I just graduated from college with an engineering degree and have a pretty sweet job lined up. Only problem is I have about a 110 mile round trip commute each day. Not to bad I know but in my 97 Jimmy that gets 14 mpg it is gonna get expensive fast. My parents have some GM cash saved up for a down payment then the rest is on me. The Malibu gets about 27mpg combined which is what I am expecting from my commute. The car is about 20K out the door. I looked at the Cobalts as well and they are just to small for me.

I have looked around a couple sites and have found only a few bad reviews on the car. Does anyone have one or know someone who does. This will be my first new car purchase and just want to make sure I get a car I will be still happy with 5 years down the road.

12/23/2008 12:46:22 PM

why the hell would you spend 20K on a new car just as a 110 mile/day daily driver?

buy a few year old Honda or toyota for half that and it'll still last twice as long as anything from GM

[Edited on December 23, 2008 at 12:58 PM. Reason : asdf]

12/23/2008 12:58:22 PM

cobalt xfe




else, civic

12/23/2008 1:01:41 PM

Seriously. You just graduated, don't worry about that GM cash, go grab a used Civic or something that will be better on gas and more reliable in the long run.

12/23/2008 1:01:47 PM

I hear decent things about the new malibu. Certainly don't waste your cash on a Honda, they're all overpriced and every loser that has one thinks it's a Rolls Royce. Just low-ball the dealers. They'll take anything right now.

12/23/2008 1:31:54 PM

ignore this guy

12/23/2008 1:36:41 PM

haha shiiiiiitttt

12/23/2008 1:52:21 PM

Quote :

"PIMPMASTER"

Quote :

"MALIBU"

Quote :

"DOES NOT COMPUTE"

12/23/2008 1:53:15 PM

From pretty much all I've heard they're good cars. Nice looking exterior, beautiful interior (at least on the LTZ, I don't know if the lower-end models get the two-tone treatment). I don't personally know someone who has one though.

I also don't know why everyone is throwing out the "used Civic" line. If the GM cash will make a pretty decent down payment and you can finance the rest on a 3 or 4 year loan with a payment that is well within your means, I don't see why this is a bad decision. Buying an expensive car with no money down is a bad move out of college, but buying a reasonably priced one with a significant amount down is more reasonable (though were it not for that down payment I would advise going used). 27 MPG combined also is not bad at all...

Even with the issues the company is going through, I think GM quality is on the upswing, so you should be OK there (there's a chance Chrysler might not make it, but worst-case for GM is they get bought out, in which case your warranty will still be valid).

12/23/2008 1:59:45 PM

i retract my original post.... because i didnt read the entire OP///


get the MALI-BU

12/23/2008 2:02:12 PM

saab 93, great interior/exterior, highest safety rating (long commutes), I get 34-35 on the highway, FUN car to drive, also GM. Its a little higher that 20k, but well worth it... esp if your job is $. I'm 6'6'' so I know its not too small, huge trunk.

12/23/2008 2:19:54 PM

geez, okay.. so just did the "check the red tag price" on saabusa and it was like 24K.... dude, I paid 11K more than that 5 years ago.... good lord, I need to upgrade to a new one.

12/23/2008 2:24:25 PM

Shut the fuck up you saab homo! I thought we kicked you out of the garage!



I say go to the dealer and tell them you want to order a municipal trim Impala. It will be thousands cheaper and be way cooler than a regular model. Got to get it with the steelies though!

12/23/2008 2:37:14 PM

move closer to work.

12/23/2008 3:14:25 PM

Saab won't exist in a year. Chevy, Honda and Toyota might.

12/23/2008 3:18:28 PM

^ saab wont exist (GM) but Chevy (GM) will? That is absurd.

saab 93 is a better looking, safer, better gas mileage, a turbo... some of you "homo's" need to go for a test drive.

12/23/2008 3:36:34 PM

someone in the classifieds has a $1600 nissan 200sx. optimus primer's selling honda civic hatchback for $1500

either of those would make an assload more sense than this decision

you're going to put 2xxx miles on that car A MONTH

this is a terrible idea, pimp

12/23/2008 3:41:29 PM

^ yeah, I know I would want to spend 2 hours in POS car too... everyday at that!!!!

[Edited on December 23, 2008 at 3:48 PM. Reason : ash]

12/23/2008 3:47:47 PM

saabs are fucking gay, always have been

12/23/2008 4:01:04 PM

Quote :

"The Malibu gets about 27mpg combined which is what I am expecting from my commute."

If you're driving mostly highway I have no doubt you'll get higher than that, probably low 30s easy. I think they're fantastic looking cars. I haven't driven one, but they are highly rated by most publications.

And ignore these ppl telling you to get a used whatever

12/23/2008 4:08:40 PM

Quote :

"In its recovery plan delivered last week, GM — the largest of the Detroit Three and arguably the least financially healthy — told Congress that it planned to have fewer nameplates and 1,750 fewer dealers within the next three years. The company plans to concentrate on its "core brands" — Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. In doing so, observers say, GM would probably sell or end its Saab, Saturn and Hummer divisions and trim its Pontiac lineup to a niche brand."

12/23/2008 4:14:31 PM

^

A, Painting a bleak picture because they want congress bailout money.

I had other points but I think this one really covers it.

[Edited on December 23, 2008 at 5:09 PM. Reason : aerg]

12/23/2008 5:08:37 PM

I think it's more likely they'll just stop importing Saabs and continue selling them alongside Vauxhalls and Opels in Europe.

[Edited on December 23, 2008 at 5:29 PM. Reason : The 9-3/9-5 are just rebadged Vectras anyway, and the new 9-1 will be a rebadged Astra.]

[Edited on December 23, 2008 at 5:31 PM. Reason : Speaking of which, the Malibu is also based on the Vectra.]

12/23/2008 5:26:26 PM

http://seekingalpha.com/article/108284-saab-may-be-gm-s-best-hope-for-the-future

Bloomberg (“GM Said to Study Shedding Saturn, Saab, Pontiac to Win U.S. Aid”) is reporting that Pontiac’s sales peaked in 1978 and are down 21% this year compared to an industry wide 15% decline. Saturn’s sales peaked in 1994 and are down 19% this year, while Saab sales peaked in 2003 at roughly 48K units and declined 31% this year. Pontiac offers little differentiation from other General Motors (GM) models, with the exception of some unsuccessful rebadged older (GM Australia) models. Likewise, Saturn offers a “plastic coated” version of the Chevy Malibu and a rebadged Vauxhall (GM Germany). No value added for either Pontiac or Saturn. For that matter Buick could be a China only product with nothing lost here in the States.

That leaves Saab. The accountants might conclude that it is a dying brand by its eroding sales and only 105 dealers. But Saab spells the automotive future, high quality small and midsized cars. Saab cars are nicely sculpted, or at least uniquely shaped. They have smaller engines with good handling and performance. Even though they share GM platforms, they retained differentiation. Saab is the perfect complement to Cadillac and should be built up rather than destroyed. And by the way, kill that ridiculous Saab SUV. Saab could be believable as a European sports sedan, Buick will never be.

12/23/2008 5:31:30 PM

Quote :

"...at least uniquely shaped."

That's a polite way of saying they couldn't be any more gay even if you strapped a bent-over man in tights to the roof.

Oh wait...


[Edited on December 23, 2008 at 5:39 PM. Reason : .]

12/23/2008 5:35:28 PM

Quote :

"someone in the classifieds has a $1600 nissan 200sx. optimus primer's selling honda civic hatchback for $1500 either of those would make an assload more sense than this decision you're going to put 2xxx miles on that car A MONTH"

Those cars are fine for beaters, but do you really want to depend on them to drive 24,000 miles per year to and from your place of work?

^ Ha ha...Old Saabs look cool. They're like a retarded monkey or something. Ugly in a very cool sort of way.
The new sedans have nothing in common with them.

[Edited on December 23, 2008 at 5:49 PM. Reason : l]

12/23/2008 5:46:53 PM

Quote :

"Pontiac offers little differentiation from other General Motors (GM) models, with the exception of some unsuccessful rebadged older (GM Australia) models."

Yes, the reborn GTO wasn't successful, but it's way too early to say the G8 will suffer the same fate--the full lineup isn't even available yet. And it's not exactly older either, as the Aussie car upon which it is based (Holden VE Commodore) started production for the '07 model year and is still current. I think Pontiac has a place in the lineup as GM's sporting brand, though their lineup could stand to be trimmed--kill the G5 and the Vibe for starters. The G6 should be up for replacement soon, as it was new for '05--it could be reinterpreted as the entry-level sports sedan, from which buyers could step up to the G8. It's already based on a variant of the Epsilon platform which underpins the successful new Malibu so they wouldn't have to completely reinvent it. The Solstice can stick around (it's got a coupe version coming down the pipeline too). I'd personally like to see the Torrent go away also, but they might see the need to keep a crossover--if they do it needs some serious sharpening. The whole point is to move Pontiac from a maker of slightly sportier Chevys, to its own focused brand, and in that I believe it's still viable.

12/23/2008 6:02:16 PM

you guys are making good points - why would anyone want to spend 2 hours a day in any car

unless its the new Honda Blowjobomatic or something

but what do i know - i walk to work bitches
it takes me a solid 5 months to put as many miles on my car as you will in a week

so go ahead, buy a brand new car so your ass will be comfortable
i just hope you're paying straight cash for it and don't mind losing like 12k of the value on a 20k car in the first 2 years

it must be nice to have that kind of cash

fuckin ludicrous

2000 miles a month just to get to work

12/23/2008 6:34:58 PM

^^as has already been mentioned, and from what i've been reading on all this stupid bailout crap, it sounds like gm is planning to make pontiac a niche market brand in its efforts to "trim the fat". assuming this happens for real, i'm betting everything we see from them is going to be holden based minus the solstice (which still isn't "american" gm). basically, they'll be getting rid of all the gay stuff.

^your points are understandable and i personally agree. it's highly unlikely i'll ever buy something brand new. one or two years old, probably... but not something straight off the lot. you've got to consider two things though. first, this is the garage. most of us tend to enjoy driving nice things. so, opinion is going to be biased. second, now is the time (if ever) where buying a new car isn't such a financial waste. sure, it's still a depreciating asset like so many other things, but not nearly as bad as they used to be, even a year ago. couple that with things like 0% financing, the fact he plans to keep the vehicle a relatively long time (5 years or more it sounds like), and a down payment and it's not such a terrible idea. having a good warranty and/or service plan should be a plus as well with putting that many miles on a car.

12/23/2008 10:47:31 PM

Quote :

"Shut the fuck up you saab homo!"

Also, doing 2000+ miles of driving a month gets old quick. You'll want a vehicle you enjoy driving and find comfortable to sit in if you're going to do that much driving. I'm not saying you have to buy a new vehicle, but I definitely wouldn't recommend buying a beater that has worn out seats or a lot of wear and tear to it.

12/23/2008 10:54:29 PM

Quote :

"MALAIBU PIMPMASTER69 COMPUTES"

12/23/2008 11:40:36 PM

WHEN I SAY MALI

YOU SAY BU!





B00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

12/23/2008 11:55:10 PM

Quote :

"most of us tend to enjoy driving nice things. so, opinion is going to be biased. "

i'm sorry, we're calling a malibu "nice things" now

i understand this is the new-car-buying field of dreams, but i don't care what kind of deal he's going to get, the initial hit in depreciation PLUS the 2000+ (i mean, dude has to drive other places besides work right?) a month is going to wear that car out quick

hell, buy the malibu AND buy a $1500 beater, put $400 into a new drivers seat and you've got a car to drive to work that will pay for itself in depreciation avoidance alone...

whatever, its this kids money

12/24/2008 12:41:47 AM

okay, so what about when the $1500 car needs major/minor repairs done where he's without a car to go to work? it's not like he can hop on the bus and unlikely and friends are willing to make that trek. he can, however, negotiate into his deal a service agreement. this will ensure he gets a loaner car for major repairs, cheap/free oil changes, along with a few other things. this is one of the few cases where i would consider a service agreement to be beneficial.

don't get me wrong, i agree with you and it's not what i'd do. i'm not in his shoes though. even if i was, i have the ability to fix my own cars and have others i could drive. it's just a liitle silly to still be harping on all the points about it losing value, etc. we all know that happens with most things we buy new. maybe he'll make it up somewhere else with only buying used computers and tv's.

oh, and it's unlikely the miles will wear the car out quick at all. i'm assuming this is a highway commute, which is infinitely easier on a car in all ways than around town stuff, etc. realistically, you can probably cut highway miles in half in "normal" terms of judging mileage numbers. even if they do wear something out quick, he's got the warranty to fall back on i mentioned above.

as for a malibu being nice, it definitely is to me. i realize this is tww and we're supposed to turn our noses up at anything but the finest, but to me a malibu is a very nice, practical, professional looking, and not too gay car for someone just out of school about to start their first job. it's got 4 doors, i'm sure power everything standard, cd player, automatic, cruise, etc.

[Edited on December 24, 2008 at 1:00 AM. Reason : .]

12/24/2008 12:56:30 AM

Quote :

"okay, so what about when the $1500 car needs major/minor repairs done where he's without a car to go to work? "

Quote :

"hell, buy the malibu AND buy a $1500 beater, put $400 into a new drivers seat and you've got a car to drive to work that will pay for itself in depreciation avoidance alone..."

and i wasn't saying the malibu isn't nice; its surely nicer than any of my rides, but rather i was commenting on the normal standards of this place - like you said - this is The Garage

most cars are derided as either pussy, gay, chick car, weak, for poor people, or a combination of the group...

12/24/2008 1:45:22 AM

^we're talking about the Malibu in regards to what the OP wants, and for that its a NICE CAR.

12/24/2008 2:11:48 AM

You all bring up valid points and a big thing for me right now is comfort and fuel economy. I don't know how many of you have taken one for a test drive but the seats are damn comfortable and the ride is smooth. As mentioned before it gets great gas millage too. Right now I am just between keeping my Jimmy and sucking it up in fuel expenses, or getting the Malibu and receiving a bill every month for that. I was more looking for any bad experiences or problems with the car anyone knows about as I have only found 1 bad review of it so far.

12/24/2008 2:30:05 AM

and i'm simply suggesting this is not a binary situation, there are other options afoot

its not like gasoline is still at 4.00 a gallon; and while i think its detestable to use that as an excuse to keep BUILDING cars that get shit for MPG, right now its not a bad reason to save some cash by driving a car that is fully paid for

hell, find out what your monthly payment would be if you signed the car, and commit to saving that money each month until gas reaches a price you set for yourself - be it 2.50, 3.00, whatever and then when you've saved some more cash from your new job you'll be in a much better position to not wind up several thousand dollars upside down on a car that is going to have moderate to low resale value

non-car related question - why is your commute so far? are you living at home? locked into a lease? unwilling to move to the new location?

12/24/2008 2:39:11 AM

I think I stated it earlier but to lazy to look. I am locked into a lease right now is the big thing. Also I have a required 6 months training in Atlanta after a year on the job. Plus I am not sure that where I will be working is an area I would enjoy living in(will have to wait and see on that until after I start).

Also if I do get a new car I plan on keeping it until it stops running or I need a differnet type of car. I am building a spreadsheet right now to look at break even points and what not to see how long at different gas prices it would take. Figure that will help with the financial side of things.

12/24/2008 2:52:40 AM

cobalt xfe or 2000 civic

the rental car for the one day the battery dies and the igniter in the distriubter croaks will be cheaper then driving the 09 malibu off the lot.

That being said i think the new malibu looks good.

12/24/2008 9:29:47 AM

I realize I'm the only one with this thought.... but... just because it's awesome looking:

12/24/2008 9:40:25 AM

[Edited on December 24, 2008 at 9:48 AM. Reason : -]

12/24/2008 9:47:26 AM

One of my coworkers has a late model Malibu.

He complains about a lot of things, but his car is not one of them.

I think it's a 2007, he says he bought it with about 30k miles for ~$10k.

I would recommend a similar route.. don't take the depreciation hit yourself unless you just really really want a brand new car for some reason.

[Edited on December 24, 2008 at 10:10 AM. Reason : more]

12/24/2008 10:05:14 AM

Ask him if the seats are comfortable

12/24/2008 11:43:35 AM

if you put a ton of miles on a new car (highway miles or not) it's going to depreciate even faster, meaning you will be upside down quickly unless you have a big downpayment or a short loan.

12/24/2008 11:52:59 AM

^^The thing about this situation is how much of a leap forward the new Malibu is from the older models. This generation came out in 2008; getting a 2007 or older, while it may still be reliable and efficient, is a whole different ball game in every aspect. And since he has the GM cash from the parents to use for a down payment, given that it doesn't seem to make sense to choose a used '08 over a new '09--yes the '08 has taken the initial depreciation already, but he would probably pay just as much, or more, for it depending on the size of the down payment. Also new cars generally get better financing rates.

12/24/2008 12:02:37 PM

fags, all of you

12/24/2008 1:14:16 PM

fags, all of you

12/24/2008 1:14:16 PM

just make sure you get a red one to stay with the pattern

12/24/2008 1:57:46 PM

The pre-2008 Malibu's are pure shit. And for the record (b/c I hate them so much) Impalas are the worst sedans in the world. I wish they would all just break and die.


^tr00

[Edited on December 25, 2008 at 3:05 AM. Reason : k]

12/25/2008 3:04:39 AM