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2000-2011 Chevrolet Malibu
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Comments
Thanks so much!
The V6 Malibu gets better mileage than the 4cyl. in mixed driving ie, city and highway, whereas the 4cyl. gets better mileage on the highway.
Even small charges count. E.g. during the year you are spending $3000 on groceries, $2000 on gas, $1000 on phone and Internet. $6000 total, or $300 toward your new GM car if you charge everything on GM card. In 5 years it will be $1500 of free money. Even before accounting for big purchases, like computer, furniture, or car repair.
Not all merchants accept credit cards, but you will be surprised how many do. I am charging visits to doctors and dentists and auto insurance on the card, but cannot charge life insurance. Charging cable, and Internet, but not electricity. Local phone, but not long distance (my provider accepts card payments, but it takes too much time). Parking, but not haircut. Chinese restaurants, but not McDonald.
But after your post, I am really dissappointed! I don't know what to expect, now!
You aren't the only one with this need. Although I am a 5'8" woman, my legs go up about 3" taller than my 6' husband. I notice that your posting was almost a year ago. What did you decide on getting? Thanks, J
As far as the Malibu goes, it's great that so many people are getting the deals they are, but it really is going to kill resale / trade value on the cars. Not that this matters to me, as I plan to hang on to our '04 LT sedan for at least four years. (Would've kept the TB longer than that, but we've discovered that the lack of a pickup bed is a fairly big shortcoming for our family in this stage of life..).
Can you give me info on the loyalty discount??? I own a Chevy, and my husband owns a Toyota. I read about loyalty discounts in a great book by James Bragg. I was able to get Toyota to give us a $500 discount, in writing, good for one year. That's when I thought I would be buying a Camry. The Camry did't work out in the end, and I was wondering if Chevy gave a loyalty discount. About how much is it, and how did you get it? Who do I contact to get it?
I was researching the Chevy Malibu in Consumer Reports, and decided to compare the braking and accleration against the Accord and Camry. I was very happily surprised! I have the results from the 2004 Malibu base model, the 2003 Accord Ex, and the 2002 Camry LE. All 4-cylinder; but it looks like the Malibu is 2.2L and the others are 2.4. Acceleration was only seconds slower by the Malibu. But, there's a slightly shorter braking distance by the Malibu than the 2 other cars! I don't know if the statistics on the 2004 models of Camry and Accord are better now, but it looks like Chevy can be proud! I hope the long term reliability is good!!
I was looking thru my choices for a Malibu in Edmunds. I decided on a LS 1SB because I really wanted the head curtain airbags (after seeing insurance crash test results), and the 6-way power driver seat that Edmunds listed as options.
Just for fun, and to check Edmund's MSRP, I then went to "build your own" on the Chevy site. When looking at the 1SB, it shows a spoiler there. I do NOT want a spoiler. And I don't want to pay for a premium stereo.
So I tried to build a 1SA and add the options, but when it came to try to find dealer stock in my area dealerS, it came up with the 1SB package. I guess that's the closet thing.
Also, I didn't see anything anywhere about the 6-way power driver seat. This is really important to me, as I have back pain and need to adjust the seat properly.
I haven't been to any lots yet, as I have been using this week of having back pain as a time to research. I called GM customer service and they said I don't have to have the spoiler, but how are the cars coming on the lots? And what about my beloved 6-way power driver's seat? Thanks
Did anyone tell you how to remove the front headrests? I have tried and tried to remove the headrests in my 1997 Malibu sedan and cannot get them out. There is no lever, button or notch to depress. There is only a plastic cover at the base of the steel rod that the headrest is mounted on.
If you have discovered the answer, please share it! Thanks,
Chris
I want to make sure I understand you before deciding on a '04 (if possible) or '05 Malibu. The option for air bags is improved for '05? I want the side chest airbag for my Malibu, after seeing the NHTSA and IIHS concerns about side impact. (I hope I am not scaring any '04 owners).
So if I pick the option for side airbags on the '05, will I get both? Thanks
I just wanted to make sure about the new airbags, so now I know I'd rather get the '05.
The thing is, I am not sure how accurate Edmunds and Kelly websites are. They both list 6-way power driver seat as an LS 1SB option, and the GM "build your own site" doesn't list them as an option until you get to the LT style. Yes, I did recheck my selections, and so I don't know why the discrepancy.
BTW, I've found that if I recline the seatback from the fully upright position, I can get it more comfortable, but I much prefer to have my seats sit upright, and not "gangsta-style" like some I see on the roads. ;o)
(Maybe Chevy could offer adjustable tilt headrests, like the 2002 Trailblazers had, and then we could all get comfortable. Naaaaahhh. They've been too busy decontenting for that, and it would just cost them more money. They took that feature off the 03 and up TB's too. ( ).
http://money.cnn.com/2004/10/14/pf/autos/apeal/index.htm
Give me a break!
Being tops in apeal then toping it with the interior award just isn't good news for some I guess.
i've notice jd powers initial survey results fuctulate a lot from one survey to the next and questioned their methodology. having said that GM deserves credit for doing so well with the new malibu.
i believe the malibu is a lot closer to the top asian cars then to the korean cars.
With an attitude like that, no wonder GM is losing the market share. And they charge close to a hundred bucks an hour labor!!! Go, Toyota!
Is the auto volume feature the thing that makes the volume go up based on vehicle speed? If so maybe it got turned off somehow. There is a button on the radio to the left of the volume knob which says "Auto". Just press it and see what is displayed on the radio: Off, Low, Medium or High. Maybe the radio forgot the setting you had somehow?
In regards to CD player noise...does it come out of any particular speaker, does the AM/FM radio have similar noise or just the CD player?
Good point e2helper! I'll try pushing that botton. The noise is limited to the CD player and seems to come out of all the speakers. The radio is fine. My guess is dust got into it. You can imagine how much dust all the welding in the shop can generate... We'll try to have it looked at at a chevy dealer.
BTW, we had the new caravan as a rental for 2 weeks. We really liked the dual auto doors and Stow-n-go. The 2nd row seats will always be occupied by car seats, but the holes in the floor are very handy. The caravan's transmission is a tad slow compared to the Malibu's (GM indeed makes the best gear boxes).
In terms of power, the Malibu V6 was awesome--way ahead of my Accord 4 cylinder. Not a surprise, but I was impressed at the low end power. When you hit the accelerator the car jumps so much it can almost shock you. My wife loved it. If I can believe the mpg indicator on the car, it's quite economical too--26+ mpg. This confirms was Consumer Reports says about the V6--that it's more economical than some 4 cyl engines.
In terms of room, The bu was about equal to the Accord. Even though it's slightly narrower, I think, it seem to have the same hip room as my Accord.
In terms of the quality of the seat fabrics and plastics, however, the Accord is a clear winner. Even my eight year old son without me asking noticed that the fabric was a lot rougher and less nice than in the Accord. The plastics, although better than in some GM cars, still looked and felt cheap compared to the Accord.
Handling seemed almost equal, although I'd give a slight edge to the Accord.
The trunks were also almost equal, but I'd give the edge to the bu, which seemed roomier.
Overall, it seemed like a good car--the poor man's Saab. If they had a manual trans version, I'd be more interested, but it seemed like a damn good car.