29th Jan 2006, 19:38
Thank you all for making my day. This is the best thread I have read on this site... lots of positive energy, with the inevitable negative thrown in so as to balance things out.
Those of us who understand energy use those instances of negativity as a learning exercise, in which to remain centered with our own energy in the presence adversity. So thank you also, to the negative poster.
I agree that the Malibu is definitely a great car for driving with one's energy. I have driven them on a few occasions, and in all cases, found it to be a very nice well put together machine.
You cannot go wrong with the ECOTEC engine. I own one, but not in a Malibu. As far as 4 cylinder engines go, I would not want anything else. GM has the competition beat with this engine, but of course will never get the credit for it. I do think it was a runner up for Ward's Auto World 10 best engines though. I think it should have made it.
22nd Feb 2006, 23:18
Not a young persons car? Well then if you want to pay more for a Civic and not get nearly as much equipment, then my fellow young people are passing up a great bargain and a great car in the Malibu. I've driven the previous generation as a daily driver, and when that hits the 300,000km mark very soon, I know I will be replacing it with another Malibu! There definitely is an energy from this car!
10th Mar 2006, 22:52
I'm 24 and I need to buy another car in 2007 since my Cavalier's lease will come to an end. If I had to buy it now (march 2006), it would certainly be the Malibu with the 2.2 ecotec engine. I don't have enough money for the V6, and if I did I'd probably go for the Impala LS, which looks much better. I like the design and in grey or silver, it does not look too much like an old guy's car.
I will definitely go back with GM, my Cavalier is so great, I wish the plastics were not that cheap though...
24th Mar 2006, 09:51
Someone commented on his horn not installed - I wish the horn on my 2005 Malibu Maxx hadn't been installed. At the present time, it is at a dealer for the second time to figure out why the horn is going off at random times for 10 minutes at a time - very annoying say the neighbours of my place of employment. I believe it has something to do with the locking mechanism as it doesn't go off when I manually lock it or if it is left unlocked. Any comments from anyone with a similar problem or a solution would be appreciated. I used to love my car otherwise - my love is dwindling.
15th Apr 2006, 21:14
I like the look of the new Malibu and Malibu Maxx, and they seem to be reliable, but if I was to buy one, I'd wait a few years to make sure they got all the bugs ironed out. By the way, does anybody know how much horsepower comes from the 3.5L?
21st Nov 2006, 20:09
The 3.5 V6 has 201 hp.
And if you like the current Malibu you better not wait too long for the bugs to be ironed out. The 2008 Malibu will be completely redesigned, based on the Epsilon II platform, and will be sedans only (the Maxx gets axxed).
9th Aug 2007, 20:25
I bought an 05 Malibu (V6 LS) in January of 06. It had about 23,000 miles on it and was apparently purchased from a rental fleet.
I'm very happy with this car overall. In a year an a half I've put another 25,000 miles on it, without a single mechanical issue. Starts first time, every time, in all kinds of weather (I live in Utah), has excellent acceleration, decent handling and reasonable comforts for the price.
Yes, the interior has too much plastic and the seats are a bit fatiguing on long trips, a reasonable trade-off for excellent value.
24th Aug 2009, 13:26
Get the extended warranty!
I own a '04 Chevy Malibu and have had multiple problems with the steering column. They have replaced it 4 times and this last time seems to have fixed it.
I have also had problems with the electric power steering. To me that seems like a horrible idea, but whatever. If the power steering goes out, turn the car off and start it back up. That will give you power steering for a short while, but take it in to get fixed ASAP!
We bought the extended warranty and I am so glad I did, otherwise I would HATE this car. But I am so drawn to it. It is great gas mileage for a V6, looks and runs great, is roomy and has great features. If I hadn't bought the extended warranty, I would have spent a lot of money of replacing the steering column 4 times!
It's a great car, just buy the extended warranty.
13th Jan 2006, 11:05
I have had an intermittent starting problem as well, but only on the first try. If I turn the key and the dash lights go on and nothing else happens, I just turn the key completely off and retry and it always starts up then. This only happens when the car is extremely cold and has been sitting for hours. I work at an auto garage so I know that it is difficult to diagnose a problem that doesn't reoccur so I haven't bothered taking it to the dealer yet. That would just be a waste of time. Have patience! All vehicle's are man made which means there are going to be flaws! You may get a lemon, but don't let that cloud your judgement!
P.S This is from the 19 year old girl from an earlier review.