Thinking of trading in my car for one of those. Anyone tell me what they’re like to drive?
I get them all the time when I rent cars traveling on business. Typically less than 10k miles on them, but they rattle more than any of the cars I have owned over the last 20 years (Subaru, Acura, Toyota) even after those have over 100k. I keep my cars for 8-9 years which has worked out to 120-140k miles. I don’t see the Chevy models lasting that long, never mind having 30% of the original MSRP at resale.
Thanks for the input. I always buy used cars where I can so it’s likely I’ll get one of those rentals as they’re aftermarket.
My ex-wife had a 2000ish Malibu. I hated every second of being in that car. Drove that piece of crap all the way from Wisconsin to Florida and back. I’ll be happy to never have to be in one again.
Headlights were easy to change though.
meanwhile, I was in a rented 2010 Impreza which had 2,000 miles on it, and there dash/IP buzzed and rattled like crazy.
Judging by the tone of your post, I’d wager you are more likely to find flaws in cars you don’t like than ones you do. GM has fairly stringent BSR (buzz, squeak, and rattle) requirements.
Oh, not to mention, the brand new Prius I drove on Thursday creaked and rattled throughout the interior. Given the miserably cheap plastics inside, it wasn’t that surprising.
Are you talking about that thing that ended up as a rental-only model? Can we maybe, you know, talk about the Malibu you can buy today instead of one from over a decade ago?
Since you’re looking for opinions, moved to IMHO (from MPSIMS).
My mother drives a Malibu, her bf drives a Malibu and my best friend just bought one. They all love them. I’ve only driven my mother’s, it’s comfortable and easy to drive. My friend has always been a truck/suv kind of person loves her Malibu.
All of them seem to be pretty happy with their cars.
I believe she got it new at the time. But since the OP didn’t specify if they’re getting a new or used one maybe you should ask before you jump all over me for giving my opinion about the car in question.
But then, you’re the one talking about Subarus and Toyotas in a thread asking for advice specifically about Impalas and Malibus.
Aww, shoot, I was going to offer some opinions about the '78 Malibu I drove for a while.
But, yes, the '97 to '04 generation of Malibu was a pretty lousy car. They were basically obsolete in '97 and then they kept building the things. The subsequent cars bearing the “Malibu” name have been fairly nice, if uninteresting.
My mom has an Impala, it’s either a 2009 or a 2010. It’s not a bad car, fairly comfortable ride. I’ve never driven it but she says it’s pretty solid. It does seem to have an issue with a sensor going bad. She keeps getting messages saying she has a low tire when all of them including the spare are fully inflated.
I drove my dad’s 2009 Malibu from Tampa to Memphis and was pleasantly surprised at how smooth and quiet it was (a '92 Lexus is my usual ride).
I had a '67 Malibu I assembled from used parts, and a '67 Caprice (a high-line Impala in those days). Both had really nice rides and I would recommend either. 
I drive a '99 Malibu. I wouldn’t mind having a newer one, but this one is a nice ride.
I rented an Impala with less than 25k a few months ago while I was having some body work done on my Outback.
It was roomy and had a reasonable amount of straight-ahead grunt, but it steered like a cow. I ended up trading it in for a Camry, which was actually more fun to drive with its 4 banger than the Chevy was with its six.
Okay, thanks for clearing that up for me. I’ll make sure my next car is a Chevy, no matter how the test drive goes. Better yet you can do the test drive for me, and let me know, since I can’t trust my own observations, and yours are bulletproof.
Maybe all rental cars deteriorate fast. I certainly see my share of rentals that don’t seem to act like almost-new cars. Haven’t ever rented an Acura or Subaru. Don’t remember the last time I got a Toyota either. Have had a Mazda 5 and a Nissan Altima this year. Mazda was terrible, Nissan was pretty nice. But that is not what the OP asked about.
I drive a 2003 Impala.
Great car. Get one.
Still working with my guy. He’s trying to push me into a Dodge Avenger. But I don’t think it has the power that I’d like to have in my next car.
The Avenger has the same problem as the Malibu in that the same name has (relatively) recently been applied to fairly different cars. I assume you’re looking at the current rental fleet fodder Avenger and not the late-90’s/early 2000’s rebadged Mitsubishi sports coupe Avenger, but who knows-- the earlier Avengers are still sometimes found in decent shape. Maybe if you told us what price/age range you’re looking at we could narrow things down a bit.
Good point. The Avenger is available with a 283 hp V6, but if you’re looking at 4 cylinder models, it’s useless to suggest it.
Oh, and do not touch an Avenger if its a 2010 MY or earlier. The Germans made sure there was nothing good about that car.
anyway, to answer the OP, I drove a 2013 Malibu Eco overnight a few weeks ago. It’s a nice enough car, the interior is nice, and the start-stop system takes a bit of getting used to but it can save gas.
I’ve not driven the new Impala (because it’s not out yet) but the old one is a floaty boat and really not appealing to anyone other than old people and Enterprise car rental.