2000 Chevrolet Malibu Basic Design 3.1 V6

Summary:

The car is a P.O.C!

Faults:

At 65,000 miles we noticed the car surging up hills. Gradually it got worse and worse as we got more miles on it. We took it to the dealer and various garages and all they thought could be wrong was the sensors and the torque converter. So we replaced all the sensors, but that did not work. So we decided to replace the transmission. That did not work either. We decided that it was like starving for gas. We had read a review on the internet, and it said to clean the throttle body. So we done that, and it has not surged since we cleaned it. It has been done about two months now. The car gets more gas mileage and the all-out performance has improved quite a bit just from cleaning the throttle body. Hope this helps!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 26th February, 2008

2000 Chevrolet Malibu 3.1

Summary:

Piece of Junk!!!

Faults:

Where to start:

Brake rotors warped

Water Pump failed

Blinkers short out and don't work off and on

Blower motor does not work on settings 1-2

Blower Motor failed

Massive rattling under the front of the car, have not found yet.

Bad seal on right side of wind shield, excessive wind noise while moving.

Key cylinder wore out, have to struggle to get the key to start the car.

Rear speakers went in the first year.

Coolant disappears, but I can't ever see any on the ground!?

General Comments:

This is THE worst car I have ever owned.

Stay away from these things as they will nickel and dime you into being homeless.

I have owned several other cars including from Nissan, Ford, and Dodge. None have ever been the pile of crap this Mailbu is!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 23rd February, 2008

2000 Chevrolet Malibu POS 3.1

Summary:

This car is "Job security" for mechanics everywhere!!

Faults:

Lower intake manifold gaskets.

Transmission slips.

Both front ball joints, one went again after 3 weeks.

Thermostat.

Radiator.

Brake pads (twice in 90 days)

Interior trim cracks like an egg.

Driver seat suspension collapsed.

Outer tie rod.

This all happened in 12,000 miles.

General Comments:

I have been a Chevy guy for years, my grandparents, my parents and my sister have always bought chevys. The 3.1 is a good motor, got 250,000 miles from my Lumina with a 3.1 (1991 model) This car is a good looking car from the outside, the inside isn't bad, laid out nice. Comfort is not real good. I bought this car for 2200.00 from a well known dealer here in Columbus, Ohio. I will never buy a car from them again. I put that much back into the car! Always wanted to overheat, never a smooth ride, scared to take it anywhere. Starting to rust out too. There is no way a 7 year old car should have that much rust on it. Every part of this car was cheaply made. Rattles everywhere. Power window buttons coming out of the door, bouncing around. I had to glue them back into the assembly. Very disappointing car from GM. I can't believe the horrible service I got from this car in the 8 months of ownership, it's ridiculous. I don't think these cars should be allowed on the road, GM should have to give everyone their money back for having to deal with a pile of junk like the Malibu. This was my wife's car, I made her get rid of it, no way I want my family cruising around in a ticking time bomb like the Malibu.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 9th January, 2008

10th Jan 2008, 05:58

You would have loved the late 70's chevy pickups- - they rusted out in about 2-3 years! lol lol.

10th Jan 2008, 08:56

To point out the obvious, you bought a 7-year-old car for $2,200. You took a gamble and bought something that had been heavily abused, so you lost.

Are you seriously saying that you did not notice the copious rust at the time you bought it? Just because you made a bad decision and bought a piece of crap Malibu doesn't mean that all Chevies are junk. You just need to learn more about what to look for in used cars. You probably got one that had been hauled out of the swamp after Hurricane Katrina.

10th Jan 2008, 14:24

I know quite a bit about cars, I have owned MANY, you may be right about it being hauled out of a swamp. The night I bought this I was tired and it ran so I bought it. But if you doubt the Malibu is a piece of crap, look at the other reviews. Again, there's no way a 7 year old car should rust.