Made a video about the first car I bought. A lot of it is inspired by MKBHD's AutoFocus series - / mkbhd Music: - Drop (Anno Domini Beats) • Video ~ / jinan.jpg
Old school simple cars… I just bought a 2007 red Cobalt manual coupe only had 89,000 km on it. Needed a new fuel pump and we put a block heater in it because it didn’t have one which is weird for Canada. Drove it 2,800 km across Canada to deliver it to my son and it ran like a champ. Got 37 mpg(Imperial) on the trip. If my son keeps up with maintenance, drives responsibly and washes it regularly this car should last him many years to come. 😊
To be honest, I wouldn’t actually recommend anyone to buy this car if reliability is one of the concerns. The 2.2L Ecotec is infamously known as the engine that always fails. Mine broke down after 155,000+ miles and I had to tow my car to a workshop to replace the engine. I tried to do the repair job by myself by changing the fuel pump, fuel injector, spark-plugs, and the crank-shaft position sensor, but none of them worked. The mechanics told me the compression wasn’t building-up and that’s why the engine wasn’t starting. Personally, I think the engine could be fixed for less by changing the pistons’ rings, gaskets, valves, or maybe the timing chain. Anyway, they swapped out the broken engine with a used one with 122,000+ miles on for $2,500+ in total. This car is obviously a bit more fun to drive than a 2004 Toyota Corolla, but it’s reliability is way far away from it. Especially if it’s not maintained well enough. By the way, I don't think it's a good idea to give a coupe to a teenager. You can keep them away from trouble by giving them a 4-door vehicle. Don't ask how I know it. And yea, I faced the same issue too. A lot of the Toyotas and Hondas were unreasonably overpriced even then. I asked them about it and they basically said it’s because a lot of the manufacturers were shut down for a period of time due to covid stuff.
