15 Chevy malibu

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My Sister is Looking to upgrade from her 05 Impala that she bought a couple years back...
she wants me to go with her to look at a '15 Malibu. I know nothing about modern chevy's.

any warning signs to look out for?

https://www.guaranteedauto.com/used-Van+Wert-2015-Chevrolet-Malibu-LT+1LT-1G11C5SL9FF162370
looking for something similar(back up..) I found This...

http://www.leekinstle.com/VehicleDetails/used-2015-Chevrolet-Malibu-1LT-Van_Wert-OH/3396364773 (38,040mi, $12,450)

she has $10k cash, and dad's willing to give her a couple grand extra.
 
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Look at something more reliable than a late model GM like a Toyota, Subaru, Mazda, Ford Fusion (Mazda guts), or Honda. Some Hyundai's also fall into this category. A MT vehicle would be even better. She could spend a lot less than 15K and get something good for another 10 years.
 
My girl friend, my daughter and I have all purchased one year old Hertz cars for roughly the price you're quoting. OK, some people may abuse them but unlike lease returns, you know that Hertz has at least given them rudimentary service. I know people who lease and never do anything for service.

I've bought several GM's and all the above (along with several others) have been HyunKias. Although the GM cars have not been unreliable, each have cost me roughly a thousand dollars in non-warranty repairs. Never had anything but basic service on approximately seven Hyundais and Kias since 2000, with the exception of a water pump on a Kia Rio.

I would prefer a one year old Optima to a four year old Malibu. You can also pick up a one or two year old 'Bu from Hertz for approximately the same price. This does not apply to Enterprise, which in the St. Louis market, at least gets a lot more money for their cars than Hertz does. All feature no haggling. Very happy and will do it again.
 
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I'm going to vote for a Subaru. Assuming she's also in Lima, the awd will help with the snow. Mazda is also a good choice. GM's always feel super cheap to me, and I can't bring myself to pay the Toyota tax.
 
The Global Platform Architecture Malibu had a weak transmission, suspension, wheel bearing and electrical issues. Like the Aveo/Cruz it is a modern day Chevy Vega by any other name, so just don't. As others have suggested, a slightly older like 10-12 Camary, Avalon or ES350 are all good options. The 14-15 Mazda 3 or 6 along with the Ford Fusion are also pretty decent and worth a look.
 
So I actually own a 2015 2.0 Turbo Malibu. Just passed 60,000 miles not back to dealer once for anything. It is times for plugs. I have literally changed the oil, cabin air filter, engine air filter and added windshield washer fluid.

Modern day Vega? My guess is good portion of the folks in here have no idea what they are talking about.
 
LS1Mike you have a single example with the premium engine the 2.0T and the upgraded transmission, something that the original poster would likely not in the 1LT cars they were considering. I'd suggest you spend some time on sites like Truedelta and compare the avg cost and instance of repair and systems involved on something like a Chevy Malibu or a Chrysler 200 to a Camery Mazda6 or Accord of the same year.
 
Nothing against the Chevy's but I don't care much for there cars. I drive a lot of cars at my job (Enterprise) and like most above said. There are much better cars for the money. We did have a Malibu at work I'm not sure which engine it had but something happened to the piston and it needed a new engine.
 
Originally Posted by GZRider
LI'd suggest you spend some time on sites like Truedelta and compare the avg cost and instance of repair and systems involved on something like a Chevy Malibu or a Chrysler 200 to a Camery Mazda6 or Accord of the same year.


Dude... truedelta is more cluttered and disorganized than my parent's basement.

First off, truedelta doesn't have any feedback at all for this generation (2013-2015) Malibu. They have the previous gen, but that was a completely different architecture. Literally a different car. Even that is sketchy, because while truedelta is listing it as 2008-2012 Malibu, feedback goes back to 2002, which is yet another completely different generation of car.

I'm gonna say that LS1Mike's first hand experience with the actual car in question trumps your experience of reading a website that doesn't even have reviews the vehicle.

FWIW, I owned a 2011 Buick Regal for a while, which is the same architecture as a 2015 Malibu. Had to have the heated seat fixed.
 
Originally Posted by MrHorspwer
Originally Posted by GZRider
LI'd suggest you spend some time on sites like Truedelta and compare the avg cost and instance of repair and systems involved on something like a Chevy Malibu or a Chrysler 200 to a Camery Mazda6 or Accord of the same year.


Dude... truedelta is more cluttered and disorganized than my parent's basement.

First off, truedelta doesn't have any feedback at all for this generation (2013-2015) Malibu. They have the previous gen, but that was a completely different architecture. Literally a different car. Even that is sketchy, because while truedelta is listing it as 2008-2012 Malibu, feedback goes back to 2002, which is yet another completely different generation of car.

I'm gonna say that LS1Mike's first hand experience with the actual car in question trumps your experience of reading a website that doesn't even have reviews the vehicle.

FWIW, I owned a 2011 Buick Regal for a while, which is the same architecture as a 2015 Malibu. Had to have the heated seat fixed.


LOL. You beat me to it.

They don't even address the 2015 Malibu on their site. TOTALLY different car. I will admit the 2.0 turbo did get a totally different transmission, but the 6T45 which is in the ones the OP listed has been trouble free.
Truedelta is a small small sample size. The 2 Malibu sites I am on share the same type of experience for the 13 and up that I have.

So again people making assumptions don't know what actual car they are talking about.

I will tell you the 2.0 turbo had some piston issues in the 2013 model year. It was noted in the ATS/Malibu/Regal GS. It was fixed and the 2014 had the updated pistons.

Hey first hand experience means nothing around here. The Malibu has literally been the best car we have ever owned, Better than our Jetta TDI, Better than Camry my wife had, better than even the Caprice as I had to swap out the crank pulley on that because the pulley will separate at rubber portion and wobble (the aftermarket makes a nice upgraded one for 80 bucks.
smile.gif
) I would throw the WS6 in there but 99 percent of the stuff that has broken on that has been at the track.

I can tell you I drive a lot of rental cars for work too. I will take my Malibu over any of the KIA/Hyundai cars I have been given. It just drives nicer. Having spent a lot of time with a 2013 Toyota Hybrid 2.5 that I do the maintenance on I wouldn't want that either it is a nice car but in the first 60,000 miles 3 intermittent check engine lights for emissions issues (Toyota finally figured it out, I don't blame them intermittent is difficult) and one front wheel bearing. Which really isn't bad, but I don't like it anymore than the Malibu.

No recalls for engine fires, or extended warranties or engine replacement for oil starvation. So for you folks not recommending the car please tell me again where you get your data and why? The 2.5 and 6T45 is a solid drivetrain. My personal experience with the Malibu's electronics and suspension has been fine. Not one issue.

Op I bet if you look you can find a 2.0 Turbo LTZ for the money your sister has. For being a 4cyl it moves out pretty decent and is a lot nicer than the other trim levels.
 
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I say go for it. I've had great luck with my Malibu, Equinox, Grand Prix, Impala and Silverado. No major repairs since the year 2000. Well I did replace a caliper on the Silverado once....
 
Originally Posted by GZRider
The Global Platform Architecture Malibu had a weak transmission, suspension, wheel bearing and electrical issues. Like the Aveo/Cruz it is a modern day Chevy Vega by any other name, so just don't. As others have suggested, a slightly older like 10-12 Camary, Avalon or ES350 are all good options. The 14-15 Mazda 3 or 6 along with the Ford Fusion are also pretty decent and worth a look.



We have a 2015 Chevy Sonic with the 1.8l automatic with a little over 60,000 miles on the clock , purchased new in June of 2015 .. Only 2 problems were handled under warranty . We have been happy with it ( wife mostly the one that drives it ) .

I have done all the oil / filter changes ( except for 4 free ones ) , spill & fill the transmission twice ( due for another ) , replaced battery , windshield wipers , serviced the other fluids , tires .

There may be some / much commonality between it and a Malabo .

As for price , check NADA.com , kbb.com , carguru.com , auto trader , etc. .
 
$14.6k seems pricey for a Malibu fleet car that is 4years old however your locale maybe GM is more popular with cars.

That being said if she only has $10k in cash + getting money from someone does she have $1000 cash cushion to repair it? Seems a little out of budget unless you can work seller down. Common car buyer mistake putting all your liquid cash into purchase.
 
Originally Posted by madRiver
$14.6k seems pricey for a Malibu fleet car that is 4years old however your locale maybe GM is more popular with cars.

That being said if she only has $10k in cash + getting money from someone does she have $1000 cash cushion to repair it? Seems a little out of budget unless you can work seller down. Common car buyer mistake putting all your liquid cash into purchase.


I agree, you can find an LTZ from that time frame for that price. The LTZ could be had in the ECO version, 2.5 or 2.0 turbo.
 
Those 2.5L 4-cylinder engines have issues with oil consumption and timing chain failure. Some are perfectly fine, but others self-destruct in no time.

A Kia Soul or Hyundai Elantra is a better bet. I would avoid 2.4L-powered Hyundai/Kia's bc they also have issues.
 
Originally Posted by addyguy
Those 2.5L 4-cylinder engines have issues with oil consumption and timing chain failure. Some are perfectly fine, but others self-destruct in no time.

A Kia Soul or Hyundai Elantra is a better bet. I would avoid 2.4L-powered Hyundai/Kia's bc they also have issues.



Are you sure you don't mean the 2.4? I hear complaints about that even a few searches do not indicate any oil consumption or timing chain issues with 2.5.
No one has mentioned it on the Malibu sites. They do talk about the problems with the 2.4 and I know those exist.
 
Nothing wrong with the '15 Malibu. One of the most reliable cars out there. BTW there is a lot of GM haters here who don't know what they're talking about; internet know it alls, so to speak. A GM car is almost always cheaper to work on and get parts for.
 
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A GM car is almost always cheaper to work on and get parts for.

This is good, because in my experience you are always working on it and purchasing parts! I'm sure things have changed a lot, but my recently junked '03 Impala (due to rust, with only about 155,000 miles) had more than its share of mechanical annoyances in its life compared to other vehicles I have owned. The water pump, for example, was dirt cheap but I had to replace it about every 50,000 miles. The interior fuse panel was split into two on opposite sides of the car that you could only get to by opening the doors of the car wide. If you were tracking down an electrical gremlin you needed to be parked somewhere you could have doors on both sides of the car opened wide. The ignition switches were poorly made. The body control module failed meaning I couldn't start the car. The turn signal switch failed. The antilock brakes failed. Etc. It gave me good service overall, and I did get many good years out of it, but I didn't get the feeling that they really cared about making a good car.
 
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Originally Posted by BobsArmory
I say go for it. I've had great luck with my Malibu, Equinox, Grand Prix, Impala and Silverado. No major repairs since the year 2000. Well I did replace a caliper on the Silverado once....


My sister has a 2008 Malibu … nothing ever wrong with it … a little boring, but clean and reliable …
 
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