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I've seen one or more references to this manual (e.g., see p. 14 in the "Getting to Know Your 2006 Impala", which is like a quick start guide). My salesman says he's never seen a separate Bose manual delivered with the Impala, and referred me back to this quick start guide.
Just trying to determine if there is one, and whether I need to call GM myself to get it.
Quick question to you: Do you also have the static noise at low volume on the Bose radio ? Many people complained about it and I can hear it on my radio too.
I rarely have it that low, as I usually have it at more normal mid-volume levels.
Anyone else get a separate Bose supplement? Trying to figure out if there actually is one. Thanks.
This was disappointing stupid given the other printed references to it, but I guess that's their "final answer". At least it explains why none of us or the salesman have ever seen one.
Traction control really helps. From a dead stop, the front wheels still slip, but it's more controlled and you get moving traction. With TC off, the front wheels just free spin and you don't go anywhere. Definitely a noticeable difference. ABS, of course, is a wonderful thing in the snow. My other car has it too, and wouldn't ever buy another one without it.
Negative commenters about the Impala being big and heavy should consider that a blessing snow. The car feels very surefooted (with proper driving, of course). I've seen other cars slide into curbs in front of me on turns where the Imp just kept on going where I wanted.
Indeed, I've noticed the Imp's driving feel is very similar to the late 90's Lumina/Monte Carlo line, so those who have compared it to the Lumina should feel a bit vindicated. Again, that's a good thing in my book, as those were very surefooted cars in snow as well.
So, while others are dissing GM for not making the most "trendy" looking car, so far, I think they've made one that is very easy to drive, with very good winter manners. With that said, I'm looking forward to when GM finally adds stability control. I'll take all the safety features I can get.
I believe the new Impala is a big leap from the past car, but the competition is giving it a run for its money.
One look at the upcoming 2007 Camry (available in early 2006) ought to make the Big 3 very worried indeed. I just bought the Impala, but the redesigned Camry was the first car that made me wonder if I should've waited a few months. It looks sleek and very Lexus-like.
Then I remembered the Impala's standard OnStar and remote start features, which are currently unique to the Impala in comparison. I love having both. Will be interesting to see if the new Camry has a remote start option, but OnStar is definitely a GM thing. Also love the noticeably larger trunk and flip and fold seats. Sounds like the new Camry is about the same size as its predecessor.
Having gone through a bitter cold spell with temperatures hovering around zero for nearly a week with cars covered with snow and ice, the remote start with automatic window defrosting is truly a wonderful feature. Costs a little in the gas mileage department to idle for 10 mins, but sure makes cleaning off the car much easier, and is gentler on the engine to warm it up before jumping on the freeway. Not to mention that as I have the cloth seats (no bun warmer ), it's nice to get into a warm car.
Which reminds me: The Impala's 3.9L engine warms up the fastest out of any car I've ever owned, bar none. The downside is the coarser engine note on acceleration, definitely not as pleasing as others. But GM makes pretty reliable engines, and if's it's durable, then the sound is a minor quibble.
In the end, I guess it's all about which trade-offs we want.
A couple of initial impressions:
Mirrors are too small, as someone else indicated above.
The chrome trim rings with (very pale blue green) lights to indicate where the control (like heat amount, fan, etc.) may be interesting, from a styling perspective – but they made it very difficult to see. Staring down at the controls is not recommended in Atlanta traffic.
The seats (‘bench’) offer no lateral support.
The v6 is acceptably smooth in my driving thus far. But it certainly does not feel like over 200 HP. (Even accounting for the fact that I’m used to 303.)
The ride strikes me as neither good nor bad. Most bumps are felt, but muted.
I will be driving this to lunch and then back to the dealer.
- Ray
Just 1 man’s very early impressions . .
After driving another 5 or 6 miles, I'll add that the shape (styling) also limits the usefulness of the outside mirrors.
- Ray
Who will be soooo glad to turn this back in for MY car . .
I have a couple criteria:
1) Leg room
I'm 6' 4" and got into this game looking for leg room and good power as well as comfort. Overall I'd say the Charge, though the Impala is listed as a "full size", has more room. Leg room is practically the same, but there is more head room, shoulder room, etc. Also the back seat is roomier in the Charger for the family.
So the Charger gets the nod here.
2) Pricing
Chargers were selling for MSRP when they fist came out, but now they are coming down in price. My first offer was $600 over invoice and I would expect to get lower.
However, the Impala is selling right now below invoice and is priced lower from the start with more options. I seems the Charger has a lot of add ons that jack the MSRP. My comparison is the Impala SS with leather, block heater, polished wheels, Bose Sound, convenience package, $29995 MSRP going for $27003 with an additional 1,000 rebate.
Charger R/T with R/T performance package, convince group, Bose Sound, $33,095 MSRP. Invoice is $31,177 with the option of another 1,000 rebate if you take their financing which is higher than I could get.
Is there 3,000 in value difference here?
Impala SS might do OK with value because they aren't fleet cars, buy the regular Impala will suffer for this. Charger will be rarer. But the Charger has more power and rear wheel drive is attractive even up in the North lands.
The R/T package is above and beyond, but really is only $500 because there are other options thrown in with it such as dual a/c one touch pwr windows, etc.
3) Handling
The Impala is smoother...much smoother than the Charger. However you can feel the weight up front compared to the equal weight distribution in the Charger. So even though it is rear wheel drive it does well in the snow and ice. Torque steer is an issue in the SS.
4) Interior
Impala is superior here. Charger is bone crusher hard on the arm rests, and looks cheap in comparison. Radio might be better in the Charger, but both are exceptional.
Charger R/T owners are saying they are getting what is advertised even with limited break in. Impala SS owners are reporting much less than the EPA numbers.
In town was 17 plus with little idling.
These V8s idle on 8 right?
Your 20 mpg is a bit low, my GXP will get 21.5mpg at 80mph on the interstate. This is over the course of a full fuel tank run. No stopping, no town traffic, strictly interstate travel at 80mph. I would think the SS would do the same.
Mike
Actually they weren't "secret" before the "internet."
I used to buy a book that came out quarterly at the full magazine stores. It gave the dealer cost and retail. One was published by a company called Edmunds. There were some others.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
However, the car is not getting the mileage I expected. I've been averaging about 14.2 around town and I averaged about 23.4 today on a 45 mile highway jaunt at about 68 mph. I also tend to drive quickly part of the time. I'm going to try 93 gas next tank, and see if the MPG improves at all.
Otherwise, I absolutely LOVE the car. I haven't noticed much torque steer, and I certainly haven't been "scared" by the car. TO ME, the car is definitely fun to drive. I'm not taking it to the local cone lined parking lot and trying to out-run BMW's around the track, I'm just driving around town and on the highway. But the car just feels planted and it sticks to the road. When you try to take a sharp curve at high speed, you can feel the weight, but I think for what it is (large family sedan) it handles great.
John
Where I live 87 and 89 are the same price...but 89 has 10% ethanol added in.
I'll post my results in a week or so when I've driven on the 93 for a while.
John
Thanks John, look forward to it!
(No I don't work for them, other than considering buying a warranty for my wife's '04 Envoy from them).
--Robert
- Get the quote from your dealer (which usually will be too high -- hey, that's their markup money maker if you don't know their margins).
- Call the folks at http://www.gmoutlet.com and ask for their lowest price (alternatively, you can give them your dealer quote and ask how much you were overbid). Keep those lower numbers handy.
- Call your local dealership back and tell them that you called another dealership (true) and that they gave you a much lower quote (also true). Tell them to match it or you're going elsewhere (regardless of the price quoted for the car itself). You do NOT and should not disclose the name of the other dealer. If they press too hard, tell them that's your business, not theirs, and walk out, intimating that you're heading over to a competing dealer.
Now watch the fun -- they know that you can buy a GM extended warranty from any GM dealer in the country within the original warranty period. They'd much rather make only a little money off you at the lower warranty price than see you walk altogether. And the key is NEVER be afraid to walk away or to tell them you'd walk as there's plenty of other dealerships drooling for your business.
I've seen dealerships "begrudgingly" agree to increase your trade-in value by a little, only to jack up the extended warranty price more than enough to cover the difference and add even more margin for them. So you lose, even with a higher trade-in.
Take away their power by negotiating hard for the lowest new car price first. Don't tell them about your trade-in yet, or they'll work it in against you. After that, then nail down the trade-in value next (print out the Kelley Blue Book value at kbb.com and bring it in to support your position).
Finally, when the trade-in price is locked in, hit them up with the lower warranty quote from above. They'll have all this time and work already invested in the deal, and won't want to jeopardize the sale by then for the difference.
By this point, they don't have much else to jack up in price on you because you've locked THEM in on the major stuff (unless you buy into all the dealer aftermarket and financial trappings like credit life insurance). Also, don't be surprised if they get more than a little frustrated with you by this point. Stand your ground and tell them you'll walk, even if it's only for a few hundred bucks, if they don't match the warranty price.
Works great.
Once I had a non-GM car that required extensive engine rebuilding. The problem was intermittent just before the extended warranty expired. I brought it in and had the dealership document my problem, even though they couldn't diagnose it at the time. A few thousand miles later, it got much worse. That was after the warranty had expired.
I brought it back in and claimed it was covered under warranty as I had reported it during coverage. Of course they tried to wiggle out of it, but got the manufacturer involved. In the end, they probably did over $2,000 worth of parts and labor under warranty, and my warranty cost far less than that. I also had a free loaner vehicle for some time while they were rebuilding it.
It was a second model year car, and found out later that a good number of owners experienced a similar problem with the engine. The manufacturer never did a recall.
I was sure glad I got that warranty, although I'll never buy another car from that manufacturer.
There are more scams on used car sales than new including higher interest rates, not to mention spinning the odo.
During the week driving steady speeds across Indiana 55 - 65 mph, I average more like 22 - 24.5 mpg.
Highway speeds of 70 to 80 I average 21.5 - 22 mpg.
It's not bad economy for a small block V8 with "active fuel management."
The key is to keep your foot out it, which is hard to do, why else would we buy an SS.
Clayton
Check any newspaper across America. They are loaded with used Impalas for sale like yours at give away prices, nowhere near what you think it is worth.
With so many new cars in the Impala segment, I hope GM keeps this new Impala fresh. Every year improvements have to be made, the competition today is more fierce then ever. This Hyundai Sonata is winning most of the awards in this segment. I am a chevy guy but accolades to a car company Hyundai that has been around for a short time and is kicking the stuffing out of its competion in quality/desirablility in the mid car segment. Check it out!
Go ahead and "save" a few thousand on a used car if you can but consider the disadvantages in terms of use/abuse, odometer fraud, accident/flood damage, etc. No wonder dealers make higher profits on used cars than new!
Selling after 2-3 years is another issue that is irrelevant to me since I don't plan to sell it for 9-10 more years. So your argument about loss of value is irrelevant to me.
This is not a Hundai thread so I won't debate the Sonata.
1. It may take 6000-12000 miles for the engine to break in.
2. Do you know how to fill the car up? He then proceeded to explain how to fill a car up. (All bs) :mad:
3. Fill the car up at 100 miles, you may see an improvement. ( I obviously don't know how to divide)
4. There is winterized (oxygenated) fuel which will lower your gas mileage.
5. Your mileage should improve in April because thats when the oxygenated fuel will end for the winter run.
6. At the end of the conversation, they tried to sell me some rain shields for the windows, what a class act, typical bottom feeding dealer.
This car is the worst car I have ever leased, we'll see what happens.
As I have stated in previous posts, GM better keep their fleet of cars/trucks fresh, more often then in the past. 6 model years was way too long with the previous model Impala with only minor changes. A lot of people change cars every three or four years and no one wants to buy exactly what they just traded in.
'03 Chevrolet Impala LS 4D Sedan $15,998 Blue Automatic 6 33K Transferable/$400
Why would you buy a used 03 when you can get a new 06 with a warranty for about $3K more?
Even though most modern cars are capable of running well over 100k miles if properly cared for, for the most part by the time a car has @ 120k miles or so it isn't worth too much (there are exceptions of course, but for mainstream sedans that's probably a fair figure).
So in my mind, buying a new car for $20k and buying a used one with say 30k miles on it for $15k is a wash...the used car is 25% cheaper, but then again 25% of it's "life" is gone. So if you're planning to keep the car for 10+ years, it might make more sense to buy new, whereas if you trade frequently, you might be able to better justify buying a slightly used car and then trading it when it still has some value/life left in it.
Most FIRST time car buyers trade long before their car is 9 or 10 years old. I am probably older then you and I trade every 4-6 years. As stated I bought a 2001 LS brand new. With so many decent used Impala LS cars and soon to be SS cars out there, a good negotiated price will allow me to buy an extended warranty if wanted, invest the rest or put improvements into my 1964 Impala SS, that has a lot more then 120,000 miles and many more to come.
The 2006 Impalas are definitely better buys today then the previous 00-05 models. Big improvements were made to the 2006 Impalas, but Chevy better keep these cars updated a lot more often then the previous models, and when problems arise address them immediately. We all rememeber the many problems that plagued the 00-05 models. cracked, body mounts, intake manifold leaks, warped rotors, Intermediate steering shaft problems, cheap interiors, etc etc. The mid/large size car market is the most competitive and right now Honda/Toyota still have the best grip on that. Chevy indicates they have reduced the number of Impalas going to fleet sales for 2006. Thats a good sign for new Impala owners who can retain a little more value over time. Used Impalas have the lowest rated resale value of any car in its segment.
The Impala is #1 selling used car in America. There must be some value, the numbers speak for themselves.