horrible and a few i've come accross I had to slam the door really hard just to close it!! mmmmmmm quality

^ same thing.

buy a 3000gt twin turbo. About 15k to start and then like 1k every month to keep up with the shit that breaks lol, but it is a v6

wow. he doesn't want a v6 or 8?

i can't help a man who isn't a man.
:lol: Says the guy driving a 89 2.0 Cavalier with rims that cost more than the car is worth. Ever ridden in a turbo AWD DSM? :rolleyes:

For 15 grand, you could get a DSM to tear some serious ass. A decent first gen AWD would be between 1500-3000 and if you used all the rest of the money to make it fast, you would fuck just about everything around. I would not recommend them as a DD though, they can be very unreliable. You could cough up another few grand and get an Evo, that should be new enough to be reliable and I know a guy that just ran an 11.8 on exhaust, higher boost but the stock turbo, cams, tuning and a 50 shot, but he had a big ass hole in his IC. Dont listen to this GM guys about not getting an SRT4. My friend is running 13.8's with the boost turned up a few pounds and a down pipe with an electric cutout. Considering he got the car for $14 grand and has about $200 in parts, thats not too shabby. I say Cobalt SS S/C FTL. I saw one while I was out the other day. He thought he was the shit, did a 2nd gear pull while I was behind him. That was just sad. My Talon would have put that pathetic little car to shame. I wouldnt recommend a TT 3/S either, they are a pain to work on. I guess I would say SRT4 would be your best bet or an Evo if you can cough up the extra 5-6 grand.

lol, first off i like your idea cody...audi and BMW have very good reputations and a few miles on a car wont hurt.

second...i have gotten everything i own to this day by myself for myself. my parents offered to buy me a car, and i declined because i want to make it on my own 2 feet.

and lastly, me not wanting a v6 or v8 has nothing to do with the type of "man" i am but if owning a v6 or v8 makes someone a man what does that make you? :)

thank you all for your comments, and keep them comming

it makes me a 19 year old boy who still lives with mom.

lol your point?

get a Scion tC. That's a sweet little car!

I would skip the tC. I looked at several and made my decision to buy a 06 Cobalt SS/SC, it seemed like it was a better quality car. I chose my SS/SC because the leather seats were awesome, the wheels, the sunroof, the XM radio and the look of the car. The tC had alot of the same things but only as options, the Cobalt SS/SC had them already.

excellent comments everyone keep them commin im learnin alot :) and tell me more about this "DSM?" what is it? who makes it? never heard of it

excellent comments everyone keep them commin im learnin alot :) and tell me more about this "DSM?" what is it? who makes it? never heard of it
DIAMOND STAR MOTORS, A.K.A MITSUBISHI. MOST PEOPLE WOULD TAKE DSM AS MEAING ECLIPSE, AND THEN THE TALON AND PLYMOUTH LASER. BUT IT MEANS ANY MITSU

Someones caps lock stuck again?

:lol: Says the guy driving a 89 2.0 Cavalier with rims that cost more than the car is worth. Ever ridden in a turbo AWD DSM? :rolleyes:


hey... the rims were only a 100 bucks.. they came off an 01 celica.

and i think i'll be putting a 3.1 MPFI in here and working up from there.

Most go with a 1st or 2nd gen eclipse. But as said not good for DD's. Awesome cars when they are actually running right. The more you put in them though the more that seems to just mess up.

Someones caps lock stuck again?

NO. WHY, DOES IT BOTHER YOU? I USE CAPS IN WORK AND IT'S STILL READABLE. BIG DEAL.

Would you recommend an Eclipse GST or GSX, why arn't they good daily drivers?

because they are just shit to drive evryday. good for HP but not good for holding together. I swear every weekend I was fixing my wife's laser.

NO. WHY, DOES IT BOTHER YOU? I USE CAPS IN WORK AND IT'S STILL READABLE. BIG DEAL.

haha yeah it does. Its like going around screaming all the time, and then your excuse is, "YOU CAN STILL UNDERSTAND ME!" And I have to agree with you, at some times, caps are appropriate to use, like at work. Just doesnt seem right in a forum, but hey, what can I do?

Once again, an 00 Honda S2000, 240hp n/a engine, done deal.

did you say 15k???
i'm thinking you get a 2003 impala for like 11K-13K

or even a monte carlo...

the new monte carlos are a waste of money, dont get me wrong i am Chevy till i die but they continue to disapoint me with the new monte's, they went to hell after the mid 80's SS's and have never looked back.

The Impala is a worthwhile investment. Im still not against purchasing a good condition Camaro either, ive looked into it a few times myself.

I don't think I could part with the money for a new GM Barring possibly Solstice GXP but apart from that I would feel I made a grave mistake. the Quality jyust isn't there.

here is another possibilty for $15k. Porsche Boxster
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=205321211&dealer_id=45503690&car_year=1998&bkms=1153399931802&num_records=&model=BOXSTE&lang=en&isp=y&mod_bookmark_id=null&start_year=1981&certified=&search_type=both&distance=0&make=POR&min_price=1&sort_type=priceASC&address=13027&advanced=&end_year=2000&max_price=&cardist=1818

A boxter would be SICK to get, but it would be killer on insurance and repairs.

may not be able to get insurnace till your 21. depends on your recond

probably wouldn't be any different than an s2000. an s2000 is seen more of a "tuner" car as opposed to a Boxster which is for looking good

boxer's are just symbols. " look I got money"

^ Exactly, but they have some power too.

boxer's are just symbols. " look I got money"

you could say the same about and S2000. Seing as you ca buy a Boxster for $15k they don't shout "richboy" that much!