Welcme back to Shitbox Showdown! Today, we’re looking at two unremarkable cars that happened to catch my eye because they are interesting colors. Are they also good deals? We’ll see.
Yesterday it was Jaguar versus Porsche, but not in the way you’d expect, or necessarily want. Now, to be clear, I don’t have a problem with automatic transmissions in daily drivers; I just don’t think they belong in sports cars. And I realize that the Jaguar AJ inline six is a better engine in pretty much every regard than the V12, but everyone who knows a little bit about cars equates the XJS with its twelve-cylinder engine. You’d have to issue a disclaimer every time you opened the bonnet.
But the Jag is the more appealing car, though I still have questions about its actual current condition. If it’s got some bugs and extra miles from a cross-country drive, that’s fine, but why not take new photos when you got it here? And why, why, can’t it be any color other than fire-engine red?
Color enters into my choices of cars here more than you realize. Browsing Craigslist and occasionally Facebook Marketplace shows just how monochromatic our vehicles of choice really are. I see, and generally gloss over, so many thumbnails of silver, gray, white, and beige cars that could be good choices, but they just don’t jump out at me. If I click on a silver car, it’s usually because it’s an unusual model, like yesterday’s Boxster.
Today’s cars are the opposite. They’re fairly tame choices of cars, but in colors not normally seen. And it’s the color that drew me in. They both look like reasonably good used cars as well, as it turns out. Let’s see which one catches your eye.
2007 Chevrolet Cobalt LT – $2,700
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Odometer reading: 108,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
I’ve been reading car magazines for long enough to remember reviews for several generations of GM small cars now, and it seems like they always started the same way: “This time they got it right! This is so much better than [previous model].” When the Cobalt replaced the Cavalier in the mid-2000s, the reviews were glowing, and nearly all of them denigrated the Cavalier as much as they praised the Cobalt. Then, when the Cruze came along, the cycle repeated. From this, you could infer one of two things: Either GM small cars improve exponentially with each generation, or they’re all pretty much the same level of “meh,” and auto journalists sometimes tend towards hyperbole.
Having owned a couple of Cavaliers, and rented a Cobalt or two, I’m going with “meh.” This is marginally nicer inside than a Cavalier, and the Ecotec engine is a little smoother and more powerful than the old 122, but there’s nothing revolutionary here at all. It’s a perfectly fine little car, though, and this one appears to be in good shape.
It runs and drives well, the seller says, and has just had an oil change. It’s too clean under the hood, like the engine was just steam-cleaned and then coated with that shiny goop, whatever it is, that used car lots love to slather on. It’s a little suspicious, as is the wildly crooked intake runner. It probably just snaps back into place, so why not do it before taking the photos?
It’s nice and shiny, but it has a pretty good dent in front of the right rear wheel, and the panel gaps are, well, cheap GM. The trunk lid also looks like it might be a slightly different color than the rest of it, but it might be a trick of the light.
2009 Ford Flex SE – $3,800
Engine/drivetrain: 3.5 liter dual overhead cam V6, six-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Austin, TX
Odometer reading: 218,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Every source I can find refers to the Ford Flex as a “full-size crossover SUV” – but look at this thing. It’s a wagon if there ever was one. It’s not tall enough to be an SUV, and it’s not four-wheel-drive. But for some reason “wagon” has become a dirty word, so we have to call it a crossover.
Whatever you want to call it, the idea is the same: it’s a big box on wheels, with lots of places for people to sit if you need that, or lots of room to carry stuff if you ditch the seats. It’s powered by Ford’s Duratec 3.5 liter V6, which is a smooth and powerful engine with a serious Achilles heel: the water pump is in a stupid place, and driven by the timing chain, which means if it fails, it can take the whole engine with it. However, this one had its water pump and timing chain replaced at 200,000 miles, so it should be good to go for a while.
You can tell it has a lot of miles on it just by looking at the interior. It’s not trashed, but there are some definite signs of wear and tear. The seller says everything works, including the air conditioning, so we can forgive a little scruffiness inside, I think. For this price, you don’t expect perfection anyway.
Outside, it has a wrinkle on the same corner as the Cobalt, oddly. But it’s purely superficial, and can be ignored. The rest of it looks pretty good. And for the record, my dislike of red cars does not extend to this cranberry color; this I quite like.
These aren’t really cars anyone would comparison-shop; one is a small commuter sedan and the other is a family hauler, but when has that ever mattered here? Just pick your favorite based on whatever criteria you choose.
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I resent you putting beige beside silver, gray, and white.
Beige might be a bland and/or boring color, but it at the very least IS a color. It has chroma, unlike silver and gray which are just gradations between black and white. The world would actually be a better place with more beige and fewer silver/gray cars on the road.
If I had my way, it’d be illegal to paint cars silver or gray. They aren’t just boring; they can be dangerous because they blend into scenery too easily. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve nearly sideswiped someone because I didn’t see their silver or gray car until the last minute.
I gotta go w/ the Cobalt since my wife and I used to have one and it was a pretty good car besides the tons of recalls including ignition switch (so I’d makes sure they were all done on this one) It was way better than the Cavalier and ran good. I always did the oil changes and bought the huge socket (and still have it) for the rubber lid that screws off the top of the engine and houses the special filter that’s just a filter (no outer canister)
This one has a great color, has lower miles, is in decent shape and isn’t a Fix Or Repair Daily
Flex all day long. This one looks a bit rough but it’s already got the most expensive maintenance done (water pump + timing) so she’s good to go for another 80K-100K trouble free miles. She’ll clean up nicely too. Added safety, utility, features and power are hard to ignore as well.
The BHPH Cobalt has been in an accident and the re-spray looks suspicious. I do care more about that and maintenance than mileage on a 15+ yr. old car.
Flexes are great. It’s a lower Volvo XC90 with a boxier design and American comfort and propulsion instead of Swedish. Lots to love, even with the every-100K water pump and timing bits job (not much different than a Honda V6 timing belt, really).
However.
It should have been called the Edge, and the Edge should have been called the Flex. Yes, the Flex is more “flexible” for cargo and passengers, but it’s a wonderful BOX. Boxes have edges. The Edge (and by extension the MKX and Nautilus) are nicely curvy (and an excellent size for a 2-row crossover, but I digress). If you flex something, it curves. So, therefore, Flex should have been Edge, Edge should have been Flex.
Add in that “Edge” was originally a trim and graphics package on the Ranger, which had the ride height of the 4WD model on the 2WD vehicle (though it could be had with 4WD) with some other nice cosmetics and available features. They didn’t even bother to change the font when they launched the crossover (which I don’t mind because it looks great). So it was sort of appropriate for a crossover in that was costumed as a bit of an off-roader (but never really advertised as such like the Escape and Explorer) but it was really just a tall car (especially given the Sport and later ST trims).
Thank you for coming to my geometrically-focused TED talk.
Derp, meant to post this on the other Flex article. Still relevant, but not the intended place.
flex all day err day
Never have I felt so strongly one way. Love the Flex. Passionately hate the Cobalt. The orange is great, but that’s where the positives end.
A family I knew bought a Flex new back in the day. The kids walked into the garage one day to find their parents “testing” the back seat space. For that reason, I’m all in on the Flex
Was the test successful?
…with the caveat that they still, 55 years later, have yet to improve on their first small car, the Corvair, obviously.
Went with the Flex. Had it’s predecessor, Ford Freestyle. Would still have it if not for the 3yr only CVT transmission that started glitching at 157k.
Mom had a Chevy HHR, based on Cobalt…drivetrain was adequate/Meh. HHR body was rolling blindspot.
you put 157k mi on your car in 3 years? bruh
I think the Flex is still a bit high, but I think it’s got better longevity than the Cobalt. If I remember, they’re kinda like Chrysler’s K cars: decent but not typically long-lived.
Cobalt. It will run forever with very little maintenance (I know from experience, 320k on my ecotec 2.2) and will get great gas mileage
Flex it. I’ve got three boys and we go camping and haul stuff so the Flex should be able to do that nicely. I’ve rented Cobalts a few times and yeah they’re perfectly fine “meh” cars that I’d never want to own.
The Flex could be filled with rancid cat turds and I’d still take it over the cobalt.
Cared-for Flex any day. Those miles are mostly at higher speeds which is good for longevity. Not so for the driven on Sunday Cobalt.
Definitely Flex for me. I could haul crap, tow a bit, and pull the seats to make it an ad hoc RV for road trips.
About the only Colbalt I would want is the supercharged one—and that only for heinous hoonery
How many times does a fellow commenter have to say it, along with many of the rest of us…Wagons Are Always The Answer© That’s it. Unless you’re in the UK, in which case, Estates Are Always The Answer© If it’s a wagon and something else, its the wagon.
I once had a silly, silly fight with a roommate trying to explain that estate cars are wagons after he came off a Top Gear binge, his jimmies well and truly rustled for M/AMG estate cars. “But they’re not wagons! They’re different!”
Did it blow his/her mind when you told them about saloons?
What about shooting brakes?
The wear on the Flex dash seems really odd, like it was replaced with a darker one, then painted to match. I still chose it.
I’m gonna flex on that Cobalt and pick the reddish one!
Given how the Cobalts tend to age in the midwest, I’ll go for the Flex. I always loved how the Flex looks anyway, and they drive alright too.
Flex. Looks to be well maintained, despite being well used at this point. I personally would take the seats out and use it like a truck.
The Cobalt looks to have been knocked around at some point. If it were a Cavalier, I’d say it probably would just keep driving despite the abuse, but I don’t know if the Cobalt earned the same rep.
Definitely going for the cranberry toster today!
I would probably take the flex after seeing the receipt for the timing and water pump. 3 rows and that one service make it far more useful for me.
The Cobalt was clearly in a crash – and the Flex has that unmistakeable “I like to put my feet on the dashboard” patina.
I think I’ll walk up to the store this week – no car for me here.
Cobalt. It is in good shape, at least cosmetically. They price of entry is super cheap. I’m sure every part for this thing is nearly free. If you need a cheap daily today, $2700 isn’t much of a gamble. Plus, if it was a Corolla you’d be paying $10,000. Is the Toyota tax worth that?
Did you actually look at the pictures of the cobalt?
Also, a similar-vintage cobalt isn’t that dear. But you also have to pay for quality, which is something the cobalt never had.
Does the Cobalt still have the ignition switch fiasco? Add that with the shitty safety rating and I don’t think I want either.