I’m amazed they had sold so many

most went to fleet sales is why..lol

They should buyback 181,000 sebrings and avengers, get that ugly stuff off the roads.

ain’t that a kick in the nards

poor chrysler. i feel sorry for them.

Ditto, Astonman12. I hope they can find people with the spirit and motivation to pick things up. It’s all about the right leadership, and of course time.

astonman and archcommus i agree. i still think cerberus can turn it around, its only been a year or so. plus the chrysler mid-sizers were daimlers last goodbye to chrysler and the development happened at the same time they were getting ready to sell chrysler…..obviously it shows.

“…an electrical defect that can prevent the cars from running.” With these cars, that’s a feature, not a defect. (Actually, the recall is probably because the interior plastics failed to be hard enough, shiny enough, and gray enough for Chrysler use.)

If they buyback the Sebring they should buyback the malibus and Aura’s as well Same crap different companies

400horseSS, so true!

Agreed bolex: timing was everything with these two models. The previous Sebring and Stratus didn’t sell in the huge numbers that maybe Chrysler was expecting, but they were good cars and certainly not unpleasant to look at.

Everything (Challenger excepted) in Chrysler’s current lineup still looks like the lump of clay the stylist started with.

‘CaCaLover’, I’m amazed you’re as dumb and worthless as you are …. Chrysler has at least one redeeming quality.

Maybe Honda will recall their cars for aesthetics … they’re no better.

tripleonefive… no, just no.

Damn, Daimler really screwed Chrysler up.

Crap?
1ST PLACE: TOYOTA CAMRY SE V-6
Finest all-around mix of power, handling, room, and bells and whistles-no wonder it was our 2007 Car of the Year.

2ND PLACE: CHEVROLET MALIBU LTZ
Great combination of sport and luxury bettered only by Camry. America’s best and segment’s best-looking.

3RD PLACE: HONDA ACCORD EX-L V-6
Vast room, attention to detail, and advanced technology can’t overcome a few obvious faults.

4TH PLACE: NISSAN ALTIMA 3.5 SE
Winner on track and twisties comes up short for lack of polish and refinement.

——————————–

The Chevy’s V6 engine trumps the Accord’s four-cylinder and the price/ content quotient is in the Malibu’s favour. General Motors, however, did walk away with the lion’s share of the hardware, winning four categories in all.
(National Post)
———————-
“This handsome car is a sharp contrast to the new Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, which seem dowdy by comparison.”

and

“But the Malibu offers more than great styling and build quality.”
and

“GM is charging Wal-Mart prices for a product with Nordstrom elan.” (Seattle times)

Comment by jackjimturkey, posted on December7 at 8:31 pm
Today, some of the family cars the Detroit Three offer are as good as anything on the road. Convincing buyers of that is a formidable task, however.

“People have very, very long memories,” said Michelle Krebs, editor of AutoObserver.com. “They had bad experiences with domestic cars in the ’80s and ’90s.

“Things have changed, but they are reluctant to believe it.

“It’s like a Super Accord, but from GM” — the New York Times.

• “Camry beware” — Car and Driver.

• “With its handsome Audi-esque design and good engine choices, it’s the next big thing in midsize cars” — Motor Trend.

Comment by jackjimturkey, posted on December7 at 8:33 pm
New Accord no longer leads the pack
Lansing State Journal, MI – Dec 3, 2007

I’ll admit it: I went into this year’s Motor Trend Car of the Year competition fully expecting the all-new 2008 Honda Accord to walk away with the Golden Calipers trophy.

Technical director Frank Markus and I each did brisk back-to-back runs with the Accord EX and Malibu LTZ on the COTY test-track’s handling course. Post-drive, engines off, I looked at Frank. He looked at me. “I think the Malibu handles better,” I said. “Me, too,” said Frank.

Our test gear also preferred the Malibu: Compared with the Accord, it’s quicker, stops better, and wins every objective handling test. On a just-for-fun comparison chart that Markus cooked up, which normalized the performance results for each car in this year’s COTY competition, the Malibu finished sixth overall in handling. The Accord: 10th. Can it be? Is the new Malibu not just better than the vaunted Accord on a car-for-the-money basis but actually better in many ways than the Accord-period? The answer is an unqualified “yes.”

Comment by jackjimturkey, posted on December7 at 8:37 pm
GM just rolled out a redesigned Chevrolet Malibu that has garnered good reviews while sales of its new large crossovers are solid. (cnnmoney.com)

Dollars and Sense
The price of the Malibu has gone up, but the overall design and quality impression has gone up more. Including destination charges, our test LTZ stickers at $27,245: $26,995 for the base LTZ plus $250 for a rear 110-volt power outlet.

As before, this puts the bottom line of the Malibu a couple of thousand under the competition, yet the surprise is that the Malibu no longer feels a couple of thousand less good than its rivals. As it stands, the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu deserves a place alongside the class leaders on the shopping list for mainstream sedans. And real greatness is within reach if Chevy puts just a few dollars more into refining one or two specific areas, like the steering. (edmunds)

GM dealers are thrilled by the reaction to the Malibu, which takes aim at the perennially popular Honda Accord and Toyota Camry sedans. Duane Paddock, the owner of Paddock Chevrolet in Kenmore, N.Y., says he has sold 27 of the 30 Malibus on his lot, and 12 more than are being shipped.

(Business week)

After testing the redesigned Malibu it’s safe to say it has joined the Japanese brands in the big leagues. Not that it’s a hands-down favorite, but that it has improved so much neither Camry nor Accord are clear standouts. Add Malibu to your shopping list.

But best GM can do? Has Lutz forgotten the 2008 Cadillac CTS and any Chevy Corvette since 1997?

(Chicago Tribune)

Comment by jackjimturkey, posted on December7 at 8:43 pm

2008 Malibu hailed a ‘winner’
ABC12.com, MI – Dec 3, 2007
The 2008 sedan is arriving in dealer show rooms and is capturing the attention of critics.

What impresses me most about this car is it seems to have leapfrogged a couple of generations of car evolution to land where it is today. It kind of went from zero to hero in 12 months. (Dallas Morning News)

Top of its class
Sedan has high degree of value and style
November 8, 2007

BY MARK PHELAN

FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

You may look at the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu and see an amazingly good midsize sedan at a terrific price.

I, however, prefer to see the lovely new midsize sedan as the perpetual grad student in the Chevrolet family, finally earning its degree and setting out to make its mark on the world. (Detroit Free Press)

Substance, not appearance, is what makes the Malibu an All-Star. Its six-speed automatic is worlds away from the two-speed Powerglides of yore, and it contributes to the relaxed feel of the car. The Malibu’s V-6 gives away sixteen horses to the Honda Accord yet kept up with it effortlessly. This is the kind of car Americans have wanted from Detroit for years. Now it’s here, an Automobile Magazine All-Star.

This much-improved Chevy is the first Malibu to seriously challenge top Japanese rivals in the large mid-size sedan market.

—-DAN JEDLICKA Chicago Sun-Times Auto Editor

I feel sorry for Chrysler. The silver lining it is not a large number of cars. The bad news once they fix this one (and it is not a problem of quantum physics – faulty switches been with us for a while) they will find more. I say that because when debug complex product you uncover problems you could not find before you fixed the last one. Hopefully Jim Press will find time between badmouthing former employer to suggest techniques employed by Toyota when it was small and quality conscious.

jackjimturkey you spend a lot of time amassing those clips from all walk of life “auto” journalists, who for some strange reason do not work for automotive publications. All automotive journalists, who work for auto mags and know cars because they are also auto engineers, concluded that 2008 Accord trumps all mid-size cars. And doing so it does not require V6 since 4 banger is more then sufficient. The only problem Accord has – it is a full size car not mid.

After Chrysler recalls the Sebrings and Avengers, they should keep them.

Wouldn’t it be funny if they recalled the Sebrings and Avengers for this electrical part.. and when the owners returned to pick them up, all the sheetmetal had been changed?

All bow down to JJT, he has the real proof.

wow!!! More recall news from LLN’s crack recall reporters. Now we are all safer from this news. More please!! whatever…

surprise surprise.. just another ****head move. HAHAHAHAHAAHAHA… and just to think the same fat union ****s are gonna put the challengers together. HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAA…

oh btw, this recall is easy. just send mechanics to all rental lots across the country and fix it. cuz that’s where they’re all at. HAHAHAHAHAAHAHA..

once again JJT a wasted post Did any of those reviews make a difference in import to domestic turnover ????
the v6 trumps the 4 cylinder lol
Super Accord The Accord is the measuring stick. The Malibu is the NKOTB and hasnt proven itself yet Those columns dont mean **** when it comes to quality or sales List them all you want

Its between the Camry and Accord I think the Accord will trump the Camry The Malibu the Sebring and the Fusion can duke it out for ****tiest attempt at a family car by an american company
THe Mazda 6 and the Hyundai Sonata are the wildcards here

1115 you are so sad its not even funny anymore. You probably can’t even drive you ignoramus.

For anyone with at least one ball and a pulse, you would have to be ****ing crazy to not go for the new Mazda6. That or the Genesis.

Only a 2 finger in the ass fool like you Deanster would think aboot (funny canadian talk) buying a Hyundai. Eh

**** the Mazda6. The new one is ****in ugly.

Same goes for all Accords built after 1992 and every Camry ever built.

The Fusion is an Americanized Mazda 6, same with Milan and MkZ.

tripleonefive – again, you are proving your bias towards american auto companies. Putting the Sebring in the same boat as the Malibu just proves that you don’t care how good or bad a car is. You simply look if its American, and if it is, it is bad. It’s like saying the Kia Optima and Accord are the same thing because they are both Asian. Not true

to the first commenter – no, it doesn’t mean that they sold that many. Just that they MADE that many. A lot of these that are being recalled are simply sitting on the dealer lots or waiting to be shipped to the dealer lots when they are ordered.

Deantj: If I had to buy a commutter coffing,the Mazda6 would be my first choice. I’d test the Malibu and (Surprise) accord against it.

It’s really sad to see Chrysler/Cerberus struggling to fix the mismanaged mess that Daimler left behind. I really hope they can pull it together and emerge stronger than ever. They have their work cut out for them, but I still believe it is not a lost cause.

It really is sad to see Chrysler have to deal with this thing, but it’s another of their creations.

A nearby local owns one, very quirky looking. But really, I don’t believe that’s a good thing, it’s just minor things like that huge plastic panel in front of the C-pillar, the door gaps being easily noticeable around the window, tail/head lights that are uninspiring and have little attitude or shape, the front air dam being pretty much straight across but the hood/headlights having a rearward curve and angle, interior pieces having large gaps and large slabs of plastic, fake chrome trim, minor stuff that tells you nobody had really taken the time to make every little detail worthwhile, as this is one of the most sought after, most competitive automotive groups.

It’s bait thrown out there by Chrysler without aim or thought.

Really what I’m disappointed at though is Chrysler not sufficiently updating or taking the time and effort to make their cars worth while. Take a look at the Dakota or Durango, or Chrysler’s engine stable, and you’ll understand what I mean. Worst fuel economy in it’s class (Durango), and for that matter about the lowest fuel economy of any SUV, despite not being the largest or the heaviest. The 3.7 liter is bull crap, no effort or refinement to be found there at all, lackluster power and fuel economy. 210 horsepower where? 5100 rpm, pretty high for the Dakota and Durango. SOHC, lack of power, almost Hemi design yet still gets pitiful fuel economy. And then they label the Neons engine, despite never being designed to be in the “Powertech” family of design, as a Powertech engine for the heck of it. And from what I’ve heard, the 2.7 liter is very similar, reliability down the drain and nearly 10 years old without any major updates.

I can rant all I want, but my point is, I really don’t get the feeling that Chrysler wants to go out there and take people by suprise, to really make a comeback. What so far has Chrysler launched that hasn’t been lackluster?

400horse****suckerSS wrote: “Only a 2 finger in the ass fool like you Deanster would think aboot (funny canadian talk) buying a Hyundai. Eh”

1. Pretty much everyone is thinking of buying JApanese and Korean, since the American auto companies and the legions of commie monkeys that work for them have become world famous for producing unfathomably ****ty cars.

2. The “aboot” and then the “funny Canadian talk?” Not being Canadian, I’m not sure what you mean, but here’s another word association:

“400horseSS” (goat****ing ****eating homo)

Wow, aren’t you all creative? I’m curious what everyones fascination with homo’s, assholes and

400horseSS- I would consider buying a Hyundai. A very recent one, that is, after doing a good amount of due diligence.

deansterTJ- The “American’s” haven’t been known for producing “****ty” cars; they’ve been known for producing:

-Vehicles made for American driving and driving styles, meaning very soft suspension, relaxed pose and large. No one every said they were made for the Europeans streets, which many aren’t suited for vehicles in the first place. Why make them adjusted for world standards when it’s primarily Americans that travel so much?

The first to say there’s something wrong with that needs to take their head out of their ass.

D-bagger your losing give up.

Test

first of all if you (****talker) knew anything about cars you would know that the Challengers are not being built by the same people as the sebrings or avengers. They are being built by the best in quality, in effeciency, and most profitable plant in N.A….Brampton. Home of the 300, Charger and the departed Magnum. The 300 and the Charger have been saving Chryslers ass for the last few years. Not the caliber, not the liberty, not the dakotas, or rams.

Remember when either generation of the Intrepid first rolled out? They looked so different from anything else they stopped people in their tracks. Whatever reliability/quality issues surfaced were secondary; people gave them a chance because visually they were stunning. The Challenger is this kind of car as well.

Mechanicals take more time to develop than sheetmetal, but if Chrysler wants to increase sales in the short term they need to give us more eye candy.

Johnny: If the mechanicals on the LH hhad worked better ….