Bought an appliance:
 

First time I've ever bought a car in my life purely as an appliance, specifically, a work vehicle. As I've written here before, I drive for Uber part time since '21, (was a great post-pandemic gig), and have worn out my Jetta Tdi using it for the job. I also wanted a newer car that qualifies as a "comfort" car on the Uber platform, they have a list of newer vehicles with legroom that get a slightly higher rate from riders.

While renting cars from Hertz that were comfort cars, I realized that business was a lot better in slower times with those cars. A lot of people choose the option for a slightly higher price and there is less competition since ~90% of the cars working most times are regular Uber X cars. Comfort cars still get Uber X requests but not the other way around. Possibly better healed riders and better tips as well but that's just from limited data on my part.

Of the cars I rented, a clear and surprising winner emerged, especially when price to purchase was factored in. The latest version of the Chevy Malibu. Is it as good as a Camry or Accord? Maybe not but I really liked it for what it was and in an apples/apples comparison for used cars, (year/miles/equipment), it's something like $5k less. :eek:

I bought this 2022 Malibu LT w/ 31k miles and a little factory warranty left for $17k from Hertz car sales. The cars they sell are regular rental cars, (not the Uber rentals which are absolutely trashed by the end), and it was the nicest one I found in their stock. Had to drive down to San Diego to get it and I'm a happy camper! It has a great spec with no sunroof, cloth interior and most of the lux features I wanted like Apple CarPlay, heated seats, dual climate control, etc. It also has the 19" wheels which look good, ride is smooth but I'm watching for potholes for sure. I got an alignment and 4 new tires immediately and it drives great, IMO.

All of the cars in this class, (Accord/Camry/etc.), have 1.5 turbo engines and CVT transmissions now. It's incredibly quiet and smooth, performance is decent but mostly I just glide in it. Totally satisfied so far and I think it's kind of a looker. "See the USA in your Chevrolet!" :)
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Looks decent, certainly not awful, but that is pretty white bread. Perfect for what you intend.

When my wife and stepdaughter recently took an Uber up to LAX, a nice older gent showed up in a VW ID.4 EV. I was impressed. Took 2 women's baggage pretty much in the rear hatch and left plenty of room for the passengers. The guy even asked if I was going. No. He was relieved but he could have done it.

Getting a Comfort car is a smart play. Nice refrigerator!

I was expecting a microwave .... or a blender :).

Don’t expect any sense of reliability out of the 1.5l turbo.

I’ll be surprised if it makes it to 100k on the original powertrain (including the turbo )…

You must really like the harbor fwy. I drive it on average couple times a month now that I am working on a house in Palos Verdes, I am there two times a week. Coming home sucks even at 2 pm.

I hear those Chevy ride pretty comfy and nice.

Wasn’t there a Seinfeld episode where Kramer ends up getting an “appliance” to relieve his constipation? Oh, wait…that was an “apparatus”. Never mind.

LOL ... my man Ice-T doesn't roll without it!

I think that you may be right about that, the whole *small engine in a bigger car* thing they’re doing isn’t meant for longevity. I just hope that it takes a dump while it’s still under factory power train warranty, 5 yr/60k if not mistaken. I sort of drive it mellow most of the time, (going for mpg), and plan on maintaining it by the book.

I hope you got a good one. They look good. I’m not going to lie.

Get the auto stop thing deleted so you don’t cook the turbo. I’ve seen a lot of indy shops and engine builders recommend maintenance at half the recommended mileage.

Never liked domestic cars - never wanted to own one. Their reputation in the '70s through '80s for the most part, was deserved.

Last week I had a Chevy Malibu rental like yours and came away impressed. I'd consider one as an appliance daily driver.

Have liked the Malibu for several years now. Great looking car.

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Congats on your new ride, Denis!

Hmmm, never considered that the auto stop would damage the turbo…I defeated it at first because I thought it was annoying but then realized that it actually gets better mpg with it on, especially doing Uber, which of course is a lot of stop and go and waiting outside of hotels, etc.

Now that I’m used to it, I don’t mind it. I drive the car pretty easy and I assume that the potential damage is from lack of cooling oil passing through the turbo?

I agree about upping the service intervals, they are way too long for that engine.

It’s not a BMW or a Lexus but I really like it. Chevys were always pretty nice cars when they were new and tight, this one is no exception. I realized that I bought it for the same reason that people have been buying them since Jesus was in diapers…they’re cheap and they look good. :)

I think those Malibus and the Ford Fusions are nice looking cars. I, too, am looking for an appliance. I am very interested in the Ioniq 6. It is weird looking, but 361 mile range and a 36 month lease of @$250 cannot be ignored.