2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

loupie8 · November 2003

The price is $19K Cdn without discounts (currently negotiating)
Jo

pluto5 · November 2003

If you're nervous about buying used why not order a new base sedan? With dealer discount, mfg. rebate and GM card earnings (now rounded to higher thousand) you can get a new vehicle with full warranty for about the same as a retailed 03 used car.

For our friends in the snowbelt, TireRack has the Kumho winter tires for $60--they are quieter on dry pavement than the OEM Goodyears!

challiday · November 2003

I just bought a new used 2000 Impala with 68,000 kms. I am looking for advice regarding the reliability, maintenance, recalls, and/or any comments relating to this vehicle. Thanks.
Chris

johnclineii · November 2003

Well, my 2000 LS now has 142,000 miles (over 225,000 km). The only major repairs have been a headlight switch and an ignition switch...

loupie8 · November 2003

I found a cool website that has all automotive recalls and bulletins for no charge. This is the address that will get you to the 2003 Impala info and you can take it from there.
www.alldata.com/TSB/10/031019GN.html
Jo

t_tookalook · November 2003

Loupie (Jo)
My son bought a car that was from Budget, they
order them by the Hundreds and they are
not the same car as u get on the market. Also
a friend had worked at Budget and he said the
same thing. If you want to add accessories in all
likly-hood they will not work.
My son tried adding lights, different locks etc.,
and they wouldn't work right. He found the
wiring harness was different.
I wouldn't. Go for the new one!
Rodger
t_tookalook@hotmail.com

staticxmg · November 2003

I have a white 2001 Impala, and I'm thinking about painting the center taillight peice white also, has anyone ever done this? If so I would like to talk with you about the process you went through....

tommy42 · November 2003

Go to impala hq.com. When you get to the site ,go to The how to section. There is a couple of way it has been done.

hvan3 · November 2003

Last week, my vendor took me out to lunch with his rented 2004 Impala. I must say, the quality on the 2004 seems much better than my 2000 Impala. The acceleration has a quicker response. The doors have a nice thumb sound when you close the doors. My vendor was very impress with the Impala. He mentioned it 3x about how nice the Impala drives. (I'm hearing this from a guy who owns a BMW 3 series convertible!!)

In our local paper here in the LA market, new 2004 Impala base model is selling for slightly less than $16K with MSRP of $22K.

Loupie:
Go buy a new Impala! Impala has been the best vehicle I've owned...better than my previous Accord V6 EX and my father's Camry. Honest!!

challiday · November 2003

Having just bought a 2000 Chev Impala I noticed a rattle or clunking in the front end. I could feel the clunking through the steering wheel. I asked the Dealer to check the vehicle and I am awaiting his response. Has anyone experienced this problem with their Impalas?
Also, there appeared to be a anti-freeze leak from the intake manifold. Again the Dealer is checking the source of the leak. Is this an on-going problem with the 2000 Impala? Thanks for the feedback.
Chris H

hvan3 · November 2003

<<I could feel the clunking through the steering wheel.>>

It's either the ISS or the engine cradle. The ISS is very common among most GM cars. The engine cradle is specific to 2000 Impala.

<<Also, there appeared to be a anti-freeze leak from the intake manifold>>

There is a recall for this intake manifold.

kcidcampers · November 2003

I was originally in K.C., Mo. and am now in Ft. Myers, Fl. Bought my 2000 Carmine Red Impala on 9-9-99. I have over 45,000 miles (original). I'm planning on putting Michelin X1 tires on and since my original tires are only half worn, I'm lucky. The only problem I've had is the replacement of my battery with a Sears Diehard. I have no pops, no gallops, no front in rotary problems except I think when they rotated my tires that made them run backwards so with the noise that I'm getting from my tires, I'll replace them. So this 2000 dude is really preforming, no dents, no scratches and away I go. I keep it polished and it's show room clean.
K-cid

challiday · November 2003

I am looking to purchase and install a bra for the hood on my 2000 Chev Impala. Where can I purchase this item and how much do they cost?
Chris

charts2 · November 2003

I see you are from Canada.....go to your local Canadian Tire store at the parts counter....they have a catalogue with accessories....and I believe they offer a bra for the Impala.... $59.00 to $89.00 range I believe.......also go to your local Chevy dealer.....they offer them.....a little more expensive but probably fit better.....

fredvh · November 2003

You should check out clearbra.com also. This is a clear coating over the paint which, in my opinion, is better protection than the standard bra.

fredvh · November 2003

I am considering the Regal vs. the Impala LS. Does anyone have an opinion on one or the other? They seem to be approximately the same price for the way I want it equipped(3.8 with cloth interior, ABS,and bucket seats.

johnclineii · November 2003

Better drive both. They don't handle even remotely similarly. You will like one and not like the other nearly as well, if I am right...

crosley4 · November 2003

My sister-in-law bought a 2001 Regal while we had the 2000 Impala LS....

Way different road feel. The Buick still felt like the old-man's car.

The LS was firmer , but rides very well IMHO

regfootball · November 2003

have you given the Grand Prix a try?

b4z · November 2003

The Impala has some improvements that the regal does not have.

The main one is that it has a 1 piece body ring stamping.

Open the back door of the regal and look down at the sill. You will see a joint where the 2 pieces come together and are welded. Same at the top of the door.

There are no welds or seams on the Impala.
It is stronger and offers better crash protection.

The other difference is the Impala has a 1" longer wheelbase. Giving about 1" more rear legroom.

The Impala is 5" longer and has a bigger trunk.

The Impala is considered a full size and the Regal a mid size.

t_tookalook · November 2003

I have an '03 Imp and really like it. However,
after ridding in the back seat a few times for
1-2 hrs each time, I find the rear seat extremely
unconfortable. The bench is too narrow and is
not comfortably configured, and I'm only 6'.
If you can, ride in the rear for at least an hour
or more before u buy. Otherwise, I've had no
trouble with this vehicle.
t_tookalook@hotmail.com

b4z · December 2003

GM puts narrow bench seats in to give the appearence of more legroom.
I think the seatbacks may be too vertical.

pluto5 · December 2003

I put a jacket on the seatback for lower back support but apparently few people base their purchasing decision on back seat comfort cause I found fault with just about every model I looked at including SUVs which have some incredibly bad back seats, e.g. Saturn Vue and Trailblazer.

johnclineii · December 2003

If anything, the back seat backrest is too reclined...and the seat itself is too short. The passenger seat in the front is even more uncomfortable than the back seat. And the radio's sound is all aimed at the driver. You find out all this stuff when you let someone else drive. There is a moral to this story, somewhere!

b4z · December 2003

Tahoes are not comfortable either.

suka_g · December 2003

exactly what is the electronic overdrive option in the impala LS. Pardon my igorance here - but I've been searching the net and I can't figure it out.

This is different than the traction control that comes standard with the LS model, correct?

b4z · December 2003

There is no electronic overdrive option to my knowledge.
All the cars come with 4 speed automatic overdrive transmissions.

b4z · December 2003

Did you guys notice that the 2004 Impalas with the 3.8L engine have had their hwy mileage uprated to 30 mpg?

00-01s were 30 mpg.
02-03s were 29 mpg.
04s are 30 mpg.

hvan3 · December 2003

My 00 Impala 3.8L has 29 MPG in the highway.

b4z · December 2003

I'll check my sticker and see what it says.

tommy42 · December 2003

My 01 with 3.8 20 city 30 highway.

charlief1 · December 2003

charlief1 Oct 13, 2003 11:13am
Took 2002 LS back to dealer for noisy tachometer and ISS clunk. Dealer replaced instrument cluster and lubricated ISS per TB. Steering feels fine again. Noticed 2 things on instrument cluster. Temp gage only goes up to a little above what I would refer to as the 1/4 mark whereas the old cluster it ran about 1 notch below 1/2 mark (middle of full range). Don't know if that is going to be a problem or not. It does seem like not everything in cluster is lit up when lights are on. Can some of you look at your cluster when lights are on and tell me if the TEMP and FUEL lettering on left side bottom is lit up? None of the lettering near bottom in center (TRIP HOLD TO RESET and message about applying brake to shift) and on right (MESSAGE CENTER) are lit up either. Is that normal? Thanks.

b4z · December 2003

Mine has ben making noise again for some time. Even hough I had the IP replaced in March.

b4z · December 2003

I drove my Imp today for the first time in 5 days. Took it to the upholstery shop to get the seat redyed.
The steering s so much firmer than Lexus.
The lexus has really light steering at slow speeds. I much prefer the Impala's steering.

charlief1 · December 2003

b4z Dec 4, 2003 11:55am
b4z,If you have an LS did you check what lights up on your instrument cluster. In particular do the words TEMP and FUEL light up in left hand area of cluster?
Thanks.

b4z · December 2003

i will check when I get it back from the upholstery shop this afternoon.

kolt1 · December 2003

I currently own a 91 Chevy Lumina APV with 138,000+ miles on the odo. Within the next 8-10 months, I will probably purchase a new vehicle (I enjoy researching and test drives). Besides other GM vehicles, I have owned Fords, Chryslers, Mazdas, Subarus, and Hyundais. I have to admit that if I were to buy today, it probably would be a Mazda MPV (although they have had issues with a transmission hard shift between 2-3). The reason Im posting in this forum is that I am also considering purchasing an Impala (family and friends say I no longer need a van, but I really like the versatility of a mini van).

Since the reliability of GM vehicles is a one of the topics discussed here, I thought I would share my experience with my APV.

I purchased the van in 10/91 from a Chevy dealer. I bought it through GMs Purchase Plan (GM sold it to a rental company then bought it from them and sold it at auction to one of their dealers). Total cost of the vehicle, including TTL, was $14,841.00. It had a little over 13,000 miles on it when I drove it home and the remainder of the 36mo/3yr. warranty. It had very few options (A/C, privacy glass, AM/FM cassette, roof rack, premium sound system). I firmly believe in KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid). The more options you have, the more problems youll have.

When the van had a little over 50,000 miles on the odo, it left my family (wife and 3 sons) and I stranded on the final leg of a vacation trip to Myrtle Beach. About 100 miles from our destination, the van started bucking, almost like it was going to stall. When we were about 3 blocks from our hotel, it died. A faulty ignition coil wire was the culprit. The cost to fix it was less than $300.00 (including towing). Even though that may sound reasonable, I felt it was a bit salty. I had a feeling that it was going to be expensive when I walked into the Myrtle Beach Chevy dealerships customer waiting room and saw GQ Magazine on the table. I have to admit that the dealership diagnosed the problem immediately and fixed it promptly (2-3 hours). BTW, the vacation was probably one of our best (after the fix, of course).

Other fixes:
Rear Brake Cylinder 60,000+ miles
Alternator 99,000+ miles
Frt. Rotors Turned 99,000+ miles
Water Pump 109,000+miles
Replace Radiator 122,000+miles
Brake Hoses Various mileage (these were detected by my mechanic during various annual inspections)
Replace Headliner 138,000+miles

The total cost for all of the above fixes, including the ignition coil wire, totaled $1,100.00, +/- a few dollars.

Maintenance Schedule:
Oil + Filter Every 3,000 miles (religiously with Gastrol 5W 30 and AC Delco filters)
Trans. Fluid Every 30,000 miles
Air Filter Every 30,000 miles
PCV Valve Every 30,000 miles
Cooling System Flush
and Refill Every 30,000 miles

As you can see, Ive had some problems, but nothing out of the ordinary (okay, it did leave us stranded in
Myrtle Beach, but it was only 3 blocks from the hotel and I forgave it for that years ago). If I could buy a new
vehicle today and be guaranteed the same reliability as my APV, I would buy it in a heartbeat (remember the old
Chevy commercials?)
Now some of you may be asking why am I in the market for a new vehicle. One word, cautious. As my van gets closer to 150,000 miles, I am becoming very cautious. My wife and I frequently take the van on 400+ mile trips throughout the year, and she is deathly afraid of being stranded again (shes not as forgiving as me). But as you can see from the documentation above, GM has done alright by me. In fact, I would have to say that my van of plastic has been fantastic! As a matter of fact, I believe all of the Big Three have made enormous strides in product reliability. And if and when I do have to say goodbye to the magic bus, I will definitely have a tear in my eye.

b4z · December 2003

Your maintenace costs are less than the average.
And noticeably lower than my sister's '89 Honda with 170,000 miles. Which includes a junkyard replacement engine and non working A/C.
You need to get rid of that minivan TODAY!.

I have 51K on my '01 Impala LS.
MY out of warranty expense so far was a right front wheel bearing assembly that cost 556.00.
It was probably bad under warranty but I did not catch the symptoms.

You can buy a fromer rental car Impala dirt cheap.

Or you can go with a full boat LS with leather and fold down rear seat. Heated seats, etc for about 22K.
Remember there is a $3500 rebate right now which will be going away soon. You should be able to get about $5500 off of MSRP.

The car gets excellent mileage on the highway.
30 mpg is not uncommon.

My two reoccurring problems have been the noise in the front suspension and the tachometer making a scraping sound. That is almost inaudible but I hear it.

b4z · December 2003

There is a $4000 rebate on Impalas now!!

Guess Chevrolet is gunning to overtake the Taurus this year.

kolt1 · December 2003

$4000.00 rebate?? Not too shabby. But this APV just keeps going and going and going. I'd be really ticked if I go and buy a new LS and one year from now I'm running back to the dealer for the ISS or the intake manifold or the ticking tachometer or the faulty gas guage, etc. If I'm going to have problems, I'd rather have them with a vehicle that I don't have a $250.00 to $300.00 monthly payment. If I'm anything...it's frugal.

b4z · December 2003

I picked up on the frugal part. LOL.

Went by my dealer Sunday (they are a $98 over invoice store) They had a '04 Impala LS with a 28+K sticker for 22K and change!
I got 4.5K off my '01LS and paid 21.1K.
Only a thousand more for a 3 year newer car.
Not too shabby.

What I am doing for my mother is looking into a
'03 Buick Century for $9600.
Former rental car with 28-30K miles.
Dealer is taking bumper to bumper warranty to 39 months and 39K miles.
I have a choice of 10 cars.
Unfortunately no CD available.
Sounds like an excellent value to me.

gasoline · December 2003

Everybody who drives a rental tends to beat the crap out of it. Even though your mother will get an extended warranty it's a hassle going to the dealership.
For example, I had to take my car (01-impala) for the engine cradle replace and it took the dealership 3 attempts until they realized that a new engine cradle was needed. During that time I got filthy cavalier rentals that smelled of cigarette smoke.

garyw · December 2003

I am not seeing the bump to a $4000 rebate on the west coast. Maybe its a regional thing again?

b4z · December 2003

My dealer here in SC has it written on the window.
They put several numbers on the window.
Invoice + $98 = subtotal - rebate = total

It might be dealer cashback that your dealer is not telling you about or it is regioanl like you said.

b4z · December 2003

Well my mom was not happy with the rear legroom
in the Century program car so we may not go that route.
She asked me what I would sell my Impala for?

Now I have that to deal with. LOL.

b4z · December 2003

I forgot to tell you guys that I got my car back from the upholsterer on Wednesday.

The first thing that i noticed is that the seats are now about a shade lighter than they were.
If you look at the backseats then the front you can see the fronts are lighter now.

I think they dyed it closer to the Tahoe neutral instead of the Impala neutral.

They dyed the passenger seat also because the color difference would have been noticeable.

Anyway, the verdict is that they look fantastic.
I had no idea that they could make these seats look like new.
No exxageration. The have the same look and feel as they did when knew.
I have shown it to about 8 people in the office and they were all really impressed.

They charged my $125 to do the 1 seat and I got the 2nd for free.

Needless to say I am riding around with a white towel over the seat.

tsjay · December 2003

Hi Peeps, just wanted to ask you guys what kind of deal in relation to invoice is considered to be reasonable nowadays on the 2004 Impalas.

I last bought a new vehicle three years ago, a Jeep Wrangler Sport, and I got it for $200 over invoice. This was about as well as anyone was doing on those vehicles back then. There were a few folks doing a little better, but that was pretty rare.

I love my Jeep, and I am keeping that baby for a LONG time. It's time to replace the family car now, since it's an 89 Olds 88 Royale. From all I can gather, the Impalas are great cars and about as good as it gets for value for the money spent.

I see that GM has a $3000 rebate now, and I have accumulated $1300 on my GM card rebate. GM is offering to make up the difference and allow me a $2000 rebate on my GM card instead of the $1300 that I have actually earned to date. So, there's $5000 off sticker without the dealer having done anything. That's why I would like to know how close to invoice the dealers are selling the Impalas for now.

Thanks.

Tom

tsjay · December 2003

Is the LS package worth the extra money? And, how much money are we talking to step up to the LS?

I want the 3800 engine, and I think you have to get the LS to get that puppy, right? It does seem like I saw in the brochure that I picked up (forgot to bring it home...it's still at work) that you CAN get the 3800 as an option with just the regular Impala (is the entry level Impala called the "Sport?").

Are there other good reasons to get the LS, other than just to get the 3.8 L engine?

Thanks a bunch.

Tom

pluto5 · December 2003

You should be able to get an 04 LS for 200 over invoice but you will probably have to pay several hundred for the dealer's advertising cost unless you are in a rural area, so I would suggest that $500 over invoice is reasonable in a metro area. Don't get the base model unless you are using it as a taxi. The base with the optional engine will end up costing you more than the LS and if you do a factory order you can delete the odious spoiler and also not pay for stuff you don't want.Most dealers have orders in the pipeline and may be willing to change the color/options on a unit on order to suit you in which case you should have it in about 3 weeks.

tsjay · December 2003

Thanks for the quick response.

I was under the impression that the ad fees were part of the invoice cost, not IN ADDITION to the invoice cost. On my 01 Wrangler Sport, the ad fees, national and regional, were line items on the invoice and contributed toward the total.

I know Edmunds doesn't list the ad fees (didn't used to anyway), so maybe you meant that I could expect to pay ad fees in addition to the quoted invoice price here on Edmunds? I was figuing on that already.

Man, I used to trade cars as often as most people change underwear, and now I can't afford to take advantage of these tremendous incentives! It's the best time to buy a new vehicle that I ever heard of, but I'm not sure I can swing a deal now, no matter how good the deal might be. I'm just in the investigating stage right now, but when it comes down to it, I don't know if I can do ANYTHING right now or not.

Appreciate the info... thanks!

Tom

2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

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