[86lxjunker]

Hi All - new to the forum - My wife and I went to Disney a few months ago and we rented a car for the week. Before we went - we had been talking about buying a new car for me to commute to work and were debating between the Honda Accord and Chevy Malibu. Well when we got to the National Emerald isle - what did they have for me to pick from ?? A brand new 09 LT2 Malibu.

Well after a week of driving it - we were really impressed.

So - we were thinking about waiting until February to pull the trigger - what do you think the deals will be by then ??

Will GMAC start to do car loans again ?? If not - this might be a stumbling block - even though I have over 2k in GM points - if I cant get good financing through GM - I might have to test drive the Accord - as right now they are doing 0% for 3 years or 3.9% for 5 years.

 

[beach]

GMAC financing is up in the air, but because of this every dealer now (though most already did) works with multiple banks to get the best rate. Rates can be had in the 4's, so not that far off, considering.

Deals aren't going to get any better than they are now with this probably being the lowest of low, and holding off is just further digging a hole for GM. Right now there are--unlike what most of us experienced earlier when the cars were in short supply--considerable rebates, bonus cash, and whatever extra cash/points you have on your own on top of the dealer discounting. This means Malibu's at more than just a few grand off MSRP, which is a screaming deal for the car.

You have such a nice chunk also in GM card points...sheesh. Do you know how huge of a discount you're looking at right now?

Don't be sucked into a gangly, noisy Accord that every other of your neighbors has just because they have a nice financing number. If you were to end up really liking the car, fine, but don't decide on something like this purely by the number. I'd still drive one if you haven't already, just to confirm one way or another, too.

Happy shopping. Glad you had such a nice rental experience...a month in a boxy old gen '07 Malibu impressed me enough for the '08 to show up in our driveway. You got a new '09 2LT, so you've already seen the light

 

[rikmeister]

if you joine this credit union on the net they will give you 4.75 for up to 7 yrs i think. http://www.penfed.org it will cost you 20.00 to join and then you have to open an account with at least 5.00 in it. they just started a new loan called i think convenience load is really cheap that way but you do not own the car in the end however it was like 84.00 a month to get a malibu for me for 36 months. it is not a lease though but you are restricted to ithink it was 15000 miles a year. check it out.

 

[beach]

if you joine this credit union on the net they will give you 4.75 for up to 7 yrs i think. http://www.penfed.org it will cost you 20.00 to join and then you have to open an account with at least 5.00 in it. they just started a new loan called i think convenience load is really cheap that way but you do not own the car in the end however it was like 84.00 a month to get a malibu for me for 36 months. it is not a lease though but you are restricted to ithink it was 15000 miles a year. check it out.

Yep. Great example. I took care of setting my mother up without even her knowing right when she started car shopping, and when the day came, she had her sub 5% loan check ready to head to the dealer from them.

Now, too, even without doing so I think there should be at least a few banks offering similarly low rates--and I've seen it talked about on various forums--but it depends on your situation and the dealer.

 

[hoahai]

If you like the car, I suggest you to grasp the deal on this car as soon as you finalize your interest shopping. Some rebate promotions will expire 01/05. It is likely that they will be renewed as GM is under cash trap. But there is no guarantee. The deal you see on the Malibu these days are phenomenon and it probably exists once in 40 years or so (just like how people talked about the financial crisis we are having these days). I have seen this model price went down more than $3K compared to its price in September. Before that, I could not find a Malibu sold under invoice. Good luck with your Bu shopping.

 

[Wisconsin Proud]

Don't be sucked into a gangly, noisy Accord that every other of your neighbors has just because they have a nice financing number.

Or, a Malibu because a guy on the internet said to........

 

[beach]

Or, a Malibu because a guy on the internet said to........

Exactly. A little bit of humor, and then that's why I said drive them both and deal to make sure you get exactly what you want

There's a reason why the Accord is still such a big seller, even if not perfect just as the Malibu isn't perfect. In the end, you hope to get the RIGHT car at the RIGHT deal.

If you want a Malibu, the deals right now are very likely as good as they will get--and many have said the same. With the Accord, the discounts are of course smaller and the pricing is generally the same at any one point in a year as the next, save for model year end closeouts.

 

[hoahai]

...In the end, you hope to get the RIGHT car at the RIGHT deal..

... And at the right time

Or, a Malibu because a guy on the internet said to........

Well, if we are already here in this forum, it implies that we are willing to do so. I am very sure that many of us started looking at this car because the news and the user reviews on the new Malibu posted on the Internet

 

[86lxjunker]

Wow - thanks for all the posts already - I will check out that Credit union.....I really wanted to wait untill the 'typical' president sales they have in February as right now with the holidays - we are a 'little' shorter on cash.

Also in February - I ususally have a better sense of how my finances will be for the new year.

Unless you guys really think the deals wont at least stay the same for a few more months - I may take a drive to a few dealers next week ??

 

[beach]

Well, again, it's a crapshoot. A story just came out today from the head of GM marketing that they'll be rolling out a new wave of incentives after the start of the year. Not that they'll be better, just a new set.

It's still thought that what there is now is as good as it will get...but, of course, you never know.

Don't buy just because of incentives. There will be a deal to be had for at least a little more time to come, and instead, it's better to be absolutely sure you've found what you want and then worry about the price. Drive some other cars, too, but I think the Malibu will still get you--the extended time with a rental is often a cincher, one way or the other.

If you did go Malibu, do you have any idea yet as far as model/engine/options?

 

[86lxjunker]

If we go with the Malibu - which is how we are leaning - it will be either a 2LT or LTZ - not sure of the color yet - but thinking ....blue or the Granite.

99% sure I want the V6 - as the rental we drove for the week had the 6sp w/3.6 - it had power - but it wasnt crazy power - Im not sure if the 4 will have enough for my liking.

Either way - I will be going from my daily driven 2500hd that gets 14 mpg - to something that will get much better milage....

Also - I am pretty tall and the rental had a sunroof - I would like to sit in one that does not have a sunroof to see which one I will have more headroom in - if it doesnt matter - then we will get the sunroof as well.

 

[Yamatr3]

Im not sure if the 4 will have enough for my liking.

I agree, IMO, the 4 did not have enough power, especially getting on the highway. The deciding factor for me was the math. I drive around 35000 miles a year. I figured combined 24 mpg for me in the 4 and 20 mpg combined in the 6. The difference in gas came out to be, $525 a year figuring it at 1.80. So, the extra power will cost me $525 a year. IMO, that was affordable for me.

 

[beach]

The sunroof does cut headroom a bit, though not much, but if you climb in a car without you'll immediately notice that there's more air above your head and it feels taller. Thankfully with sunroof sliding out over the roof, the drop with it is minimal compared to some.

As for engine, our first '08 Malibu is a 4-cyl that replaced an '04 Suburban with the 5.3L V8. I had a rental '07 'Bu for a month with the 2.2L and was so impressed with the spunk and economy, that it was the choice I made for my mother a month later when she decided she wanted a Malibu. I always thought it was very peppy and extremely smooth and quiet, but after then buying a G6 with a V6 and the firmer hydraulic steering after, when I changed to a Malibu the grunt of the V6 and that heavier steering steered me to another V6.

It has power to spare but as I've found, I really don't use it...just appreciate it being there. Mileage isn't exactly tops, but driven lightly it's good enough. I'd highly recommend driving a 4-cyl/6-speed car, though, because at least for me that combo was good enough and so peppy for run of the mill driving, it gave me serious pause when trying to figure out what engine to go with. I love the V6--typical driving it doesn't feel like a beast, until you drop the hammer--but probably would be about as happy with the 4-cyl, just without the instant grunt when really planted and better mileage.

Again, drive all things you consider, try out the different interiors, etc. and then you'll know

 

[mookdoc]

If your taller I would try to get it without the sunroof. I didn't want the sunroof either but still ended up getting the color interior I wanted cocoa-cashmere. Which got me another black car which I did not want either. I only care about the interior I guess and the price. The dealer would rather not even sell me one once they know I am GMS. Sorry it's damn hard work putting cars together and I am not paying one red cent more than obligated.