1998 Chevrolet Malibu review from North America

Very few problems. Total repair cost of about $2,000 over the past 8 1/2 years.

Change oil every 3 months at the dealer.

Brake change, alternator change, windshield washer mechanism replaced.

Needed an A/C electronic mechanism (no low speeds work), costs $375, didn't have it done and use high A/C speeds and works great.

A great car. Gets between 20 and 31 mpg depending on whether local driving and A/C used. I have the larger engine, but little extra power stuff (like power windows), not getting these to avoid problems.

An excellent car and I'll likely get another Malibu or (I'm leaning towards this) an Impala next.

The handling is excellent, as are the brakes. It has the original battery and has always started up instantly; I changed the tires at 40,000 miles.

The dealer is excellent and, in my experience, the only good dealer locally, so while I may find other cars snazzier, I'll likely stick with Chevy.

I'm amazed at the mechanical problems reported; maybe I made a good choice getting the base model and buying it new; also getting the oil changed every 3 months no matter how few miles I put on the car in the previous 3 months.