I purchased a 2001 Malibu in 2004 form a GM dealer,with extended warranty . .Good by car fax.To make it short I will list he problems.The intake manifold leaked and was replaced.The ac failed and was rebuilt.The anti theft system loked me out 5 times from 2004-2008 had to replace ignition switch twice. The BCM- body control module failed 3 times shutting down everything one covered by GM within 1yr of first failure.After warranty expired AC compressor went out , a month later the belt tensioner and harmnic balancer.I now have 65k miles thats it.To top it off the roof leaks through drain chanels. I'm 50 years old always proud to buy American always have until now. GM did me wrong NO MORE.This car was purchaed from Sentry Buick GMC 1621 Savannah hwy,Charleston SC 843-725-7000. I have the service history printed out,for those who may think I am a so called troll.
2001 Malibu changed my mind
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Sorry to hear that. I don't like to hear people have car probs, no matter the brand.
I hope you'll consider some of the 'Generals newer products. The new Malibu is a game changer. The G6 I believe is also a strong product. As are the Lambdas (Enclave, Acadia and Outlook).
I hope you'll consider some of the 'Generals newer products. The new Malibu is a game changer. The G6 I believe is also a strong product. As are the Lambdas (Enclave, Acadia and Outlook).
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4,539 Posts
I'm sorry to here about your experience. It really sucks.
One bad experience with a used car should not color your opinion of what GM has to offer now. From 1997 to now I've owned 5 GM cars with my wife. None of them were bad. My wife leased a Saturn SL2 in '97 and a Saturn LS2 in '00. Both were pretty much trouble free. I bought a GTO in 2004 and at close to 80,000 miles it is an awesome car with nary a problem. Recently I bought a 2008 Vue to replace our Explorer and a 2008 Cobalt to supplant my relatively gas guzzling GTO as my daily driver. They have been great cars so far.
BTW, I owned a lemon 2000 V6 Honda Accord coupe that I bought new. It had many critical problems, such as the brake lights failing several times, the SRS light malfunctioning several times and never getter resolved and a transmission that failed at 77,000 miles.
The lesson here is that any manufacturer can build you a lemon. They are rare, but it is always a possibility.
I think you'd be surprised at how good GM cars are now compared to what was around in 2001.
One bad experience with a used car should not color your opinion of what GM has to offer now. From 1997 to now I've owned 5 GM cars with my wife. None of them were bad. My wife leased a Saturn SL2 in '97 and a Saturn LS2 in '00. Both were pretty much trouble free. I bought a GTO in 2004 and at close to 80,000 miles it is an awesome car with nary a problem. Recently I bought a 2008 Vue to replace our Explorer and a 2008 Cobalt to supplant my relatively gas guzzling GTO as my daily driver. They have been great cars so far.
BTW, I owned a lemon 2000 V6 Honda Accord coupe that I bought new. It had many critical problems, such as the brake lights failing several times, the SRS light malfunctioning several times and never getter resolved and a transmission that failed at 77,000 miles.
The lesson here is that any manufacturer can build you a lemon. They are rare, but it is always a possibility.
I think you'd be surprised at how good GM cars are now compared to what was around in 2001.
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I would not judge new GM by old GM's vehicles, but the fact that some of these cars are still out there, there will always be that image. GM needs to realize it will be another 5 years or more before the good products they have released in the past 3 years will trickle down into market and start changing perceptions of people picking up used cars.
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3,459 Posts
as a fellow 01 malibu owner I'm sorry to hear about your experience. When my folks got me my Bu we had a few problems with the fuel pump ABS and gaskets. but after fixing those issues its been relatively trouble free, a more fuel efficent alternative to my moms suburban, and has proven itself to be a excellent platform for shooting photos (like the ecosports I shot yesterday). however don't judge GM by their older models. They were made back when GM had quantity over quality in mind and as such they were plentiful but the quality was spotty. If i were you I'd look at one of GM's current models. The new bu for example is way better than the previous two gens combined. However i'm just wondering but is your malibu a base Bu with the four banger or is it an LS like mine that has the 3.1 liter V6?
Sorry, but I always have problems when the very first post is a bash.
When I have a crappy experience, I get soooo mad that the very first thing I do is search out a site dedicated to the source of my frustration. I then sign up and post a message saying that I will no longer buy the number one reason for the sites existence.
Sorry, but you have no context with me and I can't look up any of your prior posts to gauge if you are a troll or a real person behind the experience. Good Luck!
When I have a crappy experience, I get soooo mad that the very first thing I do is search out a site dedicated to the source of my frustration. I then sign up and post a message saying that I will no longer buy the number one reason for the sites existence.
Sorry, but you have no context with me and I can't look up any of your prior posts to gauge if you are a troll or a real person behind the experience. Good Luck!
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Something tells me this will be the only post by this guy. Maybe the thread should just get deleted, it looks trollish.
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23,308 Posts
Hey, the guy is frustrated and wanted to vent. I don't think he's trolling, just sharing his unfortunate experience with a GM vehicle. I'd be frustrated too... it's fine and dandy to say that a brand new Malibu is a better car, but he doesn't have a new Malibu. He has a 2001 Malibu, and he's having troubles with it. People go on about the 'old' perception of GM, but there's a big difference (if you ask me) between a 1985 Chevrolet Celebrity and a 2001 Chevrolet Malibu. Few people still have a crappy old Celebrity, but many people currently drive early 2000's GM vehicles. That's not the 'old' GM... that's their current GM.
He might be frustrated but what will this site do for him? Pool our resources for a new 2008 Malibu so he can see the difference? His name is nomore-gm! Should I beg him to give GM another chance? I mean, if this is a real person, his name and his post basically says that GM lost him for life. Trying to appease someone with this experience is futile! But if this person isn't real and he is a paid troll, then someone wasted some marketing money.
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1,537 Posts
I second your motion to have the thread deleted...
To me this is a dealer problem not nessarly a GM problem.
So all of those glorious signs that say "CERTIFIED" used car mean nothing? They have been doing this since 2000. How did this car slip through the cracks? Did not one check it?
GM DOES share some blame. Guys, now is the time. 100,000 miles bumper to bumper on ALL PRODUCTS! If an automaker can't do this then they shouldn't be making cars. PERIOD!
So all of those glorious signs that say "CERTIFIED" used car mean nothing? They have been doing this since 2000. How did this car slip through the cracks? Did not one check it?
GM DOES share some blame. Guys, now is the time. 100,000 miles bumper to bumper on ALL PRODUCTS! If an automaker can't do this then they shouldn't be making cars. PERIOD!
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21,459 Posts
Sounds like a lemon to me...sucks though.
You should at least give the new Malibu a chance...before they run out of them thanks to the Fairfax strike...
You should at least give the new Malibu a chance...before they run out of them thanks to the Fairfax strike...
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That's a pretty big problem for Detroit.
A while ago, I remember an article about Toyota's slipping quality. They had interviewed a long-time Camry faithful who was on his 6th Camry or so and pissed off by its lack of quality (I don't remember the exact details). The guy made clear the fact that this was his last Toyota ever, and that he was defecting...... to Honda.
Now, this guy was burned by GM... natural reaction, "stop buying American".
Why not go to Ford or Chrysler?
How come a bad domestic tarnishes all three automakers, while a bad Toyota will push a "nomore-toyota" user to register on ToyotaNation to tell everyone he's now a loyal Honda buyer?
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Part of it might stem from an existing notion that GM makes better cars than Ford or Chrysler. I know I think so 
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Look, all studies show Ford has better quality than GM. This guy should at least have the decency to defect to Ford, not Toyota.Part of it might stem from an existing notion that GM makes better cars than Ford or Chrysler. I know I think so
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But what is quality? To me quality means how different is car 1 from the next one on the line. Basically did they forget to install a part or forget to torque it down right.
But what about engineering issues? GM has had their share (eg intake gaskets) but Ford and Chrysler have worse ones (eg automatic gearboxes...) If you are leasing a car, these are a non-issue, but if you want 300 000 km...
I don't really think there are any "bad" cars out there with some exceptions. My grandfather had to have the engine in his Pontiac Beaumont rebuilt around 100 000 miles and the car was so rusted to be undriveable in about 10 years time. My father's Pontiac Grand Prix is still running fine on original drivetrain at near 200 000 miles, has recently turned 10 years old and doesn't have any rust. I am cherrypicking a bit but you see my point. Toyota has improved similar ways, if Toyota made cars like they did in 70's nobody would ever go near them.
Reply to non believers-malibu changed my mind
This post is for those who think I am a so called troll for my first post.No I an not the 2001 Malibu I purchased is a v6 3.1 ,purchased this car from Sentry Buick GMC 1621 Savannah Hwy ,Charleston ,SC 29407 843-725-7000. I have the service history printed out over 20 pages.
I can understand people being dedicated to GM fine. The first car I had was a 1974 chevy vega for those old enough to remember.Teflon sleeves caused oil burning in first 12,000 miles, but I forgave GM for a bad model.Also I have owned many Fords and had fewer problems,a 1980 Mustang with 290k for one. I am not knocking American manufacturing in general, but GM can do better. Any car with only 65k should not have these problems.
This post is for those who think I am a so called troll for my first post.No I an not the 2001 Malibu I purchased is a v6 3.1 ,purchased this car from Sentry Buick GMC 1621 Savannah Hwy ,Charleston ,SC 29407 843-725-7000. I have the service history printed out over 20 pages.
I can understand people being dedicated to GM fine. The first car I had was a 1974 chevy vega for those old enough to remember.Teflon sleeves caused oil burning in first 12,000 miles, but I forgave GM for a bad model.Also I have owned many Fords and had fewer problems,a 1980 Mustang with 290k for one. I am not knocking American manufacturing in general, but GM can do better. Any car with only 65k should not have these problems.
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Re: Reply to non believers-malibu changed my mind
So he switched to GM and encountered no problems at all, and his new job at Norwood just made it even sweeter.
Maybe it's just your luck? That seems to play a big role in car buying. My dad owned a bunch of Fords before he started working for GM and every single one of them had a problem. Nobody else would have the same exact problem with the car except for him.
So he switched to GM and encountered no problems at all, and his new job at Norwood just made it even sweeter.
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