Who needs a Lexus or Mercedes? Get the Chevy Malibu!

Luxurious submitted on 11/14/2007 Official AutoSpies Timestamp: 11:38 AM
from: fastlane.gmblogs.com

[58] user comments | category: Misc News

Tags: Chevrolet Malibu, Lexus LS, Mercedes Benz

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Chevrolet Malibu

Lexus LS

Mercedes Benz

Who needs a Lexus or Mercedes? Get the Chevy Malibu!

I’m on the road again this week, but I had to share a quick story I heard from one of our West Coast dealers about the sale of his first Chevrolet Malibu.

Seems this particular dealer has a good friend back in suburban Detroit who hasn’t driven a GM product since 1979. That’s almost 30 years that this gentleman has spurned our cars and trucks.

In the interim, he has driven all the big-ticket vehicles, lots of Mercedes-Benz products, and was most recently in a Lexus LS sedan. The man, whom the dealer characterized as a “car guy,” had heard a lot about the new Malibu, and finally went to his local Chevy dealer to try one out.

He liked it. A lot. To the point where he called his friend, our dealer in California, and ordered one. Loaded. He wants every option available — loves gadgets.

So this dealer in Southern California just sold his first Malibu, to a car guy from Michigan who is turning in his Lexus! The customer is flying out to L.A. to pick up the car and drive it back to Detroit. The dealer said, “I hope this is just one of many former GM customers that we are able to win back.”

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IVANURI97 - 11/14/2007 12:43:00 PM

+1 Boost

Good for this guy from Detroit! The new Malibu looks nice, passed a dealer lot and saw a few. Looks nice in person, haven't seen the tail, but will say the look is aggressive and has a personality. Not so appliance/Toyota/Lexus like.

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carguy68 - 11/14/2007 12:55:15 PM

0 Boost

got rid of the lexus :) bought a chevy :(

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headphones - 11/14/2007 6:36:47 PM

+1 Boost

lmao. i feel the same

STJ88 - 11/14/2007 1:10:59 PM

-2 Boost

Why would you want a lexus it has RWD lots of power and it looks good when you can have a FWD pice of crap chevy.

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DaHarder - 11/14/2007 1:25:34 PM

+2 Boost

I have to ask:

Have You Seen This Vehicle?

Have You Driven This Vehicle?

Have You Owned This Vehicle?

The Only Crap Here Is That Which You Felt It Necessary To Regurgitate For All of Us To Read.

Next Time... Find a Nearby Toilet, And Save All Of the The Agony Of Having To Endure Tripe Such as This.

Thanks.

Whelan - 11/14/2007 1:32:15 PM

+1 Boost

Yes, please put your chewed up baby penguin food back into your mouth. I love Lexus, but I also love BMW, Mercedes and the like (so let's not start that flame). But in terms of this gentleman trading in his LS for a Malibu LTZ loaded, worthy enough to be a good story I feel.

I plan on taking a cruise by the local Chevy tonight and seeing this car in person, but first impressions have been good so far from reviews and pictures. I probably won't drive it cause I'm not in the market but I def. wanna check out what they did before I see it at the NY Auto Show in April.

vman1013 - 11/15/2007 1:39:46 PM

+1 Boost

He's probably trading in an ES - the FWD Lexus.

DaHarder - 11/14/2007 1:30:46 PM

0 Boost

I, personally, find this particular story a bit 'far-fetched', but I do firmly believe that the 2008 MALIBU is a landmark vehicle in the turnaround of the mid-sized American car market.

The previews/reviews have been very favorable, and both interior and exterior styling/execution are at the top of the current game.

Good Job GM!

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M35MT - 11/14/2007 1:45:13 PMView My AgentSpace

+2 Boost

I wont buy one (wouldnt buy any family sedan for that matter) but I'm glad to see other people will.

Ford...get in the game!!

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stash84 - 11/14/2007 2:32:08 PM

0 Boost

its not such a big deal..its 1 guy that traded his lexus 4 a chevy

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XYZZ - 11/16/2007 6:28:03 AM

+2 Boost

yup, NOT a big deal. i knew a guy who traded his mercedes for a cheap opel. and was VERY happy with the opel. (mainly just 'cuz it was brand new. and less cumbersome to drive than the benz.)

not at all uncommon for some to trade down.

JUGNU - 11/14/2007 3:01:59 PMView My AgentSpace

+4 Boost

the guy must be midengine or EL34.

God help them.

JUGNU

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Whelan - 11/14/2007 3:06:29 PM

+4 Boost

Its not meant to be a big deal, just a good story of one person. If it's true that is. But even if it's not, I enjoy seeing lots of positive feedback and response to Chevy's new Bu.

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no1listensanyway - 11/14/2007 3:27:12 PMView My AgentSpace

+3 Boost

I love how the Malibu is turning out to be such a great product. I had my doubts initially, but this car is going to sell. Good job general, keep it up

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theoptimisticpessimist - 11/14/2007 3:30:31 PM

-1 Boost

I insure you all that the new Malibu will outsell the Lexus ES300, not because of luxury, ride, or style, because of price point.

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Lexus - 11/14/2007 5:05:19 PM

-1 Boost

People buy a Lexus or MB because they have the money to throw around. Lexus and MB produce some of the most luxurious cars in the world, that is why people buy them.

Once this guy start having problem with his car, we will see article about him going back to the Lexus dealer ;)

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kpaxx - 12/12/2007 3:34:16 AM

+1 Boost

maybe this guy deos not want to deal with the engine sludge and transmissin hesitation associated with his lexus

Lexus - 11/14/2007 5:06:08 PM

-3 Boost

This thing is ugly compare to the Lexus design, even the Toyota Camry SE look better than this. And yes I have seen in person, it hideous.

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Georgemia - 11/15/2007 5:39:22 PM

+1 Boost

Lexus has a stellar reputation for quality, but most are not very interesting to look at........ The Malibu is a very nice looking car, inside and out. If the quality holds out, it's a game changer.

People who have money get tired of the outrageous maintenance costs of Benz, Bimmer, Lexus. If you don't need the strokes, why throw your money away?

DaHarder - 11/14/2007 6:24:51 PM

0 Boost

It has to be said...

LEXUS really comes up way too much in this forum.

LEXUS vs AUDI... LEXUS vs BMW... (now) LEXUS vs Chevy!

And the mods seem to really go out of their way to promote any news blurb that even mentions LEXUS, knowing full well that it will always insight some kind of silly flame war.

I find it all a bit irresponsible to be quite honest.

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Rupert - 11/14/2007 6:43:20 PMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

Lexus are making a hybrid space shuttle
Europe is making an advanced twin turbo one
America sticks with good old rockets.

LEXUS vs NASA vs ESA (European space agency)

WHO WILL WIN???

S4cabriofoxone - 11/15/2007 12:10:50 AMView My AgentSpace

0 Boost

LOL.

DaHarder, I think this article was more focused on the Malibu and the relative absurdity of the situation.

Actually, Rupert, there's no European Space Agency. It's just BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz making a super-ultra-low-emissions-diesel-turbo-horsepower-torque-supercharged rocket ship called the S550R8LiTTAMGd

Rupert - 11/15/2007 11:57:02 AMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

There's an RS missing from the end of that acronym :p

no1listensanyway - 11/14/2007 8:12:14 PMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

Yeah Ok buddy.

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EL34 - 11/14/2007 7:26:56 PM

0 Boost

Watch out Camry and Accord :)

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MunichRob - 11/14/2007 9:03:53 PMView My AgentSpace

0 Boost

Uh-oh can anyone say trouble for Lexus? This new Malibu is sure to send the Lexus engineers back to the lab.

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XYZZ - 11/16/2007 7:16:11 AM

+1 Boost

IF there was ANY chance of that happening, the mb engineers would be hustling back EVEN FASTER.

MunichRob - 11/16/2007 6:44:02 PMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

"AlexApex" I knew I'd be able to bait the simple minded people such as yourself.

cRacKhEaDaLLeY - 11/14/2007 9:09:32 PM

+1 Boost

Yes, but is he happy?

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BigShow50 - 11/14/2007 9:20:02 PM

-1 Boost

This guy is a fool, by the way the new 2008 Chevy Malibu, and 2007/08 Saturn Aura...let me tell you people. Great cars right from the begining, but just shortly after 1500 miles, things within the vehicle tend to get really loose, the fit and finish that was once very tight, tends to get really loose...too many to list, where the little things can really annoy a person. The tranny mated to the V6 is terrible with poor hesitation between 2 and 3rd gear on the down shift, and from 5th and 6th on the upshift. Radio continues to have poor reception, window motors have already failed with the new Malibu shipment that has arrived, etc...(typical GM characteristics of coarse). Don't get me wrong, a great car and all and I'm sure the new Malibu will do well in sales. But I'm for sure not one to say I am givin' up my Benz, Lex, Bimmer, my wife and kids sort of deal. Keep in mind try drivin' one for a everyday use, add some milage to your life and you will catch my drift. B/c I have. This is nothing new from GM and they still have alot to prove, especially how their vehicles work out in the long term. Cause one thing they have history is that models under GM come and go real quick. GM likes to compound problems and like the "quick fix" to save face. By the way, other testimonials I have gathered from other people feeling the same way about the Saturn Aura, and a year later I have known a bunch who owns them now regret having to own one. And are lookin to find ways to get out of it. Even the people who has already owned the new Malibu short term are staring to doubt quite a few things. Why I compare the Mailbu to the Aura? We all know from engine to tranny to the platform, from certain interior fixtures, and other mechanics are all the same. It's the design that make it different, that's it. Personally Hyundai(Sonata) is a company they should really look out for and compare to especially when it comes to their auto shows and advertisements, b/c based on price point let alone a equal/if not slighty better reliability, you actually get alot more car at the end of the day. Especially in the long run. So for you people who thinks this is a believable article, show the balls of dropping what you have and go buy one, guarantee my pink slip you will say down the line...wtf was I thinkin'???...LMAO!!!...oh by the way I use to work for Saturn and Chevy for quite sometime, I had faith in the begining by givin' the "benifit of the doubt." But my faith ran out of fuel...so I moved on to a better product...LMAO!!!

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komododave - 11/14/2007 10:11:59 PM

+3 Boost

Why did that just seem like the longest and most pointless run-on sentence in history?

DaHarder - 11/14/2007 11:17:50 PM

+3 Boost

The [ENTER} key on his keyboard isn't working...

Obviously (?)

Lol!

S4cabriofoxone - 11/15/2007 12:12:26 AMView My AgentSpace

+2 Boost

It's too intimidating. I didn't read past the second sentence.

Me, the master of super-long rambling posts. Well, at least I use paragraphs and some cohesion.

XYZZ - 11/16/2007 6:36:34 AM

+1 Boost

his writing may not be the best but he does have a point.

i recall driving a rental chevy once that had less than 20k miles on the clock. the tranny/drivetrain WHINED loudly and constantly above 30 mph. it seemed in worse shape than my toy truck with 90k miles!

1970toyotamarc - 11/14/2007 10:58:19 PM

+4 Boost

This car seems pretty good, but werent we having this same conversation 2 years ago about the Fusion? Has it knocked off the Camcord yet? Even the Altima sells about twice as many. Does the Fusion even beat the Sonata???? The friggin 3 series outsells the Fusion some months. Time will tell. Camry should get a refresh next year, Sonata just got one. Accord is new, Altima just added a coupe. This is some tight competition. As Ford found out, good enough aint gonna cut it against this formidable group.

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S4cabriofoxone - 11/15/2007 12:14:18 AMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

I agree, the Japanese three are still superior; I have a strange Chevrolet syndrome where anything attached to a Chevy badge automatically = cheap in my mind, and this is no exception. There's something about it that just looks fake to me. It may have Euro style... but it won't have Euro build or Euro dynamics. Not even Japanese build or Honda dynamics.

The strange thing is, this doesn't apply to GM, but just Chevy. I love the new Caddys, and I even think the new Aura looks much more upscale than the Malibu.

XYZZ - 11/16/2007 6:48:14 AM

+1 Boost

s4, this is one of the few times i FULLY AGREE WITH YOU.

chevy has touted itself for DECADES as a 'value brand.' which everyone KNOWS in the case of chevy is a synonym for 'cheaply built' vs. the 'value' in japanese brands which give good quality FOR THE PRICE.

S4cabriofoxone - 11/17/2007 1:28:54 AMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

I agree.

And seriously, put this car next to a Camry or a new Accord, or both.

It just won't look good.

The Camcord may have controversial designs... but at least, (finally!) they inspire debate. And this cannot be argued with: they look EXPENSIVE. The Camry looks like a Lexus lite, and the Accord now looks better than any Acura. The Malibu looks, well... like another Chevy.

SixxFive - 11/14/2007 11:36:25 PM

-1 Boost

Congratulations to GM and what a great endorsement...it does not get much better than a new (unsatisfied) Lexus LS owner turning his Lexus back in and buying the new Malibu.

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S4cabriofoxone - 11/15/2007 12:15:29 AMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

I think he's just having an anti-mid-life crisis.

XYZZ - 11/16/2007 7:06:11 AM

+2 Boost

6-5, learn to READ properly. it was NOT a "new" lexus. just what the guy happened to have.

BigShow50 - 11/15/2007 12:00:32 AM

-3 Boost

komododave and daharder, with pigeon brains that both of you have, i don't expect much for you to say on these forums, other than just your heads moving back and forth while you sit, walk, run, or even eat for that matter...by the way komododave how is your wife and my kids?...LMAO!!!

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DaHarder - 11/15/2007 3:29:10 AM

+1 Boost

I Don't Know You - Nor Do I Care To Associate With Someone Of Your (Obviously) Substandard Caliber.

So Please Keep You Comments On The Topic At Hand.

Thanks.

DaHarder - 11/15/2007 3:36:28 AM

+1 Boost

and I meant YOUR Comments!

Note: Why can't individuals just share information and be pleasant rather than acting like A$$es all the time?

chuck717 - 11/15/2007 10:49:18 AM

+2 Boost

GM is trying and the Malibu looks good, but i don't think people who live in top zip codes will sell their house to move to a less value zip code, it generally doesn't work that way in this country?

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PlanB - 11/15/2007 12:11:00 PM

+2 Boost

Nice story. A little on the "what the hell is he thinking" side of things, but nice. The Malibu looks like a great effort by GM... just not so great that I'd trade down from an LS to get one. But to each their own.

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XYZZ - 11/16/2007 7:32:31 AM

+1 Boost

the guy bought it in part 'cuz the CA dealer was a FRIEND of his, when he lived back in michigan.

and he was tiring of his high LEASE and gasoline payments. both factors indicating he was NOT a typical LS owner, more likely to buy outright and not care that much about gas prices/consumption.

cRacKhEaDaLLeY - 11/16/2007 1:23:43 PM

+2 Boost

Let's hear from Mr. good friend back in suburban Detroit in 2 years and 24K miles....

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XYZZ - 11/18/2007 8:06:56 AM

+1 Boost

LOL!

as i said, a chevy i had rented was WHINING like the tranny/diff was gonna blow its guts out! it had LESS THAN 24k miles!

Johnel - 11/16/2007 8:52:02 PM

+1 Boost

Improve on what? The Malibu as well as the Aura Sky and Vue are cars made by Opel in GERMANY and rebadged as Saturn and Chevy.

The Malibu is basicaly the top of the line Opel Vectra.

Sheesh some of you guys will bash anything American without knowing the cars origins to begin with.

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S4cabriofoxone - 11/17/2007 1:30:05 AMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

Why is your name "kruat_master" if you seem to hate all German cars in existence?

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