Thinking

[Lawlor]

im thinkin about buying a malibu.. any advice on which year to buy or nethin i should look out for??

[igkyoa]

get one that is a 2001 or newer they seem to have less problems then the 97-00 malibus

[spflick]

if you are going to get a malibu get the 3100 sfi motor (watch for intake gasket problems) or get the 2.2l ecotec 4 cyl i have heard nothing bad about them (ecotec)
spflick

[wpbharry]

Avoid all recent Malibus except for the 2003, the 2004-5 Classic and the '05 Malibu.

Although I fear all will eventually succumb to the problems the others have experienced.

2002's are starting to see problems crop up. '97-'01s are already highly problematic. Even the early years ('97-'99) with the 4-cylinder.

[Lawlor]

so around a 97 or so would be my best bet i take it?.. how long do they usually last.. anyone have any ideas about how the milliage is on the malibus

[wpbharry]

To reiterate my prior post, avoid '97s, '98s, '99s, '00s, '01s, and '02s.

The last gen Malibu ('97-'03) didn't get great gas mileage. Maybe 14-15 city and 25-28 highway, for the 3100 V6.

The '04s and '05s with the 3500 V6 get much better mileage, and have far fewer problems for a new model than the prior generation did. My '98 was a disaster from the get-go. But some '04s have the nasty power steering failure issue (not mine, built late in the model year).

If you're thinking of a '97-ish, might I suggest a Honda of that same vintage? Or a Toyota? They cost more up front, but most likely way less when it comes to upkeep. If you want American, check Consumer Reports for models with better reliability than the Malibu.

[Lawlor]

alright, thanks alot.. im just lookin for a car about $8,000 and a malibu just seemd around the type of car i wanted.. or an oldsmobile cutlass or something like that

[johnholl]

Originally Posted by Lawlor

alright, thanks alot.. im just lookin for a car about $8,000 and a malibu just seemd around the type of car i wanted.. or an oldsmobile cutlass or something like that

$8000.00? Get a Toyota.

I'd steer clear of the malibu. Resale value is horrable. Use caution on purchasing any other GM vehicle with the 3100 enigne

[Lawlor]

alright thanks

[WoW3dset]

Whats wrong with the 3100 v6 engines?

[wpbharry]

Intake manifold gaskets normally go around 50,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first. It's an expensive deal, unless you have an extended warranty (I did on the old '98). When mine were replaced in summer '03, they used a brand new type of gasket, that apparently would never have had to be replaced again. Same problem with the 3400 V-6 (both OHV and DOHC) and some 3800s. The problem, GM claims, will not resurface on the new 3500 (in my Maxx) and 3900.

The reason why I dumped my '98 last summer was that the extended warranty was about to run out and the car had a fetish for monthly service visits. One thing after another, constantly.

[bcopeland]

Ditto that. GM should have been embarressed by these engines and cars. No wonder their stock is suffering. I think all top managers in Chevy Division and at GM who knew of these problems should be indicted and charged with highway robbery.