Overview & Reviews

Only minor changes are added to Chevrolet's midsize sedan. Floor mats and an AM/FM CD stereo are now standard on all models. Three new colors have been added along with newly styled 15-inch cast-aluminum wheels.

• Comfortable and roomy interior, speedy acceleration, contemporary styling, ultra-low price despite high feature content.

• No traction control, refinement is exchanged for low payments.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 99.00

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  A 12 year review - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Jason - August 26 - 6:57 pm

  I bought my Malibu in 2003 when the transmission in my old Grand Prix started to go. It was a rental previously, and I knew this going in. I will say though, despite its faults, I have a hard time saying the car is complete junk, because my kids (ages 9-11) rode in it when they were babies. I will start with what I believe to be the minor faults, but they can cost: 1. 15 inch tires are getting hard to come by now, and being FWD, it eats up tires quick, if not rotated properly. 2. It only uses the front disc brakes for stopping, thus eats brake pads fast. The drums are only used for parking brake. That said, I will now go into the more expensive repairs I have had: 1. Fuel pump went out 5 years ago, driving down the road. 2. The starter has a safety switch, that will go bad in time, and require replacement, unless yu know how to bypass it, which I did. 3. The biggest....the head gaskets from the factory, are junk and a ticking time bomb. He manifold gaskets are plastic and will crack in time. You will start to lose oil and coolant once they do. I overheated the car 2 winters ago, causing the heads to warp, which required mill work, than changed the gaskets with Fel-Pro gaskets, use regular coolant, and since than, the car drives almost like new. It was a complete PITA to get the top half off and put back together. Just beware that if you have one, and are approaching 150k miles, you have a time bomb on your hands. I recommend flushing the cooling system, to help slow down erosion of the gaskets. Total time and money, we spent 4 days, and around $400 to fix. 4. The fan sensor, which turns the electric fan on and off, went bad, which caused my overheating problem. Would have cost $500 for a new one, but rigged a wire and toggle switch, and it now works. I just have to remember to shut it off, or I will have a dead battery. Interior: Not much, very basic, which I like. Over the years, the arm rest on the drivers door has developed a hole, a couple holes in the driver seat, and the headliner is starting to droop some. All in all, I would have to say that through it all, I should have considered more when buying a car, but I cant complain 100%, because after some work and money put in it, it still runs. Would I recommend it to anyone else? No, especially for anyone wanting a car that lasts a while. The only reason we put money into it, is because we couldnt afford to buy a new vehicle. After the first of the year, the Malibu will be retired to a local driving car only, and one used for a backup, as I will hopefully have a new vehicle.

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  Has its quirks but keeps on plugging - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By pegdee - May 30 - 7:51 pm

  I bought this car used from Hertz (at 24,000 miles) in 2003, and 11 years later its at 152,000. Ive used it for lots of city driving in San Francisco (those hills and traffic are hard on a car), highway driving, and trips on rough roads in the Sierra. Engine is still going strong, and I havent had to spend much on repairs. The biggest (and scariest) problem was a fuel pump failure while I was on the road. The anti-theft system can be annoying when it wont let you start (has happened to me about 4 times over the years), but all you need to do is wait it out for 10 minutes.

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  Terrific bang for your dollar! - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By stfdc00069 - October 8 - 11:15 am

  I will preface my comments with this: I do not trust GM for a second and was very sceptical when buying this vehicle and fully expected a potential headache. I purchased this car used in 2009 at 58,000km (36,000 miles). Presently I have 84,000km (52,000miles) on it plus 10 Canadian winters. Replaced original tires at 80,000km. Battery went last year, also original. Replaced brakes once only because I wanted new pads and discs in the face of approaching harsh Canadian winter. You really couldnt ask for more. This car so far cost me $5k for three years of ownership. Taking a bus woudl have been more expensive! Absolutely love it! Go GM! Terrific value for not much dollar

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  Good Car - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By ajscott - October 14 - 8:38 pm

  I bought this car with about 110K on it. Ive had this car for about 3 years now and it has over 130K on it. So far really nothing has gone wrong with it just needed to fix the gas cap once which was no more than a hundred bucks and the brake pads twice so far. But overall no engine problems. The car drives smoothly but a bit heavy (which I prefer). As long as you get it in for your yearly service nothing should go wrong. Its a great car and will get the job done. Just a little bit of rusting on the body but overall engine sounds great and never anything major. GREAT CAR!!!

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  OMG! What is not wrong with this junk? - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Jacki - November 3 - 2:00 am

  Everything that everyone has been saying. Brakes, fuel pump, brakes, engine, brakes. You get my point.

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  No one ever writes anything positive - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Melissa - May 6 - 1:23 pm

  Overall this has been a great car for me, driven cross country numerous times (Florida to Wisconsin/Wisconsin-Florida) at least 10 round-trips. Traveling for job (1500 miles/week). In its later years, some more maintenance issues, but with a little prevention, and well cared for it can go. In the 5 years Ive owned it, have put $1500 into the car for repairs outside of general maintenance.

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  Not the best, not the worst - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Alma - January 20 - 12:08 am

  Ive had the car for almost three years. It gets very great gas mileage, usually around 25-27 with city/highway mix. The brakes usually need changed every year, and still are not the greatest. If you have the money, upgrade to drilled rotors and yellow stuff brake pads. Ive replaced alot of minor things, but nothing major. The seats are comfy, but the cloth is made cheap. The car has a good amount of horses, for a V6, and the gas pedal is very touchy. This car handles very well on wet/icy/snowy roads. The car has enough room to fit 4 friends comfy.

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  I Hate This Car - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Troubled Diva - August 8 - 5:02 pm

  For about the first year I had the car I had no problems with it. Now it seems like soon as you get something fixed, something else is going wrong with it. First thing on the car to go was the signal light chip, which cost $100.00 at the dealer to replace. Then the brakes went out. Changed the brake pads, and a month later they needed replaced to the the brake caliper going out, then had to smooth out the roaders. Then a few months later the cadillac converter went. Had to change tran fluid at 100,000. Spark plugs at 111,000. Currently the check engine light is back on. Also speakers blew out, and cd player spits out cds. Next car I get will for sure be a Ford product, no more GM for me!!!!

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  Good Car! - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By jaytee1984 - July 3 - 5:20 pm

  I bought this car in College with 49k. It now has 88k and have only had minor problems, the fuel pump went out at 86k, and the blinkers wont work every once in a while. Also the check engine light randomly comes on for a day or two. The first 2 years I had this car i drove it a lot and have only had to do regular maint. and it is a great little car, wish I would have gotten the sunroof tho.

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  Good car until later in life - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Sam - March 5 - 10:19 am

  Bought this brand new in Dec 2001. Overall it was an excellent car. Our family fit well in it and the car was largely free of problems until recently. About a month ago we found out it had the dreaded intake manifold leak possibly due to the orange Dexcool coolant. It was expensive to fix, and there was no guarantee against it happening again, let alone other engine damage. We traded on a Honda. If hadnt developed the Dexcool problem, wed still have it today.