Cheap but valuable cars

Oh okay, I'll definitely check into the Focus too, thanks user. I'm just attracted to this one Cobalt in particular because it has fewer than 40,000 miles on it which is almost unheard of for a 2009 commuter.

Still I'm not married to it. I look into a Focus. I mainly just want a cheap manual coupe.

I got mine with 5 miles on it and it now has over 160k.

I replaced a sway bar endlink around 60k, the battery around 100k and the front brakes at 140k. And that's it outside of routine maintenance, haven't even changed a bulb yet. So I'd say it's been fairly reliable.

Also, it can be pretty good on gas if you try.

any civic with any amount of miles

>39.2mpg
Damn, that's good.

>itt: fuck you I like it

I always forget this exists. I can't believe there are not one but two PT Cruisers in the world. Both designed by the same guy.

I drive an 08 Pontiac g5, go for it my man. Just make sure it isn't too worn out, these top tier shitboxes weren't meant to last forever. Mine runs great and is a joy to drive, handles really well. Problems I've had are the AC went out, alignment issues, when it rains the trunk leaks a little, bad seal somewhere. And one of the headlights gets a bunch of moisture in it, again bad seal. Some aftermarket wheels can really spruce it up.

>The Focus has better suspension

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

I would like for someone to shoot that guy so he never designs another car again in his life.

That's pretty nice, user. I have a thing for small curvy coupes. I might go tomorrow and take a look at that Cobalt, maybe test drive it.

Also I typed it wrong, it's a Cobalt LS. An LS XFE actually. That specific year and trim is the one I've been looking for and it's kinda rare. I don't want his one to get away from me. Especially with those MILES. Shitbox of my dreams.

My GF has the wagon version, it has been good to her so far but it has a DSG which is a concern

This thing. A lot of fun for stupid cheap. Comes in stick. Great sound, great power delivery, quick, especially for its age, can be maintained for pennies, common so parts are everywhere and easy to find

basically a shitbox sleeper
too bad it looks like poo though

i bought mine for $1200

what is that
srs idk what it is

Maxima. It's actually a good car, just many didn't survive their first owners.

Mine was a one owner car. 120k miles, needed an alternator and some emissions related sensors
i even roll with the squad sometimes
>tfw i know im the centerpiece because my car is the biggest piece of shit out of the group and so does everyone else
is cool though

That's over about 500 miles of mixed driving too.

Explain how it's not better than a torsion beam, I'll wait. I've driven both too BTW.

>it's a Cobalt LS. An LS XFE actually.
That's what is. Dat gearing.

You probably mean beam axle
torsion beams are mostly exclusive to trucks

That may just be me, but for whatever reason I feel more drawn to a car like yours than anything in that picture. Finding a clean car that is fairly old, and wasn't all that special to the general public when it came out, but in it's current state is in incredibly good condition just draws me in. Someone took care of it. Someone looked after it. And kept doing so after there were better things on the market. There's a story to it, and probably an interesting one.
>Tfw boner every time I pass a 1996 Beige Corolla without a single scratch, dent, or curb rash on it.
>Not for sale. Owner just parks it there when he's at work.

what year is it? it looks nice

I can't tell from the front, I wasn't in America in the 90's. My guess it's the most popular gen between 95 and early 2000's.
>These things were faster than the V8 mustangs at the time.

1996, the uglier sibling of the more common facelift (pic related) in my opinion
it looks worse front 10 feet. it shows some age in areas and its spent a lot of its life in the sun so some trim piece/plastics have faded on one side.
im actually surprised you guys think its neat, though. id figure itd be just another shitbox.

In my opinion there are a few requirements to a "shitbox" designation. It isn't just the teenage hurr dhuur cheapu car.
One of them, and honestly perhaps most important, is a ratio of car to money.
How much car you're getting for the amount of money.
Consider the following example, and it's why I've been hurting lately:
>Bought 2001 B5 Passat for $3k in 2013
>Bought 2013 Civic, new, for $18k later that same year.
>Civic: Loud road noise. Long gears and no power. FUCK YOUR NIGHT VISION. Doesn't have a temperature gauge. FUEL ECONOMY GAUGES EVERYWHERE. Somehow outside still as heavy and large as a comfy German fourdoor. Cramped interior, won't realistically sit four adults. You want to check your blindspot? Too bad. Here's a close up view of our meticulously designed B-pillar. Hilariously high cowl and boot, makes car look weird. Expensive maintenance (Stealerhip maintenance. Give us $100 to replace the air filter and wash your car goy).
>Passat: Glovebox rattles a bit. Broken driver's visor mirror(Civic doesn't have one). Slightly fogged headlights. Expensive parts. Specialty tools. Poorly laid out engine bay. Doesn't have bluetooth. Doesn't have cupholders.
One cost 6 times more than the other.

case in point.

There's something to appreciate about a good, affordable shitbox. Something that seems old and busted on the surface can seem focused and desirable when compared a bloated, expensive, modern alternative, especially for the price. As the years pass the cars that hold up and continue getting resold (and aren't "classics") are generally ones that had the best build quality and that never loses value.

That kind of appreciation is exactly why /g/ is so obsessed with buying used ThinkPads for $100 on Craigslist. I've collected 2 so far.

media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/vehicles/cobalt/2009.html
>The Cobalt rides on a MacPherson strut front suspension and a semi-independent, torsion beam rear suspension.

I agree with this post.

Stock, meticulously cared for cars get my dick so hard. Especially when the paint is in really good shape.

It's like witnessing the beautiful handiwork of engineers and designers of decades gone by, without any pretension or fresh marketing B.S. instilled in your mind.

Doubly so if they are economy or family cars. Those are the workhorses of our roadways and they do not ever get credit for their beauty. There is just something about the immense practicality of basic vehicles that is so beautiful when preserved.

Sixth gen ss2/ss3 celicas.

A 1300kg 200hp car that handles like it's on rails for the same price as a tidy corolla in my country. It's like driving a go kart -- I've yet to find a car that beats this car for fun/$

same price as a tidy 90's corolla*

I don't know why, but I love these.

lesbian detected

Ions are just cheaper cobalts that use the same repair parts.

Better off in an ion if you want value.

Ion redline if you want manual and nice bucket seats.

The Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V (B16) I think is the best 'high-end' version of any type of shitbox. It's got a big trunk, plenty of leg room for the rear seaters, a simple infotainment system with good audio, and overall, it's just a fun car that I can always rely on.

Driving-wise, the suspension feels stiff as fuck when compared to regular cars, but it makes it fun to whip around corners and shit. The steering feels great, and the engine's fun when you let it get into the higher revs. Just need to get rid of those fucking pre-cats.

All of that, just for ~25k when I bought it new in 2010.

Oh look it's Muhv6

They are overrated

How so?

>2015
>96' Park ave is getting too old
>Look around on craigslist, almost buy a Fiesta before my father loses his mind since he was a Chevy tech
>Find 09' Cobalt SS $9k, 70k miles
>Apparently it was DD'd by some college student
>Interior completely covered in coffee stains and dog hair, looks like had never been washed inside or out
>Pulls hard to the left thanks to two different sets of tires, rims almost completely scuffed, random rattles all around, drivers side door isin't original
>Get it for $8,400
>Fix all the random shit, put a cold air intake in along with a better down pipe (it's tasteful)
>Been a great DD since

Go for it OP, the only thing I've had to fix since were the door lock actuators, headlights, and routine stuff.

Get a Saab 2000-2003. Same 2.0l ecotec motor but with td04 15t turbo. Easily goto 250HP and you can find a manual for around $2,000.

I might go look at it today. Maybe get a test drive in. It's at a dealership though which sucks because I have to stay wise to hebrew ruses.

/thread

VW Golf or GTI

is this even a question OP? Being a balance of price and quality is exactly what this car was made for
"worth" is subjective, quality is not.
The cars you find "value" in are made with cheap materials and made as cheap as possible, so youre going to get a shit product. have fun.

Chevy Cavalier.
Buy them for under 2 grand
You'll still be driving it after the apocalypse.

>I don't know if it's a meme or not
I own the sister car and was affected by the recall.

It's totally a meme. Just make sure the recall was done. If not, GM will hound you with letters until it's done.

Just remember longpostguy's advice.

Chevy fag btfo.

OP likes value so this is the best option
. You can easily get them under 1k.

Dress up on an econo box still makes it an econo box

...

it's considered an american tuner, so it makes sense that they'd dress it up and make it faster.
The civic was meant to be an econobox too.

The Cavalier is an American tuner car, in the same vein that the Honda Civic is a Japanese tuner car. You'd be surprised just HOW much aftermarket support the Cavalier has. Pic related. The Cavalier was sold in Japan from 1995-2000 as the Toyota Cavalier and TRD themselves produced a bunch of Japan-only parts for it, like this ricetastic body kit that's highly desirable.
JDM cars had:
>different seat fabric
>RHD
>Toyota badges
>different tail lights because of Japanese regulations
>wider front fenders also due to Japanese regulations
>an actual panel on the inside of the trunk lid
>foldable mirrors
>came exclusively with the Oldsmobile 2.4L Quad 4 "Twin Cam" engine (well from 1996 to 2000. 1995 models got a 2.3L Quad 4)
>wheels from the Pontiac Sunfire sister car

So you CAN consider the Cavalier as a Japanese tuner car as well if you look at it the right way.

The key chain is a meme.

Every cobalt was recalled just to make sure but only a handful ever failed.

Its a good car. My buddy drives an Cobalt XFE and gets nearly 45mpg around SoCal. Picked it up for 1000.

Another good car is the final generation cavalier with the Pushrod 4 banger. No matter what you do it kill it, it just wont die

>45mpg

god DAMN. This car is a miracle.

>155hp
>150lbft
>only comes in stick as a 5spd
>gearing long as hell
>tires as hard as a rock
>WEIGHT REDUCTION YO
>39mpg hwy claimed but people go over

Its basically everything that made the metro a god machine. But the XFEs are rare as hell.

cavalier was my first car, with the 2.3l or maybe 2.4l. was a good car, just wish it was RWD. would've been a lot more fun.

I looked all over the state for an XFE in a dealership and there is ONE, and I'm so anxious. I just hope no one else wants this car before I can get it.

The 2.3L was 1995 only. The 2.3L and 2.4L engines were exclusive to the Z24 performance trim level, and I believe optional, if rare, on SE models.
Most Cavaliers from 1995 to 2002 came with the 2.2L pushrod I4, later renamed to the 2200 around 1997/1998 (pic related).
2002 was a big year for the Cavalier. It was the last year of the 2200 and the 2.4L Twin Cam. It was also the year the 2.2L DOHC Ecotec 4 cylinder became available as an option.
2003 brought a facelift, and the 2.2L Ecotec engine as standard equipment The Ecotec made as much power as the previous 2.4L, but was smoother, more reliable (if that was possible), and built for hot rodding.
From 2002 until around 2011, GM pumped money into promoting the Ecotec I4 as tuner and modification friendly. So there's a large aftermarket for that engine. And because the engines are modular, you can add features from the newer Ecotecs, like VVT and direct fuel injection, on by swapping the heads and pistons from newer engines, then getting an ECU that will support tuning those features.

Normies don't want a base model manual.

Maxima V6's are actually breddy gud senpai.

Yeah, thankfully no one knows about or wants this car.

But I'm paranoid there's one other dude out there who saw the RCR video highlighting how rare this car is and is looking for it at the same time as me.

In my experience, Cobalts are fine. I feel by this point GM got the Ecotecs right. I have the "base" Cobalt SS for 2006, which is just a NA 2.4L. I was retarded for purchasing it with around 170K already on it, but maybe luck was in my favor because in the 5 years since the only things I touched on it were new front bushings and exhaust flex pipe

The new Kias are really sleek and hit that 'just good enough' sweet spot.
They aren't sporty. And you won't have loads of fun driving them.

But they look decent and reliably get you from point a to point b.

>NA
werent those supercharged? i thought the first 2 years of the cobalt ss they were SC but the rest of them were turbocharged

Yeah, the standard 2.0L SS models were supercharged. But for 2006 they offered a NA 2.4L and decided to call it an SS as well, and immediately realized that was stupid and was changed to Cobalt Sport in 2008.

The 2.4L was a bit of a mongrel. It had the brakes of the SS S/C, the 2.4L engine, the same transmissions as the base model 2.2L, and suspension tuning in between the SS S/C and the base models. Not as hard as the true SS but not as soft as the base models either.

Honestly the entire reason for it existing in the first place was that people bitched the SS Supercharged was manual only when they wanted an automatic. But the automatic wouldn't survive behind the supercharged engine. So 2.4L N/A.
The manual is bulletproof though.

I should've known better when someone only wanted 2.5K for that SS when I saw it on CL, but made complete sense when I saw it firsthand. But for what it was, it still makes for a great daily in the sense it was still a loaded Cobalt with much better brakes and decent suspension, which was still why I ended purchasing it and haven't really looked back on it.

bump

I think the Cobalt is a fantastic looking coupe too for the money.

I just picked up a 2001 Acura CL type S for $2200.

>leather heated power seats
>satnav
>6 disc CD player AND cassette
>2 doors, 4 seats
>260 horsepower
>button to turn traction control off is easily accessible

It can be better looking still if you use the rear end from the Pontiac G5 sister car. bolts right on. Just need to extend the wiring for the reverse lights. The G5 conversion consists of the rear bumper, trunk list, tail lights, reverse lights, and the mentioned extending of the reverse lights harness.

Looks like a Hyundai accent

Your tranny is gonna blow up in a bit

Sn95/New Edge mustang
>muh RWD
>common in manual
>V8s are cheap now
>V6s are dirt cheap
>no meme tax of the Foxbody

>>V6s are dirt cheap
for a reason.

The well-kept V6s are less than the trashed V8s in my area (About... ~$2K), but I mean, the nice V8s are just $3200 generally, so work another few weeks and get those.