Chevy Impala

[RobbieB]

Trunk is big, I can put quarter sheets of plywood in there, wouldn't fit in Taurus.

 

[street]

My Impala is still going strong after 55 years.

Absolutely Beautiful!

 

[catii]

Looking for the big car ride.

A friend's father died just as our old SUV bit the dust, & we ended up buying the father's 1996 Mercedes S320. If there's a bigger ride than that, I've never heard of it!

Father was the head mechanic for local Mercedes dealership, so the car drives like a dream.

 

[harley]

Back then, Impala was the top trim line, i.e. Biscayne, Belair, Impala, and not a model unto itself.

I had a 1970 Chevy Caprice (in 1975), which I always thought was an upgraded Impala. 400 cu in V-8 engine, way too much power for my 19 year old usually intoxicated ass. As I remember it the gas was measured in yards per gallon. When I found myself going backward at 70 mph on black ice on the interstate I decided I needed to downgrade a bit. My very first Toyota Corolla seemed like a smart change, as I'm still alive.

 

[stephenson]

Drove new 2017 with 4 cylinder for three weeks Florida to Maine and back. Great car, even with 4 cylinder.

Had 2010 and 2014 Ford Taurus company cars with V-6... way better in every regard. Way better.

 

[Jerry1]

Trunk is big, I can put quarter sheets of plywood in there, wouldn't fit in Taurus.

Yes. The trunk was a major selling point for me. I could put my golf clubs in the trunk straight across. Could neve figure out why Buick did not make the Lacrosse's trunk big enough to do that given the demographic buyer. The Impala even has bump outs for the base of the bag and the longer driver on the other side.

Someone mentioned a 4cyl. Sorry, I would not get a 4cyl. This is a bit heavy of a car and the V6 is a strong engine.

Robbie - nice car! Adaptive cruse and everything. I'd expect nothing less from you.

FWIW, it does well in the snow. The LTZ/Premier comes with low profile tires. I would swap those out for winter, but because I was leasing, I did not and still got through winter in Detroit land.

 

[RobbieB]

Thanks and yes! Not to mention Android Auto where you can ask it to take you to the best fish restaurant (that you've never been to) in a city (that you've never been to and don't know how to get anywhere) and it does.

Magic!

 

[Jerry1]

Thanks and yes! Not to mention Android Auto where you can ask it to take you to the best fish restaurant (that you've never been to) in a city (that you've never been to and don't know how to get anywhere) and it does.

Magic!

Agree. I use Apple Carplay. I don't know why any manufacturer would even bother offering standalone navigation to their vehicles any more.

 

[ripper1]

Drove new 2017 with 4 cylinder for three weeks Florida to Maine and back. Great car, even with 4 cylinder.

Had 2010 and 2014 Ford Taurus company cars with V-6... way better in every regard. Way better.

Which was way better......Impala or Taurus?

 

[eytonxav]

I had a 1970 Chevy Caprice (in 1975), which I always thought was an upgraded Impala.

I learned to drive on my fathers 65 Caprice. I believe it was a lux version of the Impala.

 

[stephenson]

ripper,

The Taurus was a great car ... way better than the Impala. Did everything better - effortless cruising and great handling, fuel mileage. No repairs on either over 225,000 miles between them.

Guess they’re going away, too.

 

[davebarnes]

The Impala is for people who want a Toyota Camry, but cannot afford one.
Of course, I despise GM. And have since the 60s.

 

[Badger]

My Impala is still going strong after 55 years.

Beautiful!


My father had a '61 or '62 hardtop that I always admired. What a land cruiser. Unfortunately I never got to drive it.


Cheers!

 

[freedomatlast]

It should be noted that GM has made some design modifications in the past few years to the 3.6L engine in an effort to eliminate the timing chain issues of the past. How effective these efforts are remains to be seen.

 

[Winemaker]

Trunk temp isn’t too hot for wine? I’ve never measured that but always suspected it could be an issue.

I usually age my wines 60-65 degrees, when we travel in November it's usually pretty cool. I have not noticed any trunk heat; I usually move all nine cases into our hotel/vrbo when we stay. So when I move the cases, they are not warm at all. My experience with my wines is as long as there are not many large swings in temperature, they'll be fine. Most of my dry reds are over a minimum of two years old before I even consider any distribution, and I consider pretty stable.

 

[ERhoosier]

Rented an Impala LTZ (no charge upgrade from Enterprise!) for a week for a family reunion some months ago. Beautiful car. Smooth, quiet, good power (3.6L engine), roomy back seat, big trunk, and ~25mpg in mixed driving. I'm not a big-car fan for daily driving, but the Impala was MUCH better than large sedans of the past. Considered buying one but I really prefer a smaller car for my urban commuting.
FWIW- Consumer Reports 2020 Used Car Reliability guide shows the '17-18 Impala with a better than ave reliability rating, and their best rating for engine & tranny problems.

 

[Skyward1]

I drove them for years as a company car and they were reliable good quality vehicles. We turned them in with 60k - 100k miles (it changed from 60k to 100k at some point when we switched leasing companies) so I'm not sure how they hold up with higher mileage.

 

[MasterBlaster]

It should be noted that GM has made some design modifications in the past few years to the 3.6L engine in an effort to eliminate the timing chain issues of the past. How effective these efforts are remains to be seen.

FWIW...The GM 3.6 actually has 3 timing chains. The issue as I understand it is that the direct injection causes pressure to build in the crankcase that then causes higher than normal oil consumption. When the oil gets low the timing chains can't throw off heat and then tend to stretch over time causing run issues. The solution is to check the oil level regularly and change it more often that stated.

The other issue with that direct injection (GM 3.6) engine was that early versions tended to get intake valve build-up that over time caused the intake valves to not seal and hence run-time performance issues. There have been a couple of improvements in the engine so that this is less of a problem with later models. Cheap gasoline (ie. not tier 1) tends to exacerbate the problem.

 

[RobbieB]

I just returned from an LA turn around (320 miles each way) drop step daughter at UCLA and go back home with a stop at the Harris Ranch Steakhouse for supper. Twelve hours total, left at 11 AM and back at 11 PM.

No problem, nice car -

 

[stephenson]

Tier one gasoline is better?

Just regular or does the blanket statement cover all grades?

What about diesel?

 

[RobbieB]

I run regular, Chevron or Shell.

 

[stephenson]

I guess that is my question .... independent testing to show it is different?

Seriously, I have used all sorts of fuel - cars, boats, trucks ... never have known or felt a difference in performance.

Kinda like oils

 

[davebarnes]

Tier one gasoline is better?

Bogleheads think so.
After reading a lot there and other places, I now only use Tier 1.
We have to use high-test per Audi’s recommendations.

 

[aja8888]

after 35 years in the oil & gas business, I am in the camp that all fuels sold for vehicles in the U.S. must meet the appropriate ASTM spec and any enforceable local/state government specs.

 

[RobbieB]

I don't even know what "Tier 1" is.