I am happy with mine, it is serving me well. I would probably buy again, but a different drive train to change things up.

 

I'm with ya on that one bro, the ol' 2.4 is peppy but not enough for my taste, would sacrifice the mileage for the 3.6, even though the mileage change wouldn't have been that drastic with the 3.6, it just costs a bit more for the v6 that I didn't have. Always wanted a Infiniti g35x or g37x a 2 year old one cost more than my car plus premium gas, mileage, insurance, maintenance and repairs would have been too high. Overall satisfied, I like the looks, that why I bought it.

 

good question

 

Probably would... I still am not wild about the other options in the segment. It's the devil I know.

 

I like mine, a 2010 LT 1. It has not given me one minute of trouble and fortunately, I have not had any issues with vibrations, leaks, squeaks, and rattles. Like many other owners, I am not overjoyed with the way the 6 speed automatic transmission shifts, but for the most part, I have learned to live with it. My particular car had the transmission flash done before it was delivered to me, so I have the experience of driving the car exclusively after this had been done, and therefore, do not have any before and after experiences to discuss.
Now, what would I do differently if I had the chance to turn back time to January 28, 2010? I really wished I had gone ahead and gotten an LTZ with the 6 cylinder engine. The LTZ really has some nice features and, in my opinion, more "snaz" appeal. I should have looked for a demo LTZ or similar vehicle to cut a deal on.
However, I am still happy with my Malibu and do not regret purchasing it.. As I have said before, I really like the looks of this car, especially in Mocha Steele.

Best regards
Mr. Bill
Hamlet, NC

 

As much as it pains me to say this. Nope....

I have owned about ten GM cars, some bought new, some bought used. Heck, I still own my Camaro I bought new over ten years ago. It has been great. BUT, my last two new GM cars, a '07 G6 GTP and the '08 Malibu LTZ just haven't been "good" cars. The G6 had a few things go wrong in the year and a half we had it, but I didn't think much of it and traded it in and got a Malibu. The Malibu I used as my daily driver for over a year, until I got the Speed3 to replace it. Then the wife got it for her daily driver. It has about 30K on it, and at last count 14 trips to the dealer. Some things minor, some things major. Some things fixed, some things not fixed to my standards. I like the way the car looks, and has a decent interior. But it has been far from what I consider good. The wife has a short 4 mile round trip commute, so it will serve her well for a few more years and I use it a lot on the weekends for errands with her and trips. But honestly I am glad I am not driving it every day anymore. So many things used to bother me. My last GM car? No, I would buy a RWD car from them as they seem to be good at that, but never a FWD car again....

 

My 2.4 liter 2010 LTZ has been trouble free except for the intermittent transmission surging during excessively hot weather (still hoping to get this resolved). It's a competent daily driver. Quiet, well controlled ride. Nice interior. I'm disappointed with the fuel economy, one of my main reasons for choosing this model. I've logged about 24k miles in the last year. I been averaging about 28mpg on my mixed commute, the same as my previous '03 Monte Carlo SS.

If I had to do it again, I'd be looking for something more exciting to drive. Like the Mazda 6, VW GTI or Subaru WRX.

Just checked the Black Book trade in value. $13,600 to $15,500. About half what i paid a year ago. Guess I'll be driving the Malibu till the wheels fall off.

Don

 

Without question YES! Best car out there period anyone saying other wise shouldn't even be on this malibu site! JMO

 

X2 Jrams
Very Happy with my 08 LTZ,18K trouble free miles

 

When we first started looking, it was down to two: the Malibu LTZ and the Buick Regal (turbo)...But I just thought the Buick was more of an 'old' persons car and the Malibu was more age appropriate(I'm 25). So we went with the Malibu and I've been satisfied with it. It was better than the previous car we traded in (2009 Lancer). I will definately buy another Malibu/Chevy/GM again, but not any time soon. Gotta try to afford a wedding and a house this year.....

 

I remember a couple of threads on the subject but I don't seem to be able to locate them. The thing is, the dissatisfied are usually the loudest on these forums. It depends on the personal experiences, expectations, and perhaps personality types. I've seen people who start out all excited and then go downhill quickly once they encounter a problem that could not be resolved to their satisfaction.

I have to admit that there often appears to be disparity in service departments in their ability to fix the problem and fix it right the first time. It's an unfortunate reality that an attempt to fix a problem may precipitate subsequent problems but I don't believe this sort of thing is isolated to GM. You really don't have to look far to find incompetencies in all walks of life.

As for me, I'm comfortable with my Malibu as it is now. I do notice a few quirky things but, like all the cars I've owned over the years, I like figuring out why it does what it does. I guess I'm blessed that I can be a control freak and yet don't necessarily have to depend on others to do my bidding.

Sorry for the long post, but, in short, I'd do it over again without a doubt but, if I had to recommend the current generation Malibu to someone, I'd consider the prospect carefully to make sure it's a good fit.

 

I think it's a great car, and my '08 ex Fleet, Fairfax build has served me extremely well. It isn't garaged, barely washed, driven about 26K+ Miles in 1 year and a half, and has been solid. Had a few little issue's, which were all taken care of while the car was under Warranty.

When I bought it, it was by far the best value and candidate for what I was looking for. If I was doing it again today, I might still go with it, or with some newer cars out, I might look at them. Safety is my #1 deciding factor with this car, so I'd have to determine if there are better players in that field for the price now. The Subaru Legacy seems to have a stronghold in that department, especially for this price range.

If this was my "passion car" I would look at it differently, but I bought it more-so as an "appliance car", and it has done very well so far at that. It also is a great looking car to boot, which came as a plus. Also, very quiet, which is a huge deciding factor as well.

 

Looking back to the day I bought it, yes. Much as K-A said, I was looking for a comfortable, economic, reliable daily driver that looked good, and didn't cost over $25k. This was the best deal out there. Being the fleet car, with a free V6 that seems to get better MPG than the 3.6 and has more power than the 2.4, it was definitely the best deal at the time. So far, it has done me well. I'm not a big fan of sedans, but I can honestly say I enjoy driving this one, and like the car even more now with my 18's.

However, if something were to happen to the car, and I had to replace it, I would either buy a Fusion Sport or just get the top back on my Plymouth and drive it. Got the the Ram for bad weather...

 

I am very happy with my 2010 2LT. I traded in a 08 Cobalt(Long Story) and as a dd I have had no issues so far.

 

I'd consider buying one again - it would be on my list of cars to price and drive.

I've had my '09 LT1 about 1.5 years now, with 16K miles, and it's been very reliable. I haven't taken the car back to the dealer for anything yet, aside from oil changes (dealer provides 4 free oil change coupons per year).

In very hot weather, I did notice the steering column plastic trim making sqeaking noises when first turning the wheel, but I didn't bother taking it in for that (maybe next summer).

I finally got used to the electronic power steering and the paddle shifters. And I love the styling, ride quality and the quietness (worlds better than a 2003 Malibu).

I think the power from the 2.4 engine is adequate, especially for the way I use it - as a highway commuter car. If the price were right, I'd consider the 3.6, based on forum reports that the gas mileage isn't that different. But I don't regret getting the 2.4 engine.

 

I know it's probably a matter of perspective, but after a month in my Malibu I can't stop saying enough good things or even keep myself from staring at it as I walk away . To be fair, my car history (I'm 28) has went '93 Toyota Tercel > '01 Chevy S-10 > '05 Saturn Ion > Malibu. This is the most "grown-up", and even luxurious car that I have owned. It would be hard for me NOT to be happy, I'm sure. And for the price I paid, I would happily buy it again. BTW, since we're talking Chevys, I'd give anything to have that S-10 back. That was one heck of a truck that I stupidly gave away when we hit the first big gas crunch. Oh well.

I did have one minor issue when the Check Engine light came on about a week after I purchased the car. I took it to the dealer and it was an issue with a faulty camshaft actuator solenoid. It was replaced under warranty. The car has 26k miles, so I'm hoping that will be the only "minor" issue I hit for a while (or that it works out any kinks in the next 10k miles!). Otherwise, the 2.4 has plenty enough power, the gas mileage is decent, the ride is comfortable, and the car simply looks great.

My one complaint? I wish the seat warmer came on with the remote start. I have to wonder why that was left out.

 

NO, never again.

 

Only once the car has been updated/redesigned; eg: 2012.

I bought this car to be an appliance, think dishwasher, I just want it to work when I want it to. I bought the car with 16k on it, now has 47k in about 20 months. The reliability has been so-so but the dealer has been great and taken care of me. With only 1,500 miles left on the warranty I'm seriously considering an extended warranty, if I can find a good in at a reasonable price.

At the time I bought the car it was a good decision, today if I was buying a car I'd buy something different, probably a BMW 5 series, or an MB C Class.

 

Yes, though I have only had it for 6 months, but no trouble other than the trans issue, though that’s only happened twice and not in the last 4 months.

My brother works at a Chevy dealer, is a hard fast Ford man, and tells me and everyone constantly of the problems with the GM cars, and he had no problem recommending me to buy this car. In his words, they see very few problems, and when they do, they are usually minor or just very fussy customers.

 

No reason not to buy another, the wife loves her "Bu. Totally, problem free. Does what we ask of it. It's too small for me, but just right for her.

However, if I were in the market to replace it I may consider something different. I don't foresee replacing it for another 7 years, though.

 

Seems to be a lot of unhappy owners when you read reliability sites on the net. What worries me is long term durability of the car. The wife's just rolled passed 30K. My fingers are crossed. Any new car should be trouble free up to 20K or so, it's after that point things might start to come up. I don't think hearing my car "has been trouble free for 15K" will make anyone feel good about their car. It has 15K on it, it damn well better be trouble free. I wanna hear "my car has been trouble free for 50K"....my gut tells me as for as the Malibu goes that is gonna be few and far between.

 

Keep and eye out for steering issues/noises at/around the 30K mark. Mine just spend a week and a half in the dealer getting test driven over and over while the kept replacing the steering rack with different models(one from an 08, one from and 09 and one form a ’10). Needless to say, apparently I was driving with a faulty steering rack, and I-shaft for the first 25K that I owned the car.

I’m at 34,xxx now and I have to do all 4 breaks, and replace the heat shield on the fronts because they are destroyed from rubbing against the rotors.

Would I buy it again? Maybe when they re-design, but not any of the current generation models. I like the overall interior design(with the exception of a few quirks), and the ride is pretty damn comfortable for a 3800 pound car the 3.6L is an underestimated power plant and makes the driving experience pleasurable. That said, I think that a lot of the mechanical aspects of the car need to be re-evalutaed(steering, drivetrain, suspension) to give drivers the experience that they expect. I am considering buying outside of GM(huge discussion as my entire family only buys GM since two of them were engineers in the 60’s-80’s). The GM service experience just isn’t as personal unless you REALLY know the techs and the service managers(in our case we do). Even if you do know them, they are swamped with work, and most of the time, they don’t get a chance to take care of your needs personally, they just push the car through the overworked mechanics and I have had the ‘bu come back to me with the same issues, sometimes even worse because they mechanics fixed something completely different!

I dunno. If I could do it over again, I would have bought a trailblazer SS that I test drove with the malibu, but for now, I’ll stick with the Malibu until I see what GM has to offer for the next gen ‘Bu’s. I feel like GM tried so hard to get this right, but because of costs and their financial situation, had to sacrifice a lot of cool features that would have otherwise made this car phenomenal compared to the other large sedans out there.

 

Interesting. When I bought my car in May of '08, all Reliability Owners Review Sites were raving about it, and cars like the new body Accord and Camry seemed to be getting panned harder.

Now that longer term reports are surfacing, unhappy owners are coming out of the woodwork (or happy owners are becoming unhappy).

Like I said, mine has been phenomenal to me, aside from some little stuff. Now I have to make the decision as to whether I want to keep it since it's getting past 50K Miles soon, or sell it before the Miles get too up there (I put a lot of miles on the car).

 

Even though I plan on keeping the Malibu I can’t say it has been Problem free! Not my Malibu! I can pull out a crap load of paperwork for repairs from the dealership from minor to Major. Major Steering work to Major Transmission work and many of this and that minor things! I like the Malibu and have repeatedly stated in many post, I plan on keeping her hopefully for a long time but it truly has not met my expectations for Reliability! As the person stating that the Honda line has been panned more, I have had three Honda’s and I can personally say that they have stomped on the Malibu as for Reliability and Resale Value! Unless you have had some of the many problems that some us unfortunate Malibu owners have had experienced, you are most likely going to think different about the Malibu and are one of the lucky one’s that have not had any issues! Read how many problems that has aroused upon this Car from driving straight out of the Dealership lot to owners with low miles and you will find there is just too many in my Opinion! I truly like the Malibu and hope in the long run, it does not fall apart on me and I don't regret not trading it. The Trade-IN Value is one of the Worst in it’s Class! Another reason I will be keeping it for a long time besides that fact I have got all my issues fixed and I think it is a Beautiful looking car! Just hope I am not making a mistake! I have invested too much money in this car to give-up on it and the fact that I really like the Malibu. Now I just hope my nightmare of issues are done and over and I can truly enjoy the car. I did not buy this car because I had to because of $$ amount limitations for any reason, I bought it because I truly liked the car, design looks, features, ect. I just don’t want any more issues and I hope for the best! Would I buy another one again? No, not until GM can prove they have corrected these issues!

Good Luck with yours and I hope you don’t have to experience any problems like I had with the Malibu!

PS. I would like to add a comment to our members! I May have had some issues with the Malibu and have expressed some frustration/vented at times. I also have tried to at least turn it into a positive by taking my issues/problems that I have had with the Malibu and inform others in hope that it helps them in some way! I have greeted many new members to the site as they are excited with their new purchase and will never trash talk by telling them to buy another car but I will be honest on any issues with the car if asked about a specific question or asked about a problem/issues! The Malibu is a nice car but has some issues that hopefully GM will correct! Many have already been a great help on the Forum and hope we all can continue to unite and make this site a great site to visit! Again over-all I really do like the Malibu and wish the best for everybody with their cars!

Thanks!

 

If I was going to spend the same amount of money...and I had to use the car for work.....and it had to stay outside in Chicago weather.....YESYESYESYESYESYESYES!!!!! Consider the options in this market segment and then consider the options for a US built vehicle. I think the only other alternative would be the Fusion. Less quality, more $$$ Japanese options would be the Camry or Altima. Still more $$$. My "BU" has a nice peppy V-6, quality fit and finish and for 22K miles, all I've had to pay for have been oil changes and tire rotation. BTW, I do use Mobil ONE in my "BU." If it's good enough for my Z06 then it's good enough for a car that has to work for a living.

 

Man, that sucks to hear about some of you with problematic Malibu's. I guess I should be knocking on wood right now. My car was a previous Rental as well (in snowy Minnesota at that), and it's a Fairfax build (I wonder if this has anything to do with it).

I do put on 95% Highway Miles, so that might help as well. Hopefully my car remains loyal.

 

I deffinately wouldnt do it again if had a choice and wouldnt have in the first place but was a car i could get out of my gas guzzler. The reslae value is worse then my hummer i just got rid of and didnt think that was possible.

 

LOVE MY Malibu

I have had my white 2010 Malibu 1Lt for almost a year now no problems what so ever good ride i got use to the shift from a dead stop below thirty lol but if i could do it again i would get the v6 maybe the ltz the i4 is good but a lil more power never hurt no one lol I think the malibu is a great good quality car and good on gas my old car was a 2006 nisaan sentra se-r what a little rice bucket and a lemon it had problems was a lil fast but i grew out of the tuner thing got tired of crxs and mustangs trying to race me dumb highschoolers I am 23 in the USAF i am just trying to get to point a to b and the malibu lets me do it in comfort and style those lil econo bucket racer cars are usually bare bones i luv my car.next car or truck will be a gm product.