Overview & Reviews

Fully redesigned for 2008, the Chevrolet Malibu is now roomier, more powerful and of notably higher quality. It shares a platform with the Saturn Aura but is definitely not a simple rebadge, as it features unique exterior and interior styling along with different suspension tuning for a softer ride.

• Strong performance from V6, excellent ride and handling balance, roomy cabin, comfortable seats, very good fit and finish.

• Some ergonomic gaffes and subpar cabin materials, no rear center armrest, a few key features are unavailable.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 235.00

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  Team Malibu All The Way - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Jonathan Ubben - October 27 - 12:05 pm

  Bought my 2008 LTZ 2.4L used in February 2011 with 28k on the clock. Soon after, the electric door locks failed - would not stay locked. Replaced under warranty. March 2012 the drain tubing from the sunroof came loose and ended up filling the passenger footwell with water. Self-diagnosed and repaired with a bit of silicone putty and super glue. New tires at 77k. Routine oil changes and brake fixes - but one time in North Carolina the front calipers wouldnt fully release. $200 to re-build the calipers. At 85k, replaced timing chain and intake/exhaust solenoid valves @ $1500. Around 88k, the service air bag light came on. The dealer has told me the seat-heater melted the passenger sensor module and both need to be replaced @ $1100. Currently unresolved. Now the good stuff: This is the best car Ive ever had. Ive found myself wanting more power at times, especially when climbing mountains across the country, but the 2.4 is sufficient. Great mileage, also. Ive been getting about 25 mpg combined with mixed city/highway driving. Seats are totally comfortable - 7,200-mile cross-country road trip @29 mpg with zero complaints. The front doors do open a little bit far, but they have three stages where they stop. #2 is a good opening point. Its still a little bit difficult to tell exactly where the back of the car is when backing in somewhere, but Ive gotten used to it. Not looking forward to the labor-intensive process when a headlight goes out, but I changed foglamps myself without issue. I would buy it again (but I would get the V6).

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  Good car but some problems - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By mikewed - September 6 - 9:31 pm

  Car is reliable car, but has some issues. Had to replace both door look motors (both front left, front right). One catalytic converter, 2 wiper transmissions/assemblies. Also sometimes temp sensor doesnt read and AC wont turn on. Other than that car has worked great. Mad about wiper assembly, its just a bad design. I am trying after market to see if it works better.

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  Great Car - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By cardriver18 - September 2 - 1:37 pm

  I got my 2008 LT Malibu in May 2013. I have to say that it is comfortable to drive and the gas mileage is great. I get about 26-28 driving in the city and 30-35 highway. I mostly have been hitting 31 mpg. This car has had no problems and runs great at 99k miles. I do however plan to trade in this car for a chevy cruze this coming spring.

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  So Far Very Reliable - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By joycedustin - April 10 - 11:36 am

  You know... I love german sedans and the quality that comes with them. However I hate the price tag that comes with it. My 2011 chevy malibu has been great so far. It has 57k on it and the only maintenance costs I have had are the occasional oil change, brake pads at 50k and air filters. I really love the car its been great. The interior is perfect for long trip too. The only issue I have is the interior plastic on driver side door squeaks when going over major bumps but I tend to really beat on a car too. Quality and reliability gets 5 stars. GREAT VALUE for the money!With a little bang.

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  Love our Malibu - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By kielu84 - August 13 - 5:51 pm

  My girlfriend and I bought a used 08 LTZ with 57K miles. So far it has been a good vehicle with no problems. Everything works as it should except we did have to have some work done on the front suspension. New struts, strut mounts, intermediate steering shaft, and some seals that were causing fluid to leak. The seals were covered under the 5 yr 100k powertrain warranty and the rest was under the extended warranty that came with the car. So far, its great. It rides nice, gets great mpg (2.4L 4 CYL), is comfortable and stylish. The ower before us said he and his wife never had issues with it and they were the original purchaser. I noticed there is no LTZ 2.4L option for writing this review...

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  2008 Chevy Malibu LTZ - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By kfuller - March 22 - 3:58 pm

  The infactuation with the Malibu wore off after the first 500 miles, the car developed a squeak and rattle that took three visits to the dealer before it was resolved, the remote keyless entry when pressed/depressed doesnt lock or unlock the doors, I have to roll down the rear windows so my passenger can reach inside to pull the locks up before the doors will open, this also happens on the driver side too. The seat belt alarm is now randomly alarming with no other passenger seated. Whats the most frutrating aspect of owning this car is that I have to take this car to the dealer to change the headlights. The dealer has to remove the entire bumper, labor $200, for a $20.00 bulb.

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  Great overall car - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By al - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I love my 08 metallic black 2lt malibu. The exterior and interior are great looking, i have had people misjudge my malibu to be a Mercedes numerous times. car looks like it should cost a lot more. The 4cylinder is not a performance motor at all, gas mileage is decent in city 24.6 average but it is great on the highway. I can drive from new jersey to north carolina on 1 tank of gas. I have not had any quality issues, very reliable, trustworthy car. At 37,000 miles the car finally seems to have broken in it runs great I LOVE IT!

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  Good design, Poor quality - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By JImbo - August 31 - 11:08 am

  Have had 08 Malibu for 2 years. Fun to drive and ride, but overall quality poor. Problems so far include left front bearing, right front axle, trans seal, wiper motor, computer program, numerous rattles, and the latest is leak in back floorboard that non can find. Good design, but very poor quality. 2nd Chevy with quality problems, will never own another. Car has been in the shop 5 times in 2 years.

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  GOOD Car, "SOFT" rims, BAD sound system - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Vic - April 19 - 5:13 pm

  I have almost 21K miles on it and I still like it. My wife likes the interior so when our lease for the 2004 Malibu was up we bought the 2008 model. It is not perfect but our dealer takes care of our complains promptly - minor like door striker misalignment and wrinkle door seal. The engine has sufficient power but has an audible drone when driving about 80mph, nice and quite at 70 mph. Two things I do not like in this car. (1) the sound produced by the oem stereo system in my 2001 Cavalier is generations better than the 2008 Malibu. (2) the steel wheel rims seems to bend easily. I had two of the rims repaired in two years - never happened in my Cavalier (9yrs), nor in the other Malibu (4yrs)

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  Trouble from the word go! - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Britt - March 28 - 10:05 am

  I bought my Malibu brand new in 2008 and owned it for 2 years before it caught fire stemming from the catalytic converter. The car first had a valve in the transmission not opening and closing. Then the catalytic converter and entire exhaust system went out. The door lock motor went out. My car went through 3 catalytic converters which were replaced by the dealership and 3 days after the last replacement the car caught fire and burned to the ground. I would not suggest this car to anyone. Beauty only goes so far! If you do purchase this vehicle please buy GAP insurance through your dealership!