1997 Chevrolet Malibu review from North America

At 115,000 the whole braking system went bad. Calipers, master cylinder, everything. Cost about $350 to fix.

Soon after, the windshield wiper motor went bad. Sounds minor huh? No, it was a $200 fix.

At 117,000, the gas tank went bad and started to leak small amounts of gasoline. I still haven't fixed it, but I can't fill my tank up.

When it was time for New York State inspection, the OBED system had so many problems that I can't list. In the end, I spent about $500 fixing it just to pass the emissions inspection. It never passed, so I finally took the car to a friend who owned a garage and he helped it to pass with the addition of another $150.

At 122,000 the passenger side steering arm went bad. $150 fix.

Now at 128,000 the car doesn't accelerate smoothly, leaks anti-freeze, also gasoline, the engine quivers like a cold animal and the suspension makes all kinds of weird noises.

One good thing about the Malibu is the powerful 3.1 Liter engine. It's quick and fast and fun to drive when operating correctly.

However, that is few and far in between so it ends up just being very expensive to maintain and overall not worth it. I once owned a 91 Cavalier, and it was a good runner. I thought the Chevy name could compete after that, but this Malibu has definitely made me think twice about owning another Chevy. Don't buy any Malibu before 2001!