1981 Chevrolet Malibu review from North America
"Cheap. Too much rust to consider this car as decent scrap"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Everything, really..
The body is cheap and easily mangled.
The rear end is cheap and wears quickly.
The brakes are horrible even after you have new ones put in.
The handling is miserable even after you replace all of the front end parts.
The engine is sloppy, burns oil, weak pick-up.
The interior is falling apart - just like every other older Malibu I have seen.
The transmission is OK.
General comments?
You know, I have given Chevy a fair chance, I really have. I have found that their cars are cheaply built. Every Chevy I have owned or driven I have compared to a Ford and Dodge of equal value and found Chevy always came up short. Dodge choked in certain years and Ford was bad from '80 to '82.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.8 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 3/10 |
| Reliability marks | 3/10 |
| Comfort marks | 4/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 2/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 120000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 120050 miles |
| Previous car | Mercury Topaz |
| Date of Entry | 29th April, 2001 |