21st May 2009, 21:07
I would buy a new Malibu in a heartbeat. If they have gone up 51% in sales while Camry and Accord have actually DROPPED in sales and the world-class Fusion has posted only a modest 21% increase in sales (still not bad for recession!!) they are doing something right. The 2008 is an all-new car. It is light years ahead of the 2000 (which wasn't that bad either really). It was chosen 2008 American Car of the Year. Buick is currently the highest rated car in J.D. Power's reliability ranking (tied with Ford's Jaguar and AHEAD of Lexus). The Malibu is built to the same standards as the Buick (they are all GM). GM has NOTHING to apologize for in build quality. And no, I don't work for GM, ironically I did work for Ford. I'm a mechanic and have worked on, owned and driven cars from all of the Big Three, Japan, and Germany. We currently own 2 Fords and 2 GM vehicles. These cars are some of the best in the world, Japanese ad hype not withstanding.
23rd May 2009, 08:49
"Well Ford no longer owns Jaguar. Jaguar is now owned by Tata Motors of India."
True, but the ratings on JD Power were completed entirely during Ford ownership and guidance. I'm not the guy you've been trading comments with, but I DO think that credit is due to Ford for taking one of the most trouble prone makes and turning it into one of the best.
23rd May 2009, 22:22
"GM has NOTHING to apologize for in build quality."
It's odd, then, that they chose to do so. I believe the ad was placed in the New York Times late last year, and it apologized for falling behind industry norms in the areas of reliability and innovation.
The truth is that you cherry-picked the outcomes of JD Powers' ratings. GM's overall score is below average when you factor all of its brands into the ratings. Some are excellent... like Buick. Others are much worse... like Saturn, for example. What this means to a consumer is that they need to shop smart and not simply look at the country or company of origin. GM makes good stuff and bad.
Ford is the one who has shown the most improvement and is rated with the very best when you average all their brands. I hope that all of the companies can pull through and, once again, produce world class automobiles.
24th May 2009, 10:11
I have a friend, a retired Ford engineer, who was involved in the acquisition of Jaguar. He toured factories of many automakers all over Europe, including the eastern block. He said by far the worst factory was Jaguar. They had very few modern manufacturing processes in place. It was true what they said, all Jaguars were hand made. For example, if a technician ran out of screws to put on a door panel, he walked all the way across the factory floor, had to figure out what screw out of hundreds available was the right one, then walked all the way back to put it in.
After Ford stepped in and the Jaguars improved, Ford got earnest letters from wealthy English owners complaining about the change. It deprived them of one of their favourite adventures, packing a delicious picnic, taking the Jaguar out for a long drive through the countryside, knowing the car would break down in some small village so they could be "rescued" by the locals while they called for their chauffeur to come and get them in their Bentley or Rolls Royce. They were seriously asking for the cars to break down more.
28th Jun 2009, 16:37
I'm impressed by the look both inside/outside of the 2009 Malibu - nice looking, such an improvement over the uninspired and sometimes downright ugly models of other recent domestics (early 00's Taurus and Malibus, 2006 Impalas). I'd love to test drive one. I'll be interested to hear how these new Malibus hold up in terms of reliability over time.
13th Jul 2009, 17:40
It's a little early in its lifetime to be praising your Malibu, don't you think?
1st Aug 2009, 00:09
I think the new Malibu is a very attractive and sporty alternative to the rather bland competition.
My biggest gripe is poor color availability. I was touring a large dealership with my car-enthusiast wife recently and we came to the Malibus and Impalas. There were NO Malibus in any color that was even remotely sporty. In fact, there were few COLORS at all, just icky grays, black and white. On the other hand, there were a number of the dowdy and bland Impalas in bright red. Upon asking one of the dealer executives about the colors, I was told that people buying the Malibu EXPECT them to be dull and boring!! I VEHEMENTLY disagree!! I think it is a far sportier looking car than the Impala.
27th Nov 2009, 19:19
I totally agree. It is disgusting to see the staunch supporters of Japanese cars cheering for the destruction of 14,000,000 U.S. jobs, especially just before Christmas. As for world-class automobiles, Ford and GM have been producing them for a decade (contrary to Japanese ad-induced misperceptions). Corvette outsells Ferrari on its home turf, and not even the most jaded import fan can challenge the Ford Fusion. The fact that Malibu sales went UP 51% in a year when everyone else had sales declines (except the Fusion) is encouraging. It tells me that at least SOME Americans still possess at least a hint of patriotism.
28th Nov 2009, 12:13
"It tells me that at least SOME Americans still possess at least a hint of patriotism."
Your definition of patriotism is downright scary. My uncle (who is now serving his country in Korea) is in the U.S. military. He got back from Iraq about a year and a half ago, and after serving his two year term in Korea, he will be returning to Iraq for ANOTHER 2 year term. He drives a Nissan Altima. I have a feeling he would take some serious offense to you calling him "unpatriotic" due to the car he drives.
28th Nov 2009, 15:57
I have to laugh at the patriotism comment. It seems that theory ONLY applies to automobiles. Foreign made electronics, cell phones, computers, etc., seem to be immune. Last time I looked, we lived in America, where we are free to spend as we wish. And, the dollars spent on that Altima paid the dealer, paid the salesman's commission and the money the Altima owner spends on maintenance ALL stays in America.
17th May 2009, 09:46
Is the last poster a GM Exec? You must have been kidding when you say that GM is on par with quality. Also how do you know your 2008-2009 Malibu is going to be a reliable vehicle? It's not even a year old.
Go back to 2000 Malibu and you will see that the Malibu has not had good reliability. I know it's about a 10 yr old car but what has really changed for GM. They are now in a world of hurt and really no better off 10 yrs ago.
The only thing I can see is that the Malibu has good initial quality and that is it. It's siblings are sub par, and the company is in dire need of cash. I'd think twice about this vehicle.