Re: opinions on the 2003 Malibu

Jun 22, 2003 12 Replies
X

The Buick Century in comparison is much more quieter and the I have often get about 800 KM (600 miles) on a tank of fuel. It has the 3.1 V6 engine.



I have only had 1 repair up till now (tilt steering lever became stuck and that was fixed very quickly).



The price difference between the Malibu vs. Century is very little but the car is much more refined and roomier.



I've had a '03 Malibu LS for about 7 months now and for the money it's a
> fine car. It's tough to know how reliable it will be though since it's so
> new. Only problem so far was a severe water leak into the trunk...seems the
> body seams were not sealed at the factory...dealer had it for a few days to
> get that fixed up. I'm a little disappointed in the gas mileage...averaging
> about 20-21 in mixed driving (less in the winter) and the car is quite a bit
> noisier than I would like (wind/road/suspension noises are MUCH louder than
> you would expect in a car that otherwise is fairly nice). You get used to
> the noise after a while, I will say.
>
> My wife has a '03 Dodge Stratus...which is about the same price range for
> the V6, a little less if you get the 4 cylinder engine. I'd recommend at
> least test driving the Stratus (or the Chrysler Sebring) before making a
> final decision. It has a smoother (and MUCH quieter) ride in my opinion
> compared to the Malibu (at least the V6 model does). When I use her car to
> commute I get 25MPG...so much better mileage too (although both rated almost
> the same).
>
> If performance is not a issue for you, you can't get a 4-cylinder engine in
> the Malibu any longer...not sure why...competitors offer 4 cylinder options.
> A 150 HP 4 cylinder would be plenty of engine I think for the car and would
> probably help with the disappointing gas mileage too!
>
> Would I personally buy the Malibu again? Probably not. But, I do know
> others that have the car and love it...so that's just my personal thing. >
>
> | Hi
> |
> | I am considering purchasing a 2003 Malibu and would like your opinion. > How
> | would you rank the car? I am looking for a reliable car. Performance is > not an
> | issue for me.
> |
> | Thanks
> | Robert
>
>
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Z

I agree. The Century fuel tank holds 17.5 gallons. To get 600 miles he'd have to average 34.3 miles per gallon. The only way I know to accomplish that is to fill the tank to the filler neck, drive on a downhill grade at 45 miles per hour with a tailwind until the tank is empty. If he holds his tongue just right, he MIGHT get 600 miles on a tank.

The tilt steering mechanism locking up is a somewhat common problem with the current generation W-body. The fix varies depending on year and model.

Roger

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J
45 | miles per hour with a tailwind until the tank is empty. If he holds his | tongue just right, he MIGHT get 600 miles on a tank. |

Perhaps the other claims are/were exaggerated as well? ;-)

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X

The Buick tank is about 60 litres, and if I divide that by 3.78 litres/gallon, that's approx. 16 gallons.

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B

The best I have managed to get so far is 511 km to a tank. The engine has juts over 7,000 kms on it now.

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B

That's huge.

My Malibu has a 45 litre tank, yet I usually get 46 to 47 litres into it :)

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H

XXXX

The 400 - 500 mile for MPG on a Century is more believable than the 600 mile a tank range you said in the first post.

========= Harryface =========

1991 Pontiac Bonneville LE ~_~_~258,600 miles_~_~~_
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Z
400-500 miles per tank is certainly believable since that is about 22-28 MPG. As far as fuel injector cleaners are concerned, occasional use of these products in an inexpensive, preliminary attempt to correct driveability concerns is acceptable. Despite what your buddies have told you or what the manufacturer's claims are, these are NOT "preventative maintanance" solutions and their overuse can actually shorten the life of your fuel system components - not increase them. There is no fuel injector cleaner that increases your fuel economy either. That would be snake oil. Besides, if an injector became clogged then your fuel economy might INCREASE because the engine would be running lean. The engine controller would then attempt to compensate. At any rate, I personally can't see how fuel injector cleaner would improve gas mileage when used as a regular fuel additive. Perhaps you only meant to use it as it's supposed to be used.

Roger

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Z

Yeah, the Century does have a large-ish fuel tank at 17.5 gallons.

Roger

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X

Well the 600 mile was an interpolation. I basically filled up when I saw the gas station and had driven about 500 miles. I filled the tank and noticed that it was still about 25% full. Given that notion, I estimated that it will give me about 600 miles on a tank.

I have not done the "Kramer" and driven till I was bone dry.

Needless to say, I am most satisfied with the Century fuel consumption and would not hesitate to buy it again.

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H

XXXX Wrote : I am most satisfied with the Century's fuel consumption and would not hesitate to buy one again...

Don't wait to long, either 2003 or 2004 is the last year for the Century. Its being dropped and the Regal line expanded.

========= Harryface =========

1991 Pontiac Bonneville LE ~_~_~258,600 miles_~_~~_
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J

| > My Malibu has a 45 litre tank, yet I usually get 46 to 47 litres into it | > :) | | Yeah, the Century does have a large-ish fuel tank at 17.5 gallons. | | Roger | |

I wish my Malibu had a larger tank, that's for sure. Not sure why GM put such a small tank in the Malibu.

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