High Mileage Donors

[KingChuck24]

Hey everyone,

Just put a down payment on the goblin and very excited to start the build. Still haven't found a donor yet and had a few questions.

1. I have been seeing a lot of high mileage Cobalt SS's and was wondering if those are worth purchasing or not (around 180k-220k miles)?

2. If I got a high mileage SS how might that affect the resale value?

3. I am very young (17) and I am not a super experienced mechanic so from what I have seen getting a fully working Cobalt would make my life a lot easier? Is this correct?

4. Around how many hours and how expensive might it be to do an aftermarket turbo on a non SS Cobalt?

5. If I were to get a NA Cobalt that is manual, around how much should I spend? (I have seen prices ranging from 2k-3.5k)

Thanks for any help!

 

[Chubbs]

The ecotec engine has a pretty stellar reliability history as far as I know. High mileage wouldn't scare me, depending on how well it's been maintained. Plus, you're going to have the engine removed from the car, which makes any major maintenance pretty easy once it's out. That said, 200k miles is probably pushing it (again, depends on how it was maintained). I'd personally try to keep it under 150K and i'd feel good about the core of the motor. It's unlikely major internals like main bearings or cylinder rings would be issues at that point.

You should do everything you can to make sure your donor car is running correctly BEFORE you gut it and transplant everything into the goblin. There are countless additional variables once you butcher the wire harness, and troubleshooting becomes more difficult.

I used a 2007 SS supercharged for my donor, which had been rolled. If you can find one for less than $3000, I'd say the SS is the way to go. They are getting harder to find though, and are getting more expensive. If I were to do it all over again, I would probably buy an NA car, and build the motor myself. I think in the end, it would be the cheaper route based on current SS prices (it's been a while since i've seen one less than $6k).

One more thing to keep in mind...big power isn't necessary when you have 1600 lbs to push around. Props to the guys making 500hp in their goblins, but I'm not sure how they drive them. Mine is a handful at 250hp. I really believe a stock NA motor, in good condition, would feel "fast" in a goblin. You can always make more power later. At17 years old, a stock NA goblin will probably be the fastest thing you've ever driven, and probably by a wide margin.


Good luck and welcome to the club!

 

[Dsteinhorst]

Lots of high mileage donors here. Mines at 103 and it's fairly young. As long as it runs, you're probably okay. You'll end up replacing lots of wear items during the build.

High mileage doesn't seem to affect Goblin resale much. Not as much as it would a Cobalt. With that said, keep up on the maintenance.

I am quite experienced, but I got a running driving donor for simplicity. Every Goblin builder has a different goal. The build, the drive, the constant changes, etc.

I added a supercharger to my 2.2 N/A motor and it was about $2k and 24 hours. Not a hard task. With that said, it's not really necessary.

This varies widely. Mine was $850 but that was in 2019. I wouldn't spend more than $2500 for a real nice 2.4.

 

[Rttoys]

It’s a tough call. Most SS will have had a tough life, because “race car”. it’s a crazy market, so anything you can find, you need to work to your advantage in negotiating. For the most part, if it sounds good, runs and drives decent, it’s probably “ok”.

There’s always learning how to rebuild things.

 

[jFritzies]

I built my goblin early last year. I just turned 19 when I started the build. I was also looking for supercharged/turbo SS donors and then a NA manual with 89k miles popped up nearby for $700 and I couldn’t pass up on the deal. I went with it and man it is QUICK with the stock 2.2 NA. Highly recommend going down that route if the right deal presents itself. I’m going to do a ZZP turbo kit this winter. Should cost around $2200-3000 all said and done after the kit and be making slightly more power than a stock SS/TC. After talking to the guys at ZZP they state that you can make 350hp safely with forged pistons and rods. Although you’re looking into ~$4500 for that setup. Sky is the limit and there’s plenty of routes you can take