used car choices-malibu/taurus/intrigue?

[sksjasams]

It's time to replace my 1991 Olds Cutlass Ciera. The engine is still going strong but the body is falling apart. It has been the most reliable car I have ever owned.
We have a cash budget of about $4000-4500. I am mainly interested in Chevy Malibu, Ford Taurus or Olds Intrigue. I'm sure with my budget I will be looking at models 2000-2003. DH feels the Malibu is too small. It is a bit smaller than my current car, but I don't know if I would say too small. He really likes his own 2003 Taurus. His Taurus is very comfy and handles great but I have a terrible time parking because I can't see the end of the front or back of the car. Does anyone know if all Taurus models are like this or maybe just the 2003? I am considering the Intrigue because of my attachment to my own Olds I suppose.
Does anyone have any experience with any of these 3 cars? Reliablity is most important to me. I appreciate any and all input. Thanks you in advance!

Julie

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Don't forget that the Mercury Sable is the twin to the Taurus. That might help you expand your search.

I encourage you to look at Consumer Reports to get some reliability data.

 

[englishteacha]

I have a '97 Malibu. I really like it. I find it has tons of room. The trunk is deceptively large. I'd love a newer Malibu. The newer ones have a sleeker look. Mine is definitely "Sedan" shaped.

 

[mzlee]

I bought a used Taurus years ago and had a bad experience therefore I don't ever seeing myself buying another Ford. It was always something wrong with it. Personally I have had great luck with Dodge, Chrysler, Hyuandai, and Cadillac. I remember some of the acronyms for Ford:

Found On Roadside Dead

Fix Or Repair Daily

 

[asoko]

I have a 99 Taurus. It has just over 100,000 miles in it. Its been pretty good for me. I did have to replace a radiator hose and some other minor things, but for a 10 year old car it is still going strong. I got it from a lease turn in in 2001 with approx 12,000 miles. DH's uncle is a body shop guy at the local Ford dealership and his friend is a mechanic, so we have people to help us if something goes wrong. Also, DH is very strict about changing the oil, breaks etc. Luckily he can do the minor stuff himself.

I'm in Michigan in Ford country, but before marrying into a Ford family, I drove GM products.

 

[itutorfortravel]

We had an Oldsmobile Intigue, I want to say it was probably a 1998 or 1999 model. We liked it pretty well, except ours came with some sort of "autobahn type package" that meant oversized rotors that got warped all the time! It was expensive to have them taken care of as often as we did. In terms of reliability and comfort, though, we really liked it.

 

[forr2grls]

Hi there. We had a 2000 Malibu.Was a good car to start,but then started having issues.Ended up with a blown head due to Dex cool coolant used in it.I did research after the fact and found that there had been many reports the same as ours.There even was a class action brought against gm because of it.

As far as the Taurus, my mom owns a 99 and Dad owned (he passed) a 97.Both bodies have rust.mainly trunk and hood.Moms car eats tires despite repeated visits to shop.Rocker panels on both cars rotted/rotting out. Dummy lights and dormer light issues. Outer door handles on Dads would not fully go down when you closed door,both from inside and outside-door ajar light.Moms car started doing this about 2 months ago.And another thing,headlights have a tendency to "fog" due to moisture buildup,etc.

No experience with Intrigue


Paula

 

[mrstomrice]

We're on our 2nd Malibu and love it! It is comfortable and reliable.

 

[Inigo]

I had a 97 and a 98 Olds Cutlass, which were basically the same car as the Chevy Malibu (earlier cutlasses were not the same as the malibu). The 97 was a great car, with absolutely no problems. The only reason we replaced it with the 98 was because DS totalled the 97. We weren't as happy with the 98, but all the problems weren't very serious, just minor little issues. We got rid of it when DD totalled it.

Right now, DD has a 97 Taurus, and it has no problems what-so-ever. We bought it used, and were able to get a really good price because there are a gazillion used Tauruses (Tauri?) for sale. Many were lease or rental cars, so I would recommend you do a Carfax search on any used vehicle you consider.

 

[Lisa in WV]

I have a 2000 Taurus wagon with 161,000 miles on it, and I love it. It's never had anything major wrong with it, and it's still going strong. On the other hand, my husband has had two Oldsmobiles, and he had nothing but problems with both of them. I would buy another Ford in a heartbeat, but I would definitely not buy an Olds.

 

[rhiansmom]

I had an Intrigue... got rid of it not becuase I didn't like it but because whenever I needed to get it fixed the parts were 3 to 4 times more expensive then most cars. As an example my spark plugs were not $10 a piece but like $30. I traded it for a Taurus and enjoyed that car also.

 

[CLR4321]

Between those 3, I'd take a Taurus. But, if I were you, with that budget, I would get a Volvo. Those things last forever and you can get a good one for $4000. Plus they are really safe and if you go for one made after 1995 or so, it will usually have all of the bells and whistles in it, and very likely to have leather interior.

 

[sksjasams]

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions! No clear cut winner that's for sure.

 

[4Seasons]

What about the Chevy Impala? Similar to Malibu but slightly larger. We always get these when we rent vehicles and DH and I both agree if we were to buy another "new" (to us, which means used, LOL) car it would be one of these (since we couldn't really afford the BMW 3-series I want, LOL). The are really roomy and handle well.
DH is a "car guy" and is very critical of newer vehicles (not alot of newer cars he likes, hence the newest vehicle we own is '97).

 

[gilby]

We currently own 5 taurus and have had 2 previous. Love them, no major problems and we drive them until you can't. one had 161,000 miles until daughter got in an accident. No major problems only minor repairs, replace breaks, which you do in every car after so many miles. As long as you keep up on repair, change oil your car will last.

 

[friskykitten]

From our personal opinions we would steer clear of Ford and choose the Chevy or Olds. My husband is a "car guy" and although he worked for Ford in the body shop for several years he wouldn't buy a Ford if he had a choice.

On the other hand our second vehicle is a 2001 Ford Truck but that is only because we were able to buy it from a friend for $1. He was considering trading the Ford truck with another friend for their Impala.

The best advice so far has been to check consumer reports. Another idea may be epinions.com. I don't know if they do vehicle opinions or not.

 

[Twende]

If your decide to get a new car make sure you check out the new stimulus/gas guzzler bill. I think it takes effect in a few days and offers a government check to new car buyers in one of two amounts, $3500 or $4500 depending what new car you choose. It depends on how many miles per gallon you increase your gas usage.

 

[poegirl30]

We've had three Fords, including two Tauruses, and our current one ('99 Taurus) has 179,000 miles on it, and still runs fairly well.

 

[Pigeon]

Consumer Reports April issue lists best used cars and used cars to avoid. Their recommendations are year-specific, since some models made in particular years have more problems than others.

Under cars to avoid, they list Malibu(V6) ’99-04; Malibu Maxx ’04-05,
’07; Taurus 99.

 

[eduk8r26]

I have a 2002 Sable (cousin to Taurus) I've had it for 5 years and no real problems. It has the option of a 6th seat in the front if needed. And it's got lots of room.