I have a distinct memory of a full page ad in a copy of National Geographic. I don't think it was a bad car, but aggressively mediocre. It went over GM's head that people bought Accords/Camrys for the build quality + reliability first. Actual styling, features, comfort, power etc were important but second.
@@iluvcamaros1912 especially when only a few months later the new 6th generation accord came out. Looking at the Malibu compared to a 98 Accord is insane, the new Accord’s styling was 10 years ahead of the Malibu.
I remember seeing one of these cars rebadged as an Oldsmobile Cutless in the late 90s. It was literally the same car but with tweaked rear taillights. I tried to tell myself it looked 'okay', but..I recall thinking Olds was in trouble after seeing this. As it turns out, it was the beginning of the end for Olds.
A base model 4-cyl 1997 Malibu carried me and a few friends many many miles back in my college days... It was super comfortable, and got over 30 mpg, even when full of teenagers and their junk in the trunk! It also had a great a/c system that cooled the whole car down in just a couple of minutes... Some great memories made in a sturdy little car.
That A/C was the entire reason why my parents bought this car. It was the first new car they bought and apparently was one of the cheapest with A/C from any of the local dealers.
My dad had a 2000 Mailbu with the 3.1 V6. He had a bad wheel bearing and never fixed it. Seeing that interior brings back the memories of him going to McDonald's for one sweet tea for himself and nothing for us kids. So, eventually, I cranked up the heat on a 102 degree day. He didn't realize it until we got home, bathed in sweat. "NO WONDER IT'S SO HOT IN HERE".
I'm the proud owner of a 2001 Navy Blue Chevy Malibu LS. It was a present from my Grandparents. I love my car, I take it to the shows and keep it up in my Grandparents memory. The wood grain inside reminds me of my Grandparents' Basement Bar they had in their condo in South Keys, Ontario. My goto song when I'm behind the wheel of my car is "Hello Timebomb" by Matthew Good Band.
When it comes to this generation of Malibu, I can remember my dad had one as a rental in 2000 after totaling his 1990 Geo Prizm. Later on, I remember finding it strange when I started seeing some of these badged as a "Classic" in the mid 2000s, realizing that they were models built exclusively for fleet sales.
These were kind of odd back in the day - already looked a little dated at release, but strangely the aesthetics aged okay, at least when you (rarely) see one in any kind of acceptable shape. If this had been just big enough to carry the 3800 Series II, this would've been a better-than-alright car, minus all the 90s plastics
They looked dated compared to the lumina it replaced and the 92-95 Ford Taurus. Yes I thought as a young teen that these new Chevys looked older than my mother's car, a 95 Taurus and they definitely weren't as nice as a 96+ Taurus - those were real lookers and were reliable when transmission was serviced properly
True story: I was at the 97 Pittsburgh auto show and saw the new Malibu. I actually thought it was a joint venture with Toyota. Maybe a NUMMI collaboration like the Corolla / Prism. I said as much to the GM rep and he BEAMED with pride and delight. He proudly stated that it was 100% home grown. I was actually very impressed. As an import only buyer, I thought it had Toyota level design, fit, and finish. Many here have panned this car but I thought it had tasteful, reserved, and slightly upscale aesthetics. My partner later ended up with one as a dealer demo and I loved it. I felt like it was a home run for GM. Still many of them running around Phoenix AZ in 2023
My neighbors who live in front of me in my cul-de-sac in SoCal have this car, they told me it’s the V6 version, they drive it everyday, they are retired now days but bought it new when they still worked….. he told me it was close to 200k miles and very few actual repairs only maintenance…. These where nice reliable cars
What a pile. I worked at GM. These had the worst GM interior and that’s saying a lot. Plus the interior had these toxic stomach churning plastic fumes that punched you in the face when you got in. Just awful
I had a ‘98 Malibu LS V6. It was a very good car, very reliable and peppy. The suspension was almost sporty and probably could have worked with a 180 hp engine. I had it for 5 trouble free years until I traded it in for an SUV.
I'm pretty amazed, it seems the comments are pretty polarized on this car. For every couple comments about how terrible this car was, there's a story about someone who had one or knew someone who did, and the thing was a tank for them. Interesting.
A friend of mine had one years ago got it from his grandfather and it was a good car a little quicker than you think very reliable and it got the job done
I woulda been 16 when this car came out. As soon as I saw this car it was easily the dullest styled car I'd ever seen wear the bowtie. It screamed Instant grandma car. Yes the interior seemed like stepping back to the chevette Citation era. I remember the last of this gen being closed out on local dealer tv ads for like 13,999 in 03. A friend had the Olds version, and It still seemed like junk engineering compared with any 80's Century/Celebrity to drive and ride in. Thanks for the vid anyway!
You know that Chevrolet had a huge role in producing this review aside from giving MotorWeek a free car he is so you can tell they also wrote most of the script. Imagine comparing this car more to its predecessor from 30 years ago rather than it's closest predecessor the Corsica. In fact this Malibu was nothing more than a redesigned Chevrolet Corsica which was basically designed by the bean counters at GM almost specifically as lower-cost Fleet Sales. Overall it wasn't a bad car and by far one of the more improved GM offerings but could never compete with the Camry or Accord. It competed better with the Ford Contour and Dodge Stratus
The next gen right after this one was hideous. The only 21st century Malibu that has aesthetic vaule and is actually a good looking car are the 16 and up.
That shifter looks a bone 🦴 I had an 07 Malibu LT 3.5 V6 with variable valve timing. Only Malibu owners would know what a difference VVT makes with power delivery and torque. It wasn’t a bad car at the time. I traded it for an SUV, I needed more versatility.
@@taurussho86 It wasn’t (that) bad. I got almost 150,000 miles before mines started knocking like a Jehovah's Witness then I traded it. You can definitely tell where GM corners though. They cut corners in all of their products and it shows.
I almost bought one of these as my first car back in 2012. You could pick these up for $2k in excellent condition as opposed to $6k for a comparable Honda, Toyota, and Volvo cars I originally wanted. Did end up getting a Civic instead.
One of the most GM cars GM ever made. The interior was cheap. This was a economy "mid" size. Made cheap. They still did a better job than Ford with the Contour or Dodge with pretty much whatever. But these were cheap.
I miss comfortable, boring, simple cars. Everything has low-pro tires and overly bolstered seats, along with too many gadgets. Some of us just want basic transportation!
An 8.3 second 0-60 from a family sedan in 1997 was not bad at all… a mere decade earlier there were sports cars that couldn’t manage that quick of an acceleration time.
I had a 2001 Chrysler Intrepid, my girlfriend had a Malibu about the same year. My Intrepid though slightly bigger was a much better handler, had more hp, and was more comfortable.
Plastic plastic plastic. The interiors were plastic major engine components were plastic. I had a friend who had the old Oldsmobile version and I had a friend who had this garbage. Both of them were constantly broken the buttons were broken on the interior cuz of the cheap plastic. These were nightmare cars and within two or three years they were constantly broken down. I saw cracked bumpers I saw broken plastic pieces inside and out, just garbage. Oh yeah then GM filed for bankruptcy.
I won't comment on what this car offered/didn't offer and on how good or bad it was, I only have one question regarded to its looks: why have all everyday Chevy models been looking like Asian cars ever since the 90s? Not talking about the captive imports and the RWD full-sizers, mind you. For example, I see the '96 Cavalier and it really looks like a mix of the first Kia Sephia and the '95 Hyundai Accent to my eyes. This Malibu here? Straight up clone of the '95 Nissan Maxima. The '90 and '96 Luminas? Straight up Honda Accord photocopies. Just... why? What were they thinking and still thinking to this day at GM? That people are gonna buy them just because they look like Asian cars? I mean, compared to all of those, the first Saturn SL/SC/SW models were some truly original design efforts.
You answered it yourself -- GM styled vehicles like Asian cars to claw back some of their diminishing market share from this time. Superfluous yes, but that's how much faith they had in the American consumer.
When this came out, the advertising tagline was "the car you knew America could build". Which resonated like an insult to most Americans at the time.
It’s sad because it’s like they were admitting how behind they were to Japan
I have a distinct memory of a full page ad in a copy of National Geographic. I don't think it was a bad car, but aggressively mediocre. It went over GM's head that people bought Accords/Camrys for the build quality + reliability first. Actual styling, features, comfort, power etc were important but second.
@@iluvcamaros1912 especially when only a few months later the new 6th generation accord came out. Looking at the Malibu compared to a 98 Accord is insane, the new Accord’s styling was 10 years ahead of the Malibu.
@@nandernugget are*
@@nandernugget Agreed. And not just styling, everything about that new Accord was worlds above this piece.
I remember seeing one of these cars rebadged as an Oldsmobile Cutless in the late 90s. It was literally the same car but with tweaked rear taillights. I tried to tell myself it looked 'okay', but..I recall thinking Olds was in trouble after seeing this. As it turns out, it was the beginning of the end for Olds.
A base model 4-cyl 1997 Malibu carried me and a few friends many many miles back in my college days... It was super comfortable, and got over 30 mpg, even when full of teenagers and their junk in the trunk! It also had a great a/c system that cooled the whole car down in just a couple of minutes... Some great memories made in a sturdy little car.
That A/C was the entire reason why my parents bought this car. It was the first new car they bought and apparently was one of the cheapest with A/C from any of the local dealers.
GM has always had some of the best AC systems. Few cars I've used blow air as cold as GMs.
@@RatBürgerSk8antique cars and automotive history told us about how other car companies used to buy GM a/c system to put in their cars.
Probably helped that GM founded Frigidaire XD @@RatBürgerSk8
We need to talk to whoever at GM said- “yeah let’s put a V6 that makes only 5 more horsepower than the 4 cylinder”
Yeah but there's also more torque. And GM usually offered the 3100 at the same price point as 4cyl Hondas/Toyotas.
@@iluvcamaros1912 The 3.1L's developed intake gasket leaks over time. That GM Dexcool coolant created problems when GM first started using it.
I believe by the 2000 model year of the Malibu, the 4 cylinder was gone and the 3.1 liter V6 received a horsepower increase to 170.
The torque was what made the difference. 8.3 Seconds to 60 back then was decent for sure
@nandernugget
It’s called torque.
By the time VTEC has kicked in… yo.. the Malibu is already ahead of you and the row of parked cars is coming up.
My dad had a 2000 Mailbu with the 3.1 V6. He had a bad wheel bearing and never fixed it. Seeing that interior brings back the memories of him going to McDonald's for one sweet tea for himself and nothing for us kids. So, eventually, I cranked up the heat on a 102 degree day. He didn't realize it until we got home, bathed in sweat.
"NO WONDER IT'S SO HOT IN HERE".
I'm the proud owner of a 2001 Navy Blue Chevy Malibu LS. It was a present from my Grandparents. I love my car, I take it to the shows and keep it up in my Grandparents memory. The wood grain inside reminds me of my Grandparents' Basement Bar they had in their condo in South Keys, Ontario. My goto song when I'm behind the wheel of my car is "Hello Timebomb" by Matthew Good Band.
When it comes to this generation of Malibu, I can remember my dad had one as a rental in 2000 after totaling his 1990 Geo Prizm. Later on, I remember finding it strange when I started seeing some of these badged as a "Classic" in the mid 2000s, realizing that they were models built exclusively for fleet sales.
These were kind of odd back in the day - already looked a little dated at release, but strangely the aesthetics aged okay, at least when you (rarely) see one in any kind of acceptable shape. If this had been just big enough to carry the 3800 Series II, this would've been a better-than-alright car, minus all the 90s plastics
The exterior styling is so anonymous it just sort of blends in with everything.
They looked dated compared to the lumina it replaced and the 92-95 Ford Taurus. Yes I thought as a young teen that these new Chevys looked older than my mother's car, a 95 Taurus and they definitely weren't as nice as a 96+ Taurus - those were real lookers and were reliable when transmission was serviced properly
True story: I was at the 97 Pittsburgh auto show and saw the new Malibu. I actually thought it was a joint venture with Toyota. Maybe a NUMMI collaboration like the Corolla / Prism. I said as much to the GM rep and he BEAMED with pride and delight. He proudly stated that it was 100% home grown.
I was actually very impressed. As an import only buyer, I thought it had Toyota level design, fit, and finish. Many here have panned this car but I thought it had tasteful, reserved, and slightly upscale aesthetics. My partner later ended up with one as a dealer demo and I loved it. I felt like it was a home run for GM. Still many of them running around Phoenix AZ in 2023
In Pittsburgh many of those old Malibus have become dust in the wind
Love these cars, I still see them around pretty often, rarely see its sister the 98 Cutlass. I wouldn't mind a Cutlass in nice condition.
Very nice this Chevy Malibu
I had a ‘98 Malibu LS with the V6. It was a pretty darn good car.
this truly is the car of all time
My neighbors who live in front of me in my cul-de-sac in SoCal have this car, they told me it’s the V6 version, they drive it everyday, they are retired now days but bought it new when they still worked….. he told me it was close to 200k miles and very few actual repairs only maintenance…. These where nice reliable cars
I had a '98 fully loaded model with the moonroof, a CD and cassette player and the V6 of course. It definitely had a luxurious feel to it..
That's the one to get
I’d like to know whose bright idea it was to get out of car sales and just stick to $80000 trucks and suvs
>hooman want big car
>no money
>bank give loan
>hooman now poor and in debt but with big car
This is how the average new car buyer thinks.
What a pile. I worked at GM. These had the worst GM interior and that’s saying a lot. Plus the interior had these toxic stomach churning plastic fumes that punched you in the face when you got in. Just awful
I had a ‘98 Malibu LS V6. It was a very good car, very reliable and peppy. The suspension was almost sporty and probably could have worked with a 180 hp engine. I had it for 5 trouble free years until I traded it in for an SUV.
Everyone in America has been in one of these or known someone who’s had one.
I'm pretty amazed, it seems the comments are pretty polarized on this car. For every couple comments about how terrible this car was, there's a story about someone who had one or knew someone who did, and the thing was a tank for them. Interesting.
Got one as my company car in 1998. Was an upgrade from the Corsicas we had before. Actually loved it at first. Rotors kept warping though.
A friend of mine had one years ago got it from his grandfather and it was a good car a little quicker than you think very reliable and it got the job done
Love Malibu, especially the rare LS Sport
I woulda been 16 when this car came out. As soon as I saw this car it was easily the dullest styled car I'd ever seen wear the bowtie. It screamed Instant grandma car. Yes the interior seemed like stepping back to the chevette Citation era. I remember the last of this gen being closed out on local dealer tv ads for like 13,999 in 03. A friend had the Olds version, and It still seemed like junk engineering compared with any 80's Century/Celebrity to drive and ride in.
Thanks for the vid anyway!
I always liked these since new. Surprisingly comfortable and very peppy to drive. Today they are a great cheap beater car.
You know that Chevrolet had a huge role in producing this review aside from giving MotorWeek a free car he is so you can tell they also wrote most of the script. Imagine comparing this car more to its predecessor from 30 years ago rather than it's closest predecessor the Corsica. In fact this Malibu was nothing more than a redesigned Chevrolet Corsica which was basically designed by the bean counters at GM almost specifically as lower-cost Fleet Sales. Overall it wasn't a bad car and by far one of the more improved GM offerings but could never compete with the Camry or Accord. It competed better with the Ford Contour and Dodge Stratus
Motor week was pretty balanced on their reviews
I had a Corsica and a Malibu. Other than the 3100 V6 there are no commonalities, nor was it a continuation of the Corsica design.
Bland as bland can be but cheap and reasonably reliable. What were they thinking with that shifter, WAY too long.
The next gen right after this one was hideous. The only 21st century Malibu that has aesthetic vaule and is actually a good looking car are the 16 and up.
@@robertriley1569The '06 Malibu Maxx SS was pretty cool in my opinion.
That shifter looks a bone 🦴
I had an 07 Malibu LT 3.5 V6 with variable valve timing. Only Malibu owners would know what a difference VVT makes with power delivery and torque. It wasn’t a bad car at the time. I traded it for an SUV, I needed more versatility.
I agree, random femur sticking up in the interior
Owned one and you couldn't open the ashtray while in Park.
That 3.5 was one of the worse motors GM ever created. Worse than their 3.4/3.1 and equal footing to their Northstar
@@taurussho86 It wasn’t (that) bad. I got almost 150,000 miles before mines started knocking like a Jehovah's Witness then I traded it. You can definitely tell where GM corners though. They cut corners in all of their products and it shows.
@@EricFortuneJr. tbh, I've rarely seen any of those motors get to 150. You definitely took care of it.
Ah the most bland car to ever win Car Of The Year from Motor Trend, No really it did actually win.
How in the world did the '97 Malibu win "Motor Trend Car of the Year" with that terrible fit and finish?
Generic and boring are two words that come to mind.
Very nice this car
I almost bought one of these as my first car back in 2012. You could pick these up for $2k in excellent condition as opposed to $6k for a comparable Honda, Toyota, and Volvo cars I originally wanted. Did end up getting a Civic instead.
I did like this car it was comfortable and had decent room and pepe
This car defines NPC sedan
November 2024 goodbye to the Malibu.
One of the most GM cars GM ever made. The interior was cheap. This was a economy "mid" size. Made cheap. They still did a better job than Ford with the Contour or Dodge with pretty much whatever. But these were cheap.
I see Caddy Catera in this Malibu. This one is nice compared to anemic 1.5 liter 2023 version. Sad
Like a Corvette,really and not ,I had a 99 LS with a 3.1 was not a Corvette but I loved the car anyways ♥️♥️♥️
I miss comfortable, boring, simple cars. Everything has low-pro tires and overly bolstered seats, along with too many gadgets. Some of us just want basic transportation!
An 8.3 second 0-60 from a family sedan in 1997 was not bad at all… a mere decade earlier there were sports cars that couldn’t manage that quick of an acceleration time.
It was no duller than thr Camry and Accord of this time. I doubt the reliability ans longevity are anywhere near those two.
Looks old even brand new
I fell asleep during this video
These things ate brakes, hubs, and other stuff like it was its job. Not a reliable car.
Mine was pretty good, but it was later in the run, guessing GM worked out some kinks.
I had an 01 and sent it to its third owner at 370,000 km. Did the intake once and a few pad slaps.
My mom had a 2001, what an awful car.
No wonder you hardly see these anymore.
The Accord and Camry were better.
I had a 2001 Chrysler Intrepid, my girlfriend had a Malibu about the same year. My Intrepid though slightly bigger was a much better handler, had more hp, and was more comfortable.
I still see them, however I don’t see Camrys and Accords of this era. Those were crushed long ago.
@@Andrew-bb3lc I still see Camry and Accord's of that era around here.
I bet you its the salt that kills them.
No salt in SoCal.
Depending on what part of the nation you're in, you'll still see them in the mid-west and southern states...
Plastic plastic plastic. The interiors were plastic major engine components were plastic. I had a friend who had the old Oldsmobile version and I had a friend who had this garbage. Both of them were constantly broken the buttons were broken on the interior cuz of the cheap plastic. These were nightmare cars and within two or three years they were constantly broken down. I saw cracked bumpers I saw broken plastic pieces inside and out, just garbage. Oh yeah then GM filed for bankruptcy.
The unreliable mobile.
The 1997 maibu it is a very ugly car. You barely see any of them on the road and they depreciated very quickly.
Chevy Malibu is nice car
I see them more than I see any of its competitors at the time. Not bad for a 20 to 26 year old car.
@@fernandorocha8459the 60s,70s and early 80s malibus the 1997 is garbage.💩💩🤦♂️🤷♂️
It's just a Toyota Corolla
This was a great car
I won't comment on what this car offered/didn't offer and on how good or bad it was, I only have one question regarded to its looks: why have all everyday Chevy models been looking like Asian cars ever since the 90s? Not talking about the captive imports and the RWD full-sizers, mind you. For example, I see the '96 Cavalier and it really looks like a mix of the first Kia Sephia and the '95 Hyundai Accent to my eyes. This Malibu here? Straight up clone of the '95 Nissan Maxima. The '90 and '96 Luminas? Straight up Honda Accord photocopies. Just... why? What were they thinking and still thinking to this day at GM? That people are gonna buy them just because they look like Asian cars? I mean, compared to all of those, the first Saturn SL/SC/SW models were some truly original design efforts.
You answered it yourself -- GM styled vehicles like Asian cars to claw back some of their diminishing market share from this time. Superfluous yes, but that's how much faith they had in the American consumer.