It’s official. My dream of being a young hip designer has died with the trading in of my 2002 Volkswagen GTI, the conveyance of choice for the creative and artistic set. In its place now resides some American steel, the 2005 Chevorlet Malibu Maxx. I decided to dump the VW due to a high maintenance cost and just some general unreliability. I loved how it drove, but it was not the most economical choice.
Besides wanting to unloaded some of the financial burden the VW brought, I also wanted to switch to an American car. With the trade deficit at all-time highs and the quality of American cars improving greatly, I felt very strongly about helping the American worker. It’s not corny or idealistic, its just the right thing to do. So when I saw the Chevrolet Employee Discount Price, I decided to do a little research.
I needed a pratical car with good gas mileage. I had almost discounted the Chevrolet line until I found that the Malibu’s V-6 gets 22/32 MPG city/highway. Once I saw this and then found the 5-door Maxx variant, I had a viable option. J.D. Power Consumer Center (search for 2005 Chevrolet Malibu) convinced me I was on the right track. Coincidently, a couple hours before going to the dealership a friend sent me a link to J.D. Power: Most reliable cars. The 2002, which in my opinion has been improved on, came in first for reliability for “entry mid-size car”.
So, I went from a four-cylinder, turbo, 5-speed, German 3-door hatchback to a V-6, automatic, American 5-door sedan/wagon. Oh how the times change. The car comes pretty loaded in the LS version, in addition to below list of some of the more unique features on the vehicle.
- Sunroof for rear passengers
- Audio volume adjusts automatically to car speed
- Remote start standard (starts air conditioning on based on ambient temperature)
- Wireless headphones
- Seperate audio controls in rear, allowing rear and wirless passengers to listen to seperate audio source
- Adjustable table in trunk which can lay on floor or be used for tailgating