2003 Chevrolet Malibu LS review from North America

15,244 miles - The car needed a new blower motor. The bearing on the old one scored and was really noisy.

18,054 miles - The car had a cyclic front left wheel vibration. The wheel bearing was going bad and the dealer replaced the bearing and hub assembly.

18,054 miles - The clock was losing time and the doors didn't lock when driving. Also, the sunroof would only open half way. The BCM went bad and was replaced, but then the new part was bad and was replaced 20 miles later.

18,870 miles - The "ABS" light came on because the front left sensor was not tightened when the hub was replaced.

19,824 miles - The "Check Engine" light came on due to an evaporation system failure. The gas cap came loose. Make sure it clicks 3 times! (Boy, did I feel stupid after that one!)

24,586 miles - The passenger window switch did not roll window up and was replaced.

24,799 miles - The whole front end shook while braking. The car needed new brake pads and turned down rotors. I replaced the front brake pads with ceramic pads and resurfaced the rotors.

33,301 miles - The whole front end shook while braking. Replaced warped brake rotors, covered by brake warranty.

35,987 miles - The car needed another new blower motor. The bearing on the old one scored and was noisy.

35,987 miles - The intake manifold gasket was leaking and needed to be replaced. (Thank God I got this in just before the warranty expired! It would have been over $600 to fix!) Removed and replaced intake manifold gasket (lower). The claim included 5 gaskets, seals, coolant, and adhesive.

36,382 miles - The original Firestone Affinity 70K mile tires have no tread left at all. I had to get new tires, BF Goodrich Touring T/A 215 60 R15 ($79 each, plus tire mounting, balance, new valve stems, disposal of old tires, and a full 4-wheel alignment.)

I absolutely love this car!!! It is the LS option and I love all of the creature features. I love the sunroof, CD player, the fact that the radio will play for 10 minutes after you shut the car off, the auto volume on the radio, the automatic locks, the automatic lights, the reminder it gives you if your turning signal is on longer than 3/4 mile, etc.

I think this car has an excellent ride. It's suspension rides great and it corners well (not a lot of body roll). And the suspension so far is very durable considering the crappy roads in the city I live in, and the fields I drive through it in often (not recommended, but it sure is fun!)

The car is very comfortable for 4 adults on road trips - there's a lot of room in the back seat and the trunk is huge. It also isn't too big of a car for just me (single female in mid 20's). I am very comfortable by myself and it is easy to parallel park. It's heater gets warm very quickly, especially in the winter. It even keeps the toes of the people in the back seat warm!

Mechanically this car is very sound (so far). I take it on a lot of road trips. The transmission shifts well, the engine idles nice (even in the cold), and I feel comfortable letting anyone drive it. And so far it always starts! It averages 25-30 miles per gallon, obviously depending on driving conditions (and tire wear).

I stuck to the maintenance schedule religiously. The oil was always changed at 3,000 miles, the tires were rotated, filters were checked, places were lubed, etc.

I have a knack for getting cars with serious cancers (engines cracking, transmissions locking up, etc.) so the few things that have gone wrong seem minor to me. That said, I am thankful for the warranty. The intake manifold leak would have been expensive!

Things I am less thrilled about this car: The brakes did not last long enough for me. I do a lot more highway driving than stop-and-go driving, and I didn't like how easily the brakes heated and warped the rotors. Also, I am annoyed with the original tires (Firestone Affinities) because they only lasted half the life they were supposed to, weren't great in snow, and were a little loud. Finally, (this is really minor) the steering wheel is too close to the dash board. It took me several months to find a comfortable position of the 6-way seat so that my arm actually rested on the arm rest and was comfortable on the wheel, without being uncomfortably close to the pedals. Because of this, I hate other people driving my car and screwing with the seat because doesn't have a position memory!

So far, here is the cost breakdown of what I have spent on this car in the 2 years I have owned it: $14,882.36 total

Gas: $2,514.81 (~1,500 gallons in ~37,000 miles)

License and insurance: $1,610.44

Maintenance (oil changes, tire rotations, wiper blades, car washes, etc.) : $254.83

Repairs (including new tires and a new windshield when a stone cracked the original) : $869.48

Payments: $9,882.20

Extended warranty: $1,075.00

It costs me about $0.40/mile to drive this car.