I sometimes (though rarely) have electrical quirks such as the lights dimming, though this is never a huge problem.
I have to replace brakes more often than I should, but buying ceramic breaks fixes this problem.
The car shake from about 40+ mph, but it is a light problem, but annoying. I thought the wheel was out of alignment, but I've yet to determine what is causing it. Once I find out, this car is pretty much perfect!
This is definitely no luxury car, though you get a lot for little. The cabin while extremely boring, is very efficient. The dashboard is very dull to look at, and I wish it had a little more style, but that's superficial. The controls are very easy to maneuver while driving and is easy to remember placement. The seats are relatively comfortable on long trips, though the back seat feels flimsy, and I'm dissapointed that I can't fold it down. I like the fact that both outside mirrors are power operated, as it makes my life easier! And speaking of the trunk; MY WORD! It is very very large. Thanks to this more than generous trunk, I was able to bring everything I needed to college (more than 5 hours away) on one trip! I can personally fit into the trunk and and spread out that's how big it is, and I'm not a small person by any means. One thing that always peeks my curiosity is why the gas tank is on the passenger side. This to me is an odd position, and it took awhile to get used to. While on the subject of gas, I'm very pleased with the highway mileage I obtain which is usually around 30 mpg, but city driving is deplorable with around 16 to 17 mpg. Stop and go traffic is clearly not the strength of this car from a mpg standpoint.
I've look at the other reviews on this make and model and I'm quite surprised at the overwhelmingly dissapointed people who owned this car. I've not had the major engine failures or AC problems that other people have experienced. I have noticed as I stated before these breaks seem to be made of cheese, and Chevy needs to work on them! I've also noticed the slight engine surge from time to time and though it is annoying, my mechanic has determined that this is no threat to the integrity of the engine. As far as the piston slap people refer too, this only happens in the winter and face it, every car needs at least a couple of minutes to warm up from the freezing cold, and after that the ticking goes away.
I am the orginal reviewer and my car is now past the 100,000 mark. Soon after hitting 100,000 miles the main computer went on a trip for about four days. I got random various warnings, and it scared me a little. The temperature gauge also died (this has happened before), and the transmission became a little sketchy going from first and second gear. I got a diagnostic for $65 from my favorite garage, and miraculously, the problems went away (including transmission). Now I'm driving the car worry free, and have found that gas mileage in the city has actually IMPROVED! I get about 2 more miles to the gallon so I'm satisfied.
Despite the quirky week after turning 100,000 mark, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. The new Malibu looks just outstanding and keeps me wanting to stay with Chevrolet. Though I desperately want to trade my car in for the new 08 Malibu or Impala, this car has so much life that it'd be sinful to trade it in now.
When the warranty ran out for the car, I stopped taking it to the dealership which charged an arm and a leg to fix things. I've heard of people taking their Malibu in to their dealership and leaving with the same or worse conditions. Thank God I've found a reputable garage in my hometown who has kept my Malibu running in tip-top condition. Because they've taken such good care of my car, I've not had the extreme braking problem that everyone else has experienced, nor has my car overheated even in extreme heat and the A/C going full blast.
Despite what others have said about this car, if given the chance again, I'd run for the Malibu again, this time with the spoiler and alloy rims.
Original reviewer:
I am now putting anywhere from 300 to about 1500 miles a month now due to breaks and things from college. Still has given me good reliability though I wouldn't call it superb. Since I mainly use the cruise control, I get around 31-34 miles to the gallon. Don't know how I started getting that kind of mileage, as a few months ago I averaged 28.
Original Owner:
Car is still going. I've not the intake gasket problem that plagues this vehicle (knocks on wood), though sometimes I wish this car had more refinement. The car idles a tad on the rough side. Not a huge deal and you barely notice it but, again this car is seven years old. Highway mileage is a solid 28. That's pretty respectable, though nowadays that's slightly below average. Over still a great purchase, so I'll hang on for about 3 or so more years then I'll opt for a new Chevy.
Original Owner:
Car still running strong. The burst in fuel economy that I saw quickly diminished. I average about 20 mpg per tank. That isn't too pleasing. For a car with only 170 hp V6 engine, I expected economy to be better. They have inline 4's that produce more horsepower and have far better fuel economy.
As far as some of the other car makers, this car simply isn't as refined. However I do know that when I put my key into the ignition, she starts with no problems.
She isn't the most powerful engine (she's actually puny considering it's a V6), but when floored she does provide a decent burst of speed (and I love the growl she produces).
Long trips aren't luxury quality, but more than bearable. She has a MASSIVE trunk for a car this size, and she seats a full car load rather comfortably.
As far as looks and comforts, it is rather boring but very practical and it works.
Performance on the other hand needs refinement, though not dismal or dreadful. I still have not encountered (and I pray I never do), the intake manifold problem, the engine surge fixed itself, but braking still sucks.
If economy were better this would be awesome (though hwy isn't bad).
Overall I would say this car wasn't stunning but not a bad drive. Still a good first car. I'm thankful.
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