When Chevrolet downsized the mid-size Chevelle in 1978, they dropped the name used since 1964. Instead, the series was now called Malibu, which had been the top-line Chevelle before. The cars were at least 500 lbs. lighter in an attempt to improve fuel mileage, yet the passenger/luggage space was not reduced. This 1982 Malibu Classic looks like a sleeper but has a more modern engine/transmission combination under the hood. In overall good condition, the Chevy is available here on craigslist and in Sioux City, Iowa for $10,000. Hats off to Rocco B. for this change-of-pace find.
The 1978-83 Malibu was built with rear-wheel drive and would be popular as a police vehicle. The name was revived in 1997, shifting to front-wheel drive, and is currently the last sedan being sold by Chevy in the U.S. (they’re now focused on trucks and SUVs). The basic model was simply called Malibu, while the fancier editions were the Malibu Classic, which included the seller’s car. They were still in demand going into the fifth year of this generation, selling more than 70,000 copies of the 4-door sedan version alone.
There were a variety of rather anemic engines offered in the 1982 Malibu, starting with a 110 hp 229 V6 up to a 350 V8, which was only offered as a 105 hp diesel. Along the way, this car has been alleviated of whatever original drivetrain it had. Instead, a 5.3-liter is there now along with a 4L60-E 4-speed automatic transmission. This could very well be a huge selling point for the car, but the seller doesn’t elaborate except to say it gets up to 30 mpg on the highway, a far cry better than whatever came stock. And that powertrain has 13,000 more miles on it than the automobile itself.
The body looks in good shape and the cream-colored paint presents well except for a spot of primer on the far rear corner of the driver’s side. The interior looks quite nice and inviting, but if you want air conditioning during your rides, you’ll have to get it charged up. The car comes with “tons” of new parts, though none of them are specified. With its baby moon-like wheel covers, this Chevy somewhat blends into the crowd. But what will it do when you pounce on the gas pedal?
I had an 80 Malibu, can’t imagine asking 10K for it.
With all the G Body/A Body upgrades available through the aftermarket, this might be fun to buy. Not at 10K, though. Show me the receipts!
Boring, mundane, unremarkable. That’s what this car has going for it. I’m sure somebody will like it, though $10K is a lot of money for such an uninspiring car. I’m sorry but I can’t imagine a car more boring than this one.
Pontiac T1000, very boring.
I had one, 18 wheeler nearly killed me, took forever to get to 60mph
Boring looking cars make the best sleepers and the boring colour of this one will let you fly under the radar.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Prices for solid Malibus/Regals/Cutlasses/Grands Prix have been rising steadily. Even before COVID, if you wanted a really clean Malibu it was going to run you five figures.
If you want a clean G body these days, whether you like it or not, it’s actually pretty cheap. Depending on the quality of the swap, this is easily worth every penny of $10,000.
File under ‘Sad, but true.’
These cars were the epitome of GM’s decline in the 1980’s. 10k for these dreks? I don’t think so…
I had an ex-police version of this. It was a 1980, which came with the best 5.7 V8 that Chevy built that year. (Other years only got the 5.0.) It sat better than the one shown here and handled very well, both due to someone’s careful suspension tuning. Nicely contoured bucket seats too. It was a great car to drive, just not super attractive. It still looked enough like a police car that I got waved through a few speed traps.
I find these cars more interesting than today’s shiny plastic jellybeans by a factor of ten. Even if only because they used to be everywhere and now they’re not.
And do you also feel that way about phone booths and cloth diapers?
Mild sleeper Chevrolet sedan here 👍
I never was a fan of the Malibu. Though this one seems to be in decent shape, I, personally, wouldn’t shell out 10k for it. Even if I had the 10k to waste on it. A two door, maybe, but, not a four door sedan, even with the drive train upgrades. I just don’t see it, get it, or whatever. I just chalk it up to: ” Well, it’s old, so, it’s worth a small fortune, right?”. Good luck to the seller, or the sucker..errr..the buyer.
I think it’s worth it.Look at what 10k gets you on a car lot. ..Junk.I’d inspect the swap quality first and curious to see what all these new parts are.And of course check the frame as these are notorious for rot.87 k on that engine is nothing if it was maintained.I’ve seen LS’s with 300k that run like a sewing machine.Put a gear and a posi with the sway bar out back for sure.glwts.
I have my doubts as to the 30mpg claim by the seller…..low to perhaps mid-20’s with cruise control sounds more reasonable with a 5.3 in a light vehicle.
My 3.6 V6 in a 2017 Impala will average 30-32 highway with cruise control engaged.
These more door Malibus are becoming a big thing with the street racing crowd. I’ve seen more than one with an LS and lots of go fast parts under that grandma skin!
At first, I thought it was a Seville.
It does kinda a little bit resemble a mid to late 70’s seville but the Seville was just a glorified Nova with different sheet metal and that crappy early FI setup on a 350 olds engine.Nothing but driveability problems.
The ’76 Seville debuted this GM design language, which eventually spread across GM divisions and most models, still IMO the best and purest expression of that style.
I like it…not 10K like it though. To me, it has the lines of the Caprice/Impala before they went to the “whale” shaped cars. Our family had an ’80 with the quite rare factory floor shift (although it was only the 229V6/3 speed)
Sounds like it was one of the Iraq-ibus sold in Canada.
Basic car intended for shipment to Iraq.
https://www.thedrive.com/news/35121/we-got-him-that-time-gm-sold-12500-terrible-chevy-malibus-to-saddam-hussein
Not at 10k,and an LS swap is sometimes a long winded scenic route approach to a v8 swap in this case.easier said than done really.you have to have vehicles computer to run the engine and control the trans or an msd digital box.a 350 sbc swap could of been done here instead.and unless you can find r-12 no a/c either.
Perhaps the most boring car design of all time – even the K car looked better than this – just saying.
I had an 80 4dr Malibu, I used it for work. After driving it for a while a co worker was in the back, he asked, how do you open the window. That’s when I found out the back door windows didn’t open. A real no frills car
5.3 was definitely the best choice for reliability and fuel economy. I love this car.
Nice article Russ, you don’t see these very often.
Hard to believe a g-body this clean with an Ls swap isn’t worth 10k