2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

crosley4

Interesting line of chat...

When I was 20 I had a 3 month old son and a new 1973 Chevy 3/4 ton truck I bought from Lou Grubb Chevrolet in Phx,AZ.

The truck was soon gone when I was laid off. We bought a used 1972 Vega. geeez what a pile that car was till I installed a 327 V8.

Tony

gasoline

What happened to going to University and having student loans? I was broke with all the money I had to spend on rent, books and the fact that I could only work part-time. You guys must be having some rich parents who helped you out, don't attend university or financed the car.

charts2

I have neighbors down the street. Italian back ground. Mother and Father worked hard all their lives, live a basic lifestyle. They gave their son a brand new 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP on his 18th birthday two years ago. He doen't work or help out at home, always has lots of pocket money. His dad drives a 1984 rusted Taurus. Now the son tells me he is waiting for the new Impala SS to come out. Mommy and Daddy are going to flip for that as well. I guess he is a typical "mamas boy".........he will probably live at home until he is 45...( I wonder what his allowance will be then!!!!!)

emtb

... don't be picking on us youngings that live at home, and drive Impala's. I still live with my parents at the age of 20, but I pay for everything, save for room & board myself. My car I got, on my own, thankuverymuch. I work two jobs, and go to school fulltime, so pbbbt. Yes, I'm quite well off, but I've worked for it (and am ready to use my vacation...)

Darn Police Impalas....

atbear

I'm in college on full scholarship (which I earned) and I still live at home (saves more money since college is about 5 mins away). So, I don't pay rent or for food really (supper anyway)... But I do pay for my car and for my fun....

spider717

I'm 22. I bought the Impala myself. I'm working hard to pay for the car and I save money for a house also. I'm out of college and I'm paying those bills too. So yeah... I think I earned my car. Thats why I love it so much.

jbk5

Assuming (I probably shouldn't) you are single with no kids, why did those of you in your early 20's choose the Impala? I'm 24 and I bought a 2002 Monte Carlo SS about a year ago. The Impala is very nice (my parents have one) but I think the Monte Carlo is much sportier inside and out.

atbear

I'm 6'3 and there's not too many cars I can fit into comfortably.... I don't even fit comfortably in a Nissan Maxima. I like the looks of the Impala better than the Monte Carlo. It was the best car for me, and it is soon to have a TON more power....

jbk5

What are you planning on modifying?

jons01

Glad to see that young folks love their Impalas.

At 65, am I the oldest person following this forum to own an Impala? Driving the car definitely makes me feel young again and is great for picking up chicks! (Just kidding about the last part}.

emtb

Well, it was an Impala... or a Dodge Intrepid. And I didn't like how big the Intrepid was, so in the end, I ended up with an Imppy. I liked it cause it was comfortable, I'm a skinny, but tall guy.

[Deleted User]

and is great for picking up chicks!

If you got the bench seat, you don't even have to hop in the back. Just add a "necking knob" to the steering wheel.

spider717

Well, no kids is correct. My girlfriend of 4.75 years and I are looking forward to getting married once we settle into our careers. We both decided to stay at home and save money for a house instead of wasting money renting an apartment.

I bought the Impala because: I prefer 4 doors to 2 doors. It's a Chevy. and well, I think it's a damn nice looking car. (navy blue LS)

atbear

"What are you planning on modifying?"

Let's see..
As of now: Custom Fenderwell Intake w/ 9" cone filter, Borla Stainless Steel Dual Exhaust, 180 degree thermostat. (I assume I'm at about 210HP now give or take)

By end of the year: Stage 2 P/P High Velocity Throttle Body, Extended Range High Ratio Rocker Arms, INTENSE HD Pushrods, Ported Upper Intake Manifold, Upgraded DHP PCM with many features, BMR Sway Bars (I would say I'd be at around 250HP)

Soon: 3" Downpipe, Highflow Catalytic Converter and ubend replacement, Ported Exhaust Manifolds or Headers (maybe 260 HP)

Maybe in the future: Centrifugal Supercharger!!!! (approaching 400HP), GM Performance Springs and Struts (NEW!)

I'm excited!! Just need some money!!

vcjumper

Planning on beefing up the transmission to handle the extra power? Does the Impala come stock with the tranny that comes with the supercharged 3800 Series II?

norbnancy

I got you beat. I'll be 68 in Feb. Bought my 00 LS because I liked the new style. Been a very good car up to 37000 miles when the steering klunk started. Dealer & Chevrolet not interested in handling cost. Still like the car and enjoy it. I'll live with the steering. Next spring I plan on a 03 Impala or I may downsize to a Pontiac Vibe which I like the looks of. Won't know till I drive one. Been snowing here daily, sure changes driving habits. Tire tread is low and traction not as good as past years. I'll store the car in mid Dec. and go to Florida. In the spring I'll get new tires or trade to a new car. Anyone older than 68?? When I was 20 years old, I was driving a beat up Studebaker and walking, mostly walking. Enjoy the ride.

mediumfry

I liked this forum better when folks were talking about problems with their Impalas. It was fun to help fix them.

However, I like the fact that folks are not talking about problems with their Impalas on this forum. Sounds like folks with older ones are getting them fixed for good and folks with new ones are not having many problems.

Sounds like there's a chance I can keep mine for 250k miles like I want to. Woo Hoo!

atbear

No, the Impala has the 4T65E and the GTP has the 4T65E-HD. I don't really plan on beefing it up any, but I might install a tranny cooler later on. It shouldn't be a problem though. 4T65E's are pretty good trannys. Just don't abuse them and they'll hold up!

nosirrahg

This morning (at just over 45k miles), the "check engine" light came on on my '00 Impala. I got to work and opened the hood to check, and the engine was still there (rimshot)!! Seriously though, I changed the oil and filter, and replaced the PCV valve a little over a week ago; does anyone know if replacing the PCV valve might cause the engine to sense some problem, or do I probably have some other malady at this mileage? It seemed to be running about the same as usual, although my gas mileage (especially on the highway) seems to be not as great as it once was. I'd blamed it on the new tires, but I suppose there could be something else wrong. Oh well, I guess that gives me something to do on Friday, since I'm off work.

bh0001

Check your gas cap. If it's not tightened at least a couple of "clicks" your CEL might come on. This one got me a couple of months ago.
Brad

larryhart

I'm getting this message on the dashboard display at startup. I checked the dip-stick & oil is full. Any suggestions ?? . . .Thx, LH (66K on Y2K LS)

jons01

I will gladly yield to your seniority. The thing about Impalas is that they can appeal to people of all ages by being both sporty and practical.

My first car was a used Hudson Hornet (circa 1954)and I was very glad to have something to drive. A brand new car was totally unrealistic for me at the time. How things have changed when 20 year olds are buying new cars. More power to them!

Being retired, I only put about 8,000 miles a year on my '01 LS and plan to keep it about ten years. If it continues to be as great as it has been, my next car will be another Impala.

Have fun in Florida.

richz2

I just bought my 2002 Impala,base model with the twenty spoke wheels as an option, however I really like the 5-spokes, looks more like an impala SS, I'm from Texas, and would like to find some for sale. I know there are some out there somewhere. thanks for anyones help. richz2

richz2

Hi, I'm new to this but I'm looking for some 5-spoke Impala wheels, my new Impala came with the twenty spoke wheels and they remind me of a granny car. anything out there, oh by the way I'm from texas. richz2

tommy42

Go to GM Parts direct .com.Mine were $80.00 each plus shipping. I'm from Texas.

atbear

Was the shipping on those wheels from GMPartsDirect rediculously high?

b4z

Hoping everyone is having a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

b4z

I am wondering if I missed something with the Impala options this year.
Just went looking at Impalas after Thanksgiving lunch and almost all of the base Impalas at one dealership had the 5 spoke aluminum wheels just like the '00-'02 LSs.
Regardless of whether these cars were 3.4L or cars with the $995 3.8L option they had the 5 spoke machine faced wheels.
When did this happen?

pluto5

If you want the 3.8 engine and antilocks it's cheaper to get the LS. Haven't seen the 5 spoke wheels on the base, though. They increased production, so maybe they ran out of steel wheels.

tommy42

5 Spoke wheels are the option wheels on the 03 base.You can get them with option code 1SC or PYO.

richz2

thanks for the info onlocating those wheels I'll try to see if they have any. richz2

b4z

Thanks, I think they did have the 1SC or 1SA package.
i went to 4 different Chevy dealerships and this was the only one that had their cars optioned out this way.
What is the PYO package?

b4z

has a huge backseat. So when the cage is added there is still sufficient legroom.

b4z

I noticed during my Impala search yesterday that almost all of the LS are being ordered with the leather bench seat.
I only saw a couple of cars that had the floor console.

b4z

I also went by a Pontiac dealership and they had a navy blue supercharged Grand Prix with a MSRP of $28,030. Significantly less than a Impala Sport without a supercharger!!
I think Chevy has screwed up.

atbear

"I also went by a Pontiac dealership and they had a navy blue supercharged Grand Prix with a MSRP of $28,030. Significantly less than a Impala Sport without a supercharger!!"

Did you compare 2003 to 2003? I have seen GTPs for less than $25000 on many occasions. Regal GSs too. While it doesn't seem right, Impalas sure are selling a hell of a lot more than GTPs and Regal GSs, so you can't say Chevy screwed up can you??

charts2

Chevrolet dealership in Buffalo New York offering BRAND NEW BASE MODEL IMPALAS for $15,999...12 available at that price...I don't know if they are 03's or left over 02 models........Terrific price!!

tommy42

Option to order the 5 spoke wheels. $ 350.00 to order wheels

tommy42

Total shipping on all 4 wheels was $57.46

nosirrahg

I took my Impala to AutoZone this morning; they offer a free "check engine light" diagnosis (they have a code reader they can hook up, and give you the fault code). I believe the one I had was P304 "misfire on cylinder 4". I had them reset the codes, and I'll see if it comes up again. Figuring if it was a one time thing, it won't come back. If it's a real problem, I suspect it should return soon (but having driven it about 150 miles today with no problem, I think it's probably more the fluke variety).

Also must recommend going to AutoZone as an option when the check engine light comes on; I suspect they'd have done the same thing at the dealer, but I probably would have had to drop the car off and picked it up later, and they'd either have charged me for the diagnosis, and/or tried to sell me new plugs/wires/etc. Not saying I may not need these things, but the folks at AutoZone didn't try to sell me anything (and indeed, their assistance was free).

norbnancy

Several days have passed and no one older posted yet. Does that mean I'm old? I always liked the Hudson Hornet. They were really hot back in the 50's. They did well at Daytona when they were running on the beach. Hudson had some good features like step down design, roof antenna,twin H power, and back up brake system. They didn't hold up well in salty areas like Detroit. Young folks in their 20's back in the 50's couldn't get credit very easily so few had new cars. May be if Chev had an Impala in 54 you would have tried harder. Enjoy the ride.

pluto5

Ditto on the Hudson Hornet. Only car I wanted when I was a teen. Wasn't that what James Dean drove??

Anyway, by the time I could buy a car I went for the Impala but was refused financing by GMAC since I had just graduated college and did not have a credit history. However, a commercial bank gave me an auto loan and I bought another brand so GM lost a customer for 14 years.

Picked up my 03 Impala LS last week. For $17,600 after rebates and GM earnings it's a great family car value IMO.

b4z

Just got the new CD by Norah Jones that everyone is talking about, "Come away with me."
She is everything everybody says she is, an amazing singer.
Put it in the '01 Impala with the new amp and the bass rattled the doors.
Turned the bass down 2 notches and the acoustic bass was still rattliing the doors.
This is a sparsely recorded cd and maybe I have it turned up louder than I normally do.
The only other time I get buzzing is from the radio because they add emphasis to the male announcers voices.
Anybody else experience this with specific cd's? None of my others do this.

hvan3

I have the Norah Jones CD and played it in my LS. No problem to report.

By the way, my dad wanted to drive my Impala LS this morning. I was stuck driving to work with his '98 Camry. All i have to say is....I WANT MY IMPALA BACK!!

[Deleted User]

Replace the crappy factory speakers, and you'll see a world of difference. The bass will still be quite full, but decent speakers will reproduce it clearly. Night and day, my friend.

Also, GM has issued a TSB regarding the over-abundance of bass in the auto-tone settings. The dealership can reprogram it.

atbear

My Impala had tremendous bass when I bought it. I took it in and they fixed it. It works great now and I don't need new speakers.

About Norah Jones.... I went to a John Mayer concert in New Orleans a while back (early last spring) and Norah Jones was the opener. She's not much of a stage presense, but I can't complain about the music... both good stuff

johnclineii

http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=5558&sid=192&n=156

[Deleted User]

Trust me. New speakers. The ones in there simply cannot reproduce the the entire frequency range bandwidth accurately and cleanly.

charts2

I read that article yesterday. Most of your bread and butter cars are always in the top 15 in sales. You will never see cars like BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar etc in the top 15. They don't care!! there interest is selling premium automobiles. If you take off the 50,000 fleet and 12,000 Police Impalas the net sales are only around 138,000. The cavalier and Malibu currently outsell the Impala, including Altima, Camry, Accord etc... But who cares? The Impala is an average car for average people. To sell more cars you have to appeal to a larger age market. The average Impala owner is 54. I know there are 20 year old Impala owners but MOST are purchased by the older generation like myself. Almost 2/3 are sold to males. Where most top sellers are almost equally owned by men and women. If they didnt' deep discount the car in the past year with 0% financing, sales would be way down.... I own a 2001 Impala LS. I don't care what the sales figures are. My Impala is an average car for an average person like myself.

drivinisfun

If you want to listen to world class music, pick up a copy of Diana Krall's "Live in Paris" CD...awesome!

I like Norah Jones but I find some of her music to be kinda depressing......

For those of you that haven't heard about Diana Krall, she is one of the newest Jazz female singer revelations. She must be no older than 35 years old and she is from Canada.