Overhaulin'

Is the 05 chevy malibu and the 05 chevy classic the same car?

Is the 05 malibu the same thing as the 05 classic? I see different pictures and under both kelley blue book and edmunds they are listed separately and the prices are quite different. The dealer I'm trying to buy from told me it was a malibu and is now saying its a malibu classic. I've run the vin number on two different websites. One says its a classic and one says its a malibu classic. I thought the malibu classic only reffered to the 08 model. The price I was offered was fair for a malibu but not for a classic. Please help.

Public Comments

1. They are quite different vehicles. Chevy came out with a completely revamped Malibu in '04. However, they kept making the old style up to and including '05, but they called these Classics, or sometimes they're referred to as Malibu Classics. They continued to make the Classics for fleet purposes (rental car companies, etc.) The new style Malibu is a better vehicle by leaps and bounds in every way, and I would seriously discourage anyone from buying the old style/Classics as they are utter junk. Best way to know is, the fourth digit of the vin will be an "N" if it's a Classic, and "Z" if it's a Malibu.
2. The other post is incorrect in their assessment of the older body style Malibu. We have a 98 with over 150,000 miles, it has had very little in repairs and still runs and drives great. A little over a year ago we upgraded with a used 2004 Classic which is basically the old body style Malibu. It has been great so far, great mileage, drives great. I would recommend any of the Malibus to anyone, they are roomy, powerful, ride great, keep their value. There have been several years of Classics, in Malibus and Silverados. Lately the 04 and 05 had a Malibu Classic. They were made mainly for fleets, so they needed to be durable and dependable, and the one we have has been.