MT Comparison: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu vs 2008 Honda Accord vs 2008 Nissan Altima vs 2007 Toyota Camry

[BUTCH1]

Originally posted by: Pale Rider
IMO all four of these cars are terrible. Why anyone would be satisfied with one of these boring hulks is beyond me (and I have in fact driven them all).

If I were shopping for a mid-sized family car right now it would hands down be the Mazda6, because frankly it's the only car worth considering. The entire class of cars is boring, gutless, sloppy handling, mushy ride, dead steering, the list goes on and on. People wonder why SUVs sell so well - its because mid-sized cars suck.

Import the current Mondeo from the UK and I'll have one of those over the Mazda6. Hurry up and put a diesel in the Accord and I'll have one of those until I go bored out of my mind.

How is 0-60 in 6.3 considered "gutless"? can your SUV do that? and handling, oh yea
SUV's handle so good they roll over if pushed to hard!. I cannot believe you drove ANY
of these cars and think an SUV is sportier..

 

[Ktulu]

Originally posted by: evident
wake me up in 3-4 years when everyone starts asking for repair help on their malibu :thumbsdown:

the new accord sedans are fugly though, the coupe is not too bad, but nothing compared to my 07

Oh man, seriously stop perpetuating the myth of the unreliable American car. I've had my Silverado for 4 years already and the interior is still in as good as shape as it was when I bought it. It's only been in the shop for a couple minor electrical problems and that is it. And there are many other members on this forum that will give you the same experience. In fact my wife's '01 Civic is a POS compared to my truck and has more rattles and broken interior pieces from normal wear and tear than most American cars of the same era.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: evident
wake me up in 3-4 years when everyone starts asking for repair help on their malibu :thumbsdown:

the new accord sedans are fugly though, the coupe is not too bad, but nothing compared to my 07

Oh man, seriously stop perpetuating the myth of the unreliable American car. I've had my Silverado for 4 years already and the interior is still in as good as shape as it was when I bought it. It's only been in the shop for a couple minor electrical problems and that is it. And there are many other members on this forum that will give you the same experience. In fact my wife's '01 Civic is a POS compared to my truck and has more rattles and broken interior pieces from normal wear and tear than most American cars of the same era.

Meh. My Dad's '03 Silverado has been nothing but a hunk of sh!t. Something in the steering column has been replaced three seperate times. He's had the fuel tank replaced, and some other issues related to the starter that I'm not all that familiar with. He's written endless letters to GM complaining about it.

Their '00 GMC Jimmy before that was a junker too, as were the Grand Ams my sister has owned. I had an '00 Jimmy as well that had a flurry of issues with it before I dumped it at 20k miles.

GM really didn't start getting their sh!t together until the '04-'06 models of various cars started coming out. They are a good value used, but to say that anything prior to that was a better car than most imports is simply turning a blind eye.

For what it's worth I own an '06 Malibu Maxx that I bought with 2k miles on the clock for almost $11,000 less than the original sticker price. It's absolutely not as good of a car as an Accord of the same year. But it's most certainly a better value.

 

[ncage]

I have a 03 F-150 FX4 4x4 with a 5.4L. Truck is been VERY reliable. Only minor problem ive been having is a seat squeak that keeps coming back (which is very minor) otherwise ive not had it in the shop except for normal maintenance. Course i will be getting ride of it for gas mileage issues otherwise i would keep it but its not any worse than any full size 4x4 out there.

vi_edit: im confused. If you guys keep having such major problems with GM products then why do you continue to buy them?

Ncage

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: ncage

vi_edit: im confused. If you guys keep having such major problems with GM products then why do you continue to buy them?

Ncage

For my Dad? It's because he's stubborn and blindly loyal to the General. I bought my last *new* GM product in '00 (the '00 Jimmy). Before buying the '06 Malibu last month I did my homework. There were some serious concerns with the electronic steering in the '04 & '05 model years. The bugs were worked out in '06. Plus the overall build quality of everything else in the car was steps above any other GM product that I had owned/rented. Plus the actual reliability ratings were pretty good along with the user forums for those particular cars.

And then there's the whole value aspect. I couldn't touch the options/milage/age by any import within several thousand dollars. It just was a good value. Plus the reviews/statistics were there to support it.

Likewise, I wouldn't have even considered a Hyundai 5 years ago. But look at them now. I'm either gullible enough, or optimistic enough to beleive that brands can change..for better or for worse. I've got a Toyota in the other stall (Highlander) and even though it's been absolutely flawless for us I won't write a blank check for all new Toyotas being built. Just look at the boards/recalls put out for the Avalon when it was first released, Tacomas, Camry's, and Tundras.

Basically I have no brand loyalty, and no particular bias one way or another with the exception of Dodge and their transmissions

 

[lurk3r]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: evident
wake me up in 3-4 years when everyone starts asking for repair help on their malibu :thumbsdown:

the new accord sedans are fugly though, the coupe is not too bad, but nothing compared to my 07

Oh man, seriously stop perpetuating the myth of the unreliable American car. I've had my Silverado for 4 years already and the interior is still in as good as shape as it was when I bought it. It's only been in the shop for a couple minor electrical problems and that is it. And there are many other members on this forum that will give you the same experience. In fact my wife's '01 Civic is a POS compared to my truck and has more rattles and broken interior pieces from normal wear and tear than most American cars of the same era.

Meh. My Dad's '03 Silverado has been nothing but a hunk of sh!t. Something in the steering column has been replaced three seperate times. He's had the fuel tank replaced, and some other issues related to the starter that I'm not all that familiar with. He's written endless letters to GM complaining about it.

Their '00 GMC Jimmy before that was a junker too, as were the Grand Ams my sister has owned. I had an '00 Jimmy as well that had a flurry of issues with it before I dumped it at 20k miles.

GM really didn't start getting their sh!t together until the '04-'06 models of various cars started coming out. They are a good value used, but to say that anything prior to that was a better car than most imports is simply turning a blind eye.

For what it's worth I own an '06 Malibu Maxx that I bought with 2k miles on the clock for almost $11,000 less than the original sticker price. It's absolutely not as good of a car as an Accord of the same year. But it's most certainly a better value.

You've hit the difference right on the head here, GM will knowinly run cars with defects for a week to fix the problem on Sunday on a production line. This results in several thousand issues that are usually patched after the vehicle is assembled. The Japanese plants will shut the line down to fix the problem, and maybe ship a few hundred less vehicles.

 

[foghorn67]

Originally posted by: lurk3r
You've hit the difference right on the head here, GM will knowinly run cars with defects for a week to fix the problem on Sunday on a production line. This results in several thousand issues that are usually patched after the vehicle is assembled. The Japanese plants will shut the line down to fix the problem, and maybe ship a few hundred less vehicles.

True about 10 years ago.

 

[lurk3r]

Originally posted by: foghorn67

Originally posted by: lurk3r
You've hit the difference right on the head here, GM will knowinly run cars with defects for a week to fix the problem on Sunday on a production line. This results in several thousand issues that are usually patched after the vehicle is assembled. The Japanese plants will shut the line down to fix the problem, and maybe ship a few hundred less vehicles.

True about 10 years ago.

True last week, the first question a line supervisor asks is how to bypass.

 

[foghorn67]

Originally posted by: lurk3r

Originally posted by: foghorn67

Originally posted by: lurk3r
You've hit the difference right on the head here, GM will knowinly run cars with defects for a week to fix the problem on Sunday on a production line. This results in several thousand issues that are usually patched after the vehicle is assembled. The Japanese plants will shut the line down to fix the problem, and maybe ship a few hundred less vehicles.

True about 10 years ago.

True last week, the first question a line supervisor asks is how to bypass.

Knowing someone that is a line supervisor at toyota, don't think they are immune to this.

 

[gsethi]

We recently bought the 08 Accord (I4 though). Looked at the Camry and hated its **CHEAP** and bland interior (Cheap is an understatement and I am comparing it to our older 03 Corolla...it just purely sucks and there is no finishing).

Looked at the Altima and liked it but went for the new Accord though. The only downside is the center Radio console (too much clutter) but the ride is very comfy and tons of room. The car is my fathers (I drive the 06 G35). The Accord's finish was definately #1 closely followed by Altima. I dont even want to start about the Camry.

If you get the Accord, pls avoid the leather as it is not comfortable. The cloth is much more comfortable. (I love the leather on my G35 but its upscale leather). The leather was slightly better on the Altima but not that much (it wasnt that comfortable). I do love to drive the Accord once in a while (love its roominess - both front and back).

It was a tough choice for us between the Accord and Altima (took me and my dad only 2-3 minutes to not like the Camry's interior).

 

[lurk3r]

Originally posted by: foghorn67

Originally posted by: lurk3r

Originally posted by: foghorn67

Originally posted by: lurk3r
You've hit the difference right on the head here, GM will knowinly run cars with defects for a week to fix the problem on Sunday on a production line. This results in several thousand issues that are usually patched after the vehicle is assembled. The Japanese plants will shut the line down to fix the problem, and maybe ship a few hundred less vehicles.

True about 10 years ago.

True last week, the first question a line supervisor asks is how to bypass.

Knowing someone that is a line supervisor at toyota, don't think they are immune to this.

I don't know about Toyota, but Nissan and Honda, when they call will shut the line down when you show up to fix the issue immediatly, GM especially, and Ford, always open with "how do we bypass this", and every few minuites someone will come by and tell you how many thousands of dollars YOU are costing them as you fix their equipment. Chrystler has gotten better since the Germans got involved, it will be intersting to see what happens to their quality after the sale.