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I am a newbie, and I am needing a new car-- mine is dying. I kept it a lot longer because I love the bench type seating, with deep seat pans on my '86 Chevy Celebrity.
I tried the Camry. Hyundai Sonata and Accord, but the seats were too short for me. I got severe back spasms after not being able to get comfy during the Camry test drive! I and spent about a week researching cars on Edmunds, and decided on a Malibu. But I looked at a Malibu, and the bucket seats are too short! I have long legs and this would cause my back pain to flare up. And this is putting the back of the seat slightly farther back to make the seat pan longer, and then trying all kinds of back pillows.
I took a peek at the Impala, which didn't seem to have as deep a seat pan as I currently love. But it was longer than the Malibu.
Has this been an issue for any of you, and how do you feel about the Impala seats? I want to stay in the low $20's for a car, so I really can't go up into the luxury cars. I tried posting this problem on the "help me choose" board, but didn't get any feedback.
One poster from December posted about short seats on this website, but didn't say which car he purchased.
Would love your feedback! I am extremely sad that the Malibu didn't work out. The Impala looks like a beautiful car. Larger than I would like, but really beautiful! I thought I'd get feedback before trying again.
Also, does anyone have any info about a online back support group that I might post to?
THANK YOU
I would definitely suggest renting one and taking a weekend drive to somewhere several hundred miles away, just to get a real-world feel for the car. Actually, I don't know if Chevy is still offering the "24-hour test drive" deal or not, but that's a good way to get a feel for the vehicle at no cost to you (other than maybe fuel). I think they limit you to like 150 miles, but if you were to get in the car and drive it for a couple of hours and return it, you'd have a pretty good idea of how well the car will work for you.
But they said to talk to a dealer.
The thing is, I had hoped to find the right car on my own, without a dealer's help. Then I felt I'd do a fax approach to getting the best deal on the car. Get competitive bids.
If a dealer is helping me figure out the car I want, I feel like a sitting duck.
I think I will check out the Impala on a test drive, but the model I'd probably want is the LS with antilock brakes. Just a few thousand more than I want to spend, and I feel hesitant about buying and negotiating for a used car. Any more thoughts? THANKS!!!
One thing I am noticing about the Chevy dealerships in my immediate area--they don't have the "Monroney" window sticker on the window! That sticker is a Federal law, and it's the only way you know what options are on the car and sticker price. It comes from the factory. Instead, they have a hang tag from the rear view mirror telling the MSRP, the discount they will give you, the rebate available (which they said was $2,000 when I went on Wednesday), and the total, which they call their "best price." I don't feel comfortable buying from these guys, and I hope other Chevy dealers aren't removing the stickers. I did see a sticker that was peeling off the '05 Impala car I was checking out on Wednesday(it's hot out in this part of the country), but I don't know what to do about their not following Federal Law.
Any thoughts?
My new 04 Imp. Sed. came with a "dealer installed" sticker on the windshield stating that the First Oil Change is Due aft. 3,000 miles.
I checked the car manual and found NO reference to this first oil change aft. 3,000 miles; ....only that the "onboard diagnostic" system will tell me when the oil change is needed.
Do any of you have experience with this kind of "dealer Hook"? ....or is the 3,000 mile oil change indeed recommended by the factory???
Thanks for your feedback
Impala04
Impala04
It was a VERY good car. And oh, by the way, I drove it far in excess of 20.000 miles a year.
I know of MANY Impalas with in excess of 100k and none of them have had substantial repairs. I do know of engine cradle issues (which I somehow avoided).
I just hope the Five Hundred I just bought is even half as good mechanically!
Sorry you didn't have the same experience.
Good luck!
If you are out of warranty, have the dealer do the recall first (free). This should do the trick. If your engine hestitation still persist, take the car back in for the PCM software upgrade. Or, maybe you can have the recall done AND have the software upgraded simultaneosly (for free).
I don't know how much the software upgrade.
I am researching the Impala, haven't taken a test drive yet. I'm looking for a smooth ride--the Camry I test drove just floated over the road! The salesperson said it was the double wishbone suspension.
What is touring suspension? Is it a smooth ride like the double wishbone suspension?
Impala has a decent ride without sacrificing handling too much. Very similar to the Taurus I drive. You might also want to try the new Ford Five Hundred.
The softest rides in the GM lineup are from Buick. You can probably grab a good bargain on a leftover 2004 Century or Regal as they are being replaced in 2005 by La Crosse. Century/Regal are not my cup of tea as I do not like floaty boat riding cars.
I'll look at the base 2005 Impala, then. I have some choosing to do then. I just learned that the base has a split bench seat, which I am used to. But it doesn't have ABS, some air bag options--unless that option is easily available.
So it looks like smooth ride and bench seats or slightly rougher ride, bucket seats (which seem to have a short seat pan, usually), and more safety features.
Thanks for the feedback on the Buicks and Taurus. I'll give them a look. I think I am used to "boaty" cars." I just don't know if I'll be able to make up my mind while they still have the 2004s~~
I've been looking at the LS because of the more powerful motor, extra air bags, ABS... But I am going to look at the base one definitely, now. I don't mind poor lumbar support--the ones they have are too low for me. I just use a rolled up towel. I just wonder if those options are easily available; I'll check gmbuypower.com.
________
"I'm also 5'11", and have a 2000 base Impala with bench seat (but w/3.8l engine). Other than the pretty non-effectual lumbar support, I've been very pleased with the comfort of this car - I can drive this car all day while on vacation, and get out and not be fatigued at all; not the same story with my wife's new Accord. "
Right now, I'll keep my 2000 Impala for another two years. After that, my choices are:
1) Preown 2003 Cadillac STS
2) Preown 2002 Infiniti Q45
3) New 2007 Impala
4) New 2006 Chrylser 300
5) New Pontiac Solstice
6) Preown 2001 MB E320
How reliable is a car the first year if they make changes? I would like that 200hp engine.
It sounds like there may be some deals for the 2005s early on, however.
You are so helpful, thanks to all of you!
Do you have any dates and location for the LA auto show? Is it at the Staples Center, or Convestion Center? I might not be able to wait till May (my car dies out in hot wheater, especially if I uce AC. ).
At least I'd get a non-pressured opportunity to sit in the car interiors to check them out. Then I could go do test drives. I wonder if any supermarkets will have discount coupons, or the next year's Entertainment book.
I was feeling sad that I'd lose out on end-of-year clearances, but the best buy is made when the decision is reached, not before.
http://www.laautoshow.com/2005/index.aspx
Right now, you can buy a brand new 2004 Impala with MSRP of $23K for around $16K. Check out the LA Times or Orange County Register Classified Ads.
I strongly believe that the base 2004 rides better than my 2000 LS. Quality is much improved.
After reading your message, I checked online inventory of base Impalas near me. I'd like to go see what they look like. The thing that's disappointing is that the 2 that I found in one dealer don't have anti-lock brakes. I've been in a couple of skids on slippery roads, and thought that would be good to have. Is that base configuration usual? I thought you could get ABS as an option on the base , but I don't know if they don't usually come that way. The base has a 6-way power drive seat and lumbar support, which sounds great!
I also found out that the Orange County auto show will be next week. It's a long drive for us, but we might go. Chevy is one of the mfgrs offering test drives. However, it's first-come basis, and I am not sure we can get there that early. Don't know what cars they will be offering to test drive, either. When I called GM last month, they told me about a San Diego ride-drive event, and they said they never know what cars will be there to test. So I don't want to go the OC and not be able to test cars I would like.
Wish there was some way to test and compare cars w/o salesperson pressuring us. I thought about renting already. We have already rented one car, so I would like a short test drive before renting another car. It gets pricey. I would love to finally be able to decide. And then buy something, hopefully before I lose out on '04 clearance! I'll start keeping an eye out on those ads, Thanks for the tip. What a great price!
So many trim levels, option possibilities, and now bench vs bucket seats! So confusing! I was looking on the GM buypower site, and you can check the window sticker of the cars. None of the window stickers tell you if the car is bench or bucket seats, however.
It's good to know that the bench seats are available and that someone who is 5'11" enjoys them. I don't know how the 6way power driver seat works with bench seats, however. I didn't know that the back of the seat could move at all on bench seats. ???? Thanks for your help.
Maybe I can get to sit in a car or two if we go early, before a dealership. I just hate being hassled by salespeople! We tried that last week, after reading about it in a book. I was amazed at how many people are out there before the dealerships open, so they can look without being hassled.
If you are checking inventory online (you can do that at the GM site), how can you tell if the car has bucket or bench seats?
Thanks so much for the info! Have a fun Halloween!
FWIW - I primarily got the bench seat because my garage is VERY tight, and it's almost impossible to get into my car from the passenger side...so I got the bench seat to avoid the center console; MUCH easier for my wife to slide across a bench than trying to climb over a console (or having to stand outside in the rain while I back the car out). There have also been a number of times where I've parked downtown, and due to traffic found it much easier to slide out the passenger side than climb out into traffic. I also broke my right ankle about 6 months after getting my Impala, and was very glad I had the bench seat, so I could move my bad leg to the right and drive with my left foot when I had to; something I don't think I could have done with a console in the way.
The only thing is that the seats look ugly to me, but I can't ignore the comfort factor. This is the first car that looks promising! (HUGE GRIN!)
The dealer has us working thru the fleet manager (thru a credit union), and he said that the '04 I test drove would be $100 over invoice. Is that good for an '04? I would imagine there would be the 3% holdback and probably a 5% carryover allowance on '04s. I don't know if it would be $100 over invoice for all his cars. Especially because I want antilock brakes on the base--hard to get--and he would have to bring the car from another dealer.
If he can't do that pricing, I might do a fax attack to uncover where my car might be. Not sure.
THANKS AGAIN for helping me find a comfy seat!
I think that I will try a Taurus before I make my final decision.
Hopefully you can find one to your liking; I don't know much about current pricing - maybe somebody else can help you on that one. We know there's a new body style coming out in 2006, so that might give you a little more leverage.
Ok, you helped me decide on the 60/40 front seat. But the ugly grey cloth that was on that car I saw would depress me! I have seen that nice Impala sport fabric on the bucket seats, but is it easily available on the 60/40 seat? And would it just be an extension of the bottom half of the seat like on the bucket?
Already I am making it more difficult to find my car because I want a BASE with ABS. So I don't want to add too many variables. Do you have to take the sport trim package to get the sport trim cloth seats? I went to the GM Build your own site, but couldn't tell for sure. Thanks! I can almost taste ownership! But first I am going to push myself to rent it for a weekend....
I just stopped off at a Chevy dealership in a nearby city, and saw their Impalas. The GM site said they had 60/40 seats with sport cloth, which I wanted to see.
Did they change the antenna and Onstar installation? YUK!
It looked like the antenna is now on the roof, like pictured in the '06 here on Edmunds site. Big black, ugly thing on the roof. Also, the Onstar has a cable that runs from some sort of lining on the windshield to the rear view mirror. I didn't like either the lining or the cable, it cuts into my vision.
Does anyone know if I can get '05s without this? Did they change production midyear, or should I try to scrounge up an '04?
I was so disappointed, that I went across the street to see Buicks--the Century looks really nice, and I wonder how the Century and Regal compare to Impala. All 3 bench seats look fine for me! The Century site isn't very active, so not much info there.
Thanks!!!
On the one hand, you should be able to get a great deal on a Century/Regal, since they're on their way out - and they've been making these cars for many years, so any major bugs should have been worked out by now. But if you're concerned about resale at all, you might think twice - the Century/Regal are going to look dated pretty soon.
Really, we found we like the looks of the Impala much more the Century. We sat in a Century yesterday, and it looks cheap inside. Also, notes in Consumer Reports says the seats get more uncomfortable the longer you sit in them.
They didn't have a Regal on that lot.
I am going to call GM about the antenna on the Impala. I am guessing they started doing it in the middle of the '05 year. If so, I better hurry up and buy my Impala! I also saw the antenna on the LaCrosse yesterday.
I think it detracts for the look. I could be wrong--the antenna could become a status symbol!
While I don't mind Onstar, I do mind that it takes away vision ability from the windshield.
Sounds like I better decide on my car soon, and buy it! Hopefully, I can get one of the older Impalas.
I am very close to buying an Impala. Rented one for the weekend. Really liked it, but noticed a blocked rear view. Partially by the headrestraints; didn't think of removing them till a few days later. I am determined to adjust to this, and am going to get used to using the side mirrors a lot more. I have a very old car that is pre-headrestraint, so this would be an issue no matter what car I drive.
I was at the market today and saw a VW bug where someone pulled off the rear headrestraints. Great idea, no one sits in my back seat!
Is it possible? I don't want to call GM Marketing again--I wonder if they keep tabs on how many times I have called...
Another workaround, till I adjust, is to get the fold-down seats and not use the trunk for awhile.
Thanks for your comments!