The flo-ster car his 1st car - '97 Chevy Malibu - Seeks Car education

[yungflo]

Hey all, just got my first car and a sweet first car it is I wanted a honda civic, but this do just fine:)!. I've been hearing reviews that these cars don't last unless they are meticulously well kept. Well, mine is. Before the owner I bought it off, it was owned by a car junkie and he put some nice things on it, not to mention the engine itself gives me a boner!

well, I know nothing about cars and I want to know where the first place I should look just to know the basics, etc. Could save me time and money if I know these things. Thanks! By the way, here's the pics of the car

[Jerome]

bucket

[RNPoo7]

Congrats on the purchase dude.

Not really sure what kinda things you want to know so here's a few things I'm throwing out there.

What's the mileage on the car?

You can change your own engine oil rather than taking it to service shop. It's quite simple on most 90s cars.

Check on tire pressure every once in a while and make sure they're set to proper pressure and same across the board.

Check oil level

Drive Safe

[yungflo]

Jerome- Hmm?

RN- Thanks DOOOD:) It has 100K miles on it And how do I check this tire pressure?

My dad will teach me how to change the oil(hopefully). All the other stuff, I gotta learn!

[P J Shaker]

did you get a list of things that have been recently worked on or fixed on the car....at 100k miles alot of little stuff starts going bad....example, Alternator, spark plugs and wires, sometimes a starter but that is closer to 120K...its good to know what is new on the car so you know what to look out for in teh future.....just like any car as the miles rack up things are gonna go bad...its inevitable...but congrats on the first ride

[yungflo]

Yeah, I asked for a car report. The car as you can see has been pretty well-maintained.

Thanks again for all the help guys:D

The guy actually sold the car in principle to a couple, but I called him a day earlier and he remembered. He gave that ol' American spirit and wanted to sell it to us, since it was my first car. We had cash, and the couple who wanted to buy the car, went to the bank while we neogiated with the owner. Turns out the banked closed at the time they went to get the money, so we drove it to my house(about 2-3miles away) and that was it:)

I thanked my parents in heaps. I was going to get this and give it a paint job and maintain it:


http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...000&cardist=11


but they wanted $1695, plus $299 powertrain warranty. $2k for a 16 yr- 180k plus miles on it, is ridiculous. I got my car for 1500

[P J Shaker]

you got a better deal on the Malibu....did the rims come with it or are they your own that you had before

[yungflo]

Originally Posted by P J Shaker

you got a better deal on the Malibu....did the rims come with it or are they your own that you had before

They came with it. (:

[P J Shaker]

thats cool...more of an incentive to buy the car...looks alot nicer with them....i think it would look nice if you dropped it a couple inches...nothing crazy...just down size the wheel well space...

[dohcdelsol93]

I had a 94 Camry with over 200K on it. The thing was increadibly reliable. I paid 2400 for it with over 130 K on it. The only major repairs to it were the CV axles.

As for taking care of the malibu.

Change the oil every 3-5K and use good oil. Use Mobil one or your favorite synthetic.

As for pre-maintinence. I wouldn't change an alternator or starter unless they are either going out or you have extra money to blow.

I'd change things like water pump, belts, flushing the coolant system, tranny fluid/filter as pre-maintience.

Depending on mileage and the last time it was changed maybe even the 02 sensor.

Other than that I'd maybe replace the struts if they have never been replaced and get it looked at anytime a check engine light comes on.

[P J Shaker]

i have to amend something from dohcselsoul....

i wouldnt use a synthetic oil if the car hasnt been using it from the start...what is going to happen is that synthetic oil will find small leaks in your gaskets, and most cars from then didnt call for synthetic oil...synthetic oil is better that conventional but its also ore expensive and if you stay on par with your oil changes it doesnt matter...synthetic oil will run alot longer than conventional but i would stick with a conventional or synthetic Blend high mileage...i have ran conventional in my camaro since i got it and it still purrrrrrs at 140,000 milies...its just how often you change it..

[yungflo]

thanks again guys. The tranny fluid is in a hard place to reach. I basically need midget hands, but I'll find some way to reach it. My friend suggested that I put it a cool air in take. Thoughts? I also wanted to put in direct injection. Oh, and how to I flush out the coolant system? :D It came almost dry and filled with nothing,so my dad put water inside of it. I don't know whether that was a good idea or not, so I want to flush it out and put 50%anti-freeze in there and the other half with water.