The Chevy Malibu hit the chopping block. Clark has observed that discontinued cars become like moldy bread to buyers. I would expect a 2-3 year old Malibu to be an exceptionally good deal in 2026-2027. I have rented them… they’re fine transportation, as far as I could tell.
The wheels aren’t likely to have fallen off my 2012 Kia by 2026-2027. I’d really like to read about the demise of the VW Jetta in the USA someday, I would not mind picking up one of those. My very first car was a 1981 VW Jetta. Boxy and it weighed 2200 lbs. Fun to drive.
I purchased a Chevrolet Equinox in 2012. The dealer had to arrange a trade with another dealer to obtain the specific model that I wanted. Even in 2012, the dealer told me that Chevrolet Malibu models were very difficult to sell, and they could not use the Malibu doing a swap with another dealer. It is not surprising to learn about the end of the Malibu. Traditional sedan models seem to be out of favor with most car buyers. Preferred models seem to be the SUV or the crew-cab type pickup trucks. They offer a lot more flexibility for most drivers.
Luckily I prefer sedans. I just don’t like the seating position in trucks, SUVs. Or maybe the center of gravity is too high and my middle ear gets sloshed around and I get queasy.
I just looked at the Chevrolet website. The Malibu is the only sedan showing on the site.
It is funny how styles and preferences change. I lived in Tennessee for several years. The dealers mostly carried trucks of all sizes, styles, and prices. I think it is a State law in Tennessee that you have to own a truck.
People just seem to obediently empty out their wallets when the TV ads tell them to. Isn’t everything about trucks more costly? Certainly the fuel (more of it used) but also the tires, compared to a mid-sized sedan? There are so many $75k trucks out here in Texas and probably $1000 monthly payments, I just look at these people and I think - “naw, you’re not retiring”. I’m anchored I guess, by my first house was $75k. I paid off my mortgage in 2012, and the mortgage payment was $598 per month. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills.
The rental car companies are running out of mid-size sedans to offer! Honda doesn’t do fleet sales, the Nissan Altima (and Subaru Legacy) are being discontinued after the 2025 model year, so it’s just Camrys now? The Malibu wasn’t a bad car, but it felt like it was designed to be a fleet car and not one you’d want to own for 10+ years.
The Jetta is a great looking car and they drive very well. But their reliabiity record isn’t impressive.
Whenever the auto execs make a choice, it’s usually time to make the opposite choice as a consumer. We’re sort of in this “peak SUV and peak truck” moment, that buying behavior sprang out of the low interest rate policy period (which is gone) and also the “oh wait, EVs are coming and they’ll be wonderful” moment, too. Of course, since corporate brains are smooth, they tried the “peak SUV peak truck AND EV” vehicle, which was the popular Ford F-150 Lightning.
Hyundai and Kia still make sedans, and I presume still sell them for fleets. A Hyundai rental is the reason I decided to buy my current Hyundai (but that was 11 years ago).
Full sized trucks are very expensive, and they are expensive to maintain. Very large SUV’s are basically trucks with different body styles and they too are expensive and expensive to maintain.
Fortunately, there are smaller options. The Ford Maverick, Chevrolet Colorado, Hyundai Santa Cruz, Honda Ridgeline, Toyota Tacoma, etc. are some of the available alternatives to a full-size truck.
I had a Chevrolet Silverado Crew-Cab 4X4 for a number of years. I really liked it. It was a sturdy, spacious and comfortable truck. I used it for some hauling but nothing too heavy. Upon retiring, I wanted to get something smaller and economical, but I still wanted a truck. I opted for a Honda Ridgeline. It is extremely well made and very comfortable. I still have the option to carry items in the bed and the seating is adequate for most families. It rides like a passenger car.
I know several people who owned pickup trucks. After moving away from them to an SUV or sedan, they regretted it because they could not haul things like they did before. Even going to the store to get several bags of mulch became a messy chore without the truck. Those of you who own trucks, know what I am talking about.
Just last week, my wife saw a car weaving crazily in and out of lanes behind her on the highway, then she heard the collision and she save an SUV tumbling end-over-end in the air behind her, and she was just praying her car would not be struck. That Truck / SUV high center of gravity… and it’s not the first such SUV-flipping crash we’ve seen! This is the third. Stability control helps, but doesn’t override physics ultimately. When the downward gravitational force vector gets too far to the side of the CG, you’re going upside-down.
And - “I need a large vehicle at $1000 per month payment forever (because its a lease or upside-down by the time a new one is obtained) to carry the kids around!” When my kids went to elementary school, it’s literally feet away from my house, kids walked and biked in the 1990s. Now it’s the Car Line. This is a national phenomenon.
I don’t know what it is… it’s like people’s brains have broken. No wonder the kids are all (OH I CAN’T SAY IT, IT WOULD BE F**-SHAMING A FORM OF HATE SPEECH).
Wife use to carry mulch and RR ties in her 1986 VW Golf hatchback until the suspension limits were almost reached. Then 25 MPH home from Home Depot. She had 500# of stuff. It was rated to carry 1100# (good luck).
The entire societal national savings problem (Federal, State, corporate, and individual) is massive confusion of true needs and wants. Money was zero cost (0% interest) for too long.
It’s a shame so many have gotten caught up in the large truck & SUV craze. They’re just enriching the car & oil company executives at their own expense. People wonder why they’re struggling to make ends meet and are blind to their own behavior. Not me! I bought a Nissan Leaf EV compact. It costs me about $3.50 to charge at home from 20% to 80%. I’ll use the money I would have spent on gas for more fun pursuits like cruises! Spend wisely folks.
I just shake my head at the “every few yars” when Chevrolet ceases production on the Camaro, then changes its mind (like in 2002, but there have been other threats). Could the end of Camaro be upon us or not? Time will tell.
I owned a 67, 76, 82, 85 IROC and 90 IROC. Fot a while I owned both the IROCS at the same time. Being single was the way
After the 90 I had to buy a Honda Passport SUV to move things. It was sacrilege to load gold prospecting equipment in a Camaro. Then in Hawaii it was 4-wheel trucks for the farm.
Becaus of the terrain, many people here drive pickup truck whether they need them or not. Many places don’t have trash pickup so you are off to the transfer station. Dumps are fewer and further between. Also access to some rocky beaches or just 4-wheel drive driveways makes a truck more of a necessity. Our lack of a large electrical infrastructure has limited electric vehicles. Our reliance on new solar farms is shifting the request to use power during the day rather than wait for night time.
