Good morning! Today we’re looking at two sporty-ish coupes that are so brightly colored, they’re practically visible from space. Lovers of beige and silver, avert your eyes; today is all about color.
The results of yesterday‘s Fox-body double feature surprised me. Not so much that the chance to own both of these FoMoCo classics didn’t appeal to more of you, but the fact that the cop-movie stakeout-mobile LTD took such a decisive win. The combo platter was a distant second, and even fewer of you wanted the Cougar by itself.
For me, I think it would come down to an undercarriage inspection. If the Cougar is still structurally sound underneath, then I’d fix the brakes, clean it up, and enjoy it. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, and while I prefer the Thunderbird’s fastback style to the bolt-upright rear window on the Cougar, you can’t see the styling from the driver’s seat. I’m afraid the LTD would just make me sad as it is, and as intriguing as the drivetrain swap sounds, I know me, and I know I’d never get around to actually doing it.
Today’s choices were inspired by two recent trips to the store. On one occasion, I was driving my old Chevy truck, resplendent in Forest Service Green – a color designed to stick out like a sore thumb. This made it easy to spot from across a Lowe’s parking lot. Not long after, I took my metallic-black Chrysler 300 to Target, and went down the wrong aisle looking for it when I came out. It just disappeared into a sea of dark-colored cars all parked in the vicinity. I finally found it when I spotted my bright orange Opposite Lock sticker in the window from two rows over.
These two, you could easily spot in a big-box parking lot. Of course, then you’d have to be seen driving off in one of them. It’s a trade-off.
2007 Chevrolet Cobalt LS – $2,995
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Longwood, FL
Odometer reading: 113,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Yep–another GM economy car. What can I say? They have treated me pretty well over the years, and they have an underdog quality that I like. They’re plucky. And to GM’s credit, they really did get better from generation to generation. Yes, I know, the Cobalt was recalled a whole bunch of times for a whole bunch of reasons, but that’s all water under the bridge now. Right?
This isn’t the pocket-rocket Cobalt SS; it’s just a basic LS model, with a 2.2 liter Ecotec four-cylinder and a five-speed stick. It has only 113,000 miles on it, and the seller says it runs like a top. It’s being sold by a dealer, so we don’t have any history for it, but you could look up the VIN and at least make sure all the recalls have been done. One photo of the dash shows the car running, however, and I regret to inform you that both the check engine and the airbag warning lights are on. That will require some explanation.
It’s nice and clean inside, with no obvious wear and tear, and no weird stains. One of the advantages of a base model like this is that there isn’t much to go wrong; typically on a used car you have to worry about broken power gadgets, but this one doesn’t have any. The seller says the air conditioning works well, though.
The outside is in good shape, and oh so very yellow. There are a couple of blemishes, including a pretty good crack in the front lip, but for the price, it’s not worth worrying about.
2007 Ford Mustang “HEAT Limited Edition” – $4,200
Engine/drivetrain: 4.0 liter overhead cam V6, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Boynton Beach, FL
Odometer reading: 220,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Even almost twenty years later, I still can’t decide whether I like these retro-styled fifth-generation Mustangs or not. I think Ford did a good job of updating the old ’60s fastback style, but it’s also a little like a decades-old band still playing the same five hits: all it does is remind you how cool they used to be.
This is one of many special editions of the Mustang, one that I’ve not seen before. I’m assuming from the location that it’s a tie-in to the Miami Heat basketball team. The seller says it was built by Roush Performance, but I didn’t know Roush ever did any V6 Mustangs. As far as I can tell, it’s just a body kit and some special paint. Weirdly, it looks like this car started out yellow. The door sills have been painted, but the underhood area has not.
Under that hood is the overhead-cam version of Ford’s Cologne V6, which puts out 210 horsepower to the rear axle through a five-speed manual. This one has a lot of miles on it, but these are generally pretty reliable engines. They do have a truly bizarre timing chain arrangement, which sometimes causes problems, but otherwise they’re stout. It runs and drives great, according to the seller.
Inside, it looks like a Mustang with over 200,000 miles on it. A couple of seams are popped on the driver’s seat, and it’s sort of disheveled-looking. It may have started out as some special edition, but now it’s just a used Mustang.
Yeah, I know–they’re both kind of crap. But at least they’re colorful crap. And what were you expecting, good cars? Nope. Maybe tomorrow. Today, you must choose between the GM econobox and the cheesy Mustang.
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
Hmm. This would be meh vs. meh under the best of circumstances, but we don’t have those. We have a beat up Mustang with a non-desirable engine and >200K miles vs. a Cobalt in a color I couldn’t stand to see in my driveway and a CEL that means I couldn’t register it until fixed. You’d have to put a gun to my head to pick either of these.
Mustang only because my ex had a Pontiac G5 and I just didn’t fit. Head hit the roof even with the seat fully dropped. And in my experience GM generally has the most room for us tall people so I don’t know what happened on these ones.
I like the 5th gen Mustangs and 9 out of 10 I’d pick one over a crappy Cobalt.
But that horse looks tired and I’m not paying extra for a shady paintjob.
Also, I irrationally trust the 2.2 Ecotec / 5 spd Getrag more than many other powertrains I’ve owned. My Vue got me through college (with a mix of responsible and stupid driving) and my 1st year as a graduate.
Cobalt for me due to the lower miles, lower price and better fuel economy. Plus the 4L SOHC is NOT one of Ford’s great engines…
That Mustang absolutely smells like stale cigarette smoke and cherry air-freshener.
I’ll take the Cobalt.
I actually like the styling on this generation of mustang, more so than the facelifted version even. I’ll take my chances cleaning up the Florida Man shenanigans.
Gee, that mustang sure looks like the same color as the autopian logo, And it even has tail light red tail lights like the tail light red in the logo. What a coincidence!
There is a kit car that uses the Cobalt as a parts doner that I have been intrigued by, and the Mustang powertrain is supposedly a excellent candidate for swapping into an MGBGT.
I cant see myself driving either, they both evoke 1980s hair metal music videos which is pretty weird since they are 2007s.
As parts, I‘d take the mustang.
Still feels like a lot for a base Cobalt, but it gets my vote. At a comparable price, I’d consider the Mustang, but it’s still pretty worn out and the paint is a joke. Not the color, that’s fine, but does the hood have a bright yellow stripe down the edges? Even DIY, that’s cheap.
While the Cobalt is a better pick,as a current owner of a Cobalt LS XFE you can’t by the shift cables anymore and should they go bad you could be stuck with a paperweight. Just something to consider.
Mustang has the usual aluminum corrosion herpes on the hood, blistering through both paint jobs
Can I have an option for “neither”? The only redeeming quality about either one is the stick
Hate to do it, because I like Mustangs, but I’ll take the Cobalt. Fewer miles, nicer condition. Oh, and lower price.
Not a fan of V6 ‘Stangs anyway, but the “special” paint is the last straw. To be really honest, the ‘Balt seems to be the lesser of two evils here.
That Cobalt makes me nervous. The dealership is located in a sketchy part of suburban Orlando and has a lot of bad reviews. Also, the dealership appears to be part of an auto repair shop. Why didn’t they fix the problems causing the engine and airbag lights to come on? Further, this car is listed only on Craigslist; it is not listed on the dealer’s website. If a low-end used car dealer doesn’t want to be fully associated with this car, I don’t want anything to do with it.
Mustang wins by default, even with the stupid body kit and high miles.
As a long-term Mustang owner, I’m usually all in for Mustangs. But not this time – the Cobalt is a nostalgic nod to the all-but-dead sportcoupe era. They’ll make Mustangs forever, but we’ll likely not see anything like the Cobalt again.
Just wish it had the factory wheels though.
Economy GM volume-seller is a sportcoupe?
Totally! The 80s and 90s were the heyday of this conceit, with stuff like the Cobalt hanging on into the 00s. Take an everyday car, make a two-door version of it, offer it with a manual and some go-fast visuals (like Skyline-esq taillights and a spoiler), and boom…you have a stylish and fun car that’s secretly practical enough to daily. Sportscar it’s not, but anyone who worked for a living could afford to own one.
The attempts (varying degrees of success) at least are wonderfully small d democratic motoring at its best.
Blerg.
As a Mustang owner, I will take the Cobalt. It would take an exceptionally bad car and a much lower price tag to make me agree to take me take any 05-10 Mustang(GT500 not included), but especially one with a 4.0L.That Cobalt will still be doing its thing well after that Mustang is gone.
Don’t stop believing! I went with the Mustang.
Weird juxtaposition. A blue Mustang that used to be yellow and a yellow car called Cobalt, a shade of blue. If the Mustang was a couple years earlier in this model run, I’d probably have gone for it, but Ford kept visually screwing with this version, just like the 68’ – ‘70 evolution, until I didn’t like it any longer. Plus this one looks like it’s been BoLuked. Cobalt by default, today.
I’d love to have an S197 and this one probably looked sharp in the original Grabber Orange with the Heat Edition’s black stripes. But yeah, this one has not taken kindly to being “BoLuked.”
Tough one, but the lower miles and condition on the Chevy win. The only thing I worry about is the CEL, which would have to be eliminated in order for me to license it.
If it’s a gas cap, O2 sensor, or EGR valve, no big deal. If it needs a new catalyst, that’s gonna cost money.
Plus crank windows!
Heck yeah crank windows!
Wow. I would have thought that the only way I would go for a non SS Cobalt would be against your beloved K cars, but dang. Way too many miles on a weird Mustang and it’s more expensive too. I guess I will reluctantly go for the Cobalt today, though it’s painful to admit.
Cobalt, please!
I genuinely like bright yellow and this car appears to be in rather good condition. There’s a little bit of weirdness below the driver’s-side taillight – not sure if it’s a leaf, rust, or bird exhaust. The interior is surprisingly nice, though it would benefit from a good steam-cleaning, and the wheels do not appear to have any rash worth mentioning. This would be a good car to use when teaching someone how to drive a manual, especially for the low price of $3K obo. (Yes, airbag light…)
The other choice is a Mustang. I do not want a Mustang, especially one with a grotty interior and a lazy respray/color change.
Roush provenance or no (and indeed, Roush did apparently design this cosmetics-only package), this Mustang looks like it just got towed from the side of the Turnpike near Yeehaw Junction.
We’ll take the Cobalt.
Oooh, deep Florida cut!
I wanted to click on the Mustang, but the interior and different color under the hood gives me pause.
Plus, yellow is objectively the best color. Period.
Showing my floridaness, but the only “buy” I see is to buy em both…
…to shoot at on a range. Not much redeeming value in a Cobalt. I dig the stang’s turquoise, but the idea of swapping a v8 into something with that interior and the 250k miles that got it there makes me a little queasy.
That Mustang is just gross. Taking my chances with the Cobalt.