So my buddy is car shopping and he came across a Malibu Maxx SS. I think it's an '06. He asked my opinion. I know very little since GM cars of this era were very bland.
All I know is that it's got a 3.9L V6 and I know nothing about that motor. Were they still running 4-speed autos then? Or were they 6-speed?
I guess the big question is if they are reliable or not.
The 3.9L was the "big engine" offered in the Impala so the Malibu SS holds the typical formula of biggest engine they offer in the smallest body it will fit into.
Typical GM parts bin reliability.
I'll leave it to you to determine what that really means.
fueleconomy.gov says that it is a 4 speed automatic.
In reply to JohnRW1621:
Well you possibly have a different definition than mine, so why don't you enlighten me. 
They have a fore/aft adjustable split rear seat. Don't know why I know that.
I always thought they were kind of cool for being an oddball at the time, kind of like the turbo Subie Bajas.
That engine/trans combo saw duty in police spec Impalas, probably as reliable as GM gets. By that time the 4T60/4T65 was near bulletproof, and the 3.9 is an upsized 60-degree V6 so they are at least as reliable as the 3800 series II/III.
Re: Parts Bin
I have a GM parts bin car here, Saturn Vue 4cyl, manual trans with over 250k miles on it.
It has been very trouble free but really not an "interesting" vehicle.
Drivetrain will likely run until the moon crashes into the earth. The rest of the car? Meh... depends on what day of the week it was made. I've seen people get 300k with no issues. I've seen people with 30k and nothing but issues. They were pretty frugal fuel economy wise thanks to the torque of the 3.9 and the relatively tall gearing. IIRC, low 30's were pretty common.
Well that's all good to know. I have been swaying him left and right away from potential cars that will bite him in the ass in the end.
He found this and I honestly didn't know much about them to give him advice lol. He told me it has some tasteful aftermarket 20" wheels on it. I cringe because he keeps finding vehicle with huge wheels and I hate for him to have to pay for big tires after he had found out the hard way how much tires for his Silverado cost for the factory 20" wheels.
C/D tested a 2004 Malibu Maxx LT that rode on 16s. (http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/chevrolet-malibu-maxx-lt-road-test) Call me old and boring, but I would NOT want to experience the ride quality, or the unsprung weight, on 20s no matter how "tasteful" they are. Add in the cost of tires and I'm done. How about: he buys the Maxx, you take him to the JY and find some OE wheels, and he sells the tasteful 20s to some kid in order to fund those wheels and a new set of tires?
Wasn't the Maxx built on a SAAB 9-5 chassis? I am not sure why I think this, just something that got stuck in my head.
Car should be fine, but get rid of the 20's. Actually, the fact that it has 20's on it would make me question how its been cared for.
Fitting big wheels might have involved some sketchy ride height modifications as well.
Well I know the SS ran 18s from the factory, so it wouldn't be a far stretch to put 20s on stock suspension.
Always thought they were funky little cars. Never had experience with one but I would assume it would be decently reliable.
I had an 06 Malibu with the 3800.. it was a very bland car. If it had not been given to me for free when my Grandmother stopped driving, I would have never bought it. Steering is very artificial and overboosted, brakes are overboosted with a hypersensitive ABS, it plows heavily into any and all corners, and the traction control was on a hair trigger.
Reliable... as gravity, even with a ton of recalls against it.. but as for fun.. walking was more so
In reply to mad_machine:
Well I told my friend he needs a bland car right now. He got bit in the ass by a beat to hell 2010 Silverado and he keeps looking at used luxury cars and I've been trying to make him look at normal cars.
He is not in a financial place to be taking on the possible issues that come with luxury cars and doesn't need another pickup.
I think I finally drilled it in his head, so I'm thinking this Malibu is ok for him right now.
Kia_Racer wrote: Wasn't the Maxx built on a SAAB 9-5 chassis? I am not sure why I think this, just something that got stuck in my head.
Actually, the last Saab 9-3 was a GM chassis.
The following were all chassis mates:
Pontiac G6
Chevy Malibu
Saturn Arura
Saab 9-3
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: In reply to mad_machine: Well I told my friend he needs a bland car right now. He got bit in the ass by a beat to hell 2010 Silverado and he keeps looking at used luxury cars and I've been trying to make him look at normal cars. He is not in a financial place to be taking on the possible issues that come with luxury cars and doesn't need another pickup. I think I finally drilled it in his head, so I'm thinking this Malibu is ok for him right now.
Ok, so it has dubs. Please tell me its not at a bhph place....
Bobzilla wrote: Drivetrain will likely run until the moon crashes into the earth. The rest of the car? Meh... depends on what day of the week it was made. I've seen people get 300k with no issues. I've seen people with 30k and nothing but issues. They were pretty frugal fuel economy wise thanks to the torque of the 3.9 and the relatively tall gearing. IIRC, low 30's were pretty common.
Actually, I think the moon is getting away.
mndsm wrote:SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: In reply to mad_machine: Well I told my friend he needs a bland car right now. He got bit in the ass by a beat to hell 2010 Silverado and he keeps looking at used luxury cars and I've been trying to make him look at normal cars. He is not in a financial place to be taking on the possible issues that come with luxury cars and doesn't need another pickup. I think I finally drilled it in his head, so I'm thinking this Malibu is ok for him right now.Ok, so it has dubs. Please tell me its not at a bhph place....
Ok, I won't tell you it's a bhph place.....
Run. Domestic+dubs+bhph=all the berkeleyery. Theres a reason they put shiny wheels on that E36 M3 and it isnt for fun.
On the plus side you could probably buy a cheap shopvac and sell the vacuumed up cocaine residue for Challenge budget.
mndsm wrote: Run. Domestic+dubs+bhph=all the berkeleyery. Theres a reason they put shiny wheels on that E36 M3 and it isnt for fun.
Can't sway him from that. Nobody will give him a loan except bhph places. I already had to fend him off from a Lincoln Blackwood and a an Audi A4. I wanted him to look at Kias and Hyundais, but unfortunately he keeps wanting to go back to fancier cars.
He's gonna have to get what he can get and unfortunately it's gonna be the bhph place.
The 3900 had variable valve timing, and I believe it was the first pushrod engine to have that. It would be coupled to the good old 4T65E 4-sp auto. My B-I-L has this drivetrain in an '06 Impala LTZ with 180K miles on it and it has been very reliable in the typical GM way: the rest of the car is falling apart while the engine and tranny keep purring along.
I actually really dig them, it has a fancy rear suspension set up and from the one time I drove one handled pretty well. In typical GM fashion they never offered a manual trans so it was never a real contender for the sporty wagon/hatch crowd
They look sharp
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