Comments: 1-15, 16
Nothing has gone wrong with this car to date.
I needed an economical yet comfortable car to travel back and forth to work in. This car is the former Chevrolet Malibu sold only to rental fleets. It was priced very inexpensively and seems to be a good value so far.
Even with the four cylinder engine, it keeps up with traffic well and averages 27mpg. It has all the creature comforts of my Impala, which I still own, and rides as nice as a larger one.
I am hoping that the four cylinder model will prove more reliable that the sixes that everyone has problems with.
So far, I have had no issues with any of the known trouble spots, such as the brakes. Keeping my fingers crossed, but bought the 5/75000 extended warranty just to make sure.
Please define "problems" with the V-6's that supposedly "everyone" has. This is too far of a generality to prove, and without sufficient statistical and objective evidence, I am wary of this review's comment on "V-6 problems."
Read the comments on all of the postings for the 1997-2003 Malibus. The many negative reviews of those cars tend to be the ones with 6 cylinder engines. That is what I based that upon. I am wary of your intentions, especially since you can't use spell check.
The problem with the V6's is the lower intake manifold tends to leak antifreeze, which; if it gets into the engine, can cause engine failure. This has been a problem with all the 'next generation' 60 degree Chevy V6's from 1994 - 2004.
Otherwise, a great motor and car.
-ASE Certified Master Auto Technician.
I'm glad I found this site as finding reviews on the Classic seem impossible, because, as one reviewer pointed out, it's made only for the rental car fleets. I bought mine at Enterprise and so far so good. My own mechanic checked it out and thought it was a terrific buy so I went with it. After a few months, so far so good. A nice ride and I feel very safe. Mine is a 2005 which I believe is the 4 cylinder. Works well for me right now. I live very urban so don't drive as frequently and certainly am not a car expert, but I feel good about my purchase thus far.
For a ASE Certified Master Auto Technician to say the Malibu a great motor car must be making all his money fixing them.
I bought my 2005 Chevy Classic in July of 2006 with 15000 miles. In the six months since I have bought this car, I have put an additional 15000 miles on it. I have not had a single problem and it has only been in the shop for routine maintenance. The Classic keeps up with traffic very well. I am a bit of a lead foot and my Classic suits my needs wonderfully. It is extremely economical in that it averages around 32 mpg if I stay below 75 mph. Much above that and the mpg drops to around 29-30. My car came loaded and I didn't have to waste money on a CD player or anything like that. Overall, I am completely satisfied with my purchase and would definitely buy this car again.
I got my 2005 Chevy Malibu Classic 6/27/07. It has 36,000 miles and I got it for $10,000. So far its been a great car and great ride, very smooth for country and city driving. Its bright white and the white color gets noticed very easily. You can see it coming down the road. Has a good 4 Cylinder engine that I hope it will be reliable for years to come. I'm sure after 100K the head gaskets will go, as do most of 4 cylinders, but no worries for now. Great buy if you can find one in good shape!!! Save on Gas and Car repairs!
I wanted a 4 cylinder without all the 'bells & whistles" of most other cars. I didn't like the 'European' styling of the new '04 Malibu's, so I went with a 'Classic'.
Amazing, just how many people DON'T know the difference including many mechanics and salesmen (other than GM).
Disappointed with the seats, rear visibility, and the soft vinyl covering on the doors.
I bought a 2005 Chevy Classic about a year and a half ago from Enterprise Sales. For the most part, the car has been great. Gets me where I need to go. I haven't had any real problems except for my brakes. I am about to take it in to the shop for its third brake fix. I just broke 36,000 miles on it. I have been getting the "shaky" brakes which I believe is a sign that the rotors are bad. And this morning on my way to work the brake light came on. Has anyone else seen a major brake problem with the '05 Classic?? Or did I just luck out?
I have a 2005 Malibu Classic purchased in 2005 used, and have had three brake jobs done and need them fixed again. Now the wipers won't turn off.
I bought my 2005 Chevy Malibu Classic Nov. 2006 from Enterprise. I only paid $10,400 for it and it had about 36K. I love mine. It's a good size and I get great gas mileage. I'm up to 68k and have no problems so far but I had that brake problem previously mentioned with my Cavalier. My mechanic advised it was a GM problem.
I have an 05 Malibu bought in 05 used with only 17000 miles on it. I now have over 100,000 miles on it now... and I have been having some crazy stuff happen, so if there's anybody out there that may know what to do, please help.
Well here's the problem; if my car is in drive (and I am actually driving) or at a park position, my keyless entry feature will reset itself. For example if when I press the button to lock the door, it sometimes will blow the horn or just lock the door that changes by itself, and when I put the car in reverse or drive, my doors lock by themselves...now that's starting to change so sometimes it will and sometimes it won't.
Now for the last problem; when my car is moving and in drive (cruising down the road) the horn will blow by itself LOL.. I know this doesn't sound serious, but if something major is getting ready to go out I would love to know ahead of time.
I have had no major problems with my car other than the brake pads wear easily and my air conditioner turns on and off by itself, so if there's anyone with some help, please leave a comment here. Thanks so much.
For the person that is having problems with the air conditioning, the problem is probably your air conditioning control panel located under your radio. Once I replaced that, I had no more problems. The dealer wanted almost $200 for the part, but I got one on EBAY for under $40. It is very easy to replace, just snap off the covers on the entire panel where the radio and A/C control panel are, unplug the old control panel and plug in the new panel and you are ready to go. There may be a couple of screws in there that you have to unscrew, but not a major issue.
As far as the remote resetting itself, if you have a manual, it will show you how to program it and it has to do with holding down the lock button for a few seconds with the key on. Refer to your manual to reprogram your remotes, that might help.
I bought my 2005 Classic with 55,000 miles on it.
I have had a CV joint go. I also did a brake and rotor job on it. The front brakes are still grinding every other day. Have no clue why.
This year my hazard button started clicking as if I had the blinker on all the time. Also started dinging. Kinda like if you leave your headlights on and get out of your car. So I am driving down the road. It's dinging and clicking and my steering column started smoking.
Thought it was my hazard relay so I replaced it. No fix. Figured out after some research that it was my blinker/headlight control our as some might call the multi function switch. It was removed very easily. One bolt. Cost was $122.
Overall it has been a great car with minor problems.
I bought an '04 Classic in January of '08, with 78,000 miles on it for 6K. My sister owns the same car and has really good luck with it. So far, my car has been running great. I like the throttle response it has, and the transmission is very flexible in that it can shift slow and smooth, or very quickly when you want it to. I've read a lot of good things about the EcoTech 2.2L it's got, and parts for the entire car are quite cheap.
I did research before I bought the car, and when my rotors began to warp, I had them replaced with aftermarket parts that had a lifetime warranty. No more shaky brakes! Heads up, though: I had the calipers replaced with the rotors (they were leaking), and as it turns out aluminum calipers develop an odd creaking noise that you can both hear and feel in the pedal after 4 - 5k miles. Talked to several mechanics, and they all told me my only option was to replace them. So, opt for the (cheaper) cast calipers.