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Comments
as of July sales are up 10,000 units over last year.
Impala 117,670
Grand Prix 72,956
Regal 29,881
Intrigue 25,438
Regal and Intrigue sales are going in the dumper.
Grand Prix is way off from last year.
One interesting thing is that this roof trim problem seems to be exclusively showing up with 2001 model year production cars. My ex-2000 Impala LS never exhibited any room trim problems. The trim was flush fitted properly at the factory and the glue/backing tape never gave up. I suspect that they did change the quality and the supplier of the roof trim pieces from the ones installed on earlier production cars.
I have the problem, slightly, only on the left side. The right side roof trim is perfect along with the rear window rubber seal. Now with your instructions I should be able to take care of it in the weekend.... thanks again!!. Saturday I saw a brand new white 2001 Impala base and the left roof trim had completely popped out...it seems that no one at the dealer's showroom had noticed this..
B4z: It seems that even with the heavy duty rebates/finance/lease deales and the 5 year/60K mile basic warranty still no one wants GM's ultimate driving machine, the Olds Intrigue. Only 25K units sold is a total embarrasement, ditto for the Buick Regal. I still don't buy the piece of putting the entire blame on Oldsmobile's failure on poor marketing....Also poor quality, high prices and so-so product mix were also responsible for the mess.
At 100K + units per year the Impala is clearly outselling its corporate W Body and H Body cousins...something must have been done right.
Ok, 9899, let's hear your rant as to why the Intrigue is the best GM car...
Enjoy the ride..
Thank God there are three Mustangs at every intersection. That's how I talked my wife out of a Mustang and into the CL. (Plus, they're ugly, compared to the previous generation ponies, which helped.) We'd also have to worry about exploding gas tanks, improperly placed ignition coils that stall on the highway, defective seat belt buckles, or tire treads unraveling. "Quality is job 2. Avoiding lawsuits is job 1."
Marketing did play a big part in Olds demise. GM had decided in the early 90's that, after years of universal criticism that all their cars looked exactly the same, they needed distinct brand identity for each division. (Just take a look at the entire 1989 line of all divisions).
Olds was to be the division that competed directly with Japanese imports. Unfortunately, their engineering didn't seem to go all the way to achieve that goal. That, plus the lack of quality, which plagues all GM divisions, including Chevy, doomed that plan to failure.
Saturn would have been the obvious choice for such a plan, due to its unique and separate brand identity. But nooooo. Saturn should just keep producing well made, but butt ugly cars that haven't changed styling for over 10 years.
Captains of Industry! I wish I got million dollar paychecks for making such stupid decisions. I certainly make enough of them for free!
The ford explorer is a prime example.
Now I'm looking forward to seeing the service guys face when I bring the car in for a 12k-maintenance 10 days after I had it in for 9ks.. ;-)
Unfortunately we can't take our Impala as we will be flying there (Time constraints), but we are planning on renting a car (Hopefully and Impala)and head on our own way.
Glad to hear you had a great time behind the wheel of your car. The Imp is one amazing road trip machine!
Question for the Canuck friends... How long those it take to get from Toronto to Niagara by car?
How About Toronto-Ottawa and Toronto-Montreal?
My sister and brother in law have finally decided to purchase a new base Impala but the model year selection depends on the following:
They will buy a new 2001 Impala Base, get the $1000.00 rebate, if the lower seat back LATCH anchors can be retrofitted.
If not, then they will go for a 2002 Impala Base and let go of the $1000.00 rebate on the 2001.
The safety of my 1 year old nephew is paramount to them so if you or anyone can give me some insight into the LATCH child car seat restraint system, I would certainly appreciate it.
Any likes/dislikes about it?
I don't doubt that part of the 6 digit sales volume could have gone to cover fleet sales. Still the Impala is selling very well with almost no incentives in comparison to other GM corporate siblings.
Gonna be fun in the Winter for sure.
Check those blind spots!!
Later!
RR
Do you have tints by any chance?
I am under the impression that some tints may hinder visibility at night, but I could be wrong.
Driving basics 101: In driver's ed they teach you that the best way to avoid an accident while changing lanes is to turn your head quickly to make sure that you are not about to hit another car not being registered in the side or rear view mirror. Unless you are driving a panel van or a big truck, is never a good idea to rely on the side mirrors to make lane changes. Those concave little mirrors are useless IMHO as they just make it more difficult to measure distances between you and other cars/obstacles in the road. They are best used when towing trailers.
TEO
Intrigue and Impala are totally different modes of transportation. I buy cars to drive, not cuddle or polish..These are business related purchases and are treated as such.. I don't pussyfoot around when it comes to driving or dealer contact..I don't spend time screwing around on itty-bitty problems..
The Intrigue is not a Grand Prix or Regal..The volume of 25k is not bad for a car that is being killed and dealers didn't order any because they were stunned; walking around in shock.
The Intrigue 3.5 is a fun engine and the suspension is harsh; but great for the high end..I am not looking for a family car with cuddly features..
Frankly, Frank I don't really like the two Intrigues of present and past; but I got an excellent deal.. I haven't suffered one bit..
Does anyone else find the rear view mirror to obstruct their forward vision? Or am I crazy? (C. All of the above)
On a related note: I also had a little run in with a small fire hydrant at work. The rear end of the car is so high, I didn't see it. I blame myself, though. I should have checked more thoroughly. I hope I can fix it with bondo, primer, and touchup. A new rear bumper cover is around $250, plus paint and labor. OUCH.
I noticed that the higher you adjust the height adjustment in your seat the worst it gets. If you lower the seat height it helps some.
I am already used to it, but at first it was a bit uncomfortable when making fast right hand turns.
On the Impala base model, if you get inside one with the basic non-self dimming mirror, you'll notice that it is installed higher in the windshield and it is not as bulky.
The overhead DIC is the reason why they installed the mirror so low in the windshield in the first place.
Sorry about your bumper cover, I am sure you can get it repaired at a good body shop for much less than $250.00.
Toronto -> Ottawa 5-6hrs
Toronto -> Montreal 6-7hrs (just past Ottawa) If you can swing it, see Quebec city too, very European but less English spoken.
Quebec City would be a nice stop. Would love to hear some French spoken again. I am already missing it and we were back in France just 3 months ago.
For now, I will try and use filler, sand paper, primer, touch up paint, and crossed fingers. If that doesn't work, I'll try duct tape. It's silver, isn't it? :-D
Enjoy Toronto. It's the cleanest city I've ever seen.
Sometime when I am not so rushed I will explain to you and some of your forum buddies how bad the car division of Chevrolet has gotten in the last 15 yrs.. The Geo Tracker is an absolute pile of junk..The joint venture project in Ingersoll, Ontario between GM and Suzuki pumps out nothing but little pieces of c--p, daily.. Over the years I have quoted on some of the suspension items and I think you could find better quality at your local hardware store.
The amazing thing is that GM allows Chevy dealers to keep the Corvette line because it is so far removed from the normal Chevy product line that it is criminal..The vette line should be moved to an upscale dealer envirnoment..
the camaro line is suffering from no sales and suspect quality, so it is headed south..
Chevy survives on trucks only, for 100k Impalas/yr is peanuts volume..Dealer lots are loaded with them in the Motor City..
The most common problem with child seats is improper installation. The LATCH system is supposed to make it easier to install. However, not too many seat manufactures have seats that can take advantage of the LATCH system.
I may look into a retrofit kit, but until that time, I'll install my seat following the directions. From time to time the fire department/police department sponser a child seat check up where they check the installation. I'll take my car there and have them check it out.
Go to this link for more information:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/csr2001/csrhtml/LATCH.html
If he is talking about the manufacturing side, I would have finished off the roof rather than cover the weld with a piece of trim stuck on with double stick tape.
Actually, I don't like this tape stuck to tape thing. I might pull the end off again and use silicone adhesive. It looks like they didn't bend the trim to follow the roof line before they stuck it to the car.
Oh, cleanest city I was ever in... Singapore, by far...
2- The human eye has a blind spot looking straight ahead, but your brain fills in the view. It's a simple parlor trick to prove, you may have done it in psych 101.
3- I've driven numerous cars and Class II trucks, Impala is no better or worse than any other,
4- As a motorcyclist of 20 years standing, I learned NEVER CHANGE LANES WITHOUT A QUICK PEEK OVER YOUR SHOULDER. Even a vehicle without any blindspots at all will get slammed into if the other driver isn't looking.
My point was, I'm not the handiest guy around, so why would I do a better job blah, blah, blah....
Guess I should have gotten that disclaimer in first.
Just had my tires rotated at 12k miles by the dealer, wondering what I'm torqued at, probably at whatever the air hammer cinched 'em down at.
Still, loving this car.
All the impalas i saw on the dealer's lot had this problem. None of the intrigues i have seen have this problem.
The intrigue is the only car i have ever owned that didn't have a blind spot.
I will put up with some visibility problems to get a car that is not always in the shop.
http://www.mindspring.com/~daveleck/sport.html
I personally think the taillights are hideous. Looks cheap/ricey to me... (I wonder if it would look better if you only installed the center portion...)
Dave
The tail light treatment looks good,though. Much better than the giant red boomerang, which I think looks much cheaper, IMHO.
By the way, I think it's dumb to have a Sports edition without the added horsepower.
I'm gonna check the prices of the tail parts before I decide how much I'll replace. It would be nice if they came painted, but they probably won't, so painting will add to the cost.
I wish the bumper cover came painted. I'd be able to replace it myself, then. A fire hydrant snuck up on me when I wasn't looking, and left a wee hole.
I am with b4z. The triangle windows help a little, but I shouldn't have to conciously focus through a little window to make sure I and others don't get killed! Maybe I just have to get used to the car.
garypen: haven't had any difficulty with forward vision. I sit rather low in the seat. Some 'elders' even say I "lay down" while driving. Hey I'm only 23!!
etcarrol: THANKS for the driving lesson. I am aware that all vehicles (not just cars) have blind spots. My comment was just isolated to the car I currently drive 30 miles one way to work 5 days a week.
I know all to well the quick check over the shoulder while driving. Motorcycle - those 2 wheel things?? yep - owned one of those two. Hated that too, since I was forced to take my eyes of what is coming toward me at 60mph and take an extra hard glance over my shoulder and through the helmet. I'll stick to 4 wheels on the road and 2 on the track.
Do all of you have to "find" a clear area while checking the blind spot? Maybe I can train my eyes to look through the 5"x8" window in the rear. Thank goodness for new contacts!
Later!
RR
How many are looking into the replacement of the rear assemblies? I think garypen and bh0001 are the two that stand out so far.
But my favorite addition? The Impala logo on the inside of the doors above the rests! SWEET!!!!
Later!
RR
However, I REALLY like the logos on the doors and the graphite trim. I can't stand the fake wood trim. I definitely plan to find out if it can be switched.
Crashed my mountain bike this evening. The doctors gave me a clean bill of health, but man am I SORE! This is the first time someone else drove my Impala (the ambulance took me). I don't know which was more traumatic - the pain of the crash or someone else driving my baby!
Brad
Huhh. I am not sure how i fel about the taillight treatment. It is a little Donna Rice or maybe Rice-a-Roni.
need to get rid of the spoiler still.
Wheels are from the Monte.
Interior treatment is the most successful of all the changes.
How about some 17" wheels Chevy? And lets get rid of the black body side mouldings.
Thanks.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
http://cnniw.yellowbrix.com/pages/cnniw/Story.nsp?story_id=22893296&ID=cnniw&scategory=Auto&
I like the new taillight treatment. And I like the look of the interior. But yes, if you're going to charge more for a SPORT edition, soup it up a bit with some horsepower and maybe extra chrome and tinting.
Well, you can dream...