2k8 MZS3 or 2k8 Cobalt SS

do yourself a favor and just wait. all we say now is mere speculation, and this is a really big buy for you, so before you get yourself in deep, wait until you have the chance to test out both cars! when you do get the chance to test drive the SS, make sure to take your merry old time deciding, because i'm sure there will be many subtle differences you won't catch until a few careful looks...=d

Yea I 100% agree but to be honest if the cobalt isnt out by february which is when I plan to buy, the MS3 is gonna be park right outside;)
 
Yea I 100% agree but to be honest if the cobalt isnt out by february which is when I plan to buy, the MS3 is gonna be park right outside;)

ooo...if so, then i highly recommend the new carbon gray 2008.5 ms3.../DROOL...=O~
 
look buddy, this is my opinion. I don't know what kind of prevoius cars u owned, but to me, domestic car's are just not my style. ......
hummm (protest)


:D



Dont trust the salesguy to tell you if they service the MS3 or not... go to the service dept and ASK them... hell I had one salesguy that didnt know the thing had a turbo and kept telling me its like the MS6 but without the turbo...
 
hummm (protest)


:D



Dont trust the salesguy to tell you if they service the MS3 or not... go to the service dept and ASK them... hell I had one salesguy that didnt know the thing had a turbo and kept telling me its like the MS6 but without the turbo...

;)......anyways, let me rephrase that aaight... MOST domestic car's are just not my style :).... don't get me wrong, i like vttes and vipers....but thats it !!!! lol..i cant own them obviously(ughdance). The rest, i'll just stick with Japanese cars... most i can afford.so when a performance car comes along that i can afford.. i guess ill stick with Japanese performance car...

O and for vengure. if i can do it again, s***, check out the white ms3 by next year !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(upbum)
 
Yeah the SS is going to be badass. its just not got all the utility i need or really want, its a very fun car the interior doesnt suck(well at least in my opinion) and the only thing it has going for it as far as styling goes is that floppy wing. Still MS3 is a more complete car in my honest opionion so what if it will be a tad slower around the track or in a straight line you cant put moutain bikes snowboards, surfboards coolers, luggage and a friend in that car all at once and in the MS3 you can fit pretty much all of that your lady and still have performance to boot.
 
Have you seen the track times for this car? I agree its not that pretty to look at but your way off on how it handles. I am looking forward to the inevitable showdown between the two though. So far I think we have won just about every comparison or contest in our class.

The only car that will give the MS3 any competion for its size in a road course is a SVT Focus. Colbalt? Please Toss coilovers on the MS3 with swaybars and you will be chasing down M3's on the tracks.
 
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I'm currently debating between these two cars its hard to honestly weigh out one or the other but are turbo and similar HP. However the SS posted a faster time on the Nurburging that alot of high end peices at 8:22. The MZS3 posted a 8:39 if i remember correctly. My main deciding factor is not on some simple lap times but more about dealer location and service. I have a good chevy dealer locally,closest mazda speed dealer is 2.5 hours away and I was told by the local mazda dealer only mazda speed can work on the MZS3. This was kind of a let down. I considered the civic SI for a while but ruled it out b/c of lack of performance in my book for sheer upgradability and overall TQ. So I was hoping to get a few opinions and see what you guys might have to say.

Regards, Ven

P.s. Forgot to introduce myself I've read a few posts here and it seems there is a pretty neutral crowd here and that always good to see.


My closest Mazdaspeed dealership is 45 minutes away, but there is a normal Mazda dealership about 10 minutes away. I asked out of curiosity and the Mazda place said they couldn't sell Mazdaspeed because it costs so much and they are in a small area..blah, blah...BUT....they are certified to work on them and it is no problem at all. I hope this helps your decision a little.
 
i think its pretty obvious what people are gonna recommend as u are on the ms3 forum...
Are you trying to say that people on the ms3 forum are BIASED towards a ms3?!?!?! NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alexi

PS - Honestly, take them for a test drive before you order one. It's all about the feel (unless you REALLY like or dislike the look of one of them)
 
Hmmm... yeah, the bias is pretty clear here...
Vengure, do you have a thread like this on a Cobalt forum?

Based on utility, the Hatch/Wagon body of the MS3 is going to offer more passenger and cargo room. A trunk could be better in a couple ways too (maybe it's a little more secure?).

Performance wise, if the Cobalt got around the 'ring (I'm not going to try to spell that one) 17 seconds faster that's awesome! The nero-burger-rangoo used-to be a big feather in Mazda's cap, now that the Cobalt is faster people here are acting like it doesn't matter... lame!

What is the price difference?

One thing thing that may make your decision easier: when the Cobalt is first released it's likely to be very difficult to get a deal on one (your buddy at the dealership may help here of course though).

Small pluses and minuses.
- Once the ACC is off you can no longer roll the windows up or down. Obviously not a huge deal, but sorta odd.
+ If the cruise control is turned on, it'll stay on even after the car is turned off. (You don't have to keep turning on the cruise control every time you drive the car.)
+ The car does not honk when you lock the doors. It will beep the horn if you hit the lock button twice though (the best of both worlds IMO).
- Changing out the factory stereo also disables the trip computer. Super lame!
 
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While it's impressive how fast the new Cobalt got around that crazy track... Like 0-60 & 1/4 mile times... it's one of those things that's relatively meaningless (from a practical standpoint) for most people.

0-60 & 1/4 mile: How often are we REALLY doing burnouts anyway?

Track lap times: Unless you're competing in some type of event or something... who really cares? Both of these cars are fast... The fact that one is 17 seconds quicker than another around a (what is it? 3-4 mile track) will equate to absolutely nothing when you're driving it through your favorite canyon roads. The difference is simply too negligible.

I'd like to see the various pubs perform some more practical tests... or at least make them more visible.

Are people doing burnouts? nope... But are people sometimes on the hwy with a big rig to the right and their exit quickly approaching? you need a car that can get its ass movin (from around 50ish mph) so you don't miss your exit. In short, I'd like to see more tests (from a roll). I think the perception of which car is faster would dramatically change. instead of Sti/Evo owners bragging about their 0-60 & 1/4 times... the rest of the "competition" would see that their "from a roll" #s are pretty damn close!

Anywayz... bottom line is, these cars are too god damn different to even be compared. I know that's not going to stop anyone but come on. One's a 4 door hatch/wagon and the other's a freakin 2 door coupe. It's like comparing a the grand cheorokee srt-8 to a corvette! lol

Maybe I'm being nearsighted but is anyone truly going to crosshop these 2 cars? If so... then I guess I'm dead wrong about this. All i know is, there are people who need/want the utility a 4 door offers... and then there are others who could care less. usually they're not one in the same.
 
I think they're pretty similar. Cheap-fast is the category they both fit into.

It's like comparing a minivan to an SUV. The minivan will probably do what you want, but "eww, it's a minivan!"
 
It's like comparing a turbocharged 4 cylinder front wheel drive coupe putting out about 260 HP to a turbocharged 4 cylinder front wheel drive hatchback. Jesus.

I had a Cobalt for about 8 months and I didn't like it. The interior was bland, the seating uncomfortable, the trunk was small, and fit and finish was poor. I had to take it in 6 times for warranty work. I don't particularly like the vehicle.

That said, I'm sure most of the issues with the vehicle have been resolved, and it'll be a pretty fast car. I'm sure anyone who test drives both vehicles will have a hard time picking between the two if straight up performance is their main reason for buying. I think the Speed3 is a better purchase, but that's because I enjoy the practicality of a hatch and the quality of the interior. These won't be concerns for every buyer. To each their own. Anyone looking to by the Cobalt SS Turbocharged should test drive it and compare it to other cars in the segment, like the Speed3 or the Caliber SRT-4 or GTI, etc.
 
Anyone looking to by the Cobalt SS Turbocharged should test drive it and compare it to other cars in the segment, like the Speed3 or the Caliber SRT-4 or GTI, etc.
Well, not just in their segment, but in whatever their pricerange is. If you don't mind spending UP to a certain amount, compare it with all cars in that price range. Also keep in mind what saving extra $$$ is worth. In my case, saving an extra 10 grand was worth getting a very comfortable, still quick and fun, rather family friendly (4 doors and a hatchback) MS3 versus my initial idea of getting a new lancer evo. Sure I lost some performance, but I saved thousands of dollars and it still is a great car IMO. And I love driving it.

Once again, take it for a test drive. Like Chico said above, 1/4 mile times are nice. Lap times around a track are nice. But what will you be using it for primarily? See how it feels doing THAT! In my case, I wanted something comfortable with a lot of utility that still has tons of getup and go. I wanted something decently good on gas (it's not TOO bad . . . ) and something that I could upgrade later should I choose to try out drag strips or track racing.

If it's between the Calibur and the MS3, take your time and try them BOTH out. And see if you can try them both out on comparable surfaces. Highways, back roads, whatever. And take note of how comfortable one is versus the other and the accessories that one has versus the other. And then you'll have MORE than enough to make a decision and not have to worry about looking back and wondering what the other mighta been like . . . .

Alexi - 08 MS3 owner and happy with it.
 
I want a M anything BMW, but i was referring to the m with a little zoom-zoom in its blood, not the german. lol.

The Nurburgring is a 13 mile track its said its the ultimate test track for both car and driver, no two turns are the same and the elevation changes and the fact that if can rain in one spot and be dry as a bone in the other is really just crazy. If a car does well on this track its a good indication of how it will do on pretty much any track, back road, and city. BOTH cars kill the competition in this segment, the SS wins by just a little but seriously its a very very challenging track it takes many many many laps to get a good run on it, 14 seconds is nothing to go by on this track (hint to be a driver at the track that can be hired to drive others peoples cars you gotta have 100 laps around it, it seriously takes that long to learn the track) factor in the driver and the familiarity of the car and you have a great race. As everyone else has said on here test drive the two of them and then factor in what you need in a vehicle do you need the room? or if not then maybe the SS is a better choice, to warn you though they do visit the dealer often for work.
 
I've pretty much settled on the MS3 my only argument is if I'll be able to talk the dealership into letting one of the cars go at a good deal. I'm looking to spend no more then 25k OTD for a GT but I dont think its possible considering they may not budge at all. Also local tax is 8% I'm quite sure exactly how much title and license cost over here out right. Dealer told me to add 1050 plus tax added to the sticker. I see all the guys on the forums getting great deals so i'll have to fightem tooth and nail and see what I can get.
 
Let's be honest here...the original cobalt ss couldn't even snag a win over the srt-4 and that's a neon! The new cobalt turbo is still the same car, but with a turbo engine. Great cars are about the total overall package, not necessarily what kind of 0-60 or quarter mile times they post. Not all of us here race but we do our research to find the best car on the market for the $. There's a reason why Mazda usually has two cars on the top 10 list of every auto magazine and that's because mazda makes some of the best all around cars for the money.

Don't get me wrong about the cobalt turbo...it will be a good car and pretty darn quick too...but it has no appeal other than a cobalt with a turbo. The cobalt lovers can thank mazda for upping the bar and finally turning the cobalt into a competitor.
 
agreed completely, however dont knock that car, it has more than a new engine, as i said in my first post on this thread its got suspension tweaks among other imporvements, this car will be a nasty little coupe. however they seriously do have mazda to thank for making them build the way they are, finaly Chevy(well GM) is taking the cheap, fun, and fast cars seriously, hopefully the other guys will follow suit but that would mean Dodge needs to kill that lame horse SRT-4. Im thinking a nice sized caliber to the head of the guy that decided to make the caliber the new SRT-4, even the neon based one sucked around turns now they went and made that god awful heavy wanna be suv into a sports car. given its a GM which has been trying really hard to up thier buil quality im sure the new SS will be pretty good but then again they ARE american which is just not known for the best build quality.

Haltech...just noticed you have a lightning...i envy you.
 
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