Long story short, all of the Malibu LTZ's that were within reach of our budget had sold, so we moved on to pursuing a Fusion. Nearly bought a 2010 SE, but picked up this '08 SEL V6 for $3k below private party KBB value a week ago. It was owned by a 78 yr old lawyer, who recently passed away. The car came as-is, on consignment at an import dealer, still with some contents in the car, not really cleaned up much. It has 72,000 miles, a bit more than we wanted, but we couldn't complain on the price. The only issues is it will probably need 2 new tires in the not-so-distant future, and the former owner had evidently practiced the 'park by braille' method with the back bumper cover, so I just had that redone this weekend by a friend who is a pro in auto body. He also did a spectacular job buffing the whole car out, and the finish on this car looks absolutely stunning. It's getting shampooed and detailed inside tomorrow, so I'll get more pics of the interior tomorrow or Tuesday.
Being the SEL, this car has the additional chrome trim, and the 17" wheels, and larger rear anti-sway bar, besides a bunch of interior upgrades. One neat feature is the illuminated entry, accompanied with puddle lights under the outside mirrors when you use the keyless entry. Inside, the trim is upgraded to "piano black" inserts on the dash, along with an analog clock, and additional chrome trim on radio and climate buttons. It also gets the in-dash 6CD/MP3 changer, trip computer, auto dimming mirrors, auto headlights, Sync system with aux/USB/bluetooth/voice commands (works so slick!), automatic climate control, as well as all of the usual power options. Another neat touch is not only a split-fold rear seat (with spring loaded trunk-mounted levers), but a fold flat passenger front seat, allowing one to haul something up to 9 feet long in the car. It has a surprisingly large trunk, and a back seat that is perfectly comfortable for 2 adults.
Just can't stop admiring the paint color and finish on this car.....9 out of 10 people think it's black, but it's "Dark Ink Blue" metallic. Has a really nice blue highlight to it in direct sunlight.
Being the V6 model, this one has the aluminum 3.0L DOHC 24V V6, 221hp, with a 6 speed automatic, and dual exhaust. It's not as torquey as a 3800, is smooth, quiet and has a nice growl when you get on it. It really takes off above 3500rpm - It has no problem lighting up the front tires and pulls QUITE hard at WOT. 0-60 is in about 7.0-7.2 sec. Mileage is still respectable - I don't have official hand-calculated figures yet, but while cruising at a steady 60mph, the computer was reading a steady 30MPG.
Loving it so far - can't believe how good the handling and power is - very sporty and solid for a American family sedan. Drives very European in some ways. We test drove the Fusion back to back with a 2009 Impala LT, and were shocked to find that this actually was smoother and quieter on the road, yet offered drastically better handling and power. The back seat was actually no more roomy in the Impala than in this Fusion (the trunk was bigger though). With the extra features and trim of the SEL, I really don't miss the Acura that much any more
I know I am.
