There is nothing I know of that would rule out a Malibu with that many miles. If the dealer threw in some sort of warranty, that would ease my mind a little. Is the dealer reputable? Take it to your own mechanic? The purchase of every car entails some risk.

 

You have posed some great questions.

Michelle, Chevrolet Customer Service

 

There would be no warranty with it, but they would let me take it to my mechanic before committing to anything. I trust that my mechanic would be able to find any issues.

I agree that every car has risk - that's one of the reasons we don't want to spend too much, because this is replacing a Ford with a bad transmission. With that in mind, I'm debating whether it would be a better long-term value for us to spend a bit more on a lower mileage model. The same dealership has a 2007 Malibu LT with 60,000 miles for $11k...

 

Wow, my 08 classic LT was $11,000 when I bought in in January of 09 with 26,000 miles on it. Used car prices seem to have gone through the roof lately.

 

141K high mileage? Pffft. After the divorce, and the year I was sick, it's taken a while to rebuild my business up - but I do 40K to 60K a year.

My 2000 has 314Kmiles now. And it's not as high as another on this forum.

Have your mechanic look it over carefully. Both cars may be due struts / shocks / ball joints / etc. Plus both may be due brakes. I'd get the mechanic to look over ALL of that carefully.

RwP

 

My 2000 has 314Kmiles now. And it's not as high as another on this forum.

Disclaimer - Results are NOT typical. Your mileage may vary. Seek the advice of a qualified mechanic before plunking down your hard earned money. If finances allow, it may be in your best interest to find a vehicle with lower mileage. People usually get rid of cars at that kind of mileage because they don't want to fix it up. You don't know what kind of driving and maintenance this car saw. Some people don't understand there's more than idle and wide open throttle or standing on the brakes. Keep in mind your mechanic can only tell you what he can see. My opinion, I'd look around a bit more.

 

you may want to look at the chevy impala. they depreciate a little more then the malibu.
I have seen 2011 impala rentals listed for 14k

 

Ralph, that's good to know. My parents have a 2000 also and they've always been happy with it.

Silenze, that's something to think about, but my wife didn't like driving the Impala. She's only 4'11" so it's been a challenge finding something that she can drive comfortably, and safely. She has to sit on a pillow in her current car (the one with the bad transmission), haha. That's the major reason we want to get the Malibu, it's perfect for her with the seat and wheel adjustments.

I think I'll try to take it to my mechanic tomorrow and see what he thinks.

Thanks again all.

 

In my opinion, if the vehicle has been well maintained by the previous owner the vehicle should be fine. If this is a General Motors dealership, you can request to see the service history. The service history can allow you to read all the maintenance, repairs and recall information that has been performed through a dealership.

I would also take the vehicle to a reputable mechanic to have them check it over. As a matter of fact, my husband is taking a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe LS 4WD with 62,000 miles on it to our mechanic for his opinion on it before we sign the papers.

Also request to see a Carfax.

Michelle, Chevrolet Customer Service

 

High mileage is still high mileage. While highway miles might be easier on the engine there's still wear on internal components such as the timing chain. It may get past a rigorous inspection but Caveat Emptor!

 

Thanks everyone. We decided to spend a little more and keep looking for a lower mileage model. If it had been for our secondary car, I think it would have been fine, but this will be a replacement for our primary vehicle.

 

When they throw out " Highway Miles " ..... Do they think we drive on trails and sand pits ????? That is so lame. A 2006 is 12 years old. Even if it had 80k on the odometer I would not buy someone elses problems. Toss the $5000. out the window if you pursue this deal. Your five thousand would be better spent as a down payment on something 2-3 years old with less than fifty thousand. Tons of lease cars out there in great condition because the lessee pays for any damage, malfunctions and tire wear.

 

I just bought a 2007 Malibu Maxx with a 178k miles for my 16 year daughter.

Interior was very clean. No rust. No accidents. Clean title.

I have no idea what services have been done on it. First thing I did was change the oil and put a new air filter in it, which actually didn’t look that bad.

I want to change the trans fluid soon.

I wanted one of these for her due to 5 Star crash rating and the solid motor and transmission on these cars.

I think it may need shocks but haven’t really gotten a good look at it. I can feel small bumps a little too easy through the steering wheel.

What’s the weak link on these things?

I just need it to get her safely through HS. Don’t care what happens after that.

 

I would take it to a reliable mechanic for a brake / suspension check. 200k has put a lot of strain on the joints, springs, grommets, and additional wearable items. Chances are owners that run a lot of miles quit maintaining after the resale drops ( usually 90 to 100,00 miles ) and feel throwing cash into a multitude of up coming repairs is fruitless. Steering and brakes can be a major factor in accidents. Make it a safe first introduction to her transportation experience.

 

How has your high-mileage 2007 Maxx been working out. I just purchased a rust-free 2007 LS for $1800 with 184,000 on it. It needs some kind of air-bag system service (has not been in a crash), rear wheel bearings, some front end work, and a few other small repairs.

 

Buying high mileage ..... makes me nervous ( so I don't ) No idea what someone elses maintenance schedule was or if they just considered it a " beater ' after 100k. Some must feel these drive trains last 300,000 plus. For everyday usage unless it is free I would not look at a purchase.

 

:surprise:I agree with you, but I cannot afford the cash outlay at this time to equip my family with low-mileage cars / vans. We've been purchasing at 150,000 miles and higher, and my "new" 2007 Malibu LS 4 cylinder has about 185,000. It's anybody's guess on longevity of the drive train. We purchased a 2004 Sunfire in October with about 234,000 on it - engine blew, most likely timing related, a few weeks ago. "Luckily" my daughter totaled her '04 Cavalier when an inattentive driver jumped a stop sign without looking and my daughter, who had right of away, braked hard but still hit the other driver's rear quarter. So..... "free" engine and transmission with lower miles to dump in the Sunfire.

A true-low mile car turned out to be my worst car EVER. 1990 Taurus 3.0 V6 with actual 32,000 miles. Blew its engine, transmission, and everything else you can imagine going wrong with it. The car was beautiful - BUT - it had sat for years in a garage, and was poorly engineered by Ford. Really a nice car to drive, when it worked, but it fixed my fascination with low mileage older cars.

There's an interesting youtuber who calls his channel "cars that last" readers here might want to check it out and see if they agree with his suggestions. One I like even better is a youtuber who is a mechanic, and calls his channel "Ratchets and Wrenches". See his take on the best cars you can buy for under $1500. Search "Top 5 Reliable Cars Under $1500"

Ideally, buy the lowest mileage, newest car you can afford and you'll have few headaches. For those of us low on cash I think an older high mile car can work out. Depends on the original engineering, quality, reliability; also on how well it has been maintained and (I think) how many owner's it has had. In the northern US rust-belt area of the country making sure the car is virtually rust free is a must. Rust-buckets don't have enough value to justify the inevitable repairs, and rust-buckets are dangerous in a collision since rust reduces crash protection.

Keep in mind my 1990 POS low-mile, looking like new, 1990 Ford Taurus. Paid $2400 to buy it with 32,000 verified miles. $5000 or more in repairs was the result of my ignorance. I've never done that poorly with any high-mile (over 150,000) car. Never.

 

No matter the case after 3 years / 36k miles your on your own. I refuse to let my family drive a vehicle I can't verify maintenance on with over 100k on the clock. Suspension parts fail at highway speeds could be the last stop for everyone on board. You do what you have to. I would beg, borrow, get a third job, to avoid this process. We all make choices.

 

this is why there are safety inspections when vehicles change hamds.... the car gets a thorough going through.... and ALL components are replaced that are of issue.

I will agree ( probably luck) this low mileage car i have now, has by far been the worst car i ever owned... my 06 malibu came with 45k miles roughly ( 90k km's). I attribute this more to bad design... than anything. My car before this was 2000 cavalier Z24.... over 5 years and about 90k km's i spent mayne 400 on it finally at 300k km's i figure it was time to replace her when she needed new brake and fuel line. Malibu cost me 900 in its first six months.... and i have had 5 recalls on it
high milage is not a safety issue.... if you are a proper vehicle owner and do you due diligence on your vehicle. If this type of attention is beyond ones abilities.... by brand new.... and go through all that with your dealer.

 

When I lived in Pennsylvania, I thought that every state and province had some kind of safety inspection.

Moving to Oregon, then California, then Kentucky, and then Indiana, I discovered that OR and CA have programs to ensure that the car passes SMOG but no safety inspection.

In KY and IN there are neither SMOG nor safety programs.

I see cars on the road with busted and/or cracked windshields, missing driver's mirror, front and rear lights completely missing, and other obvious signs of dangerous vehicles being operated with no attention from the constabulary.

Cars changing ownership don't need inspected around here, either. I wonder why some states are so backward? Oh, wait, I think I know the answer to that one...!

 

In KY and IN there are neither SMOG nor safety programs.

I see cars on the road with busted and/or cracked windshields, missing driver's mirror, front and rear lights completely missing, and other obvious signs of dangerous vehicles being operated with no attention from the constabulary.

Michigan also has no inspections whatsoever, neither safety nor smog, and it shows.

Cracked windscreens are one of the biggest things here along with loud/modified exhaust systems. Haha, my S-10 would certainly not pass inspection considering half of the exhaust system rusted off. I don't know if it even has a cat on it anymore. I think it must because I don't smell sulfur of any kind. But here you can just bring in the title and I think just about anything can get licensed unless it is certified salvage and then even after that, it might be able to be repaired and brought back to operating condition. All I know is I can walk into the DMV, hand them the title, say I want license on it and as long as I already have insurance on it, within minutes it is road legal.

In fact I'm not even sure my Impala would've passed inspections if it was for safety since there was a lot starting to go wrong with it. It's a good think in a way for these programs but also expensive if you don't have the money and can definitely cause a lot of decent vehicles to either be sent to the junkyard or just left for rot because their owners can't afford to fix them. I found a 7th gen Malibu on CarGurus a few weeks back that was on a mechanic's special because where it was located, it wouldn't pass inspection.

 

Not aware of any states doing safety inspections ( on light cars & trucks ) upon title changes. If they did there would be no " cheap " vehicles depending on who had to bring them up to standards. Once inspected the vehicle would be red tagged for repairs if needed and unable to be used for daily driving.

One of my first Corvettes was a 1962. Took it in for a front end alignment . Paid the bill ( $50.00 ) . Driving it home noticed the same deficiencies I took it in for. Later putting it up on jack stands I noticed the king pins were so worn one could tilt the wheels a 1/4" and of course tie rod joint slop . So much for " professional " alignment devices operated by untrained personnel . Had there been an inspection station I could have used the money for parts and been aware of the safety aspect.