'94-'96 Impala SS

b4z

I am a car guy and consider myself very knowledgeable.

The '01 was simply cheaper for me to purchase. I am 6'8" and most of the cars on your list don't work for me. I came out of an '99 intrigue so i know all about that car. I don't have the time to spend at the olds service department anymore. And i am not prepared to take a $10,000 depreciation hit in one year on an intrigue.

Part of the deal on the intrigue termination was that they forgave my remaining lease payments. If i had turned the car in in may i would have had to pay $2445.00 out of pocket. The total discounts on the '01 was about $4500. MSRP was $25,504 I paid $21,068.00. S.C. sales tax is only $300.00 maximum.

Back to the comparison. They are different cars, the '01 doesn't handle like the SS, but it only gives up about .5 second 0-60 mph.

Once i get the grey mouldings off of it and slightly tint the windows i will have a pretty good looking car. True, it is still front wheel drive. But the '01's aquisistion cost was less.

If i don't like the car in a couple of years i can buy a SS or a Marauder. I am sure my income will allow me to do that by then.

CR is not a great magazine to use when comparing cars. If it were everyone would be driving camrys and accords.

giowa

1. Real car guys don't drive '00-'01 Impalas as their car of choice. People who don't care much about cars or care about things other than pure driving pleasure do.

2. Real knowledgeable car guys don't confuse old and new Impala. They are as different as night and day.

3. Darn near everyone is driving a Camry or Accord (they have led the sales charts for years). That is why Chevy only made about 60,000 '94-'96 Impala SSs. You had to be in the know to know. And want to stand out of the crowd.

4. Appears you bought your pedestrian conveyance primarily to save some dough. Great for you and Chevy. But you didn't get anything other than a bland, boring, low performance car that sullies the name "Impala". God help us if Chevy has the gall to stick "SS" on this FWD taxi cab wanna be.

5. Hope it holds enough resale value so you can trade it in on a new '03 Marauder. But I'm guessing there will likely be another fire sale on a bland car and you might be inclined to go for that. Hope not!

b4z

Don't really want to get in an arguement with you about my credentials. You and i have posted before in the marauder thread.

My other car is an '87 IROC that i special ordered. It is the 215 hp TPI motor with 5 speed. 3.45 rearend, limited slip and 4 wheel discs. It will be in and out of the shop until this fall. Part of the work being done on it will a 336 CID small block with about 300 hp.

I felt that the SS was inappropriate for my job as a real estate agent. I did not know that my not buying the SS excludes me from my hobby.
According to you i am no longer a car enthusiast.

giowa

My comments are entirely in regard to what you have said about the new Impala vis-a-vis the real Impala (i.e., the '94-'96 years) and your justifications for buying same. You write as if there is some legitimate way to compare the old and new Impala. There isn't. And no enthusiast would, either. They are two entirely different cars for two entirely different markets & drivers. I find it odd that you could claim to be seriously interested in a '96 SS and then suddenly be smitted by an '01 LS. Either you weren't serious about the former or are rationalizing the latter.

Do you honestly believe there is any valid comparison between your LS and my SS? If so, please enlighten me. And I don't mean things like "each has 4 wheels, 4 doors, a steering wheel, etc."

b4z

I don't ever think i said the two were directly comparable. The only thing they have in common is the name and the impala logo. Even if GM were to put a LS1 in the current impala it is impossible to compare FWD to RWD.

I do not feel that I settled for a bad car though. I have thoroughly enjoyed driving it these past three days. It is not as sporting as the intrigue was, nor does it have the intrigue's incredible passing power. It still drives great and i have gotten lots of compliments.

The deal that Gm offered me was to good to pass up. Remember, i would have had to pay almost $18,000 for the SS, and $2445.00 to get out of the lease on the intrigue.

giowa

We likely are disagreeing about even the most basic of concepts.

a. I can't begin to fathom how anyone can "thoroughly enjoy driving" the new Impala. I've driven my brother's '00 LS. Even tried to push it a bit. Wasn't fun and certainly not exciting or rewarding. It is not a serious driver's car nor is it intended to be driven hard. Serious drivers don't buy them. Buyers who do don't drive 'em hard. Unlike the SS, it just isn't physically capable of high levels of all around driving excitement.

b. It is NOT sporting, period. End of discussion. Nor is the Intrigue.

c. It "drives great"? Compared to what? A Corolla? Taurus? Stratus? Not compared to any even half serious sport sedan I'm aware of.

Who is complimenting? Retirees? Teachers? Salesmen? Little old ladies? Certainly not the same people who would appreciate and compliment an SS.

andre1969

giowa...

I haven't read a Consumer Reports auto review in awhile, but it used to be that "competent though unexceptional model" is about the nicest thing that CR would say about a domestic car!

Considering that if CR had their way, we'd all be driving 4-cylinder Accords and Camrys with crank windows (and they haven't changed over the years...back in the 60's they would've wanted everyone in 6-cyl Valiants!), I'm sure they would've been more biased against the Impala SS and Caprice than they are the new Impala!

The new Impala is a good car, but I look at it as more as the first real replacement for the '78-83 Malibu (the Celebrity and Lumina just never quite fit that bill, in my opinion) than I do as a replacement for the '94-96 Impala SS.

b4z, I'm surprised that your Impala's 3.8 is that lacking in passing power compared to your Intrigue, which I'm guessing had the 3.5. Then again, I think the 3.5's OHC design did give it better higher-speed performance.

I looked at the new Impalas when I bought my Intrepid. Only problem was they only had fully-loaded models on the lot, priced well out of my price range, and at the time I hadn't gotten used to the style of it yet, so I didn't seriously consider it. When new-car time comes around again, I might consider one, if I go new again. I still have a yearning for a big RWD car though, and may try to just find a nice used Caprice or Impala SS.

-Andre

b4z

Thanks for the support. Giowa doesn't like my taste in cars. LOL.
The impala has less than 100 miles on it and i have not even given it half throttle yet.
The midrange in the intrigue with DOHC motor was pretty incredible. Its power from 55-90 mph was very confidence inspiring.
I don't guess giowa has ever driven an intrigue. The car handled pretty well and rode quite a bit harder than the average midsize car.

giowa

1. CR has changed a bit over the past couple years. Check out the issue earlier this year (thinking May '01) that discusses sport sedans. They have no trouble rightly ascertaining and more than adequately writing about the wonderful performance characteristics of their top-rated BMW 330i. Forgot what they ranked second. Thinking Lexus IS300. CR does give a lot of weight to reliability, resale, fuel economy, and safety but they still do test the cars for acceleration, handling, emergency response, etc. And they publish the performance results. Their 330i stormed to a heady 0-60 time, which they appreciated. Along with the great motor.

2. When a non-performance oriented publication like CR says your car is "competent" and "not exceptional", you know it is smack dab in the middle of mediocrity. Bread and butter sandwich of cars.

3. I don't care what b4z buys or drives. It is just odd to even have him jump in to claim he was seriously considering an SS and then say he buys a new LS. Then to compare the two in acceleration figures, as if somehow having the LS be within 1 second 0-60 somehow allows any rational comparison. No problem if he is on the Edmunds new Impala site. But not the SS site.

4. Notice how andre rightly compares the new LS to an Intrepid.

5. I own a modest 6-cylinder family 4-dr sedan. I use if for work. But my '00 Hyundai Sonata GLS is a V-6 with 5-speed manual transmission, ABS & traction control, leather, sunroof, etc. It is as sporting as possible a sedan for under $20,000. A great bargain and a real sleeper. I was pleased when CR top rated the Sonata GLS over the other 3 cars it competed against. (Thinking Malibu, Stratus, and Alero). But I would never post anything on an SS site trying equate my Sonata to my SS. Same is true for new LS.

giowa

Check out the May Edmunds long-term review of the Hyundai Elantra. Reviewer discusses styling and comments that the one thing you don't want to emulate is the new Impala. Yes, this new Impala truly does sully the great name, looks, and performance of the '94-'96 SS. Whoever it was at Chevy who named the new platform "Impala" should've been shot and exiled to the Russian front, then captured, tortured, and sent to s Stalinist gulag where ChiCom psych specialists could do a Manchurian Candidate headjob.

Mr_Shiftright

and you could even break his glasses....LOL!

giowa

Yeah, just like that guy in the classic Twilight Zone episode who survives the end of the world. Mild mannered Caspar Milquetoast (who likely owned the '61 equivalent to an '01 Impala LS, say a slant 6 Valiant, but fantasizes like Walter Mitty about the '61 equivalent of a '96 Impala SS, say a '60s big block SS with 4-speed manual). He finds he enjoys being the sole survivor as he can now enjoy his time alone, without bother. Can't wait to catch up on his reading. Then he breaks his glasses! The horror.

larrys7

I found a LT1 complete wiring/computer, just missing the A/C compresor. Has transmision attached in the car w/only 22k on it. Thinking about a purchase and transplant to a street rod type project. Any ideas on what would be a good deal. Can purchase for $1,500. Painless wiring is $600.00 + several other item I will need.

Mr_Shiftright

Can you hear it run?

giowa

Nuthin' beats the '94-'96 Impala SS for a long-distance family vacation cruiser. Am writing this while in the Adirondack Mtns of Upstate NY. Drove 1,300 miles to get here. Made great time. And have lots of interior and trunk space. Averaged about 22.5 mpg at 74 mph, with wife, two kids, and a trunk full of luggage. She's been a blast driving in the mountains. All the power I need and she takes regular unleaded to boot.

andre1969

I didn't know the LT-1's could run on regular unleaded...cool! That was another reason why I was apprehensive a couple years ago when I was looking at a '96 Caprice. I just figured something with that much power would need hi-test.

Well, maybe one day, I'll get to add one to my fleet!

im_brentwood

Further proof of the stupidity of General Motors:

The Holden Commodore SS is produced, for export, in Left-Hand Drive.

http://www.gmme.com/chevrolet_cars/caprice/caprice_ss.htm

That's the Caprice SS. Seems to be a mix of Holden Commodore SS and Holden Statesman/Caprice. Per Holden's website, neither comes in an "SS" Version, just the Commodore.

http://www.gmme.com/chevrolet_cars/lumina/lumina_ss.htm

That is the Middle East Chevrolet Lumina. It basically IS a LHD Commodore SS.

Now, the Commodre also comes to the Americas. A V6-Engined version is sold in Brazil as the Chevrolet Omega.

http://www.chevrolet.com.br

(I can't directly link to the Omega.. its' all thatsilly JavaScript).

So, would it be a stretch to import it? Nope.

Oh, want to know what the LHD Lumina SS sells for in the Middle East? About $24,000 plus tax. Extra for leather tho

GM is so incredibly out of touch with the marketplace its' scary.

Bill

Sporin

Yeah, I think GM could go a long way towards improving thier operations in North America by bringing us the Aussie cars.

GM needs to get back to what they do so well... large, RWD cars with big engines.

Just my 2¢

giowa

The near 2-week vacation included 3,300 miles of driving. My DCM bad baby was more than up to the challenge. Nary a problem with anything. She averaged about 22.68 mpg doing mostly 74 on interstate and 64 on state/county roads. Spent some time driving in urban areas of central NY. The driving in the Adirondacks was fun!!! My sister-in-law came back from Lake Placid riding with me. When we arrived, she said she didn't want to do that again. I told her I had to use the car's awesome capabilities. She was built to go fast and be driven hard. Just needs more supportive front seats so passengers don't slide in the curves!

Fuelled her on 87 octane regular the whole way. Cheapest was $1.069 in Speedway stations on US 30 in and around Valparaiso, Indiana. Upstate NY was $1.639-1.699. Illinois about $1.459-1.499. IA $1.299. Rest of Indiana about $1.229-1.329. W. Ohio & Penn $1.359-1.459. Premium was always about $.15-.20 more expensive.

And the interior and trunk space was fantastic. Had no problems bringing all the luggage back along with all the vacation crap. Including two 30 packs of Genny Cream Ale. Something we can't get in midwest and wife & I both love.

Mr_Shiftright

Ah, bootlegging in a hotrod Chevy, hah? An OLD tradition!

jpstax

Some guy put SS badges on an Impala LS and installed dual exhaust. What a desecration.

http://ghostwolf.xaper.com/

jpstax

Oops,

Here's the site with the SS badged Impala LS:

http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/

triumpher

Just came across this site and start to wonder. There seem to be people out there that consider the early 90's re-badged Caprice a sports car/ performance car. Just makes me wonder. I just sold my 94 LT1 powered Caprice/Impalla and would not dare to ever have called it sporty. Yes, it was powerful, yeas it was great for long distance travelling (I took it several times from Northern Wisconsin to California, but boy was it a dog as soon as the roads started to get curvy or the surface was a little bumpy (jumping and wallowing all over the place, even my after market air shocks did not help much). The car was meant to be a police cruiser and it never lost that feeling (color, badges, a powerful,great engine, and fat tires do not make a sport car ). If I want to drive sporty, I take my 1972 Triumph TR6, and if I want performance, I take my 1985 Porsche 911. And don't come me with modifications arguments (I think that I was modifying cars before many of you left their diapers behind), you can do only so much to a given concept and that's it! It is a Caprice and will always be one, not better or worth than the present Impalla, just different. and for those who think that you need rear wheel drive for performance, sit still, listen and learn! Just look at the rally results of the different Audis, yes there are some with AWD, but others have only FWD.

That's it for today, and I recommend that you appreciate the great cars that you have and not try to talk down to the owners of other cars. They might have a very good reason that they like their cars!

jrosasmc

I agree with you 100%. The '92 Caprice Classic wagon I test-drove recently was indeed a dog as soon as I put a long, winding road in front of it. My '93 Volvo 850 sedan could easily outhandle and out-brake any Caprice, no questions asked.

andre1969

...there's going to be a big difference between a '92 Caprice wagon and an Impala SS. For one thing, about 75 less hp, and 300-400 lb more weight! Then theres the tires, suspension tuning, and all that other fun stuff. I mean, I could tell a big difference in handling just between a base '94 Caprice with a 4.3 V-8 and a '96 Caprice with the LT-1 350! Not only did it accelerate better, but it handled a lot better, too. I can't remember what mechanical differences there are between the Caprice LT-1 and the Impala SS though. Maybe wider rims, lower-profile tires, thicker sway bars, etc?

I had a friend whose dad had (maybe still has? This was years ago) a TR-6 from the early '70's. That thing was a dog. Now maybe his was ragged out or something, but the few times I rode in it, if felt like it was going to tip because it was so narrow, lost traction too easily, and just didn't feel all that fast.

Mr_Shiftright

Well all you had for the US was a smog-strangled 104 HP 6-cylinder engine. In Britain, they had over 150HP and were a lot faster. The chassis was also typical primitive British sportscar of the period. You have to remember that the British auto industry was dying a slow death at this time.

jrosasmc

Basically the 1991-96 B-bodies were glorified versions of the original '77 version, right?

riez

jrosasmc... The '94-'96 Impala SS really is a different beast. More than just the sum of the parts differences or styling differences. Just drive an SS and a non-SS from the same year back-to-back and you'll see what I mean.

dbuck

I recently bought a '96 Impala SS with 36K miles. I am very pleased with the car and DO consider it sporty. It accelerates, brakes and corners very well for a car weighing just over 4K pounds. I am amazed at how quickly low mileage '96 Impalas are being snatched up. I had two appointments to look at privately owned '96 models and both cars were sold before I could travel to view them.

andre1969

...I drove two Caprices: a '94 with the 4.3 V-8, and a '96 with the LT-1 350. The '94 was nothing to brag about, but I was really impressed with the '96. One thing that I've heard (but don't know if it's true or not), was that GM actually designed the Roadmaster and Fleetwood to handle better than the Caprices. The SS was still above any of them, but I just think it's interesting that GM would put more effort into the Roadmaster/Fleetwood, considering the average type of buyer that would go for those cars!