Overview & Reviews

The Malibu gets little in the way of upgrades for 2003. There are two new colors to choose from -- Summit White and Medium Gray Metallic -- and a new seat fabric on LS models. ABS brakes are now optional on base models, but remain standard on the LS.

• Comfortable and roomy interior, low price, ample feature content.

• Poor expected resale value, not as refined as top-selling Japanese family sedans.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 121.00

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  2003 GM fuel pumps defective. - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Eric Puckett - August 6 - 12:45 pm

  My 2003 Chevy Malibu fuel pump went out. While looking for a new one I found some interesting facts. 1 website had over 90 complaints on that part for that model and year of GM cars. Normally parts for cars interchange every 5 years. The 2003 GM models fuel pump was only put on cars that year. That makes me believe that GM knew the pump was defective. Wy else would GM only install that pump for 1 year when they always use parts for 5 years. Something to think about.

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  First Car At 168,000 Miles... - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Ethyn Dirmeyer - March 17 - 3:48 pm

  Well, got my first car about a month ago. The Chevy Malibu LS. Got it used for a heck of a deal. Love the power this thing has got, and the interior design is AMAZING! The Radio is alright, ended up replacing every single speaker (4x6 and 6x9) for Rocksfords. The original speakers arent bad though, the bass isnt half bad but not any wear NEAR what you can get. I love the inside of this car. 2 Cigarette Lighters, Easy to open door panels. All im getting from now until i die is a Malibu (:

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  Great Car - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By alan1945 - June 30 - 4:04 pm

  Purchased as a used rental car in 2004 with 15,000 miles. I now have 203,000 miles and change the oil at 5,000 intervals. Non maintenance repairs have only been a fuel pump, thermostat, and alternator. MPG is great. Consistently averages 30-32 highway at 70+ MPH and 26-28 city. Will easily go 55,000 to 60,000 miles on a set of tires. Nothing great to look at but the most reliable car I have owned, especially considering the price. Would like to get something newer but the thing just wont quit.

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  No complaints - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By chevyok - April 23 - 7:49 pm

  Going on 11th year since new. Fairly reliable car given normal maintenance. Beside the normal problems others have reported, such as sticky flasher, stuck A/C button, wrapped rotor, etc, I really cannot complaint too much. I did replace the water pump and thermostat, shocks all around 100K miles, the ABS sensors at 115K. Other than that, everything still works approaching 136K. My goal with this car is 250K miles, but will see when and if it can get there.

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  Great value... - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By elbarto247 - February 4 - 12:44 pm

  Purchased the car in 2004 with 9K miles. always taken care of the care by doing the maintenance myself. Car has had no major problems since i purchased. Just had my transmission oil and radiator flushed a replaced. Car still performs very well. Taken it on multiple trips a year and always average between 26-28 MPG. Have highly rated All season tires and always perform regular oil changes. Acceleration always begins to be a problem right before oil changes are necessary, but the car performs very well otherwise. Interior is differently not of high quality and things do brake but nothing a little lover and attention wont fix.

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  honeymoon is over - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By bordelon - June 22 - 7:48 pm

  Loved car until intake gasket leak, warped brake rotors, anti-theft sensor went out, 4 AC control plates, and now has a slight jerking when softly accelerating. Bought used in 2004, am second owner. Up to 98,000 miles. Decent acceleration from stop if you press gas 3/4 way down. For passing on interstate, floor it and itll downshift. Am doing mild hypermiling. Average between 22 to 24 mpg in city. Use cushion with opening for tailbone. Seat bucket now painful to my tailbone. Very little rust caused by rocks and parking lot car doors.

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  One Hell Of A Car - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By jc775 - February 8 - 11:43 pm

  To Start off, I dont care about the negative comments foreign car fans have to say. The Chevy Malibu is an amazing car! I got my 03 in04 as a first car and im happy i did. This car got me home EVERY time. Yes ive changed the Intake manifold gasket and fuel pump but like they say, take care of the car, car will take care of you. Just recently, I was coming down the mountain road covered in black ice. Going the 50 mile speed limit, the car hits the black ice and crashes, hitting the side wall. She still started right up and drove us down not to far to safety at a chain instal shoulder. She took all the damage which cost her her life. This car saved my life and the lives of my friends.

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  Not Bad, Not Great - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By rswanson101 - December 19 - 6:24 pm

  Ive been driving my 03 Malibu LS (fully loaded) for about a year now. I purchased it used with only 26,000km on it! I really like the way the car rides. Its so quiet, even on the highway, and it soaks up bumps really well. The interior fit ad finish is ok, but nothing amazing. Its got nice pickup in the city, and really good passing power on the highway (Ive passed with ease at 150 km/h on a steep hill. The worst drawback for me are fuel economy. I only get about 16 city and 22 hwy carefully, watching my driving habits, 15 & 19 driving normally. The other thing is that it feels cheap at times (ie some of the buttons/knobs). Its not too bad, but should be thought of as just a car.

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  Dont buy it - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By kevpa1 - September 13 - 9:36 am

  I bought the car under with 90,000 miles. At first the car has no problem and after a while it started making a clunking noise randomly and it feels like its about to break down any minute. I cant want to trade this car in.

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  Stay Away From This Car! - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By maria1101 - April 24 - 10:31 pm

  Where do I begin...I bought this car used four years ago with 77k, it was my first car so you cant really be picky. After three months the problems began, head gasket, bad electrical wiring, brakes needed replaced every 6 months, rotors needed replaced once a year, the fuel pump needed replaced, also replaced the ignition and the body control module due to the fact they told me it would solve my problem of my car not starting while sitting in the sun...no mechanic could ever figure out what the problem was! Signals occasionally didnt work, sun visor fell off, seat recliner handle fell off. I took good care of this car, always kept it well maintained but this car did not take care of me!