Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
2000-2011 Chevrolet Malibu
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
For the record, I don't care what anyone says, but I don't think the '04 is selling worth diddly squat. 6 1/2 months into the model year, and even here in Camry-land, I should have seen more than ONE sedan (no Maxxes) on the road by now.
I have a new theory. Why cut the model year short? A completely new (and attractive) front end might be nice, to sell some cars. I'd forgotten about all of the complaints when the vehicle was first shown in Jan. '03. If that's the case, consider the '04s depreciation GREATLY accelerated.
I am not sure which one to get yet, but truly love Maxx's rear leg room. Since I am tall, 6'5 and 1/2; I really need the front leg room too.
My local dealers do not have a Malibu without sunroof, so I will try one Sunday afternoon to see if a Malibu LS without sunroof is the best car for me. Thanks again.
Fred
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
ab: I agree with the similarity. But Honda and Toyota have such loyal followings that they can sell pretty much anything. Witness the current Accord and Camry. Neither would come close to winning a beauty contest.
The interrior dash material is almost the same as the accord material. The car is really good. Do you see any gaps inside? Material pieces not fitting? No!
The car is less aggressive than I prefer, but I'm not the only onlooker. Its smooth, clean, and just plain happy with itself.
BTW it looks really good in black.
I have seen a few new Bu's in Vancouver, and I drive very little. So, my guess is, Canadians are buying the new Bu's much more than Americans
As for the new Accord and Sienna, these are two butt-ugly vehicles. Toyota, like one automotive journalist has recently said, is "trying to out-ugly itself." How true! Toyota trucks and SUVs look fine, though. Go figure
Remember when the 2000 Impala came out? It was a slow ramp up also. Now, it's a top 10 selling car.
I have seen a few here and there. Expecting it to sell 10K a month overnight is not realistic.
Yea, but it takes heavy incentives to cell them...
I'm VERY displeased with my dealer, (A wild dog like animal) and I'm looking for a dealer that can tell the difference between a lug nut and a spark plug.
My dad is now considering a base car as he likes all disc brakes.
Whatever the motivation, I am convinced that all the '04 Malibu models offer unmatched value, features and quality. This includes comparisons to the Camcord-things that are now selling for below invoice locally. My brother and his wife just bought a new Sienna LE, for which I don't blame them because GM doesn't yet make the best minivans.
The new malibu and maxx represent the return of Chevrolet to the heights achieved back in the day. Find a good dealer and go.
Finally, I had a parking mishap, where I thought I had transmission on R, while it was on D. I hit gas, and Bu flew into a support beam. This time, the bumper did get scratched and slightly cracked in one place, and the radiator also got cracked and had to be replaced. Cost me about $1000 Canadian at the dealer to get it all fixed.
Methinks GM really cut some corners with the new Bu, in order to present a "loaded" vehicle at a very competitive price. Better not rear-end people like me!!!
If you want a bumper to survive impact, get a rubbermaid bumper, or a solid steel-core bumper that will deliver maximum whiplash per minimum impact. To heck with crumple zones! They cost money!
I thought it was kind of amusing that they accused the one car (can't remember which) of cheating, because of strategically placed foam padding under the bumper. How is that cheating? The car company adapted their design to the nature of the test.It was totally wrong that the testers removed the padding and changed the location of impact on just that one car. Maybe it was the test that was flawed and insufficient rather than the bumpers.
Anyways, I consider safety over the little things. To me, Onstar is an incredibly important safety feature that makes the Malibu stand out.
I'd feel more comfortable in my Malibu knowing Onstar detected air bag deployment and help was on the way rather than bleed to death in a Toyota.
Dave
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
What excuse do they have for Nissan and Mitsubishi's rebates? Also, Toyota has local incentive programs.
I was driving down a main street at a pretty good pace, and I noticed that my wipers were sorta keeping pace with the music on the radio. As I started to slow down for the stoplight, they didn't move when I was expecting them to. That's when I realized they were adjusting to the speed of the vehicle.
I really wish they would have explained that better in the manual. My wife was a little irked because I kept over-accelerating afterwards so that I could play with the wipers.
Is that a feature on other vehicles? This is a first for me, but I like it a lot -- no constant fiddling with the wiper controls. Now, it's just fiddling with the gas pedal!
Dave
Look where the headliner meets the b-pillar (that's the pillar nearest the headrest) and there should be something stenciled in the plastic. I can't remember exactly what it says, but it's something like "airbag."
They have always been an option on LS, and I'm pretty sure they are standard on the LT.
This was a large dealership I went to today and you are correct that the curtain airbags are standard on the LT. However, the saleslady told me that no curtain airbags are available at this time on any 2004 Malibu because the factory hasn't started installing them, and won't do so until near the end of the year. Are you sure your car has them? It is interesting that this seems to conflict with your experience and before I go back to the dealership I thought I would check back with you.
After posting my last message I went to this dealer's online site, checked his inventory of Malibu LT's and found that they posted the MSRP sticker for each car. I clicked on a couple of them and they all showed that the car had curtain airbags so it is obvious that I ended up with a saleslady that doesn't know anything about her product. I suppose that is par for the course. Sorry to have inconvenienced you.
Incidentally, the other day I stopped by another dealership to see a Malibu and immediately knew I was in trouble because as I got out of my car a salesman rushed up to tell me they were dealing and had the best deals in town, that was before I even had a chance to tell him what I was interested in looking at. I told him the Malibu as he waltzed me into the show room hovering so close to me that I thought he was going to ask me to dance. I then asked him if he had any LT's in stock with both a passenger and driver power seat and he assured me that he would be glad to get one for me, "at the best deal in town." I knew power passenger seats were not available, told him so, and hurried out of that place as quickly as I could. There are some awful sales people working in these dealerships.
We'll see what the long term reliability is but I know the engine is very tough because the same base engine has been blown to produce 1000hp. This is not for drag racing but for speed records so the power must be sustained for some time.
When I looked at an LT (sedan) the other day I sat in the back seat and noticed the back of the seat was not very soft. I assume that because it folds down they didn't put very much padding in it to keep it slim, and so riding in that seat for much of a distance could be very uncomfortable.
So far this year, combined sales of the 2004 Malibu and Classic are above 2003 Malibu alone. So, they must be getting added and more desirable retail orders.
I was interested in the Malibu at one time, but Chevy is blowing it on the pricing.
It the new Bu doesn't sell well, GM would increase incentives. But if it sells well, why say no to the money coming your way?