2001 Chevrolet Malibu

Solid, but flaky electrical

By TeeJay (GA) on Thursday, May 23, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 140,000

Pros: "Looks, ride, radio, fuel mileage"

Cons: "Flaky electrical, uses expensive Dex-Cool"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 6

"Nice looking car, 32 mpg Highway, good ride for it's size. COLD A/C, Good sounding radio, quiet when wanted. Dashboard lights don't work, window raising hardware is flaky.In the morning, the engine sounds like a bucket of bolts until it warms up. Half a can of STP cured that. A great commuter car, but if you can, get the manual windows. Bought it for $2300 at an auction. Overall rating: C+. GM is trying, but not quite hard enough to compete head-to-head with Ford....."

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Driveline OK but overall, not put together well.

By Ben (KY) on Friday, May 10, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 48,000

Pros: "Good MPG, smooth ride."

Cons: "Hard to work on, cheap interior."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 4

"It had 21K on it in 2003 when purchased by me. It now has 48K, or 27K mi. in the last 10 years, so it hasn't been driven much in that time. New alternator at about 45K, new front brake pads @ 44K, the windshield washer tank leaks, the power mirrors quit working (gradually). Turnsignal/4-way flasher problem but the warranty covered that. It's an inexpensive car to begin with and you get what you pay for. Consumer Reports has a lot of black marks for the 2002 models; the 2003s were somewhat better--more red marks. My car's very average, nothing to brag about."

3 people out of 6 found this review helpful

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Good car to get around been very reliable

By char yarrigle (CA) on Wednesday, May 08, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 136,000

Pros: "Good price, reliable"

Cons: "Upholstery is dirty and has burns from cigarettes"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 8

"Car runs fine, need to sell due to having too many cars around. Broken back window that I am fixing, interior is not good, has cigarette burns and is dirty. Exterior has no dents but some peeling paint. Color is white. Willing to sell for $2500 which is $1000 below kelly blue book."

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Solid Car, Great Value, Boring as ever

By zimmie1987 (NY) on Saturday, May 04, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 159,000

Pros: "Inexpensive, Powerful Engine"

Cons: "Poor Gas Mileage, Boring, Poor Resale Value"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 7

"This was the 2nd car I have purchased. I bought my 2002 Chevy Malibu Base in 2005 with 36K miles on it for $7,800. For the price it has been quite the value. It now has 159K miles on it and I am actually surprised it is still running. It has had some issues. The anti-theft system Passlock was faulty as it is in many early 2000 GM vehicles. (My mother's '04 Grand Am had the same problem.) It required a replacement of the ignition which was costly. The turn signals stopped working which was luckily covered under a special recall. I have replaced the rotors at least 4 times. The fuel pump failed about 6 months ago and that was another costly repair. The car has an issue with rust. I live in a cold climate and the undercarriage looks like a ship-wreck and there is rust building above the wheel wells. The interior is boring with a lot of hard plastics. It also has only 2 strangely small cup-holders in strange locations. The engine has never given me any problems, but within the last few years the transmission has started slipping. With all of that said, there have been some positives to owning this vehicle. It is a great value and despite the aforementioned issues it has actually been very reliable over the past 8 years. The 3.1L engine is very powerful (although it does not perform anywhere near as well as when I purchased it.) The trunk is large, but the rear leg room is surprisingly small for a car of it's size. Overall it has been an acceptable vehicle that has got me through my college years and beyond. It is epitome of basic and lacks style. GM clearly agrees as their tagline for the new 2008 Malibu was "Soon there will be a car you can't ignore." There are clearly better cars out there, but I would have to say if I had to go back I would likely buy the car again."

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This car has been very reliable.

By Caarol (NJ) on Tuesday, April 30, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 91,530

Pros: "It's not expensive, very affordable."

Cons: "Hard to get in and out of. It's not comfortable."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"This is a very good car as far as being reliable. I have never had any major issues with it in all of the 10 years of driving it. However there is a design flaw in the interior of the car. You have to lift up your legs to get into the car and sometimes it is hard to get out of the vehicle because of this high instep."

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I love the Malibu!

By baconchevygirl90 (SC) on Tuesday, April 16, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 510,000

Pros: "Excellent gas mileage, affordable, smooth ride."

Cons: "minimal color options, Dex-cool only"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I love my car. My '99 Malibu gets excellent gas mileage and has always been a faithful car! Runs great and I've never been disappointed. It was my first car and I want to die owning a Chevy Malibu. <3"

1 person out of 1 found this review helpful

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