Jason

Heard a lot about these cars and just drove one yesterday. Gotta say, the car was pretty nice. I didn't notice the lack of trunk release. Not sure it would matter in the end though. My Corolla has a remote release but lacks the release on the key fob. To be honest, I miss having a release on the key fob far more than anything else.

I'm not much for the fake wood grain details myself though some people like those. I even admit that the exterior styling of the Corolla is bland compared to others. But I'm old so simple isn't such a big deal to me. My favorite look is on the VW Jetta and I don't usually go for much bolder than that. The materials in the Cobalt are just cheaper, especially the lower end models, and that's why they start to look bad sooner. Worst case scenario I get burned on this car like I did on my Ion and right after it gets paid off I start to suffer repeated mechanical failures and the appearance begins to deteriorate substantially. I've got a comfortable car to get me to and from work and pulled 36 mpg in combined driving on the first full tank of gas. My only complaint is that the radio doesn't sound as good. If the Astra turns out to be that car this fall then I'll drive one next time I'm in the market for a new car. And if I hit the lottery and money doesn't matter so much I'll pick up a Corvette. And a Porsche. And a CTS. Maybe a classic Bughatti. As I said earlier, I equate resale value with the practical usefullness of the car after a certain age and five to seven years is the window I'm concerned with. An earlier response was made about why you would want to drive one of the old S models for 200,000 miles. I think once you hit 100,000 and are going strong you start to wonder how far you can make it despite the rattles and thread bare seats. It was easy to find a good seat cover for those cars and you could just turn the radio up. The parts were small and common. Tires, brakes, shocks and such were cheap compared to other cars and that kept maintanance costs from getting annoying. I honestly doubt my Corolla will have those advantages but I'm enjoying the change so far. We'll just see how things hold out and what happens five years from now.

Yeah, they play with the prices of the new car and trade in but if you're paying attention you can make sure that the gap moves in your favor every time. It's just a matter of being able to subtract. A similarly equipped Cobalt priced out at a few hundred dollars less than the Toyota. I've always thought GM's option packages were strange and wondered how they decided what would be standard and what options would require other options and so forth. I think I also benefitted by purchasing a car that the dealer was stuck with. Unlike most Corolla S's this one lacks the ground effects and spoiler. I think someone ordered it and then didn't take delivery because it's not equipped the same way most cars on the lots were. Still, I really didn't like the look of the Cobalt sedan so even for thousands less I don't think I would have picked it up.

I put over 100,000 miles on two of my previous Saturns without anything but routine things to fix or keep up. The Ion has been a lot different. There was a switch in the ingition that kept the car from starting which was replaced at 40,000 and again at 94,000 miles and then another switch in the transmission that kept the reverse lights from coming on and had to be replaced in order to pass inspection. The eco-tech was doing fine but I was starting to have transmission troubles which was going to be the bulk of the next round of repair bills. I think they just laid an egg with the Ion and will be so glad when they are all off the roads. The thing about resale value that really matters to me is that if a car is still worth something after 5 years and 100,000 miles than it mught be worth replacing the worn out shocks and struts and then driving if for a few more years. I think you really start to get your money out of a car in years six and seven when you don't have a payment and you can sock away a few hundred dollars a month while dreaming of your next ride. The Corolla is about the same in terms of interior size though I think by the numbers it's the smallest of its class (or at least one of them). The Kia actually felt smallest of the cars I drove. The Ion has a lot of wasted space (above the dash for example). In terms of the car's size, the Toyota fits better in the garage and feels smaller overall though I think it's a few inches longer. I'm wondering why GM doesn't design better small sedans. Their cars always look so good in coupe form (Ion Quad Coupe, Cobalt, G5--which doesn't even have a sedan model) but the four door models always look like an afterthought. The bigger cars that come in sedan only form look fine so they surely can make a little one. Probably the biggest factor in my trade this time was the dealership's trade in offers. I just couldn't get a Saturn or Chevy dealer to give me half what the Toyota guy was offering. I suppose the Toyota guy was hoping he'd be selling me more cars down the road. The local Chevy guy used the classic line about how thanks to my dad's GM discount he wouldn't be making any profit on the new car so he had to make it up on the trade in (at which point I walked). Oddly my girlfriend's 2000 Dakota has been faltering and she test drove an Aura Saturday which she thinks may be her best option. That would make dad happy since he builds the things. For her, even with the V6, she'd save on gas over her V8 4X4.

I did like the Cobalt coupe but the sedan just didn't look nearly as good to me so I didn't give it serious consideration. I just need easier access to the back seat than a coupe can ever offer (even a quad coupe). Plus the Chevy dealer here in town and I don't get along very well. One thing I always liked about Saturns was that I walked into the dealership and bought the car rather than feeling like I was talked into buying the car. Anyone who has bought a Saturn knows what I'm talking about. The Chevy guy here in town is an expert salesman/bully so I don't give him my business.

Honda is awfully proud of their Civics. I looked at them. I still want to be able to move more than one other adult around which ruled out the Mazda. All 3 were actually smaller than the Ion. The Corolla was the best bet for my needs. The Civic was sporty but not as ecnomical and too expensive. I don't care much for Mazda's reputation beside Mazda practically being a Ford. My dad was upset his son bought a Toyota. He'd have shot me if I'd bought anything associated with Ford. I ended up paying $16,580 for the Corolla. I got the S model with a manual (to be honest, my love of shifting gears will always hurt my resale a little....but it also keeps my girlfriends from driving my car!) I would have gotten the Ion for about that amount or a little more (Ion 3 Sedan, manual, GM discount). I was actually surprised. It may be the value of the dollar or maybe just that the Corolla is also at the end of its run (the new model is due to arrive next summer). I expected it to cost more and I even got it at 2.9% for four years. A comparable Honda was almost $20,000 though and I don't know about the Mazda (didn't give that one serious thought). I agree that all these incentives are killing the resale of domestics. So far GM is resisting the temptation to use them on their newer models. I think they'd do anything to get rid of the Ions though.

Well, time finally ran out. I was hoping to hold out until the Astra came out before trading my '03 Ion but the repair bills were starting to mount. The interior was showing a lot of wear early on but in the last year I've been overwhelmed with mechanical problems totaling almost $2000. That car was just not very well put together. I've seen a lot of drooling over horsepower and size but it seems no one at GM wants to build the car I want to buy. I need a small sedan that gets decent fuel economy and is comfortable without costing an arm and a leg. Not wanting to wait any longer I drove the current Ion drawn in by a 0% interest offer. It really isn't much better than my '03 in terms of comfort though it appears as though the interior isn't done as cheaply. Compared to the Corolla I bought its powertrain isn't as smooth but it is substantially more powerful. I was disappointed in the Ecotech's fuel economy but I do miss its power for passing. I find myself downshifting a lot more in the Corolla. What really did the Ion in for me though was the resale. My '03 with 90,000 miles was worth $2,000 to the Saturn dealer who was trying to sell me a new Ion. I talked him up to $3,000 but that seems like nothing. The Bluebook trade number was $3,500. A similar '03 Corolla? $6,500. I remember my first gen SL1 and second gen SL2 had great resale numbers and the SC2 I had was sold at a substantial amount to a private buyer (they were pretty fine looking after all). With all that was wrong with the Ion in too many people's eyes I just couldn't plunge into another one. Something I've noticed about Asian and European small cars is that when you buy one that sells well overseas they use more upscale materials. I assume that is because smaller cars are more popular in those markets while in the US the automakers seem to be saying that if you want comfort you need to move up to a bigger car with a bigger engine, worse fuel economy, and a higher profit margin. Will we ever get some nicer, smaller cars? I drove the Aura while I was at the dealership. The fit and finish is every bit as good as any car I drove in its class. I didn't drive a BMW or anything like that but the thing was a polished as any Camry or Accord. It looked like a better value too if you compare reasonably equipped models and their prices. Hopefully the durability is there as well. Is that trend starting in the US? Is Saturn at the forefront of it (at least for a domestic automaker) with its Opel imports? Will that ever trickle into the smaller car segment? Here's one buyer who hopes so.

I was hoping for a diesel option as well but didn't seriously think GM would be that forward thinking. 34MPG using the new calculation is pretty good though. I'll give it a serious look if pricing is in the VW Golf/Rabbit range (assuming the fit and finish is as good).

Someday I hope to be carefree enough to walk in and order exactly the car I want. It's not as though ABS is so expensive. It's just that at present, being a young high school teacher, I time new car purchases with need and incentives. That means I buy off the lot and most of the cars I come across don't have ABS combined with a manual transmission (because come on, you have to have some fun). Here's hoping my next car will be an Astra with a little turbocharged 4-banger and a six speed manual, ABS, sunroof, and sharp looking wheels. I'm thinking something in red. I know all the option packages and available choices are based on extensive research which leads me to believe that either the researchers are idiots or the people they are surveying are. After all, if either one was all that intelligent they would be building exactly the car I wanted.

My dad builds these in KC so I better be careful what I say. I think it's a pretty attractive car and even like the interior. The selling point for me would be build quality (I'm a lot pickier since I started riding around in Toyotas and Hondas). Also important will be the marketing. I still like a manual transmission which GM never offers in anything that's not an entry model. Every time I try to build a Chevy I end up having to get a V6 to get the wheels I like or I end up having to pay for XM radio in order to get the sunroof. Still, if the fuel economy is there and you build it without paying for the stuff I don't way, I'd take a closer look at this. It's the best looking car Fairfax has built since they launched their last generation of Grand Prix.

Here's hoping the European engines and the 6 speed manual get here along with the great looking 5-door. My biggest fear is that some guy in marketing will ruin the good looks and decide America doesn't want a convenient hatchback. GM really hasn't done a good job of making small cars for people who want efficient, convenient transportation. My Ion is getting a bit up there in miles and has served well but I'd much rather have a 5-door with some pep, cargo room, and good fuel economy. It seems most American automakers, especially GM, think that EPA estimates of 20 city and 30 highway are good. Bah. I know you can get better. If I were in the market for a new car last year I would have bought a Jetta TDI and be averaging around 35mpg overall and in the real world. VW is swithing to a common-rail engine and not offering the TDI this year. In that my dad has worked for GM for the last 24 years I always follow GM models first and this means that the Astra will get a shot at beating the VW. I don't see anything else in the pipeline that has a chance. I want 35mpg overall, as nice and well equipped as the VW, think it's embarrassing that ABS isn't standard on all GM cars yet, and don't want to pay over $20,000. No go to it.