Front wheel drive, new tires, automatic transmission

I have a chance to get one but I haven't driven anything but Hondas and Toyotas for the past thirty-one years, and standard transmission for the past fourteen.

What should I consider in making the decision to get the Impala or stay with my pickup?

(I don't really need a truck any more, a sedan's fine, but I'd prefer a 2-door for fuel economy. But this is SOTCHADEAL!)

http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/chevrolet/impala/2004/ - 19 user reviews

http://www.epinions.com/auto_Make-2004_Chevrolet_Impala - 11 user reviews

http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/impala/2004/review.html - 227 user reviews

A dear friend has an '04 Impala and it is comfy, reliable and has a remarkably effective climate control system but handles very, very badly on anything but dry pavement... the steering simply is not responsive enough for winter conditions and the headlights are "muddy", I can't really explain it but the beam (even on high) is not well focused or something (He's been to the dealer three times to see if they need adjustment, and the lights were pronounced to be perfectly aligned).... and being part of a Honda/Toyota household, I feel sure you'll be disappointed if you buy the Impala- A Honda will spoil you pretty badly for most other cars

quote:

Originally posted by MrsS:

.... and being part of a Honda/Toyota household, I feel sure you'll be disappointed if you buy the Impala- A Honda will spoil you pretty badly for most other cars

Says it all really, doesn't it? Chevrolet make a car which is perfect provided that you drive it only in broad daylight and in the dry.Clever these Japanese, having such advanced technology that you can drive theirs in normal weather and in the dark.

Love the idea that a Chevvy is good on dry pavement. Over here 'pavement' means 'sidewalk'.We tend to object if people drive on it or disturb pedestrians who are walking on the 'pavement' here It's an offence to drive on to the pavement at all.

Thank you for such fast and useful responses!

Definitely not the car for me. I'll stay with my 18-year-old Toyota. Insurance is cheaper, gas mileage much better, handling is superb, and with a good service outlet in town, I believe its safety and reliability are good.

quote:

Clever these Japanese, having such advanced technology that you can drive theirs in normal weather and in the dark.

One of our cars is a 1988 Honda Civic with over 426,000 miles...All we've done is routine maintenence and replacement of CV joints.

Another of our vehicles is my 1990 Toyota Pickup- 378,000 miles and counting... seems I need to have some work done to my hubs, but otherwise, still runs like a top.

Spoiled rotten, we are, with these durable, reliable, cheap to operate and insure machines.

We did just purchase our very first brand new car- A Nissan Versa- and so far, I'm thrilled with her on every level but can't say until after the first 150,000 whether or not I'm as impressed with her as with our old faithfuls.

my mom has an old Toyota pickup that thing will never die. shes had it now about 15 years its moved a lot of peoples stuff. still gets great fuel mileage, gets her back & forth to work everyday. i tried to get her to buy a new one but she says as long as its running good it stays right where it is. plus she dont want another car payment. sure it goes to shop every now and then but miner repairs (ac ect) i could not tell you how many miles that it has but im sure its a lot. ( i wish she would let me drive it )

Gotcha, Dodge!

My car is a 1992 Toyota Corolla, which my cousin Buddy found for me when I moved here. That was in 2004, and at the time the car only had 33,000 miles on it. It's a manual transmission, and had had a recent clutch replacement (which isn't out of the ordinary for Astoria, which is VERY hilly). It was a steal for only 3,500.

We take very good care of it and I've had very few problems. I get about 35MPG, which is just a bit less than a SmartCar, so I'm very proud of that. My car now has about 85,000 miles on it.

I love Chevy - used to have a 1970 Impala and I adored that car except on icy roads. But these days, I wouldn't give up my Toyota for anything!

Something has happened that changed everything. My Toyota blew a new muffler.

Truth is, the Impala was 'a good deal' because it was free. My daughter and her husband had decided to go greener, and do with only one family vehicle. (They have company vehicles they can use if necessary.)

When they looked into the resale value of the Impala, they decided to offer it to me, free, because, as my daughter said, "No way could we get it's real value out of it. So we just wanted it to be used and appreciated. And your truck is so old..."

I had written the e-mail explaining all of the reasons why I was refusing their very generous offer, much as outlined above. I ended, "Sell it for what you can get. You have kids in university, you can use the money. My truck is fine!" -- when the service station gave me the bad news. So I revised my e-mail, and they took the ferry and delivered the Impala to me last week-end.

What was so touching it brought tears to my eyes was what I found after they went back to the lower mainland. Among the transfer documents was a paid invoice dated January 14th 2009 for a road test, safety check all lights and signals, fluid levels, fuel system for leaks, tire pressure, oil and filter change, chassis lube, vacuum interior, etc. etc.

And I feel so lucky to have such caring children. They will soon be retiring themselves, and have bought a beautiful property, also in the country, except suitable for horses, and only 4 1/2 minutes from here. So I'm sure we can care for each other for many years.

And the irony is, turned out the blown muffler was due to a badly-removed catalytic converter, and they fixed everything!

So I must part with my beloved Toyota, and a friend wants to buy buy it. He says he has always coveted it.

So the karma just goes on and on. I have a newer appreciation for my family, a new (to me) car, a 2004 for a 1990, they have a satisfying sense that their vehicle has a good home, and my friend gets a nice little Toyota pickup!

And I get to come clean with you guys. I had hesitated to say it was a 'free' car, because then you'd just say 'duh!', and what I wanted was an assessment of TRUCK vs CAR.

Hope you understand.

Sounds like you have a very loving, caring family. It's great that they are moving nearer to where you live.

Yes, I'm lucky, dg. And oddly it was A/P that refreshed my awareness. There was a post that showed the pure opposite: a willingness to exploit and a sense of entitlement more suitable to an insect than to a human being: a young woman of 23 who rather than wanting to repay her mother for the money spent on the daughter's fatherless child by allowing her mother to claim this year's pittance in the form of an IRS exemption, wants to claim this year's herself -- while still living in her mother's home.

That young lady seems to use as her moral model the ichneumon fly. That insect lays its eggs inside a caterpillar. The eggs hatch and proceed to eat the caterpillar alive, keeping it so until the larvae emerge.

Only the caterpillar is her mom.

i would have kept the truck.

although i had a gmc jimmy that i put 202000 miles on and it still ran good when i traded it.
kinda was a good rig

but hey free is to good to pass up sometimes