My stepfather is wanting to replace his aging Corsica. He is wanting to go to local dealerships to purchase. There seem to be a lot of low mileage Impala's in his price range. Are there know problems with these vehicles? Anything to look for?
Used 2011-2008 Impala?
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It would be a major upgrade over the Corsica. If you talk to 10 different people that own one you will get 10 very different answers on reliability, the most common complaint I hear is keeping the alignment on the car straight.
There was an issue with the rear suspension that was recalled only on the police issued Impalas, and not the civilian ones. GM is not acknowleding the default and leaving customers on the hook for the repair, except the police fleet vehicles. It causes excessive tire wear on the rear.
My family has a 2006, 2008, and a 2011 and all three go through tires in 20-25k miles, even with regular rotations.
The engines with Active Fuel Management also tend to consume oil when primarily driven at highway speeds. That is when the AFM works and it is driven by engine oil pressure. I have no idea where the oil disappears to, and neither does GM, but they have a TSB out for the issue. The 2008 is driven by my SIL who commusted across the state and in a 5k miles OCI, she went through 2 quarts. The capacity is only 4 quarts.
Otherwise, my in-laws drive their Impala to Florida every year and say it is a great road trip car.
My family has a 2006, 2008, and a 2011 and all three go through tires in 20-25k miles, even with regular rotations.
The engines with Active Fuel Management also tend to consume oil when primarily driven at highway speeds. That is when the AFM works and it is driven by engine oil pressure. I have no idea where the oil disappears to, and neither does GM, but they have a TSB out for the issue. The 2008 is driven by my SIL who commusted across the state and in a 5k miles OCI, she went through 2 quarts. The capacity is only 4 quarts.
Otherwise, my in-laws drive their Impala to Florida every year and say it is a great road trip car.
I rented an 08 or 09 a few years ago and I liked it for what it was. Fairly solid feeling car, decent getup, decent gas mileage, and it was comfortable. I couldn't really fault it aside from being a tad old school plain. Seems like it could make a solid used car buy though.
Originally Posted By: SLCraig
I rented an 08 or 09 a few years ago and I liked it for what it was. Fairly solid feeling car, decent getup, decent gas mileage, and it was comfortable. I couldn't really fault it aside from being a tad old school plain. Seems like it could make a solid used car buy though.
That is what he is looking for. He is old school. He remembers riding in his friends Model A Ford back in the 40's.
I rented an 08 or 09 a few years ago and I liked it for what it was. Fairly solid feeling car, decent getup, decent gas mileage, and it was comfortable. I couldn't really fault it aside from being a tad old school plain. Seems like it could make a solid used car buy though.
That is what he is looking for. He is old school. He remembers riding in his friends Model A Ford back in the 40's.
You could get one with a 5.3 V8 when the SS package was offered. That's a really solid, proven engine, but maybe overkill for your stepfather.
The LT interior adds some nice upgrades like front buckets with a console and storage compartments under the rear seat. You can get an LT with cloth or leather.
One of my neighbors just bought a used LT model. So far he likes it, but he's only had it a week so not much else to report.
The LT interior adds some nice upgrades like front buckets with a console and storage compartments under the rear seat. You can get an LT with cloth or leather.
One of my neighbors just bought a used LT model. So far he likes it, but he's only had it a week so not much else to report.
There are many used Impalas that are former rental cars. I would be wary of these for obvious reasons. I suggest that you pull a Carfax and do the obligatory checks on the car before you purchase it. In addition, there seems to be a problem with the shifter in some Impalas. According to some of the reviews, the shifter gets stuck in park and will not release. I do not know how common this problem is. Other than that, I have read relatively positive things about the Impala. They are reasonably priced. Have fun buying a new car.
Originally Posted By: z917990
There are many used Impalas that are former rental cars. I would be wary of these for obvious reasons. I suggest that you pull a Carfax and do the obligatory checks on the car before you purchase it. In addition, there seems to be a problem with the shifter in some Impalas. According to some of the reviews, the shifter gets stuck in park and will not release. I do not know how common this problem is. Other than that, I have read relatively positive things about the Impala. They are reasonably priced. Have fun buying a new car.
Good points. I am just trying to help my stepfather so he does not get a car with problems. I will need to check into the issue brought up so far.
There are many used Impalas that are former rental cars. I would be wary of these for obvious reasons. I suggest that you pull a Carfax and do the obligatory checks on the car before you purchase it. In addition, there seems to be a problem with the shifter in some Impalas. According to some of the reviews, the shifter gets stuck in park and will not release. I do not know how common this problem is. Other than that, I have read relatively positive things about the Impala. They are reasonably priced. Have fun buying a new car.
Good points. I am just trying to help my stepfather so he does not get a car with problems. I will need to check into the issue brought up so far.
Wife has a temporary ( one week) 2009 Impala when her Avalon got hit a few years ago. I used to be a strong Chevy man, many years ago but the Impala was [censored] compared to the Avalon in every detail.
I don't think he was asking for a comparison of the Impala vs the Avalon. He was asking if there were known issues with the Impala of a certain generation.
FWIW, the Impala and the Avalon are apples and oranges when it comes to comparison. If anything, the Impala was more of a competitor with the Camry/Accord.
FWIW, the Impala and the Avalon are apples and oranges when it comes to comparison. If anything, the Impala was more of a competitor with the Camry/Accord.
Originally Posted By: rcy
I don't think he was asking for a comparison of the Impala vs the Avalon. He was asking if there were known issues with the Impala of a certain generation.
FWIW, the Impala and the Avalon are apples and oranges when it comes to comparison. If anything, the Impala was more of a competitor with the Camry/Accord.
My stepfather wants a Chevy or Ford. Those are the dealerships in his neck of the woods. Where he lives you see mostly trucks and a lot of deer. Avalon is nice. I briefly compared price. It was almost $10,000 difference. I am looking at Impala based on price. He wants a lower mileage vehicle. The other vehicle he meantioned was a Taurus. I am not seeing as many of those for sale in his area.
I don't think he was asking for a comparison of the Impala vs the Avalon. He was asking if there were known issues with the Impala of a certain generation.
FWIW, the Impala and the Avalon are apples and oranges when it comes to comparison. If anything, the Impala was more of a competitor with the Camry/Accord.
My stepfather wants a Chevy or Ford. Those are the dealerships in his neck of the woods. Where he lives you see mostly trucks and a lot of deer. Avalon is nice. I briefly compared price. It was almost $10,000 difference. I am looking at Impala based on price. He wants a lower mileage vehicle. The other vehicle he meantioned was a Taurus. I am not seeing as many of those for sale in his area.
Originally Posted By: SLCraig
I rented an 08 or 09 a few years ago and I liked it for what it was. Fairly solid feeling car, decent getup, decent gas mileage, and it was comfortable. I couldn't really fault it aside from being a tad old school plain. Seems like it could make a solid used car buy though.
I'd agree with this. I liked the rental I had, but is felt old school. Very solid and comfy though.
I rented an 08 or 09 a few years ago and I liked it for what it was. Fairly solid feeling car, decent getup, decent gas mileage, and it was comfortable. I couldn't really fault it aside from being a tad old school plain. Seems like it could make a solid used car buy though.
I'd agree with this. I liked the rental I had, but is felt old school. Very solid and comfy though.
Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
There was an issue with the rear suspension that was recalled only on the police issued Impalas, and not the civilian ones. GM is not acknowleding the default and leaving customers on the hook for the repair, except the police fleet vehicles. It causes excessive tire wear on the rear.
My family has a 2006, 2008, and a 2011 and all three go through tires in 20-25k miles, even with regular rotations.
The engines with Active Fuel Management also tend to consume oil when primarily driven at highway speeds.
When a friend of mine was used car shopping last year I researched and checked out the Implala quite a bit. She ended up buyng a Lexus ES-350 mainly because I found a low mile CPO deal that was too good to pass up.
Anyway, there is a fix available for the rear tire wear, revised trailing arms or something like that, you can look it up on the Impala forums or Google it, no biggie. If you purchase from a GM dealer insist they do the police recall fix as part of the deal.
Never heard about the oil consumption issues, but AFM was dropped after 2008.
As mentioned, they are good used car buys and reasonably priced. I would concentrate on 2009 and newer models, GM Certified Used if possible, or one with some factory warranty left, just in case.
Avoid 2006-7 model years and those with leather seats; not very comfortable, I think.
There was an issue with the rear suspension that was recalled only on the police issued Impalas, and not the civilian ones. GM is not acknowleding the default and leaving customers on the hook for the repair, except the police fleet vehicles. It causes excessive tire wear on the rear.
My family has a 2006, 2008, and a 2011 and all three go through tires in 20-25k miles, even with regular rotations.
The engines with Active Fuel Management also tend to consume oil when primarily driven at highway speeds.
When a friend of mine was used car shopping last year I researched and checked out the Implala quite a bit. She ended up buyng a Lexus ES-350 mainly because I found a low mile CPO deal that was too good to pass up.
Anyway, there is a fix available for the rear tire wear, revised trailing arms or something like that, you can look it up on the Impala forums or Google it, no biggie. If you purchase from a GM dealer insist they do the police recall fix as part of the deal.
Never heard about the oil consumption issues, but AFM was dropped after 2008.
As mentioned, they are good used car buys and reasonably priced. I would concentrate on 2009 and newer models, GM Certified Used if possible, or one with some factory warranty left, just in case.
Avoid 2006-7 model years and those with leather seats; not very comfortable, I think.
I'd avoid the 2008 model too. Mine blew the headgaskets at 65,000 miles (numerous other problems too during the time I owned it). I was told by the dealership that did the repairs that the headgasket issue was a problem with the V6 engines. FWIW, mine had no tire wear issues and was a comfortable car...could get 34 mpg on a trip. I just got tired of all the problems and won't be buying GM for the foreseeable future.
I cannot recommend the Impala more than anything else in the road today. It is an old-school styled, comfy road warrior that has evolved to include efficiency and better than expected reliability for GM.
After renting several of these from the year 2007-2011 inclusive, I have found them to be of unbeatable value and comfort, esp. for the price point. The rentals were subject to +8 hour road one-way road trips with varying road conditions and different drivers (myself and my spouse). Mind you, these cars were all VERY low milage examples.
We found this car to be very comparable in road feel and handling to the Cadillac DTS which we also used for the same trip. Aside from the lack of toys as offered on the Cadillac, the Impala is just as much of a comfortable cruiser as the DTS but without the power of the 4.6 Northstar V8.
One of the downsides I recall from this car was after a trip through the Rocky Mountains. There are some very long and steep roads that require you to use you brakes often, or else you will quickly find youself coasting over 180kph frequently. After using the brakes consistantly, I found the steering to become loose and vibrations when applying the brakes. After I got off the freeway, I found that the lug nuts on all 4 wheels had worked themselves loose. I thought this was a one-time occurance, but it happened on our way home back to Vancouver. Obviously the brakes were working VERY hard as the lug wrench had heated up considerably while attempting to re-tighten the alloy wheels. Mind you, the car should not have had this problem consideirng it was below 10k miles and had hardly made it to it's first OCI.
Below are a couple of sites I use to evaluate cars. The Impala is a very decent car as reported in the reviews. But for it's intended purpose, i can't see it being any WORSE than the Corsica.
http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/impala/2009/consumer-reviews.html?sub=sedan
http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/chevrolet/impala/2008/single-page/
I don't have as much expereince with teh Taurus, but from the reviews and the reliability ratings, I'd seriously consider one over the Impala if the prices were equivalent
http://www.edmunds.com/ford/taurus/2009/consumer-reviews.html?sub=sedan
http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/ford/taurus/2008/single-page/
good luck! and let us know what you decide on
After renting several of these from the year 2007-2011 inclusive, I have found them to be of unbeatable value and comfort, esp. for the price point. The rentals were subject to +8 hour road one-way road trips with varying road conditions and different drivers (myself and my spouse). Mind you, these cars were all VERY low milage examples.
We found this car to be very comparable in road feel and handling to the Cadillac DTS which we also used for the same trip. Aside from the lack of toys as offered on the Cadillac, the Impala is just as much of a comfortable cruiser as the DTS but without the power of the 4.6 Northstar V8.
One of the downsides I recall from this car was after a trip through the Rocky Mountains. There are some very long and steep roads that require you to use you brakes often, or else you will quickly find youself coasting over 180kph frequently. After using the brakes consistantly, I found the steering to become loose and vibrations when applying the brakes. After I got off the freeway, I found that the lug nuts on all 4 wheels had worked themselves loose. I thought this was a one-time occurance, but it happened on our way home back to Vancouver. Obviously the brakes were working VERY hard as the lug wrench had heated up considerably while attempting to re-tighten the alloy wheels. Mind you, the car should not have had this problem consideirng it was below 10k miles and had hardly made it to it's first OCI.
Below are a couple of sites I use to evaluate cars. The Impala is a very decent car as reported in the reviews. But for it's intended purpose, i can't see it being any WORSE than the Corsica.
http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/impala/2009/consumer-reviews.html?sub=sedan
http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/chevrolet/impala/2008/single-page/
I don't have as much expereince with teh Taurus, but from the reviews and the reliability ratings, I'd seriously consider one over the Impala if the prices were equivalent
http://www.edmunds.com/ford/taurus/2009/consumer-reviews.html?sub=sedan
http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/ford/taurus/2008/single-page/
good luck! and let us know what you decide on
Thanks for all the information! My stepfather is going to make the decisions. I really liked my brother's Taurus when visiting him in Texas. His is the older body style. The rental we used for the trip was an Impala. It was OK, but I felt my old Saturn had more comfortable seats. He is going to be using it so I think a test drive will help him decide what he likes best.
Originally Posted By: oilmaven
I'd avoid the 2008 model too. Mine blew the headgaskets at 65,000 miles
All the more reason to find a late model, low mile example with a generous warranty.
There a tons of 2011 models in my area under 15,000mi.
Also, 2012 Implala has the new 3.6l engine if the headgasket issue is a concern. But then again who knows what kind of problems they may have down the road with the direct injection fuel system
I'd avoid the 2008 model too. Mine blew the headgaskets at 65,000 miles
All the more reason to find a late model, low mile example with a generous warranty.
There a tons of 2011 models in my area under 15,000mi.
Also, 2012 Implala has the new 3.6l engine if the headgasket issue is a concern. But then again who knows what kind of problems they may have down the road with the direct injection fuel system
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