2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

b4z · March 2004

You must be coming up on 200,000 miles by now.
Will the Subaru see as many miles?

johnclineii · March 2004

Actually, I am just getting to 150,000, believe it or not---My job has changed and I am no longer driving in it...Just my coastering hobby to put miles on the car!

And yes, the Subaru is intended to last me as many happy miles as has the Impala. We shall see.

250 hp/250 lbs torque. In the words of another company, Zoom Zoom!

b4z · March 2004

That must be the low pressure turbo with all the torque.
0-60 in about 5.5 secs.
Subaru is doing some neat things now.

pat · March 2004

Consumers' Most Wanted Vehicles for 2004 Survey is posted and ready for your input!

etcarroll · March 2004

Good for you, sat in the SRX and really liked it, but can't see that much $ for a big wagon.

Guess I'm keeping my LS for 18 more months while I wait for next wave of cars that will be sporty yet offer room for someone my size.

I understand the new Caddy STS will be built on the SRX platform, guess I'm waiting to see.

Anyway, still can't find anything wrong with the LS, other than the fact I've owned it 2.5 years and want a new toy.

kolt1 · March 2004

Can anyone give me a link where I can find monthly and annual production numbers for the Impala and other domestic and foreign manufacturers? All of the sites I've tried require a subscription fee. Thanks in advance for any advice.

hvan3 · March 2004

What kind of mileage do you get on city and highway driving? I think it takes premium gas?

I'm due for a new car next year. I want to steer clear away on cars that require premium gasoline.

My top choice so far is the Pontiac Solstice, or the new redesign 05 Impala.

setzer · March 2004

I recently got all of my windows on my '04 LS tinted. It looks REALLY nice! What I really like about the car is that it is comfortable and has nice features, but it isn't a Buick. I also love the looks of it!

Also, my friends have 3 toddlers. They are thinking about buying a Caddy SRX with a 3rd row so they can save some money by not buying a huge Escalade or Navigator and not get a mini-van.

b4z · March 2004

www.autonews.com.
Scroll down and on the left you will see a link to a .pdf.

b4z · March 2004

I am at 16 mpg in only around town driving.
I have seen 29-30 mpg come up on the driver display at 55-60 mph.
The Impala would show 35-37mpg at that speed.
But the DIC was off by 2.5 mpg.
Impala was 29-30 mpg at 75 mph.
I expect 25mpg at best on the SRX.
So it will not pull the kind of gas mileage that my Impala did.
The display maxes out at 70 mpg going down hills where the Impala maxed out at 99 mpg on the DIC.

Uses regular gas.

The SRX is a completley different driving experience.
Feels like a sports sedan not a SUV.
The V6 has all the power anybody could need.

b4z · March 2004

The 3rd row seat on the SRX is tiny tiny.
Only useful for small children.
Less tham 10 yrs old I would guess.

kolt1 · March 2004

Thanks!

road46 · March 2004

Agree with you 100% on the need for dedicated winter tires on the 04 Impala. Up here we get alot of snow. I have 4 Michelin Arctic Alpines on my other car and they have been great. Getting 23-24 MPG all around combo city/highway with the the 04 Impala 3.4, with 1500 miles on the odometer. Anyone know about how many miles before I can expect a slight improvement in gas mileage when the "engine breaks in"? I found a big difference in mileage based on the brand of gas.

mrpoetryman · March 2004

I have 8,200 miles on my '03 LS (3.8) and I get the best gas mileage using Shell regular gasoline. I am averaging 28 mpg in city/highway driving, with about 31 mpg on highways alone at 60 mph. I started to improve my mileage at about 3,500 miles. Good luck with your '04.

Neil

road46 · March 2004

Found here Hess gas alot cheaper and a little better mileage than Mobil gas. Shell stations all closed or moved out of here. My sticker said 21 mpg city and 31 hwy for my 3.4, You are getting pretty good mileage out of that 3.8.

road46 · March 2004

Anyone seen the latest issue of Consumer Reports? They grouped the Impala with the Lumina in the ratings from 96-03..I thought this was really unfair to Chevrolet since the Impala was redesigned in 2000. When did they stop making the Lumina? Why did Consumer Reports do this? They gave the Toyota Camry 6 cylinder a higher safety rating even though the Camry has a 3 star front end crash rating vs the Impala with a 5 star front end rating?? Just open the door to an Impala and see how well designed the Impala is for safety vs. the Camry. Only thing I could figure is that the Base Impala does not have ABS. Given a crash situation, I would think the Impala would
hold up much better than the Camry.

hogboy · March 2004

Who knows how they figure any of this. I just dumped our 3 year old Impala LS for a '04 Honda Odyssey EX-L and the insurance premium actually went DOWN by $3.00 a year. My insurance company rated the Impala as a symbol 16 and the Honda as a symbol 8. I think I will refuse to pay the bill unless I can be charged more for the insurance (NOT). Lets see...get rid of a 3 year old vehicle for a brand new '04 that costs several thousand dollars more and pay less on your insurance. Is this a great country or what.

nosirrahg · March 2004

FWIW, I bought a Haynes repair manual for my 2000 Impala, and it also includes the previous version Lumina. While the appearance of the Impala is much different from the old Lumina, apparently many of the parts beneath the sheetmetal are the same. I never paid much attention to the Lumina, so I don't know what engines/transmissions were offered with it, but there must be a great deal of carryover from the Lumina to the Impala for them to lump them into the same repair manual.

this_is_nascar · March 2004

I had a '98 Lumina before getting my '00 Impala. Most of the major parts are the same. It's the "W" frame, same tranny and the Lumina LTS had the same Series II 3.8 liter engine that's in the Impala LS.

bh0001 · March 2004

I also had a '98 Lumina before my '01 Impala LS. Underneath the sheet metal there are many many items that are identical. Even the wire colours for the speakers are identical.

fredvh · March 2004

How do you like your LS? Have you had any problems with it? If you had to do it over again, would you still buy the Impala? What other models were you considering at the time that you purchased the LS?

discgolfer99 · March 2004

I will definitely miss my 2000 LS...

Traded it in yesterday for a 2004 Trailblazer EXT LS. Both Edmunds and KBB calculated the trade in value of my Impala LS at 8,300 (That SUCKS!!)

I have never gotten the FULL "Trade-In" value when trading in a vechile at a dealer... Until this time...

We sat down to discus numbers. I told him I wanted 8,000 off MSRP on the Trailblazer, I wanted 8,300 for my Impala, and I wanted payments of 250/mo or less. He came back with 8000 off, 8300 for the trade, and payments of 249. Once I found out the interest rate was 5.9, I said NO WAY. 3.9 Max. I got it. Payments are 226...

Not a bad deal, as far as I can tell...

I will miss the Impala...

t_tookalook · March 2004

Hey golfer99
Let me know how you like the TB. I have an '03
Impala with 12K on it and I'm thinking about
trading it next year for a TB. I really like
the Imp. My only complaint is the headlights
could be better.
U can reply off list to:
t_tookalook@hotmail.com
Rodger

pluto5 · March 2004

TB has much worse reliability and the back seat is no more comfortable than the Imp's, also the TB rides like a truck which is what it is.

fredvh · March 2004

If you liked your Impala so much and are sorry to see it go why did you not get a new Impala?
I am considering a new vehicle and is the Impala a very good choice?

b4z · March 2004

I only got $8800 for my '01 Impala, but it had
54,000 miles on it.
Can't say that I have missd it.
The SRX has noticeably more power and an engine that begs to let you put your foot into it.

this_is_nascar · March 2004

Just in case anyone was interested, the ISS lubrication issue is still present in the 2003 models. My '03 LS with Sport Appearance Package started with the clucks and knocks at 28k miles. I had the dealer perform the ISS lube and all is well now.

fredvh · March 2004

Are we positive that the ISS(?) issue with the Impala has been corrected with the 2004s?

setzer · March 2004

Ok this is what i said:

"Also, my friends have 3 toddlers."

toddler : noun : a young child [syn: yearling, tot, bambino]

toddlers is the plural version of toddler. that would mean there is more than 1. and i stated that there is 3.

A young child is going to be under 10.

road46 · March 2004

The 04 Impala rated higher in safety than the 4 cylinder Camry in Consumer Reports. If you want a safe, nice riding car, the Impala is great. 5 star crash rating in front. The EPA ratings on the 3.4 is 21 city and 32 highway, the 3.8 is a better motor, but slightly less gas mileage. My suggestion to you is try to rent a 2004 Impala for a few days, see if you like the big car feel. Not everyone does, but I think this car feels secure and the brakes are heavy duty. This is a very comfortable car with the sport seat package, w 6 way drivers adjustable seat and 200 amp radio. Too bad Chevy can't make this a hybrid. Does anyone know what GM plans are for passenger car Hybrids? Toyota and Honda are way ahead in this area, but would anyone want to be in a crash with a Civic, Insight or Prius? I am curious how much the pending 2005 Accord Hybrid will cost?

nosirrahg · March 2004

FWIW-I installed a cabin air filter in my base 2000 3.8l Impala yesterday. I'd always wondered if it was possible to put the filter (which only came in LS trim) on a base model, and it was quite simple to do (following the directions found at impalahq.com, BTW). Haven't really been able to tell much difference at this point, but since we're about to reach the peak pollen season, I figured it wasn't a bad time to try it out. The filter was rather expensive (@ $22) and was relatively hard to find (only in stock at one Auto Zone here); do others replace these reguarly, and is there a cheaper source anywhere?

discgolfer99 · March 2004

T_tookalook
So far, I like the TB quite a bit, although I wouldn't put too much stock in the words of someone who has owned one for all of 4 days...

Pluto5
Yes, the TB rides like a truck, as that is what it is. I recently bought a 2,700 LB Tent Trailer, so I needed a towing vehicle, hence, the TB purchase. It is obviously a much different vehicle then the Impala, so I won't even make any comparisons...

Fredvh
As above, I needed a towing vehicle, so that is the ONLY reason I got rid of the Impala. I needed the 8,300 for a down payment on the TB, otherwise, I probably would have kept it. That would have been nice, having both...

b4z
My 00' had 56K miles. I guess 8,300 wasn't too bad, although the original sticker on it was $26,xxx. From 26K to 8.3K in just under 4 years, doesn't sound too good either, but, oh well...

pluto5 · March 2004

Good luck with your TB. I admired the way it came outfitted for towing.

t_tookalook · March 2004

I know the TB would be a little 'trucky'. I traded in a Mountaineer for my Imp. I liked the MM but I was tired of the repairs all the time. I've had my Imp for a year and have 12K on it. Headlights and the uncomfortable rear seat are the only complaints. It's still a wonderful car.

33chevy · March 2004

To improve the Impala headlights as I also did to our Venture van: Buy the Sylvania Silverstar Lamps and install them. Really makes a difference.

I checked the aiming on the old ones by marking where they focused on a large cardboard box. Installed the new ones. I didn't even have to re-adjust the aim.

A few weeks after I put them in a deer came out of a gully on the right side of the road. I was able to see it and slow down to avoid hitting it. I doubt I would have seen it with the original lamps. Installed the Silverstars in our 2000 Impala and Venture.

tsjay · March 2004

Had the oil changed yesterday on my 04 Impala LS. The dealer where I bought the car charges only $5.95 to change the oil and filter, perform chassis lube (no fittings on the Impala), and top off fluids if you bring your own oil and filter with you.

I bought the oil and filter when I was not driving the Impala, and I didn't know which oil was reccommended, what the crank case capacity was, nor the type of filter.

I figured the proper oil would be 5W-30, and it was. I used the cross reference oil filter book at Walmart to choose my filter, and I bought a Supertech 3387A. I figured it would probably take five quarts of oil with filter change, so I just bought the five quart container of Valvoline 5W-30.

Now this dealer has a super good service department, and over the years I have become good friends with the service manager. He always lets me hang out with the technician who is working on my vehicle. However, yesterday, he was not there, and the younger guy who takes over for him does not allow anyone back in the shop.

So, I was not there to personally supervise the work when the oil was changed.

I found out from the owners manual that four and a half quarts of oil are needed for the oil change when the filter is changed. So, I expected to find half a quart of oil left in the five quart container in my trunk when I got home. There was no oil in my trunk, though.

I checked the diptick at home, and the oil level is well above the crosshatched area, indicating an overfill.

Assuming the guy put the whole five quarts of oil in there, would that extra half quart be any cause for concern?

Thanks

Tom

trekrider7 · March 2004

Hi All,
I'm new here. I'm shopping for a 2nd car (family car), my wife drives a Camry. Nothing is ever wrong with the Camry that we have, however, I need something roomier, more power, can accommodate 4-5 adults AND must have decent Consumer Report reliability predictor (Impala fits the bill on paper for 2002-03 models, and presumably 2004). I'm looking for value (reasonable price and willing to buy used for 2002-03 models only.) So, what prices did you all pay for your cars, please specify city/state/year/model (base/LS/SS)/price/new or used, if used state mileage at purchase/also would you buy it again or what would you recommend. Sorry, lengthy, but need to get as much user info as I can.

Thanks for taking the time to share your wisdom!

venus537 · March 2004

Toyota Avalon or Buick LeSabre? Can you wait for the upcoming Ford 500?

I don't think the impala is any roomier than the current camrys. or that a V6 camry is lacking in power.

ghostwolf · March 2004

I use Mobil 1 Synthetic Oil and buy it in the 5QT Economy Size at Wal-Mart and what I do is I fill a 1QT Bottle with oil and bring the 5QT jug to the garage that changes my oil.

I just explained that I top it off at home the next morning when all the oil has settled to get a more accurate reading. Now they are used to me doing that and I have the peace of mind that they are not overfilling.

The technical answer to your question is that overfilling *can* cause seals to leak and/or a foaming of the oil which could enter your intake.
Also the whipped oil loses its ability to lubricate your engine properly.

One thing you coild do is to drain some oil out before you drive it again. I would probably drive it back and have them correct it.

Having said all that most people wouldn't even give it a second thought (and most likely nothing will happen to your car) but since you posted the question I thought that I would at least tell you what I do to make sure they don't overfill me.

tsjay · March 2004

I wish I had checked the trunk before leaving the dealership (25 miles away), and then I would have asked where my half quart of oil was. If they had told me they put the whole five quarts in, then I would have checked the oil level on the dipstick and shown them that it was too high.

[Oh, before anyone thinks I have gone crazy and driven 50 miles round trip to save money on an oil change, let me just clear things up. I work in the town where the dealership is, and I just drive the Impala to work the day I want to have the oil changed. ]

I might just take it back and have them drain a little out, like you say.

Thanks for your reply.

I know some engines that "officially" called for 4.5 quarts were OK with 5 quarts. There was a "maximum overfill" line on the dipstick, and using five quarts would bring the oil level to this mark.

Tom

tsjay · March 2004

Hey, I am a brand new Impala owner, having bought an 04 LS model just before Christmas. I am VERY pleased with that car! Roomy, quiet, smooth, good acceleration. ( I was shocked to see I was doing 85 MPH on the way to work yesterday AM! )

The ONLY reason I was even looking into getting a new car was the crazy rebates. I NEEDED to be looking for a new family car to replace the 89 Olds 88 Royale, but I figured there was no way financially. There WOULDN'T have been any way financially, except for the HUGE rebates.

I got $3000 rebate, $1500 bonus cash, and $2000 from my GM card. Because I used "GM Buypower" through Edmunds, the dealer offered me the car at invoice, no haggle, which knocked almost another $2000 off sticker! I had earned only $1330 on my GM card, but they had a deal going that if I bought a car before 1/2/04, they would jack up my GM card earnings to $2000.

So, I got the car for almost $8500 off of sticker! How could I pass that up??? The sticker was $27,750, and I bought for $19,286.

Good luck with your deal.

Tom

tsjay · March 2004

Meant to get into the subject of oil type, since you said you use Mobil 1, but I forgot to say anything about it in my post.

I too am a big believer in Mobil 1, but I am not sure which way I should go on this Impala. I really don't want to spend the money on Mobil 1 and still change oil every 3K miles. I also don't want to go 5K between changes, even if I used Mobil 1.

So, that's the quandry. Use Mobil 1 and go 5K, or use conventional and go 3 K????

That Impala is driven mainly by my wife, and it will see lots of cold starts and short trips. That good old Mobil 1 would be better for those cold starts, given the superior cold flow characteristics of synthetic oil.

I saw this firsthand the first time I ever used Mobil 1. That was on my 94 Z28, which made some pretty bad lifter noise on cold starts until I switched to Mobil 1 from Valvoline conventional oil. That car quieted down on cold starts BIG TIME when I started using Mobil 1 !

I think I just talked myself into using Mobil 1 on the Impala, but I still wonder if I should go 5K miles on drain interval, Mobil 1 or not. Those stupid cold starts and short trips will cause even synthetic oil to build up stuff that ain't good for the engine, right?

Tom

this_is_nascar · March 2004

I've been using Mobil 1 for years and still change every 3k miles. It's so inexpensive for an oil change, it doesn't make sense not to do it. The benefits far outway the little bit of cost and inconvenience. Even though my driving patterns and the fact that I use a synthethic only call for changes every 5k-7k, I always change at 3k.

nosirrahg · March 2004

My 2000 3.8l Impala owners manual recommends using 10W-30 oil; since yours is an LS, I assume it has the same 3.8l engine - do you live in a colder climate where 5W-30 would be recommended, or is it possible Chevy has changed the recommended oil weight?

Also, FWIW, I've been using Mobil 1 exclusively in my Impala (following initial engine break-in). My approach has been to run the synthetic oil, and change it based on the oil life monitor (which has tended to be @ every 6,000 miles based on my driving). Supposedly, regular "dino" oils nowadays are good enough to run 4-5,000 miles between changes, and some say synthetics are good for 10,000 or more miles. I'm not comfortable changing regular oil based on the oil life monitor, but I have no problem running the synthetic that long. I wouldn't be comfortable running even synthetic 10,000+ miles, so for me, the compromise of running synthetic, and changing it when prompted by the oil monitor, made the most sense. I'm at 65,000 miles now, and have had no problems thus far. Plan to drive this one into the ground, which is the primary reason I'm using Mobil 1.

tsjay · March 2004

Yeah, Guys, I have no doubt as to the benefit of Mobil 1 oil. Switching to it in that 94 Z28 gave me a first hand look at what synthetic oil can do for an engine. The cold start noise, which was pretty loud, went away almost entirely with the good old Mobil 1. I was also a "nut" about checking gas mileage at every fill-up, so I had a LONG history of gas mileage for that Z28. The Mobil 1 gave me about a five percent increase in MPG, and that tells me it was doing the engine some good (not that 5% better gas mileage in and of itself is worth getting excited over).

My owners manual gives the 5W-30 as the preferred viscosity, but it says 10W-30 is OK if the car will not see temperatures below 0° F. So, I could use either, I guess.

It is my impression that most wear occurs on cold starts, and the 5W-30 should circulate quicker on cold starts. That's why I went with the 5W-30 and it's why I like synthetic oil. Synthetics have better cold flow characteristics even at the same viscosity rating compared to conventional oils.

Yeah, think after break-in, I'm gonna put that Impala on Mobil 1! Will probably still change oil every 3K, but won't worry too much if I get up to about 4K. If the car were not subjected to so darn many cold starts and short trips, I would go with about 5K drain interval.

Tom

ghostwolf · March 2004

99% of my impala's miles are on the freeway at 70-75mph. Morning Startup, drive 3-4 miles to interstate, drive 30 miles at around 70, exit the freeway and go about one block and shut down.

My impala has 75,000 miles on it but looks brand new. So what I do is change my oil every 3 months on the dot regardless of miles (the miles end up being about 5500-6000). Otherwise I'd be changing my oil every 5 weeks at 3000 miles.

As far as tsjay's driving pattern I would for sure change at 3000 even using Mobil-1 or every 3 months if you are not reaching 3000 miles by 3 months.

I had the same question as nosirrahg had about the oil weight.

My owners manual and oil filler cap both say
10W-30 and it never gets down to 0 around here (Arkansas) but If I was living up where my Dad is at (Michigan) I would probably use the 5w-30 from November to April.

johnclineii · March 2004

150,900 miles here.

Dino oil.

Changed when the monitor says too. Sometimes as little as 3700 miles, sometimes as much as 9,000 (that time was virtually all long distance freeway driving on flat land...)

I MAY, repeat, MAY go to snythetic on my next car. But, if I do, I will keep the drain intervals the same.

I neither believe in recreational oil changing nor in extended service times. I think the monitor does a great job of telling when the oil should be changed.

And many short trips DO mean more frequent changes.

trekrider7 · March 2004

Venus537,
Thanks for the input. Toyota Avalon price is higher than I'd like to pay unless used, and it's not a 2003 model (the price is still high for my budget this year -- I won't take a loan on this purchase). I'm very selective in what American car I'll buy (Impala, Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis or Corvette) if not one of these, I won't consider at this time.
Thanks again.

trekrider7 · March 2004

Wow! What a deal! How do I get these rebates? I don't use the GM card.

Do buyers get a better deal if buying cash?

johnclineii · March 2004

Cash? No. Actually, dealers get a cut of any financing they arrange.

As to the Impala and Crown Vic/GM, you do realize the Impala is made in Canada and the CV/GM have Mexican engines, right? Whereas the Avalon is made in Georgetown, Kentucky near Lexington with engines also made here?

2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

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