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Look what followed me home today...

5K views 42 replies 29 participants last post by  Johnny Sticceno 
#1 ·
I started out my day with this...



And before I knew it these 2 had followed me home...




Before :
2008 Cobalt SS - Sunroof, LSD, High Rise Spoiler

After :
2013 Ruby Red SE Hatch - Sunroof, Sync, 5 Speed, Backup Assist, Sirius
2013 Sterling Grey SE Sedan - Auto, Sync, Sirius

I miss the speed, handling, and sound system. But I do not miss this:



Crappy interior...except the seats.

All in all, I like the Focuses so much better. Much nicer interior, except maybe seats, but they are still decent. They have 4 doors...not 2. For only 160HP, they have some pep to them. They handle fairly well too. And more surprising than anything is the manual transmission...it shifts beautifully.

But of course 38 MPG is AWESOME!!! I drove back home from the dealer and the DIC said I averaged 39 MPG (of course it has to be a couple MPG off), and the same trip in the Cobalt was saying 27 MPG (and the Cobalt is about a 1 MPG off).

The hatch is mine, and I bought my gf the sedan.

FOCUS>Cobalt SS...IMO.
 
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#22 ·
Okay, here goes...

Thanks.
2 for 1 deal, I dig. My gf and I both drive the hatchbacks.
Sweet. I tried to convince mine to get a hatch...but she thinks they are weird.
shouldve got hte st. then you could of still had the power :) all kidding aside nice pu!
An ST would be nice, but I like the MPG. 62 mile round trip for both of us, daily.
Thanks.
Nice! I guess you could say you are all in at this point!
Yes...atleast for a few years, lol.
Congrats! Focus Family here too
Thanks. Good to hear I'm not the only one.
Congrats!
Thanks.
Car and Driver said it (the Cobalt SS) "is constructed primarily of plastics cheap enough to be rejected from a Chinese toy factory."
That means something considering that you went from a car that would spank a ST.
Power isn't everything (except maybe when you have your foot to the floor).
A wise choice indeed.
Super Cheap Plastic. Yeh, it could beat a ST...but it would still be a Cobalt. Power is not everything...I havent driven fast for fun in over a year now...:(
We seem to have a trend going!
Apparently so...great minds think alike?
Wow, this is like the best post I've ever seen here!

Congratulations on both purchases! You must be baller enough to get TWO cars! I'm just struggling to afford one LOL.
I wish I was balling. We are actually saving 50-100 bucks a month now, just because gas and insurance went down.
Nice buys, welcome to the forums. I traded a Z24 for my focus. Best thing I ever did.
Thanks. Yeh you could basically say I traded in my cavalier too...lol.
Welcome, great story. So the Focus doesn't handle as well as the Cobalt? That's surprising. I would've thought it would be like comparing a GT500 to a 335i or something. The GT500 has the brute power to pin you back in your seat but the 335i has the edge in refined handling.
The Cobalt pulls around .89-.90G and the focus pulls a suprisingly good .85, I think.
Very nice. Like the ruby red, looks great. I can definitely see why you would like your new interior better. Man, that old one is boring.
I love the color...I almost went with black. Why do you think the Cobalt is so fast? Because the car is trying to outrun its hideous interior, lol.
He probably hasn't pushed it enough yet. Also, does the hatch have a handling package? That would make a difference as well.
No handling package, and I have yet to push it.
From his pictures both cars are base SE's, so no handling package. I can see the Cobalt's tires being much grippier, but I'm surprised the Cobalt has the clear edge in overall handling as well.
Actually the stock tires were Conti SC2's...which suck. Most moved to Potenzas, but I found so damn sticky Fed 595s that where crazy sticky. The cobalt was only a half second slower than the EVO X around the Ring in Germany.
So that's what a clean cobalt looks like. My gf has a 2006 Cobalt and it's...girlified messy. Makeup stains, etc...

And she gets mad at me if I tell her to NOT put her feet on the dash of my Focus. "Why?" Because there's a dirt/sock smudge on it now!! GRRRRR.

Some women...lol. Grats on the new Focus!
Haha, yeh it was kept pretty clean, especially for having almost 80,000 miles on it. And thanks.
not only cuz of dirt/smudges but putting feet on the dash when the car is moving is dangerous... in an accident she could have both legs/hips broken
Its gotta be a girl thing, especially on road trips...mine does it.
Are you joking?

I would be surprised if the Cobalt SS couldn't smoke a ST on a road racing course (or drag strip).

http://media.caranddriver.com/files/the-lightning-lap-2008-1.pdf
(note the lap times)
On a track yes, but I think in the figure 8 test, the ST won hands down. The ST handles better, but the Cobalts raw speed makes up for the slight disadvantage in handling on the track. And on the 1/4 mile...I have seen a stock one run 13.6, driver mod FTW. but usually they run around 13.9-14 flat.
Welcome to the club. I got my Focus last December and I've been loving it.

Must be cool to buy two cars at once. Do you get a cool discount for buying two at once?
Thanks. I didnt get a discount, but the dealer was very very very helpful, lol.
The turbo SS does smoke the ST performance-wise, both in a straight line and in the twisties.

ST's time this year was 3:21.4, the 2008 SS did a 3:13:0, around VIR.
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/lightning-lap-2013-hot-cars-hot-track-hot-laps-feature-lightning-lap-2013-ll1-class-page-3
Agreed. But still, the speed finally gets old fast, when your car interior, and sometimes the exterior makes you want to full advantage of your collison/comprehensive insurance plan.

Phew...I think that's everybody. I should have been a post whore, and single quoted everyone...it might have been easier that way, lol.
 
#9 ·
Much nicer interior...
Car and Driver said it (the Cobalt SS) "is constructed primarily of plastics cheap enough to be rejected from a Chinese toy factory."


All in all, I like the Focuses so much better.
That means something considering that you went from a car that would spank a ST.
Power isn't everything (except maybe when you have your foot to the floor).


The hatch is mine, and I bought my gf the sedan.
A wise choice indeed.
 
#17 ·
So that's what a clean cobalt looks like. My gf has a 2006 Cobalt and it's...girlified messy. Makeup stains, etc...

And she gets mad at me if I tell her to NOT put her feet on the dash of my Focus. "Why?" Because there's a dirt/sock smudge on it now!! GRRRRR.

Some women...lol. Grats on the new Focus!
 
#23 ·
Epic Multi-Quote FTW!

Glad to hear your enjoying the Foci, definitely an upgrade over the SS, speed capabilities notwithstanding. It's kind of sad that Chevy packaged that nice of a drivetrain to such a crappy car.

Any plans on modding your hatch?
 
#30 ·
Probably not any performance mods..except springs and sway bars. I have a few cosmetic mods planned. Im sure i will eventually want a couple bolt ons...but as for now I dont understand the point.
The 3:13.0 of the Cobalt SS beats quite a number of performance cars such as an EVO, STI, 135i, Genesis R spec, etc.

One car of note that beats the Cobalt SS is a Mustang V6 (3:12.5).
Ford has done a lot with the mustang...i just hope they dont do like 90's and 00's Take a great car and turn it to crap, excluding the terminators.
Well I guess I completely underestimated ( or misunderstood) its capabilities...[facepalm]
Its a dream to drive spiritedly(sp?). But thats about it.
Welcome from western north carolina
Thanks. I envy you. I hope to eventually settle in the mountains. No other place compares, IMO.
So if you left home with a Cobalt and 2 Focuses followed you home, does that mean you still own the Cobalt? :p
Thankfully the car and the payment decided to stay at the dealer.
I Guess you've gone 2 Steps Backward.
Depends, I suppose. If all you do is drive like its race day, then yes. But if you are looking for a good DD, no. Plus, I have outgrown the whole "Lets take a small engine in a fwd car, and try to make it fast" mentality. Even if you succeed, you still fail...just my opinion.
I had no idea they were that powerful. I have a couple friends who have cobalts (regular) and after riding in them never gave them a second thought. When I was 18 I wanted a sunfire GT so bad. My dad took me up to the dealership to look at one and test drive it... Then I learned the car didn't feel or drive anywhere near what It's looks implied. I was so disappointed that day.
The base cobalts are plain pathetic at best. And yeh the sunfire looked sort of a aggressive in the 90's but when you finally find out its a definite chick car (no offense to the performance girls, you dont count...chicks+fast cars=winning) you realize it would be sad to own one.
 
#29 ·
I had no idea they were that powerful. I have a couple friends who have cobalts (regular) and after riding in them never gave them a second thought. When I was 18 I wanted a sunfire GT so bad. My dad took me up to the dealership to look at one and test drive it... Then I learned the car didn't feel or drive anywhere near what It's looks implied. I was so disappointed that day.
 
#31 ·
Actually the Focus SE with 16"s has spun around a 200ft skidpad holding a .88 and the Ti with it's 18" sticky Michelins turned a .90.

The 5 speed seems to have almost a half second edge in the 1/4 over the DCT.
 
#32 ·
I did not know that. That is good news to hear. I havent really pushed mine through the twisties yet, but once it gets broke in, I definitely will. I must have been fed some false information regarding lateral g's on this car. I did more research and located the .89 you quoted. Amazing...I am only giving up .03 from the Cobalt (I supplied false info on Cobalt...it's actually .92 not .90).
 
#36 ·
Yep, but even with giving it the benefit of doubt and taking say 3 seconds off, its time still shows the limitations of the car. It just needs a real LSD for hard track use.
 
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