1997 Chevrolet Malibu from North America
Summary:
Worst car I have ever owned
Faults:
I've had this car for just over a year, and in that time, it has been towed to the mechanic four times.
The first time was for a broken pulley - it was made out of plastic.
The second time was about four months later, when another plastic pulley broke.
The third time, the car wouldn't start. The mechanic ran a complete electrical system check, but couldn't find out why it wouldn't start. They put on a new battery, and that seemed to do the trick for three weeks.
The fourth time it had to be towed was three weeks after I got the new battery. I was driving normally, and the air conditioner stopped. I flipped my turn signal to make a turn and the entire car, including the steering system, shut down. I could barely turn and narrowly missed getting hit.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 3rd August, 2002
26th Sep 2002, 01:59
I've got an 81 and I drive it daily. runs perfectly, only prob is the drivers seat has a rip and the ceiling material is coming unglued. Not bad eh?!!!
29th Mar 2005, 14:44
Don't even bother comparing your classic Malibu to the 'updated' version they came out with in 1997. The only thing these two cars have in common is the Malibu name. The 97 - 03 Malibu's were riddled with problems that GM never seemed to get around to correcting. Those that bought a 'problem free' Malibu were lucky, those of us who didn't were faced with constant and expensive visits to the dealership for one repair after another.
13th Sep 2002, 13:41
The prob. is your alternator. The 97 Malibu had 2 different production lines, they seemed to find what the prob was electrically because they started another line the same year. I know because I have one. Other than the brakes that I had to replace (the brakes are bad though, make sure to get lifetime warranty brakes and take it in whenever you have trouble) and an alternator too, this car has been reliable for me. We've had it 4 years and that's it... so far. It seems everyone else that has written something may have the 1st production line car and not the 2nd.