2003 Impala

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I am picking one of these up soon. It has high miles (north of 259,000) but it is a customer car sold by a shop.

What is your all opinion of these cars?
 
Had an '01 3.8L, it was in the shop every other week. The transmission is a weak point, BCM module, intake gaskets. But at 259,000 it could very well be it was all done already
 
Plastic fantastic, dull, boring and over 50% of them were sold to rental fleets for the past 20 years.
But cheap and easy to fix. Autozone has every sensor, alternator, starter, water pump... and gasket you'd need for that thing in stock today
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Plastic fantastic, dull, boring and over 50% of them were sold to rental fleets for the past 20 years.
But cheap and easy to fix. Autozone has every sensor, alternator, starter, water pump... and gasket you'd need for that thing in stock today


So you feel it's a money pot?
 
Originally Posted By: zvm77us
Had an '01 3.8L, it was in the shop every other week. The transmission is a weak point, BCM module, intake gaskets. But at 259,000 it could very well be it was all done already


And depending on how much stuff; how much weight the OP plans on dragging around in the car, that transmission issue could be a more immediate concern or become one in short order.
 
Originally Posted By: Collingwood
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Plastic fantastic, dull, boring and over 50% of them were sold to rental fleets for the past 20 years.
But cheap and easy to fix. Autozone has every sensor, alternator, starter, water pump... and gasket you'd need for that thing in stock today


So you feel it's a money pot?


Are you asking if it can carry large girls?
 
Just about the most boring car out there.
Often seen by chain smoking poor white trash up my way.
So you'd want to find one that was at least taken care of.
Even if it's a $500 car.
Please look underneath where the subframe bolts to the firewall for rust.
Heaven knows most of these up my way are rotten out.

Cool if it has the 3800 but most have the 3.4.
Oil? 5w30 or 10w30 and your favorite PF 52 oversize filter.
Rental models with low miles *have* impressed me with power and economy.
But I wonder how they lose half their MSRP in two years.
Of course, if I needed a large car I'd look at the Fusion, Avalon, or Camry.
Some can be had for real cheap now that everyone wants SUVs.
I had a Grand Marquis once and didn't find it roomier than my current Camry.
Everyone's shaped differently. W-body Impalas are nice and square in the roofline.
Realistically, at 260k, you should pay $500 or less, and save money for inspection.
Of course if you're in a state like NJ that dumped safety inspection, the world's your oyster!
 
15 years old car with 250k+ miles...
how is the rust?

What is your mechanical aptitude?
tools hoarded?
access to good+reliable mechanic? (minus cheap)

couple alternatives cheap and fixable:
-chevy cavalier/pontiac sunfire
-toyota yaris (the hatchback)

couple better alternatives:
-ford fusion
-chevy 300m
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
...
Cool if it has the 3800 but most have the 3.4.


maybe a buick may be better suited? better chance of being taken care of,..........
 
Originally Posted By: pandus13
Originally Posted By: eljefino
...
Cool if it has the 3800 but most have the 3.4.


maybe a buick may be better suited? better chance of being taken care of,..........


I believe it has the 3400

No taxi use, Normal use is planned... whatever middle-aged retirees do with their vehicles. It's not even really for me, it's a gift for a family member that mentioned they like them.
It was presented as a car a customer had that is sold by a shop, maybe they did get a service done and couldn't pay. Inspection is current. Maybe it was a fleet car, who knows.

Faded paint on the hood, problems listed were:
- Sometimes the gas gauge doesn't work
- Sometimes the ABS/Trac light illuminates, but always does shut off. Yes, I asked.

Almost giveaway price so I'm going to do an inspection before finalizing the sale. Impala is a very vanilla car, seen fleet use often just like Taurus. Who wants to spend unnecessary money.
 
The ABS/ trac light is usually a wiring pigtail at the ABS sensor. The copper strands break inside the insulation from metal fatigue. If you can get it scanned you should see which wheel.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
The ABS/ trac light is usually a wiring pigtail at the ABS sensor. The copper strands break inside the insulation from metal fatigue. If you can get it scanned you should see which wheel.


Yes, I found a guide that would indicate to me that it's minor, especially if intermittent: https://www.google.com/amp/www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Fix-the-ABSTraction-control-light-on-a-04-I/%3famp_page=true
 
I have a 2005 with the 3.4L/4T65E and have 125k miles on it. In my opinion, I would not purchase this car.

The transmission is definitely a weak point, but to be honest, at that mileage I don't think that the transmission in the car suffered from the all-too-common issues that are notorious in these (PCS failure, overheating, etc). However, it's still not exactly a strong transmission and that's a LOT of miles.

The next thing you have to worry about is the Lower Intake Manifold gaskets. Unfortunately, the gaskets weren't redesigned until 2004, so the engine in this car should still have (unless they were replaced) the old gaskets prone to failure.

Another common failure in these is in the instrument panel. Failure of the panel is a pretty common occurrence, and it sounds like it might already be on the way out in this car. Replacing this can run $300+.

That said, there are pros to this car if you have your heart set on purchasing it. The GM 60 degree V6 are pretty stout and can go a long time. I have little doubt (assuming even the most basic of maintenance has been done) that this engine can go a good while longer. The interior is also very comfortable. My wife and I actually prefer to ride around in our Impala over our other car because of how comfortable it is. Also, as others have said, there are plenty of cheap parts and it's not exactly a difficult car to work on.
 
Originally Posted By: JustN89
I have a 2005 with the 3.4L/4T65E and have 125k miles on it. In my opinion, I would not purchase this car.

The transmission is definitely a weak point, but to be honest, at that mileage I don't think that the transmission in the car suffered from the all-too-common issues that are notorious in these (PCS failure, overheating, etc). However, it's still not exactly a strong transmission and that's a LOT of miles.

The next thing you have to worry about is the Lower Intake Manifold gaskets. Unfortunately, the gaskets weren't redesigned until 2004, so the engine in this car should still have (unless they were replaced) the old gaskets prone to failure.

Another common failure in these is in the instrument panel. Failure of the panel is a pretty common occurrence, and it sounds like it might already be on the way out in this car. Replacing this can run $300+.

That said, there are pros to this car if you have your heart set on purchasing it. The GM 60 degree V6 are pretty stout and can go a long time. I have little doubt (assuming even the most basic of maintenance has been done) that this engine can go a good while longer. The interior is also very comfortable. My wife and I actually prefer to ride around in our Impala over our other car because of how comfortable it is. Also, as others have said, there are plenty of cheap parts and it's not exactly a difficult car to work on.


This is encouraging information.

I will attempt to find out what has and has not been done to this car tomorrow. Odd comments about use and suspension loads aside, I'm not dwelling on whatever that is, this is an inexpensive car that if it runs fantastic for what it is then it will be great for the person I'm gifting it to. And they always did like GM. Tomorrow I'll know more.
 
Originally Posted By: Collingwood


Almost giveaway price
How much you talkin? I have one here where I work. We are storing it for a customer till it sells. 03 Impala,3.4/at no major damage,does have a ding on a rear fender that's hardly noticeable,cold AC,hot heat etc. Serviced by me often and has $120k...Asking price is $1800.
 
We have 100,600 miles on our 2001 Impala with the 3.4 engine. The following except for the intake gaskets (no. 10) are things that have gone bad and were fixed over the last couple of years.

1) Are the brake lines under the car rusted? If so is this one of the years that the custom pre-bent factory brake lines are no longer available. Also, when replacing the rusted out brake lines it is wise to also replace the rusted out fuel tubing. The custom pre-bent fuel tubing should be available from some company in Canada. Expect to pay $170.00 for the pre-bent fuel tubing, and because of its extra long size expect to pay $150.00 for shipping. And since the custom pre-bent fuel tubing is no longer available expect to pay some shop about $600.00 to custom bend and install and bleed the fuel tubing if you can find someone who is willing to do the job.

2) The main drive pulley that drives the serpentine belt is also the harmonic balancer. It is made of two pulleys, one inside the other with a black rubber between them. The black rubber goes bad somewhere between 80,000 to 95,000 miles of use. Have someone who know about them inspect it and see if it is going bad. When it does go bad the outer pulley becomes un-aligned with the inner pulley and that causes the serpentine belt to fall off. When that happens you loose the power-steering, alternator, water-pump, and A/C. So it is something that you want to keep an eye on and replace it before it goes completely bad.

3) The power windows have a drive unit called a regulator. That part goes bad. Also the mount for it can rust out and when it does the window will not go up. Also the switch on the door that controls the window can and will go bad. Rock Auto sell the regulator and switch. When the mount rusts out someone will have to make one from scratch.

4) The spring that is part of the upholstery (under the front seat) goes bad. A good upholstery shop can fix it for somewhere between $90.00 to $140.00

5) There is part of the steering control that can go bad. Expect to pay about $600.00 to get it fixed.

6) The evap system for the fuel tank venting has several parts that can go bad. Expect to pay $80.00 to $250.00 to get it fixed depending on how many parts have to be replace until the correct part is found and replaced.

7) The thermostat in the cooling system can go bad. It is not an easy part to access. Expect to pay about $250.00 to get it replaced.

8) The radiator can go bad. Expect to pay about $450.00 for a cooling system flush, new radiator, new hoses, and anti-freeze.

9) The lug-nuts on the wheels will wear out. Expect to pay about $60.00 to $80.00 for all new lug-nuts.

10) The intake manifold gasket design is junk. When it goes bad it leaks anti-freeze to the outside of the engine. We had it replaced under warranty shortly after we bought the car with 30,000 miles on it. And it went bad again at about 60,000 miles. The cost to have it replaced is about $700.00 When it was first replaced we were told that the replacement gasket is a new and improved design. When it went bad the second time we were told that the new gasket is an even newer second improved design.

11) There are three parking brake cables. One is under the carpet and the seats and carpet must be pulled up to replace it when it breaks. The other two are under the car and are a little easier to access when they break (assuming the person working on it has a lift).

12) The gas tank fuel level sensor went completely. Rock Auto has them for around $20.00 plus shipping. The gas-tank has to be dropped (preferably when it is low on gas) to replace it. This is something that requires the vehicle to be up on a lift when it is done.

13) The plastic in-front of the head-lights turns yellow. There are ways to fix this shown on youtube. I bought a re-finishing kit from a auto-parts store and tried it but it did not work. Soon it will require attention.

All of the above except for the intake gasket happened during the last two years. If I had known all of the things that went bad were about to happen a couple of years ago, I would have gotten rid of that car before they went bad.
 
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