So glad a video like this finally exists, these are FANTASTIC cars, these cars had so much potential, but no aftermarket killed them. still, they are great project cars, I have basically become a N-Body Malibu influencer on TikTok. Really hope these cars become collector cars in the future
My grandma had a 2002 LS, every package besides the Touch of Gold. When I was 14 the fuel pump decided to kick it and the family decided it was time to let it go, but I loved it too much. I bought a 2001 and even after some minor work it never fails to turn over. Absolutely solid cars.
Thank you for not being another GM bashing content producer. While I am aware of GM's problems, I grew up in a GM family and I remember many nice cars my parents drove. I am proud of General Motors no matter the muck we all know all American cars are guilty of surviving. Great video.
Still rocking a 2005 buick century, 308k miles on the original 3100. Fun fact; starting in the 2000 year model, the power was upped from 160 to 175 horses, a swapped from a 4t60e to a 4t65e transmission, and now came standard with four wheel disk brakes. Also, base models even in the final year didnt come standard with traction control or ABS, which i know for a fact because mine doesnt have any
Hated when I would get these as rentals back in the day. I will conceede these Malibus provided economical and even reliable/durable transportation for many people. Honest car at a fair price. The kind of car missing in today's market. For that I give them much respect!
Back in '97 when these cars were being advertised on tv,the voiceover was done by Keith Carradine and was touted as the car you always knew America could build and going 100,000 miles before it's first tune up or transmission fluid change. You can find these commercials on RU-vid.
My first car was a gold 2002 Malibu LS, got it in 2010, it was absolutely amazing and got me through high and college! It rode really smooth and the v6 it had was pretty quick. I took care of it and it took care of me. Smooth ride and pretty cool interior.
First car I bought after getting married was a 99 Malibu. It was dependable, great on gas and perfect for a young newlywed couple. We had it until there were two kids in car seats at the same time and decided to get something a little more roomy. Good little car.
My father in law had a 00 that the lower intake gasket went being he could not drive anymore he gave it to me back in 07 it had 106k on it. I fixed it and drove it for a few years and my mom's car died and I gave it to her and she put over 100k more on it and it never left us stranded. Great car.
Don't care what others say, compared to other cars of its class like the ford contour, these cars are great! Despite my car being over 20 years old, it does 100 mile commutes every day. And can drive 500 miles in a day like it's a cake walk. 30k in the past 9 months, with no breakdowns is nothing to scoff at. 201k Miles and counting. Just be Weary of the intake gasket, replace it with the updated design and ull be fine.
@jobskinner833 yea, a 2002 malibu LS with the gold malibu badges. Starts runs and drives like new despite over 200k. Ac still freezes me out! Would recommend if ure in need of cheap transportation. Just need to make sure the lower intake manifold gaskets were replaced with the updated design.
Speaking of cars in the mid-size class, can you do a segment on the 1992-1996 3rd generation Toyota Camry? The previous generation Camry's were good sellers, but it was the 3rd generation Camry that really raised the bar for mid-size family sedans mostly due to it's classy styling, bulletproof reliability, and excellent built quality. In fact, many are still on the road today.
My first car was a 97 Malibu. Got it when I had just turned 18. Bought it at an auction back in 2002. It was the best bang for the buck car I could find. Drive it till it had 350k miles. This car was good to me.
It's funny because I feel like the 97 Camry has much more timeless styling than the Malibu. The Malibu looks way more dated then the Camry. I currently own an 02 Malibu and it is probably one of the most mid cars I have ever driven. Despite this, I would say it definitely has much more soul than new cars tho. Nice video though. It makes me happy when someone doesn't shit on my car lol
I have a 1997 Camry for past 5 years and yes, you are correct in saying it has timeless style because I never get tired of looking at it. Thought I'd share my thoughts
My mom owned a this Malibu and I never will forget it. It gave me a different feeling being in it. We also had the Pontiac version. The grand am after our Malibu was totaled. We got a 2007 G6 (another Malibu variant to me) before We owned the 2007 Malibu after the G6 was totaled and it was my first car… until it was totaled because the dealer messed it up. And now even though I have a totally new car, I still have my 2014 Malibu I bought back in highschool. And I plan on getting another one if they make it! These cars just give me a feeling no other car can man😩. Even the slightly different styled spin offs screamed under the surface, MALIBU!
Had one as a company car from 97-2001. It was absolutely dead reliable, got great fuel mileage, was relatively comfortable, and had plenty of grunt. It actually turned me into a Chevy man, bought a new suburban for my family in 2003.
I liked the 1997-1999 Oldsmobile cutlass because of the rear lights. I honestly think the Malibu should've been sold in Australia and Europe as a Holden and Opel/Vauxhall respectively. The ford contour was sold in Australia and Europe.
A later version of the Malibu was sold at Holden( GM Australia). It was the same model we had in the United States. It was called Holden Malibu. You can look it up here on You Tube.
The Cutlass was more stylish, luxurious looking, and better optioned than the Malibu, especially the Cutlass GLS. I hated it when they were discontinued for 2000.
I remember when you could buy a slightly used one for $7k. It was a very good car. I recall it was very roomy and peppy but you had to stay on top of maintenence or they would only last 70k miles.
We got our fully equipped 2001 Malibu, even has the gold trim, in March of 2004. 20 years later, we still have it. Scheduled Maintenance and yearly rust proofing spraying of Corrosion Free and Fluid Film still has this little car faithfully helping us, 250,000 miles and counting. Yes, the intake gaskets were done with upgraded parts.
I owned two. A 98 I bought in early 2001, and an 04 classic I got in 2009. Not gonna lie, they were both good cheap basic transportation. Both 4 bangers, they were easy to work on and served me well. Being the youngster that I was in 01, I tried to tuner-ize it. 17" wheels, Flowmaster muffler, blue headlights, cold air intake and good alpine sound system with two 12" subs in the trunk. Ah memories. Lol
Me and my kids love the Malibu's and offspring platforms ! Very reliable - easy to repair - parts are plentiful and low cost ! They are all standardized and even share alot of parts ! Its amazing to see how many are still on the road compared to other manufactures !
I remember when these came out! I always thought they were such good looking cars! My friend had a black one with tinted windows a body kit and 18inch chrome wheels . I used to think it was the coolest car ever!
Excellent job. I liked the footage and photos. I liked how you shared the G Body Malibu and discussed the Malibu and how and why it went into production and its position in the GM line. I liked how you talked about the N Body platform and the cars on that platform. I liked the fact you mentioned the Oldsmobile version the "Cutlibu" and its mission in Oldsmobile. I also enjoyed hearing the design history and the GM Europe models on this platform. You know Pontiac G6 was on the later version platform. Thank you again and great work.
Thanks for watching again man. Stay tuned for more GM cars. I know you basically only like the GM cars haha! And I know you’re an Oldsmobile guy but probably didn’t like the N-body Cutlass!
@@MotorMaster_Stunticon You are most welcome. I look forward to it. I like Lincoln and Mercury as well along with GM. I do have my favorite GM brands( Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Cadillac and Holden). I like GM as a whole. There are a few Chryslers I liked too (New Yorker and Imperial). So it is interesting keeping up with all of them. I watch the entire industry as a whole. I like to see things and learn about the other aspects and other companies/brands as well. Please keep doing what you are doing. And yes... I thought Cutlibu did not deserve the Cutlass name. They could have called it Ciera or something else. That is no different than that Korean based Pontiac LeMans from the late 80's. The JDM cars are interesting to learn about too.
@OLDS98 Totally agreed. As you’re aware, the N-body Cutlass filled in for the A-body Ciera, so they probably could’ve called it the Ciera too. In 1997, I still would’ve took the W-body Cutlass Supreme sedan.
I don't know why, but I always had it in my mind that this '97 Malibu replaced the Lumina, but I see that car went on to 2000 and it's true replacement was the new Impala. These were solid cars, but were a little too bland and didn't do enough to pull Japanese car buyers away from the Camry/Accord. The 3100 V6 was a solid little engine, my mom had one in her '99 Century and it served her well, having over 250k mi on when she sold it. But the 3100 suffered from intake manifold gasket issues and loved to leak coolant out of several orifices and it was not nearly as smooth, powerful and reliable as the legendary 3800 V6. Great video.
The 3100 V-6 was also put into the Cavalier in the early 1990's. It turned the Cavalier into a real sleeper. I drove a 1992 Cavalier RS, and it could really take off and out perform many other cars on the road at the time. The 4 cylinder Cavalier at the time was gutless. I also drove a 1999 Malibu. It had the quad 4 dual cam 4 cylinder, and did not like it. I sold it, and drove a Impala with the 3.8 V6. The Cavalier with the 3.1 V-6 still out performed the Impala. I had the Impala and Cavalier at the same time.
Thank you both talking about the Cutlass in the in the Malibu on the clip I wish you talk it's other siblings like the Pontiac Grand Am and Buick also. My issue with these cars was using the push rod 3400 motor when the imports were using dual overhead cam tec on there 6. But after owning one I understood why they kept the motor. The quad 4 or the ecotech 4 cylinder were decent motors. The car was a good high way cruiser. The car was the right size not too small not too big. Enough room for adults in the back. It was not a quote performance car but it did the car thing well.
I had a 2001 Malibu LS 3.1 V6, bought with 87,000 miles on it. It was a fully optioned car, even had the tacky rear spoiler, alloy wheels, and a sunroof. But it turned out to be junk. To be perfectly honest, it wasn't all the cars fault. GM put DEXKILL in it, and by the time I got it, it had done its job. The entire engine, hoses, radiator, and heater core were plugged up with solidified DEXKILL. I replaced the radiator and thermostat, disconnected the heater core, and did an intake manifold job on it (the DEXKILL had also melted the gaskets) It ran fairly well on the highway, but would overheat in town, especially with the A/C on. At around 150,000 miles I scrapped it. I could have replaced the engine, as the body and interior were good, but it also had suspension problems. I had to replace several lower control arms due to pothole damage. They were made out of very thin stamped steel, and bent very easily. I replaced it with a 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis, with 98,000 miles on it, it is still running fine at 381,000, with no major problems. GMs use of DEXKILL was one of their biggest mistakes. They used it in everything they built from 1996 on. I have worked on dozens of cars with engines ruined by it. There is no viable way to repair an engine destroyed by DEXKILL. All you can do is replace it. The Malibu could have been a very decent car, without DEXKILL and suspension parts made out of tin foil. Those were the only issues I ever had with it.
Whose high school didn’t have these (and Neons/Escorts) as their drivers ed vehicles. Real talk, though, I loved these Malibus. Also, the Cutlass was a nicer execution of the car and had the cooler blue backlit gauges.
This was a really handsome car along with its Oldsmobile and Pontiac cousins. GM really made some missteps after this; making all iterations of its sedans and SUVs look virtually identical led to the demise of many of its brands (Saturns being the coolest of them, in my opinion). They're getting some footing with their EVs, sort of. Wish they could tap back into the genius they had back in the 90's-2000's.
I had a 2001 Malibu as my first car. Very dependable and smooth. Got 30mpg on the highway with the v6. Had HIDs and a big sub box in the back in 16 year old fashion. Unfortunately the white paint chipped like crazy and my rattle can paint job was hideous. Also butchered the wiring by putting LEDs everywhere. Ended up selling it for a Pontiac Grand Prix GTP of the same year.
Great doc. One I haven't had any experience with. I did have the redesigned Cavalier Z24 which was abysmal. They taunted it as something special and likened it to the European Cavalier/Calibra which I loved but they souk never bring stateside. 😢
@MotorMaster_Stunticon I liked it but the build quality was non existent. Within the first year the door cards would separate. They never cloud solve those. The ac vents would pop out when you closed the doors. The fuel Guage in the tank stopped working. AC compressor went out. Clutch issues and the quad 4 was loud but smooth. It was after they balance shafted it. It was my first brand new car. I was young and didn't know about lemon law. 😩
Sure i adore 1920s-1980s cara. BUT am Really into as of late those LOVELY plasticy jelly bean melted 1990s cars. morden yet no Wifi no Computers ( they had a few i know ) BUT way less. Fun to drive kinda/ and i grew up in the 2000s so i remember 80s/90s cars VERY well
As an owner of its buick stable-mate... they will last as long as you go above and beyond with maintenance. Intake gaskets replacement BEFORE they fail. Flush the coolant every three years and do the transmission too. That 3.1 motor will fall apart without staying on top of that, much quicker than a honda or toyota of that era. I don't love it, its a spare car for inclement weather. Its akin to driving a rowboat. It is certainly adequate though and cheap transportation if youre looking for that.
Great vid Rob! You explained why I always was reminded of a Toyota Corolla whenever I saw one! The car was a huge step up from a Corsica! I think the later Classic models were fleet only....and the Malibu Maxx was UGLY LOL.
Thanks for watching. Yeah you’re right. The classic was fleet-only. But as you know, could still be purchased secondhand kinda like the 2012 Caprice PPV.
My aunt had a 2000 3100 V6 her & my late uncle 37-07 got it in a deal because it was a trade in had it untill like 2015 when the head gasket started leaking at like 150,000 miles. I never found out what happened to it if it was junked or sold to a cus to fix & keep
My first car was a 97 chevy lumina ls had all the options for the trim other than maybe a optional 3.8 motor that was in the ltz got it off a friend for 600 or so dollars came with subs and after market stereo thing had a bad crank shaft position sensor and would loose power under certain rpm but other than that never gave me a issue had the 3100 motor after 2 years of basic maintenance it wouldnt start and i scraped it and got another car wish i spent a little money and kept it
I bought a used 2001 back in 08 I think. It was tan pretty basic. Was my 3rd car coming from an 89 buick lesabre. It was definitely more modern but kinda plain. I ended up sinking a lot of money into it customizing the Malibu from new paint, body kit, blue neon underglow and much more.. I was kinda into fast and furious at the time lol then the engine blew. First lower intake. Then head. With help from my dad we redid the gaskets and I traded it. Have videos on here for anybody interested
@MotorMaster_Stunticon awesome! Always personally thought the 96 tuarus wasn't super ugly like everyone said it was. I think it's failure was unwarranted.
Always loved these cars as a kid. Great video, nice to see some appreciation for the Chrysler Cloud cars too! My buddy has their bigger brother, a 97 Concorde and that thing rides like a dream and has Town Car level legroom in the back. This was an era of comfortable and surprisingly fuel efficient cars. A sedan that’s almost as long as long as my Sonoma pickup manages to hit 40 mpg.
I still daily drive a 2002 Malibu LS. This thing has been a solid, smooth operator and definitely the most reliable nugget I’ve driven. And it’s fast as blazes, a real stoplight warrior. I see kids lamenting the lack of a 3.4L option, or a 3.8L version of the N-body Malibu. You don’t need it. Not in a car this simple and lightweight. Any extra power would just make you spin the tires and waste valuable time. I have no problem streaking ahead of newer cars that try to get ahead of me before their lane ends. By the time their engines rev up or their turbochargers spool, my Malibu has zipped on ahead at only 1/4 throttle. It’s about time these excellent cars got their due.
This car gets a bad rap on the internet cause in hindsight the styling seems excessively generic, but at the time it looked clean and fresh. Also whatever GM did this era gets put up against Toyota as if anybody could beat peak Toyota. As someone raised on GM it's kinda amusing how much it seems like GM tried to make a CamCord copy out of an N-body Chevy though. Like how the ignition is on the dash, as if that somehow made it an ~import style~ interior. A sea of bulbous gray and charcoal colored plastic --- but we got 1. Ignition on the dash 2. Firm seats. It's basically a Honda Accord now. Interestingly my Daddy loathed these specifically because of the "hard seats" (we had a Lumina).
While not a fan of gm sedans of the era, especially the interior plastics that were coarse and ill fitting, these were actually decent cars. Definitely a cut above the chryslers in reliability. The main determiner of which vehicle won the Motor Trend car/truck of the year was how much the manufacturer spent on adverstising with the publisher. This was proven by an independent investigation in that era.
Gm in the 90s was doing something right, my f body with the 3800 is still running strong with almost 300k. The trucks of this era are known as indestructible and even their economy cars proved reliable, something that can’t be said now unfortunately.
These cars were the epitome of affordable, decently reliable 90’s sedans. Better than Contour and the cloud cars offered, even though they looked better. It more than provided for the needs of its many customers and many, save for most owners daily driving them in the notoriously shitty, salt laden infrastructure of the Northeast- easily survived 10 plus years.
I don't know what it is about the malibu. I have driven a few different ones and the rear end really liked to break loose in slippery conditions. Even at low speed. Very easy to have a spin out. In fact, that's how my mom wrecked the 03 that we had.
it though was a revival of an old name in new clothes it had originally been a trim level on the Chevrolet Chevelle from 1964-1977 and its own model from 78-83 replaced by Baretta Celebrity and Corsica for the two door coupes/convertibles and Celebrity and Corsica for four door sedans/wagons my late maternal grandmother drove me to middle school/High School from Sept 1997-June 2000 most of that time in a used 1997 Malibu LS or on some occasions her 1990 Toyota Camry
Imagine if one of the automakers would make a conservatively styled, easy to drive, simple, non-tech-hampered, powerful, smooth, nice handling, durable, reliable, long lasting car. Oh wait, they all pretty much did...25 years ago.
It was mush heavier over the front axles, and didn’t feel as tight as the Camry. Solid car for GM at the time though, not as clumsy as a Pontiac grand am of the time, again weight related 😂
For whatever reason the Grand Am and Alero were better bulit than the Malibu even tho they were all N-Bodies, i had 2 Malibu's (1999 and 2003) and a 1999 Grand am, both Malibu were horrible, especially with the 3.1 pistons slap and head gasket, the 3.4 usually have the same issues but i had plenty of 3.4 and non had piston slap or intake and head gasket failure
Even tho I prefer japanese cars... I will give gm proper credit by saying... they can at times make a darn good car such as this generation malibu! I thought they were quite reliable, cheap to run and very comfortable to top it off! It's just a shame their way of being ran as a company and their infamous cost cutting gets in the way alot of times
Had a 2000 and it rusted out. I am a masochist, so I bought a 2003. I replaced the starter, alternator, harmonic balancer, water pump, and fuel pump in less than three years. Total crap. Great video, though!
This was my last GM I'd likely ever buy. I bought a 1999 Malibu LS with all options except Sunroof and Leather seats, with the 3.1L V6. I kept it 9 years. Once the warranty expired it became an endless money pit. Including a gasket repair that cost me over $800 which I later got back about half that amount due to a class action lawsuit (a year after I traded it for a Hyundai, a much superior car). Constant brake repairs, shock /strut replacements after about 80,000km. The worst was a broken water pump after about 99,000 km which left me stranded in a small town. And yes I did properly maintain it, changing the oil every 5,000 km. I sort of knew what I was getting into when I bought it, and I decided to give this car company "one last chance" as I previously owned a 1988 Chevrolet Corsica with the 2.8L V6 which was "even worse" (which I kept about 8 years before that). That car had oil leaks in the engine and transmission, something the Malibu did NOT have. Yet the Hyundai's I have owned after that, while not perfect are still a lot better.
My dad bought a Malibu like this and it was one of the most unreliable, cheap feeling cars he ever bought. I had to give him my 2002 Honda Accord because his Malibu always left him stranded. Bottom line, the Malibu is long dead and the Honda I still see being driven along to this day.
We have a '98 Cutlass with the 3.1L. We got it in '21 with less than 70,000 miles for $2,500. I was expecting a similar drive to my long-gone '96 Grand Am that had the same platform & powertrain, but the Cutlass is nothing like what I remember of my Grand Am. What this review doesn't mention is the abysmal quality of the interior. Typical GM. It's shocking that Motor Trend overlooked the awful interior quality and awarded this over other all-new cars that year, such as the Camry.
@MotorMaster_Stunticon We happened to cross paths with a guy who was liquidating his mother's estate. Obviously, it wasn't driven much while she had it. She stopped driving in 2019 because she bumped it into the garage door a couple times and handed the keys to her son. No big damage other than rub marks on the bumpers. He asked $3,000 but came down because I had to replace the AC compressor. Otherwise, it's been doing daily duty since 2021. Decent gas mileage. It feels tiny on today's highways. When I had its Grand Am cousin from '95-'03, full-sized trucks were much smaller, and full-sized trucks & SUVs were far less common than today. The Cutlass feels like a kei car. 🤣
The Motor Trend car of the Year awards are usually given to boring, mediocre cars to help boost otherwise dismal sales figures. Not always bad cars; but definitely boring cars!
The Malibu was and still is a strong seller. I’m glad they gave the award to a car like this, one which is attainable to the general public and not too extreme.
