Powerful car, great audio, Spacious interiors, well designed overall. good paint finishes and corners very well. 3.1l engine is great

Bland styling, fitting is not as good as the japanese cars, panel gaps are inconsistent. Roar of the engines when accelaratng

Yes i would recommend it to any budget conscious buyer. I bought it as a second car. A mid size car for the price of a small car. no compromises on performace though. the 3.1l engine is great albeit a bit noisy.

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Mitsubishi Galant - more leg room than the Galant, but the galant looks good and also is nippier.
Toyota Camry - the original which inspired the Malibu. Different feel to the ride. Camry makes you feel more in command than the Malibu does.
BMW 318i - Not to be compared.

Qualtiy interior, with all the amenities

Problems with start motor (under warranty)

An all around classy vehicle considering the sticker price. All controls where you (driver) would need and expect them. Quiet and very responsive
considering a relatively mild V-6. Smooth ride and all of the "bells and
whistles".

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None

Spacious , speakers of audio system are good, leather seats are comfortable. I read thru the problems of pre99 models on various lists and was very happy to find gm has eliminated all of them .

power . Though at 170hp it feels MUCH better than v4 accord but v6 accord beats it.

Would strongly recommend model 2000 onwards for anyone who wants to get a good solid car but is not close minded about getting only honda/toyota. With high interest rates & much better comforts you will get for lower price on this car it will offset any resale loss if kept for 3 years or more. Moreover I feel resale value of 2000 model is sure to appreciate.

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accord . Finishing of accord interiors is better i.e. you can buy cloth interiors in accord but not in malibu.

Excellent gas mileage. Nice size, however, for families it is a little too snug.

The bucket seats are very uncomfortable. The car seems pretty bumpy as you pick up speed. I avoided using my air at times due to the fact that it drags the car down. We had 4 recalls on the car in a matter of 1 year.

From what I understand my current car dealership took all of these cars off the lot. The car has depreciated considerably from just 2 years ago. We paid $11,000 for it with 21,000 miles. I only recommend it if comfort isn't your main priority. Not a vehicle that will make you any money.

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None

Price was fairly reasonable for what I THOUGHT I was getting..

Almost everything.. Brake rotors machined till they were too thin at 30,000 KM. Brake pad seperated and ruined brand new rotors. GM Canada would not help as these were considered wear items. Had to replace rotors on my own ($400 job compared to GM's $650 estimate to put the same crummy parts back on). Front suspension clunks and sqeeks. Needs two new strut mounts ($600+ job not including the necessary wheel alignment afterwards). GM will not assist in any repairs. Hiding behind wear item clause.. I am on my second set of tires as well (first set of Firestones were bald at 66,000 KM). Dark green paint shows white scratches WAY TOO EASILY! The car is covered in them and it is always hand washed and babied!

Paid $19,000 with all options available on the base model. Now car is worth roughly $11,000. So we have lost $8,000 in just over a year..

Avoid these models like the plague. Word has it the late production 1999 models and the 2000 models are much better.. Don't waste your time arguing with your dealers. They won't help you. You are basically stuck with a cheap, crummy car.

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1989 Shadow ES (250,000KM and it has had less repairs)
1987 Lebaron Coupe (190,000KM and less repairs)
1994 Toyota Corolla (original brake parts - No repairs needed other than the usual maintenance)

The price is very competetive around 16,000. The exterior styling is pretty well laid out. The accelleration and handling was pretty good compared to an older accord that I have. It is also easy to maintain. Sturdy feel.

I don't like the seats i think its to hard. The interior styling was'nt that great with the 2 front air conditioners bye the doors - took the sexyness away from the car. The annoying sound that the car makes when i leave my turn signal on.

$16,575. I would recommend it for a family with a tight budget and is planning to use the car for a long time, it should last. If you have more money to spend I would really recommend the 98+ Honda Accord because it is very reliable, bigger more luxurios, and has a higher resale price even if u crash the car.

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'93 Honda accord Lx. The acceleration is great, but the dash and rear window was'nt well design because I could see anything to the sides and back. There is little cabin noise. The fuel use is competetive to the accord.

HUGE TRUNK, FOLD DOWN REAR SEATS, GOOD STANDARD SPEAKERS, SAFETY FEATURES NOT FOUND ON MANY SIMILARLY PRICED CARS (REINFORCED ROOF, DUAL AIRBAGS), FAIR ACCELERATION FOR A 4-CYL 150 HP (76-81 1/4 MILE SPEEDS).

NOT AVAILABLE WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, HAD A FEW PROBLEMS WITH SQUEAKY BUSHINGS, CAME WITH VERY BAD STOCK TIRES.

I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW IN 1998. I HAVE HAD VERY FEW PROBLEMS WITH IT AND ALL WERE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. IT IS THE BASE MODEL WITH A FEW OPTIONS. IT BY FAR OUT PERFORMS BOTH THE CONTOUR AND CIVIC HOWEVER THE ACCORD IS FAIRLY SIMILAR. THE MALIBU IS A MUCH ROOMIER CAR THAN ALL THE OTHERS AND FOR ME AT 6'3" THAT WAS ONE OF THE DECIDING FACTORS. IT ALSO HAS ONE OF THE LARGEST TRUNKS IN ITS CLASS AND THE TRUNK LID IS VERY BIG MAKING IT EASIER TO ACCESS. I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEM WITH STALLING THAT SEEMS TO PLAGUE SOME MALIBUS. I WOULD RECCOMEND THIS CAR TO ANYONE LOOKING FOR A RELIABLE MID-SIZE AT A REASONABLE PRICE.

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FORD CONTOUR, HONDA CIVIC, ACCORD.

Roomy, smooth, reliable, supportive dealership.

Can't think of a single weakness!

I absolutely love this car! I replaced an old jalopy . . . bought the car used with 29,000 miles on it in June 2000. Now have almost 41,000 miles on it. I've had the car at the dealership a couple of times for little things (my trunk switch wouldn't let the light turn on; fan stopped working on speeds 1 and 2) and the people there are great!

My roommate loves my car so much she wants one too!

Driver position is awesome. I'm 5'2" and can see just as well as my 5'11" roommate. Also, plenty of room (head and leg) in front and back. Plenty of space for 5 average-sized people.

I also love the storage spaces. (Armrest bin, space under that, huge glove box, map pockets in front doors, etc.) The cup holders are wonderful.

Many have mentioned (in these reviews) that they have had problems. I must be the exception to the rule because my car is wonderful.

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Made me appreciate my Toyota

see review summary

Do not by this car. My wife and I have bought many new cars and have never had such a Turkey!! In two years and 45,miles we have had the front brakes repalced three times and the rotors once, also speed sensors. The following parts have gone out: the air conditioning , the fan switch [ $165 for the part], the radio, both front control arms. It has developed a bad coolant leak from the intake manifold.{ I used barsleak until I unload this piece of crap].

Cheap, decent gas milage

Anything with performance

The driving I did with the Malibu was with a brand new 2000 Chevy Malibu from a rental agency. Coming from driving both a 4-cylinder DOHC 626 and a V8 (350) Chevy Caprice 9C1, I had a general assumption of how the standard 3100 V6 would perform. Truthfully, I was dissappointed. Acceleration and gas milage were worse than the 626 with a 4-cylinder engine.As far as durability, the car sustained extreme off-road and on-road driving (being a rental car). I pulled power slides, 180s, and countless spinouts on both paved and unpaved roads. My friend even got air with the car several times and every time the car survived with no visible damage. After driving each day, we inspected major components under the hood. Other than a dented oil filter, there was no immediate damage. Note that this took place in the beginning of the week since we realized that we would need transportation for the rest of the week. Anyways, the car gave us no trouble the rest of the weekand made no "bad" transmission or engine noises.

Overall, I would recommend this car for people looking for an affordable vehicle for a small family or even a student car for its durability. Anyone looking for performance should note that the 3100 engine is a joke in the Malibu; so stay away.

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Mazda Protoge, 626 LX, Crown Vic PI, Chevy Caprice 9C1, Plymouth Grand Voyager