# "donut" spare tire question



## Fonzie (Nov 5, 2003)

My new car (2010 Chevy Cobalt LT) did not come with a spare tire of any sort. 
It came equipped with a GM fix-a-flat kit instead...

There are 4 lug nuts on my new car's tires and I just happen to have an extra donut type spare from my wife's old car that is fitted for 4 lug nuts. Would it be o.k for me to use that as a spare even though it is tiny {it's from an '04 Chevy Aveo}?

Finally my Chevy Cobalt LT was pretty decked out i.e, Onstar, XM radio, 16" tires, steering wheel controls, etc. etc. The MSRP was $19,800. I bought the car for $13,100 after all incentives and rebates were applied...sooo how does GM and/or the dealership make money selling the car @ 33% off MSRP ? 


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## foxtrapper (Dec 23, 2003)

The drive train will not mind the mini spare, but the anti-lock brakes will not be happy. You'll trip an error code because of the uneven axle speeds and it'll kick out the anti-lock feature. This may well require a reset by a mechanic (not certain of that off hand).

May even disable the airbag as a result. Many car makers, and GM is one of them, combine the ABS and SRS. When one gets a problem, both are disabled.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Take some of the money you saved on the vehicle and buy a full sized rim and tire.
Then you won't have to "limp" somewhere to get it repaired if you have a flat


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## Fonzie (Nov 5, 2003)

Bearfootfarm said:


> Take some of the money you saved on the vehicle and buy a full sized rim and tire.
> Then you won't have to "limp" somewhere to get it repaired if you have a flat


That IS a good idea! Why didn't I think of it myself?
I'm going to the junkyard soon.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Fonzie said:


> Finally my Chevy Cobalt LT was pretty decked out i.e, Onstar, XM radio, 16" tires, steering wheel controls, etc. etc. The MSRP was $19,800. I bought the car for $13,100 after all incentives and rebates were applied...sooo how does GM and/or the dealership make money selling the car @ 33% off MSRP ?
> 
> 
> .


How they sold it at that price is rather simple. The standard burdened cost for a manufactured item with a MSRP of $19,800 would be in the ball park of $4400 leaving the factory.


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

I don't know about the Aveo tire. Will it fit the bolt pattern on the Cobalt?

A spare from an HHR _should_ fit your Cobalt. I would think a wrecked HHR could be easily found in a junkyard. I was told that the HHR and Cobalt share a platform.


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## Fonzie (Nov 5, 2003)

agmantoo said:


> How they sold it at that price is rather simple. The standard burdened cost for a manufactured item with a MSRP of $19,800 would be in the ball park of $4400 leaving the factory.


Can you give me your formula so I can use it in the future...

So you're telling me that a 33% mark-up is more or less standard these days...?


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

Fonzie said:


> Can you give me your formula so I can use it in the future...
> 
> So you're telling me that a 33% mark-up is more or less standard these days...?
> 
> ...


I think agmantoo is right. There is most likely a very high mark up in vehicles from the factory.

Last winter, I tried to find the profit per car, generally speaking, that Toyota has. I tried finding the annual profit that Toyota had, and then divide that by the number of units that Toyota had sold world wide. Those are some hard numbers to find. Even with that said, it wouldn't be accurate. It is still mind boggling to understand how much profit there is in car manufacturing.

Still, I would bet that a $25,000 Camry, Toyota can probably build that car for $5,000 out the factory doors.

I'd guess that the two highest costs for any car maker is tool and die, and advertising. And once the tooling costs are covered, the profits in those models probably sky rocket.

I also think that the car makers play an amortization game on new models. You'll never get a great deal on a brand new model, but once the car maker sells enough, and they start covering their tool and die costs, the prices of the cars at dealerships start falling drastically.

I also think that the manufacturers control the cost of the cars, as with the cost of your Cobalt. When the Cash for Clunkers program was going, the local dealer would only come off the price of a new Malibu $100. What a slap in the face...I give them my old beater truck, and they'll only drop their price by $100? No thanks, I like my truck too well.

With all that said, I don't think we'll ever know how much it costs to make a car, unless you are on the inside circle of a car maker.

And, I must say, with all of the above: This is just my opinion only.


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## Mickie3 (Aug 28, 2010)

Locally we have 2 ford plants. Informed word was that when SUVs were hot sellers, Ford was netting over 10,000 per vehicle over the factory cost to a dealer on each and every Explorer. If the units actually cost Ford 10,000 to make and they marked up another 10,000, the dealer could make money selling the SUVs for the 25 or so that they were going for at the time. The price could have been easily reduced from 25k to 16k and all costs would have been more than covered, although that was not going to happen. Inn later years, you could buy one cheap, as the market collapsed due to the roll-overs, high oil prices, etc. 

Note: The taxpayers (state and federal) are now paying for Ford to change over the plant that made the Explorers to make something else as Ford spent like a sailor on leave (bought Volvo, LandRover, etc.) with the astronomical profits they were making at the time. There was and still is a lot of cash made in the auto industry, just take a look at Toyota, they really don't make anything but automotive products.


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## fixer1958 (Dec 12, 2005)

Fonzie said:


> Finally my Chevy Cobalt LT was pretty decked out i.e, Onstar, XM radio, 16" tires, steering wheel controls, etc. etc. The MSRP was $19,800. I bought the car for $13,100 after all incentives and rebates were applied...sooo how does GM and/or the dealership make money selling the car @ 33% off MSRP ?
> 
> It's made out of recycled beer cans the plant employees brought in from there down time:hysterical:


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## Fonzie (Nov 5, 2003)

I've been under the impression that Dealerships make their money from the Service dept first, followed by Used cars second, then ultimately new cars sales...

So if GM or any other manufacturer has a "huge" mark up, they must not pass it on to local Dealerships...



-Da Fonz


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## Mickie3 (Aug 28, 2010)

Fonzie said:


> I've been under the impression that Dealerships make their money from the Service dept first, followed by Used cars second, then ultimately new cars sales...
> 
> So if GM or any other manufacturer has a "huge" mark up, they must not pass it on to local Dealerships...
> 
> ...


The dealers do get those huge markups passed along to them, but that is how they pay for the multi-million dollar lots where they are located, TV ads, etc. Son-in-law said the dealerships he worked for found warranty repairs extremely profitable, contrary to what most people say, as well. (He finally opened his own shop a few years ago.)


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

I think, as in most industries, the manufacturer controls the profit margins of the sales that dealers make on new vehicles.


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## SteveO (Apr 14, 2009)

My daughter bought a Cobalt and the dealership insisted on pulling the repair kit and installing the donut it was a extra $150 or so . GO figure
Steve


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Good luck finding a rim at the junk yard. The yards around here never keep rims or wheels on hand, they immediately go to the recycling center. Check craigslist for a regular rim/wheel. 

Donuts are not intended for driving and really cannot be used on cars with antilock brakes, especially on the rear. Full size spare, the _only_ option.


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## Wis Bang 2 (Jan 12, 2010)

clovis said:


> I don't know about the Aveo tire. Will it fit the bolt pattern on the Cobalt?
> 
> A spare from an HHR _should_ fit your Cobalt. I would think a wrecked HHR could be easily found in a junkyard. I was told that the HHR and Cobalt share a platform.


The Cobalt replaced the Cavalier, I'll bet the wheels are the same...and Yes the HHR was built on the same platform the same way the P T Cruser was built on a Neon platform.


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