[cook2005]

Hi,

I have a question for you. I wonder what do you think. I would like to buy a new vehicle or a 1 year old used one. I test drove many cars and I came up with top 3 possible cars. I like 4 door sedans that are bigger cars since I got a Chrysler Concorde V6 leather with wood grain that is 210 inch long! So I need a car for 3-5 years that has some luxury and ample sporty power if I need some. Here is my current car: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...er_Concorde.jpg

So I test drove almost all of the available mid and full size sedans in my price segment except Hyundai Sonata, Azera, Ford Fusion.(I cannot buy BMW, Mercedes, Acura, Lexus, Lincoln, Cadillac, Ford Fusion 2010 or Buick Lacrosse CSX)

What I am looking for is luxury interior look in some extend but sporty engine and soft suspension like a luxury car. It does not have to have real wood grain though.

My top 3 choice would be :
1, Chrysler Sebring Limited 3.5L V6 (I like to look but little bit concerned about the reliability)
2, Hyundai Sonata Limited V6 or Azera Limited V6. (The interior looked real upscale and the exterior is also okay but not that good as the Sebring)
3, Chevrolet Malibu LTZ 3.6 V6. It was nice to drive but something was missing for me. Something that would make that car exceptional for me. Exterior looks nice expect the back of the car. Rear visibility was horrible though.

I test drove the Toyota Camry V6, Nissan Altima V6, Honda Accord V6 but they cost more than they would worth in my opinion in addition American cars have nicer exterior than those in general. Pontiac G6 GT has poor interior (no luxury look), G8 GT was thrilling (V8 with 361 hp!!) but too expensive and again not too luxury looking interior although it is super sporty. Dodge Charger looks aggressive but the interior is poor looking. The Mitsubishi Galant is ugly. I do not like the Saturn Aura (copy of Malibu) and I am not fan of Mercury Milan either (downgraded Fusion for me)

The question is Do you think I should try buying a Malibu?? I am concerned about the long term reliability. Hyundai has improved a lot since 2006 and now it can compete with mainstream brands. Also when I testdrove the Malibu the dealer guy told me that the shifters on the wheel are not designed to drive the car in manual mode for a long time? I was like wtf?!? Is that true?

So could you drop me some lines what do you think?

 

[DrivenDaily]

I have a friend who owned a Kia Optima 4-cylinder. It was his second! It was always a nice car when their son wasn't leaving crayons on the seat to melt. I drove an Optima with 4-cyl and it was overpriced, underpowered, and vibrated a lot below about 1500 RPM, which is way above idle at a traffic light. So I started looking elsewhere. When I got down to my last two choices they were the 'Bu or the Impala.

I thought the Impala was a very comfortable car, large inside, decent looking, and it had ample response when I pressed the go pedal. Very nice ride, easy entry and exit from all four doors (yep, I tried each one!). The ride on the freeway was luxurious compared to my '97 Grand Prix with 160K miles on the ticker.

Why did I take the 'Bu? I drive about 10 miles each way to work, don't have any kids, and enjoy a good corner. The seats and suspension are better suited to driving and throwing the car around than the ones in the Impala. They're also firmer. I noticed a slight difference on the freeway portion of my test circuit, but since I don't put on 30-60K miles a year I'm not in it all day every day. I've gone on a number of trips since I've had it and it's quite comfortable. I've even asked my passengers to be painfully honest (hey, I didn't build it!) and they've had nothing but praise for the ride quality and the quietness.

In short, if you want a ride as soft as a couch, take the Impala. If you want to have some fun, take the 'Bu.

The Sonata is simply a Kia with a different badge, just like a Mercury is a Ford. You said that the Milan is like a Fusion, which is true. I honestly tried to get the Kia, but the ride quality, the available options, and the price all conspired to convince me not to. I still don't like the quality of the Chrysler products. So, for me, it would be a choice between the Chevy and the Ford.

I'll take my 'Bu, thank you!

 

[Sandhopper]

I have driven two of your three finalists. The sonata was a limited version with a V6 and all leathered up. I drove it from Amarillo, TX to Ardmore, OK (~5 hours each way) My feeling was, though the sonata was nice as a rental car, it did not match up with the fit and finish of the Malibu and the Sonata really had zero fun factor. The ride was harsher and not nearly as quiet as the Bu. I do not have any experience with the Sebring so I will not comment on how it may compare. I have 10K on my Bu and other then a mild base rattle from the rear dash the car has been great. That reminds me I need to look for that rattle... Don't really think about it until I am driving with the base elevated. I was not overly impressed with the two tone interiors of the LTZ and I really did not like the suede in LTs so I was happy to find a LTZ with black on black leather. Hope this is helpful...

 

[cook2005]

Thank you guys for your opinion. I appreciate that!

Well the newly redesigned Sonata Limited (2009) has better interior quality than the new gen. Malibu LTZ. Sonata and optima are not the same but Optima has same chassis than Sonata (pre 2009) but roughly that's it. Everything else is different. I would say Optima is the downgraded older Sonata in terms of everything. Kia and Hyundai does not share too many parts like Chrysler and Dodge (that I think is the reason of why Chrysler's quality is not that good in general. They should have the better parts). Sonata has the advanced Lambda engine 3.3L that Kia does not use. Kia has 2.7L V6 with less than 200 hp.

I will testdrive the Sonata when we got better weather and of course the V6 Limited version. I like the Malibu's exterior (LTZ) but the back of the car is simply lame. It should be as stylish as the frond or the side. Also I drove the V6 and I felt something was missing that would have made the LTZ Malibu awesome car. I felt it was average V6 car. Furthermore the rear visibility is horrible. I drove the Sebring too and however it was the very basic model with the weak 4 cyc engine and it was good feeling to drive but I know I am biased to Chrysler (but not Dodge). By the way all engines under 200hp is sluggish for me not matter which car has that engine.

I am still undecided what to buy... I want to have a car that has the same fun to drive feeling than my current Chrysler has with little luxurious feeling and ample power. I need a car for many years not for 9 months. My current Chrysler Concorde is from 1999 and it still goes (look at my avatar) ! So I need a car for long time!

By the way what about that manual shifter behind the steering wheel? Can I use that as if my Malibu would be manual? Also does it let me rev the engine to red or it shifts gear no matter what?

 

[Silver LTZ]

Just stay away from the Sebring. My wife had one when we meet that was a POS and decided she wanted another one about a year ago. Another POS! To say the least it has been traded in....I say the Sonata before the Sebring, and I say go with the Malibu. Best looking, and best materials of the bunch.

 

[Sandhopper]

"By the way what about that manual shifter behind the steering wheel? Can I use that as if my Malibu would be manual? Also does it let me rev the engine to red or it shifts gear no matter what?[/QUOTE]


The maunal shift paddles will allow you to whined it out and down shift. It's just not the same as slaming gears.

 

[Silver LTZ]

"By the way what about that manual shifter behind the steering wheel? Can I use that as if my Malibu would be manual? Also does it let me rev the engine to red or it shifts gear no matter what?

The maunal shift paddles will allow you to whined it out and down shift. It's just not the same as slaming gears.[/QUOTE]

Those things are so slow they are a joke!

 

[Sandhopper]

The maunal shift paddles will allow you to whined it out and down shift. It's just not the same as slaming gears.

Those things are so slow they are a joke![/QUOTE]

But if you want to you can... I wouldn't want a Porsche with them either. If there is going to be a maunal option give me a clutch. There's just not enough control with the paddle shifters.

 

[Malo83]

Never use mine except once and wasn't impressed

 

[jkmags]

I dont want to add more choices but as you had asked for opinions, I too began my search with the Chevy Malibu and test drove both the 4 and v6. I have owned numerous cars and trucks and only purchased from the big 3. I did like the Malibu and I feel Chevy has a great car here, the ride of the v6 seemed nicer than the 4 with the same trim level.

The dealer I was working with tried pushing me into a color that I really didnt want (something about GM bonus cash for that color car...). So I walked away at that time and started looking at other cars,. Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, and the Mazda 6. I am not sure if you test drove the Mazda 6 but as a side note it is assembled in the same plant as the current Ford Mustang and Ford owns a part of MazdaUSA.

You cant go wrong with the Malibu and as others have said I would be hesitant on Chrysler products (other than the new Ram or Jeep Wrangler) as my last vehicle was a dodge and I traded it in within 2 years of purchase because of build quality.

Best of luck and when it comes down to it,. buy whichever brings a smile to your face and be sure to test drive the car over roads you drive daily if you can to see if it brings out any hidden features you may have to live with.

John

 

[Silver LTZ]

Never use mine except once and wasn't impressed

Yeah, they are useless. Takes like over a second for the transmission to react. I leave it in D. If I wanna shift I drive my other car.

 

[closer9]

I think the Malibu is good buy. I wasn't real crazy about it when I first got it, mostly because I couldn't stand the thought of owning a sedan, but I've gotten to where I like driving it a lot. It's quiet, smooth, powerful, economic, price was good, and the cocoa interior looks very classy... However, the paddle shifters IN MY HUMBLE OPINION are a joke on anything. If you want to drive a manual, buy and drive a manual. I love to drive my old Buick from time to time, just because of the 5-spd. I've driven a few cars with paddle shift (and all the other gimmicky names they use for similar shifters), and they're all cheesy and useless. If you're on the highway, and you want to down shift push the pedal down a little more or shift the auto shifter... I could think of several different things GM could have spent that paddle shifter money/time on... but I have the 4-spd with my V6, and am more than happy with it, and it's lack of paddle shifters... (sorry, I'll shut up about that now)...

As for the Hyundai... as much as it hurts me to say this, they've come a long way. I dated a girl back in the 90's that bought a new Hyundai. It was in the shop most of the 6 months she owned, and it was usually there for a week at a time, because they were so backed up with other cars with the same issues... paint flaking off, windows wouldn't roll up, and car would die for no reason, etc, etc... I will say I did consider Hyundai, and checked out a couple. If it hadn't been for the new baby I might even have actually bought a Genesis coupe... However, the Chrysler, again this pains me, because I've always liked Mopar (got a '67 Plymouth convertible) would not be on my list at all, especially since they've dropped the lifetime warranty... The trucks are pretty good these days, as are the LX cars, but everything else... not so much... again, just my opinions, don't mean to upset anyone...

 

[K-A]

I've heard nothing but bad things about the Sebring, and it definitely is not an attractive looking car in the least. I actually considered it however before buying my Malibu, as the prices are as cheap as you'll find anything that new, in that size, with what it does still offer (obviously due to the undesirability of it). Also, I'd be weary of buying something from Chrysler right now. It does however post very impressive Safety scores, and does have a strong Warranty.

Before I bought my Malibu, I used to Rent cars all the time to drive on work trips, I've driven basically every affordable small and mid-size car out there.

I obviously liked the all around package with the Malibu enough to purchase one, however I always said out of EVERYTHING I Rented, the most comfortable, and coziest car to cruise long distance in was the Sonata.

The interior of the Sonata is far and away more refined and makes use with better materials. The ride is very cushy and makes for good cruising, as well the car feels pretty heavy and substantial, which I like.

All in all, again, considering I could have bought one for cheaper than my Malibu, I chose the Malibu for all its own plus points, which to be honest, were mostly aesthetic (I didn't buy the car for its looks necessarily, but the Sonata is a bit too ho-hum even for my work driver), and for its much better Safety Ratings.

Hyundai has come a long way and are kicking major butt right now. I actually think the new Genesis is a great car all around. However the styling of the next gen Sonata and "Equis" are both pretty hideous, especially the next gen Sonata, just looks way over-tried and ugly.

 

[cook2005]

Thank you for your opinions.

I don't know which will I buy eventually but it seems that Sebring falls back to the 3rd place on my top 3 even though I am biased with Chrysler because I love it. Anyway in terms of price Sonata limited is cheaper than Malibu LTZ as used car and the Hyundai warranty is also better. I still need to test drive the Sonata (fu*king winter!!) on dry road condition to compare with Malibu. Sebring's only chance is the 2.7 V6 touring that is around 14k $ 2008 with 30,000 miles. 3.5 is too rare and any I4 engine is underpowered for me.

By the way. I head that the paddle shifters are joke in the Malibu. So The paddle shifter is kinda like an ornament on the Christmas tree? It looks good but slower than the automatic transmission shift speed?

 

[Sandhopper]

Hey, I finally found a use for manual mode... Shifters are still not fast enough for daily use but I have been pulling it back into manual while driving on the hwy. It keeps the trans from shifting out of sixth gear on hills. Seems to be improving my milage a little (28 mpg). Still popping it back in auto when I get to town though. My biggest problem is that the car is so quiet/music so loud, that I forget when I am in manual until I look down and I am taching 5 grand. I have driven a 2009 sonata Limited and my Bu. I still like the Bu better. The 10 yr / 100K Hyundai warranty is hard to beat. I never keep a car that long so I am indifferent the 5 yr/ 100K power train is good for me on the Bu. Drive both pick the one that meats your needs/likes the best. Either are good choices

 

[Jebus05]

If you can afford a Malibu LTZ at $26,995 you can afford the new Buick Lacross base at $27, 659... you want a nice car with looks and sportiness and yet you picked the 3 cars that are 100% family oriented cars in the world...

The new 2011 Sonata looks awesome if you can wait until it is release later this year I would look into it... Or you know look into the Lacross..,

On another note I would just like to point out the the LTZ model in the US is selling for 26,995 here in Canada it is selling for $$$$32,120$$$$ THATS NUTS
when even with the exchange rate...

 

[Sandhopper]

Though the new lacrosse does look nice, add equivalent equipment to the LTZ and the Buick would run you back up over $30K and I am still having trouble not seeing my grandmother driving it . But I have to say, Buick is really trying to shake that image.

 

[cook2005]

Well I sat in the 2010 Buick Lacrosse CXS fully loaded that has the best interior design and quality I have ever seen and I sat in , drove and saw many cars like BMW, Mercedes, Chrysler, Honda, VW, etc. Simply it was astonishing. My only problem with the interior was the gauge behind the wheel... It was way too retro! The exterior was great but the front could be better like Lincoln MKS or Cadillac CTS.

Well I picked the Sonata, Malibu and Sebring because they are cheaper as loaded than a loaded Buick, Cadillac or Mercedes. Not to mention that you can get them even cheaper as 1 year used. My budget is limited so I cannot buy what I really would like to buy.

Sonata: Cheap and has great built quality with super interior look. Exterior is also good except the "bubble cockpit look". The new (2011) sonata looks much better from outside however you need to get used to the front... but it has just 4 cylinder engine now.

Malibu: I like the exterior except the back that is not too nice.Paddle shifters looks nice but I was told those were slow!! LTZ has nice rims that are similar to Pontiac G8 GXP that I testdrove

Sebring: I am biased to Chrysler. I like the exterior of the car, interior looks stylish but the quality should be better. As used car can be bought very cheap.

Thanks for the Buick idea Jebus05. I think that is a good idea to compare the basic Buick LaCrosse and the Malibu LTZ. I will check that!

 

[K-A]

LOL @ "bubble cockpit look". You mean the shape of the roof-line/greenhouse?

 

[cook2005]

LOL @ "bubble cockpit look". You mean the shape of the roof-line/greenhouse?

Yeah I meant that! LOL! Look at the Malibu or Lacrosse or most of the American cars in this segment. They have more lowered roof-line design that makes them sporty looking/more aggressive. 2011 Sonata lost that bad design finally but the 2010 model still has that. That is my biggest problem with the current Sonata. Sebring, Accord, Altima these are kinda transition between the bubble cockpit and the sportier looking Lacrosse and Malibu lowered roof-line design.