22nd Mar 2013, 06:13
I have owned over time 3 Malibus. 1970, 1975 and 2002, and have liked them all. I bought my mom the 2002, which I have only driven a few times. Nice power with the 6. My mother is 81 years old, and it's easy to see out of, easy to park etc. Garage kept.
Even my 70 has a very smooth ride. Especially on the interstate. I could have bought almost 3 new ones for what I have in the 70 SS Big Block 4 speed air car that I recently bought totally restored.
The 75 was issue free new, and a great choice in that era as a mid size. Now the cars are much smaller, but at least with the 6 it has some decent power.
10th Apr 2014, 16:28
This is the writer of the original post. My Malibu is currently at the dealer for its third oil change. 15K miles. I have had NO issues to date. It remains a fantastic car. Since purchasing it I have rented a Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry and test driven a new Accord. I would not trade the Malibu for any of them. It is quieter, rides better, feels more solid and outclasses each of those mid-size cars. I'll continue to update.
20th Mar 2013, 18:40
I test drove one with the 2.5 and little options... base car. It was VERY quiet and smooth riding... but I did notice it "floats". I was impressed that at 70 mph the tach showed only 2000 RPM.
The back seat is a bit cramped for such a big car. I also found the shifter indicator hard to read. I thought I was in "drive", but was actually in neutral.
I drove the new Accord (2013) with four cylinder and CVT tranny. It was very quiet and smooth riding, and had a bigger back seat by far. I do not like CVT trannys and am leery of this one. I am not so enamoured with the styling of either car. I do not like the new Fusion's styling either... looks like a weiner dog... stretched out in the middle, and the roof line on it and the Malibu are too swoopy and space-wasting to me.