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2000-2011 Chevrolet Malibu
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Pat: thanks for the latitude on this conversation. We all recognize that there is a warranty board, but there's some serious savings going on for a lot of people with this one. Thanks again.
6. Posts about dealers
When posting about your experience with a dealership, you may post ONLY the dealership name, city, and state. You may not post a salesperson's name, phone numbers, email addresses, links to dealer web sites, etc.
There have been some recent posts that have contained some names - please don't post any more names of salespeople, dealers, owners, etc. Thanks!
Is it exactly the same as the full bumper to bumper coverage of the standard 3 year 36,000 mile factory warranty?
If it adds to your existing mileage and age, wouldn't it make more sense to add it when the car has more miles so it will expire later?
signed 04malibu
Darn good for a midsize V6.
Edit: BTW, those numbers are purely DIC-indicated. Unlike what you guys posted about accuracy, I've found by manually calculating that the DIC is routinely off from anywhere around .5 - 2 mpg (and it's usually optimistic, hehe). The best tank full I've achieved after manually calculating was 33.1, and that was with a 34.6 DIC-indicated. Not that I'm complaining at all since this tank was all interstate, but at speeds between 75 and 85 mph (10 mph over the speed limit wherever I happened to be). Still outstanding, especially since I could probably have picked up at least another .5 just by following the speed limit.
Most disappointing is the mileage. The Sedan is rated at 18/25, the Maxx at 17/24. I guess the bigger engine, performance final drive ratio, hydraulic stearing, wider tires and perhaps even the chin spoiler all take their toll. It's a shame- I've got it on the brain that 28 mpg highway is about the lowest I'd accept in any future car purchase. It's too bad they don't offer optional final drive ratios like in the old V-8 rear drive days. I do alot of highway driving, and good mileage is important to me- probably more so than performance at this stage in my life. 10 years ago it'd have been a different story. 'Course, 10 years ago gas was a lot cheaper too.
I hope at least the 3 spoke stearing wheel makes it into the '06 non-SS Malibu's. The gauge bezels look nice too. In case GM is listening, I hope they put in an aux input to the front panel of the radio such as will be standard in the new Impala.
Hope also the Malibu's get the VVT 3.5 liter (rated at 210 h.p. in the '06 Impala). I doubt they will though, as more than likely Chevy will want to keep the performance gap between baseline and SS more distinct. I wish they'd get away from that kind of old-think marketing.
Seems like they've given up on the DOD idea with the V-6's. I imagine it's quite a bit more problematic to quell vibration when 3 out of 6 cylinders are operating vice 4 out of 8 (as in the 5.3 liter DOD V-8). Obviously Honda have done it in their Accord, Odyssey, and MDX etc. but they have incorporated some inovative techology such as hydraulic motor mounts (if I recall correctly) to tame the vibes.
Perhaps GM will prove my concerns to be baseless and they will in fact come out with all of this stuff. They do, after all, need to sell some cars.
So if you're listening, Chevrolet Marketing Director, my dream Malibu would come with the 3.5 liter complete with VVT and DOD technology. Additionally, I do prefer the restyle on the nose, though I'd leave the chrome bar on the trunk, as it integrates better with the rear lamps. I definately like the 3 spoke stearing wheel and the gauge cluster bezels. That's about it.
Amazing how much difference some relatively minor changes can make. I originally thought it would take at least getting rid of the current huge headlights to really spruce up the appearance of the Malibu front end, but those seem to be completely intact. And it still looks awesome!
BTW, I don't put too much credence in those mileage numbers yet. I saw that the 4200 Trailblazers are currently listing something like 13/17 city/highway EPA numbers on the stickers. I got 15-17 in city driving routinely with my 4200 equipped 2003 4x4 LT, and actually hit greater than 20 on three separate occasions of mostly highway driving. If I hadn't traded it in on a truck soon after, I have no doubt that I'd be hitting ~20 on nearly a weekly basis by now.
So I wouldn't be surprised to see the 3900 SS's to give a bit higher than listed (especially when my 3500 is hitting 33-35 highway right now, at least 2 mpg better than the sticker that was on the window when I bought it). At least when driven more conservatively.
Of course with that appearance, engine, and gearing maybe it'll be all but impossible to drive conservatively.
Guess we will have to wait for a pic of it though.
With the horsepower increase and more aggressive gearing I imagine the performance of these cars is going to surprise a few people by running stronger than the horsepower and torque numbers might make them think.
working for a different car manufacturer, I know GM won't cover it, but I can get my indy to do it for cheaper.
Thanks,
John
Then you can drop by our Technical Service Bulletins discussion and ask 0patience and alcan to give you the text. They'll be happy to do so.
Come back here and let us know how things work out!
Thank you, sir. Lots! :shades:
New nose will do wonders for the car's look.
~alpha
And yes, I'm fairly new here, but...Alpha01, I see you ALL OVER this site. How many posts do you make a day? You're amazing!
It sometimes takes up to three attempts to get the car to start when it's warm or hot (like when stopping off for a quick bite to eat at a fast food restaurant, after getting gas, etc.). When I had my car at the dealership on Monday for a couple minor issues and the free sunroof wind deflector TSB I included this problem on my list of problems. Predictably the car worked perfectly for them the whole day regardless of how long it sat between cranks. So the note on the receipt says "CSK - working as designed" or something to that effect.
BTW, this also affects the remote start- the car attempts to start, fails, then tries again (at least one time), and if it doesn't start then, it gives up.
(Note that I'm not concerned about being stranded. The car DOES always start up for me, usually by the third attempt.)
Incidentally, I hang out mostly on the Sedans, Sedans Comparisons, and Future Vehicles threads.
~alpha
I'm thinking about buying an 03 Malibu.. 33000 miles on it.. price on it is 8990. 4 speed auto/overdrive..
CD player, Power steering, power brakes, power door locks, power windows, radial tires, gauge cluster, clock, trip odometer, tachometer, air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, tinted glass, interval wipers, rear defroster, remote trunk lid, driver side airbag, console, carpeting, vanity mirror, day night lever, dual sport mirrors, front bucket seats, reclining seats, cloth upholstery, accent stripes, body side moldings, center arm rest, deluxe wheel covers, courtesy lights, driver side remote mirror, map lights, passenger side air bag, am/fm radio.
I'm thinkin this is a pretty good deal... Just wish I had the money to buy the carfax report. the records say there are 9 listings.. so i'm not sure if it's good or bad.
Also, could anyway.. give me a possible.. estimate for insurance, I'm calling them in the morning, but I'm excited about getting a car! that I'm just real antsy and want to know. hehe.
I'm a good driver.. student.. w/ good grades, no accidents or tickets or anything, just a good clean record.
Anything else u want to know, just ask..!
Thanks!
Your suggestions and information on our cars has been a lot of help already.
Again, these are hit or miss issues. Get it checked out by a mechanic before you purchase. Do some research on pricing here on Edmunds but I would not pay more than $8000 for the car. It sounds like the vehicle is an LS. Everything you mentioned is standard on the vehicle.
Hopefully GM figures out the problem while my car's still under warranty so I can get it fixed without paying for it. That's another reason I mentioned it to my dealership - documentation in case my warranty does expire before they figure it out. Even then I've still got another 21,000 miles and 2 years before that really becomes a concern. :shades:
Good luck in the job hunt, Alpha.