Best Compact SedanChevrolet · 2007
Cobalt
2007 · LT
Resale price
$4,450
5-yr depreciation
73%
Of original value, first five years
Yearly maintenance
$515
Parts and labour beyond oil and tyres
Combined MPG
26
EPA combined city and highway
Trouble-free miles
96,000
Before a first repair above $500
Known issues
Ignition switch recall; electric power steering motor failure.
Where it is made
Final assembly · Lordstown, Ohio, USA
Country of origin
United States
Home market of Chevrolet, the brand that designs and engineers this car.
Parts from United States
70%
Share of the car's parts content sourced in the United States.
Made in the USA
70%
parts
100%
assembly
Finished in a US plant, with the parts share above sourced domestically.
| Measure | This vehicle | Median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resale price | $4,450 | $8,200 | −$3,750 |
| 5-yr depreciation | 73% | 55% | +18% |
| Yearly maintenance | $515 | $482 | +$33 |
| Combined MPG | 26 mpg | 30 mpg | −4 mpg |
| Trouble-free miles | 96,000 mi | 138,000 mi | −42,000 mi |
Fun fact · 01
Honda Civic · 2006 — 2011
Half a million miles on the original engine
The eighth-generation Civic was engineered for distance. Its 1.8-litre R18 runs a timing chain instead of a belt, so there is no scheduled replacement, and the aluminium block is sleeved so it can be honed rather than scrapped. High-mileage registries list several of these cars past 500,000 miles with the factory engine, transmission and suspension bushings still in place — the wear items are the same ones a 100,000-mile car needs.
What it is
- 1.8-litre SOHC i-VTEC inline-four, 140 hp
- Chain-driven cams — no timing belt service
- Five-speed manual or five-speed automatic
- 36 mpg highway from a 1,200 kg body