Taking a paper loss - a different take

[brewer12345]

Yep, most Impalas were smallblock V-8's, usually a 283, 307, 327, 350, or 305 depending on the year.  Big-block V-8's were offered as well, such as the 348/409, 396/402, 427, and 454.  There was also a 400, but I think it was actually a smallblock.

An inline 6 was always offered, though, except maybe from 1971-76, when the cars just got way too big to put up with a 6-cyl.  In the earlier years, it was a 230 CID unit, but around 1967-68 they went to the 250.  Then in 1980 they went to a 229 V-6 standard, and in the final year for the Impala, 1985, they went to a 262 V-6.  Then there was the Impala SS of 1994-1996 fame, which only came with a 350 V-8.

In addition to the Impala, there were usually a few models below it in prestige, like the Biscayne and Bel Air.  These tended to be stripper cars, or fleet cars like taxis and police cars.  The 6-cylinder engine was more common in these stripper cars.

Reading this, I am remindded of the ad I heard for the 2006 Impala not long ago. Seems they are putting a small block V8 in the thing that puts out over 300HP and they claim gets 28 MPG on the highway (I suspect it shuts off 4 cylinders when cruising). If Honda made it I might actually be interested.

 

[73ss454]

Brewer,

I don't know about 300 HP with front wheel drive. Too much torque steer I would guess.
Would be cool if Honda made it though, at least it would work.

 

[laurence]

Acura (Honda) already pushes 300 with their TL type S, and it's front wheel drive. Problem is it's a V-6 with a red line at 3 million RPM's, so it's a little gutless (when compared to a comperable V-8).

 

[Andre1969]

It's not the horsepower you have to worry about with FWD, but the torque. Cadillac has been building transverse-mounted FWD V-8 cars since 1985. Prior to that, GM had been building FWD V-8 cars since the 1966 Toronado, but they had engines mounted in the conventional "north-south" configuration.

The Impala's V-8 is a 5.3 unit with 303 hp and something like 325 ft-lbs of torque. That's more than the Northstar that Cadillac puts in its cars, and the Acura 3.5 is a comparative wuss when it comes to torque, at only 260 ft-lb. The 5.3 is also available in the Grand Prix GXP model.

Also, keep in mind that while these are FWD cars, they're not lightweight little things. An Acura RL weighs about 4,000 lb. To put it in perspective, that's about what a current Crown Vic or Grand Marquis weighs! I don't know what the Impala SS weighs, but I'm sure it's around 3800 lb. Now if these were lightweight little Civics or Corollas with that much hp put to the front wheels, then I'd worry, but in something that outweighs many 70's intermediates, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[Andre1969]

Oh, and if Honda made it, it would shred the tranny!

 

[TargaDave]

OK, not the lotus or the Acura. It's the ugly duckling Subie WRX


24 mpg city, 30mpg highway (albeit 93 octane)
46k miles without a single issue
mid week commuter, weekend autocrosser, winter hill climber

For all you sports car buffs:
260 bhp at the wheels for 2850# (with a few minor mod's)
1.0 g skip pad with coilovers and R compound street tires
That 1200# lotus with racing slicks will smoke me but I can hold my own with the typical go-fast stuff.

Had plenty of cars from low budget clunkers to a couple of classic 911's. This ugly duckling is my favorite do-it-all vehicle.

 

[Jay_Gatsby]

TargaDave,

I've heard some nice things about the WRX. It's a good choice if you like fun driving for cheap.

 

[brewer12345]

I drive a base Legacy wagon and I like it a lot. I know that when the time comes to replace it, I will be very, very tempted by one of the turbo Legacy wagons. Of course, considering that Subaru just announced a pair-up with Toyota today, it might end up being a normally aspirated flat 4 hybrid by then...

 

[eric]

My next car (come January) is going to be a slighly used 2005 STI.

 

[bow-tie]

Those little WRXs are pocket rockets.  I've heard the STIs are even meaner.  Lotsa fun for as small as they are.

I'll take my '94 Impy SS.  4200# of pure pimp  .  I'll put the Subie in the trunk....

 

[TargaDave]

My next car (come January) is going to be a slighly used 2005 STI.

Those little WRXs are pocket rockets. I've heard the STIs are even meaner. Lotsa fun for as small as they are.

STI's are very impressive but over the top with the kid racer looks, at least for my tastes. My favorite would be a Lancer EVO MR with the wing taken off. I'll stick with the current little beast and save my pennies. Subaru has many loyal owners. Have one co-worker with 230k miles on his old legacy wagon.

 

[brewer12345]

Heh, my MIL had one of the tinny little subies built in the early 80s. The thing did over 250k miles before she finally got rid of it. I think they are better built now. Good thing, since I am putting better than 30k a year on mine now.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

slightly off-topic...

We have found our used Chev Prizms to be very reliable and very inexpensive to operate. I have to have a reliable vehicle for work travel.

Up here in the Great White North (talkin' -40 degrees in da winter, boys!), informal research indicates that an older 6-cyl Jeep Cherokee is both reliable and very economical. (Buy them in the Lower 48 for best price and selection. Then, must have them 'winterized' for life in the far north.)

Forget minivans. The trannys fail--all of them. Talk to any tow truck driver or transmission shop.

I have bought junkers when working far from home. Not very successfully. I expent that any car--even free ones--costs at least $2,000 to get in reliable running order. I used to give them to Goodwill when I left town and take the deduction. Harder to do these days, I hear.

Best advice: Try to live without a car. (Read the Terhorst book.) Save the $$ instead.

Ed

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Isnt the chevy prizm a rebadged toyota corolla from when they made both at the NUMMI plant in Fremont CA? Actually I think that plant is still there, i'm just not sure who operates it.

 

[73ss454]

Not sure where it was built but it is/was a toyota.

 

[Andre1969]

Yeah, the Prizm was a rebadged Corolla, and was built at the NUMMI plant in CA. Before the Prizm, Chevy had a Corolla clone called the Nova, which was sold from 1985-1988. I think they build Corollas, Matrixes, and Vibes at that NUMMI plant now.

Before the NUMMI venture, I think they either built Camaros or C/K pickups at that plant.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Yes, Prizm=Corolla. That is why I bought it. Corolla was supposed to be the most reliable car in America and the Prizm is a cheaper Corolla (on the used-car market, at least). I shopped up and down I-5 in two states using carfax.com to check out Prizms. In the end, I bought one from the Enterprise used car lot in north Seattle, got exactly what I wanted for a price lower than any I had looked at before and got a good maintenance history, too. We have bought two vehicles from this same place and are very happy with them. I understand that Enterprise sells their cherries and sends the others to auction. When we bought a Windstar there, I bought a factory drive train warrantee and am glad I did. When the tranny blew, the price of the warrantee was less than half what a tranny would have cost me. The next time we lost a tranny (we travel a LOT), I had it repaired in Canada, for about the same savings.

I am generally happy with Enterprise, too, which is why we were dealing with them. "Your milage may vary." Enterprise has started selling their vehicles in Canada, too (Sarnia and Endmonton, that I know of). No experience with them up here except renting (good weekend deals in Calgary!).

Ed