Well, I just got back from test-driving an SRT-4.
First, the plus side... this car is FAST. After driving my piss-ant little Tempo for so long, I'd forgotten what power actually feels like.
The reviews I read online weren't kidding when they said you can spin the tires all the way through first, and still get a good chirp going into second. There was one point I was behind an older guy, who was going about forty (which is actually the speed limit on the feeder road we were on). I waited to make sure he was going to stay there, then put my foot down and went blowing by him in seconds.. took the car up to nearly a hundred... without leaving third gear.
Unfortunately, the downsides kind of outweigh the pluses....
For one, the car seems like it was made for someone smaller than I am, and I'm a perfectly average-sized white male. 5'10", around 170, etc. I had to have the seat back a little further than I'd like, so while the pedals were about in the right place, the wheel was a little further away than I like it. If I move the seat up to a more "suitable" position for me, then my left leg (clutch leg) almost brushes the wheel, and could theoretically get in the way if I'm turning. The shifter was also a little lower than I'd like... if it were raised up just an inch or two, it would have been far more comfortable, but I kind of felt like I was "reaching" for it. I wasn't really having to reach, it just felt that way.
That's a rather big turn-off for me, I'm afraid, since I'm used to having a little more room to position myself, and keep everything in reach.
I don't mind the noise of the car, but what you mostly hear isn't really engine noise, it's exhaust noise (it sounds almost after-market).. which doesn't really have the same "kick" for a motorhead.. I'd rather be hearing the engine itself making the cool noise.
All in all, it's a nice car (and did I mention it's FAST AS F$%&?), but it's just a touch too small for me. If there's someone about 5'6" or so looking for a quick car, this one would be perfect.
It's probably for the best, though... I've only recently gotten this new job, and I want to wait a couple of months to make sure everything's settled down financially and to make sure the job's going to work out the way I want it to. Dodge is retiring the Neon this year, so there won't be any more SRT-4's.. they had only one left on the lot (a red one), and it was questionable as to whether they'd get any more. So it looks like I've missed my chance anyway, even if I really wanted to get it.
So it looks like it's going to be the Golf GTI next year. Almost as powerful, but bigger and more suited to my size, I think.
The SRT-4 would probably have been cheaper... my company has a business relationship with DaimlerChrysler, so I get some nice discounts on Dodge cars. I get a similar discount on Chevy, though, through a similar arrangement with GM.. anyone have any opinions on the Cobalt?
First, the plus side... this car is FAST. After driving my piss-ant little Tempo for so long, I'd forgotten what power actually feels like.
The reviews I read online weren't kidding when they said you can spin the tires all the way through first, and still get a good chirp going into second. There was one point I was behind an older guy, who was going about forty (which is actually the speed limit on the feeder road we were on). I waited to make sure he was going to stay there, then put my foot down and went blowing by him in seconds.. took the car up to nearly a hundred... without leaving third gear.
Unfortunately, the downsides kind of outweigh the pluses....
For one, the car seems like it was made for someone smaller than I am, and I'm a perfectly average-sized white male. 5'10", around 170, etc. I had to have the seat back a little further than I'd like, so while the pedals were about in the right place, the wheel was a little further away than I like it. If I move the seat up to a more "suitable" position for me, then my left leg (clutch leg) almost brushes the wheel, and could theoretically get in the way if I'm turning. The shifter was also a little lower than I'd like... if it were raised up just an inch or two, it would have been far more comfortable, but I kind of felt like I was "reaching" for it. I wasn't really having to reach, it just felt that way.
That's a rather big turn-off for me, I'm afraid, since I'm used to having a little more room to position myself, and keep everything in reach.
I don't mind the noise of the car, but what you mostly hear isn't really engine noise, it's exhaust noise (it sounds almost after-market).. which doesn't really have the same "kick" for a motorhead.. I'd rather be hearing the engine itself making the cool noise.
All in all, it's a nice car (and did I mention it's FAST AS F$%&?), but it's just a touch too small for me. If there's someone about 5'6" or so looking for a quick car, this one would be perfect.
It's probably for the best, though... I've only recently gotten this new job, and I want to wait a couple of months to make sure everything's settled down financially and to make sure the job's going to work out the way I want it to. Dodge is retiring the Neon this year, so there won't be any more SRT-4's.. they had only one left on the lot (a red one), and it was questionable as to whether they'd get any more. So it looks like I've missed my chance anyway, even if I really wanted to get it.
So it looks like it's going to be the Golf GTI next year. Almost as powerful, but bigger and more suited to my size, I think.
The SRT-4 would probably have been cheaper... my company has a business relationship with DaimlerChrysler, so I get some nice discounts on Dodge cars. I get a similar discount on Chevy, though, through a similar arrangement with GM.. anyone have any opinions on the Cobalt?
