2001 impala question

I am looking at buying a 2001 chevy impala. How reliable are these cars? Are there any known issues with the motor and such.
HOw would you rate it mechanical and reliability factors?

I am researching this but I figure I would get faster results by asking for your opinions.

Thanks,

Dave

i bought an 01 about 7 months ago, and it has been pretty good to me. i had an exhaust leak in my crossover pipe. no big deal. and my ac only blower stoped working on the lower settings it just works on high. also no big deal. my ac compressor once in a while doesnt fully disingage and it is noisy. but that is only once in a while and if i turn my ac on and off a bunch it seems to fix itself. i dont know why but this happens when it is really humid. overall i really like my impala but there are some people in this forum that seem to have alot of problems with theirs maybe its the luck of the draw. when i get this one payed off im gonna buy another one so my girlfriend wont have to share this one

I wouldn't buy another one, i have had so many problems with mine, make sure you do some serious researching on that car to see what has been done to it and what has been replaced and so on. If i had the chance, i wouldn't have ever bought it....

mike

well, I did the same thing when I bought mine, I came here and looked at a lot of posts for problems or questions to fix stuff and checked em out. but when your looking for things to watch for, make sure your looking for the right engine (3.4 or 3.8) some problems are only common with 3.4's and some are common in 3.8's. and also spend the $20 like I did and get a carfax report. but you'll hear a lot of people hating them and a lot of people loving them, but it's like any car out there and there are some bad and some good. I personally love mine. but really get into the dealer selling you the car, ask them about it, and get on them and kinda be a prick about finding anything. I even made the dealer put the car up on a lift and I got under it to look for leaks and if the car had been towed or bottomed out, leaking or rusted exhaust, checked for coolant leaks either present or past. I went over every inch of my car and looked at new ones and the one I bought had some MINOR missing parts like the onstart wire that cmoes out of the rearveiw mirror that runs to the top of the windsheild, the plastic cover that supposed to go over that wire was gone, so I made them get that. I mean, really know your stuff and look at that car up and down back to front inside and out. but also being a 2001 that is 4-5 years old and has some wear and tear and probably a lot of miles. so im not sure exactly what kind of impala your looking at but just search here for problems with the same kind. that's all I can suggest.

I also noticed the dealerships are good at masking problems. Basically doing something to the car so it won't let the problem show until a thousand miles later when the car is yours. Bigrod118 pretty much nailed what you should do at the dealership. Don't be bullied by the carsales person. If you show them you know what your looking for, they will be a little more chosey in the cars they show you. Think about it...that carsalesman is going to get his cut on selling you that car and your stuck making payments. if you don't know anything about them, take someone who does.

Be car smart!!!
Mike

Mine 2001 Ls has 140k now pretty good except electrical problems and cat converter.Motor and tranny strong and decent on fuel and good ride for a cheap car. And i had to replace cooling fans

I purchased a brand new 2005 Impala LS that I special ordered. I love my Impala and one of my friends purchased a 2001 Impala LS used and it has pretty close to 90,000 on it and it runs great. I would avoid the base model Impalas since the 3.4 liter engines have had many problems. Mainly with intake manifolds. That's probably why GM is phasing that engine out. This car is solid and the 3.8 liter is easy on gas for the size of the engine. I don't think you can go wrong here despite what other people say. Just make sure you find one that was taken care of and not beat around. Some people on here are complaining about these cars but we don't know how they treat their vehicles. One word of advice is to avoid Fords.

well said, well said. once you own a ford, you'll appreciate your chevy.

I also noticed the dealerships are good at masking problems. Basically doing something to the car so it won't let the problem show until a thousand miles later when the car is yours. Bigrod118 pretty much nailed what you should do at the dealership. Don't be bullied by the carsales person. If you show them you know what your looking for, they will be a little more chosey in the cars they show you. Think about it...that carsalesman is going to get his cut on selling you that car and your stuck making payments. if you don't know anything about them, take someone who does.

Be car smart!!!
Mike

Its not to hard to make salesmen look like they don't know squat. I always went with my mother when she was looking for a car. Made the salesguys more people-like at some places. Definitly take someone with you.

It may seem obvious, but always take a car for a good solid test drive before ever putting any money on it. Don't let them swagger you into putting in a downpayment to hold a car for you either. I lost count of the ammount of dealerships that would try that crap with me. In the case of the car I bought, they guy tried pulling it with me, I let it sit out there 3 weeks before coming back to purchase it, $500 under asking price at that :biggrin: