considering a 2000-2002 Impala

[tia333]

I am considering buying a used Impala I have been told to get a 3800,what is the difference in the 3400 than the 3800? Also I have came across some with police pkg, are they any good? and what about milage, do the police impala's have any problems? Are they good cars? And last what would be a good price range to purchase a pre owned Impala? i have found some a local dealerships for $4700 for police pkg up to $6500. Please help!!!!

[bigrod118]

[MagicRat]

The 3400 and 3800 are completely different designs.

The 3800 is the one to get.
It's an extensive refinement of the Buick V6 engine and traces its design back to 1961. It is extremely durable has excellent low end and mid-range power and is remarkably fuel efficient.

It's a workhorse and, although its resonably fast, its not considered exactly 'sporting' because it does not rev very high.

The 3400 is a refinement of the old 2.8 liter v6, dating back to 1979.
They are fine engines, are lighter and more compact than the 3800, but have some durability issues. These engines are known for blown head and intake manifold gaskets, although this does not happen to most of them.
They also have a tendency to break a camshaft when the mileage gets a bit high (ie above 120k miles)

A GREAT place to search is www.carsurvey.org
It has lots of owner written reviews.

Also, this subforum is great. Look around and you can find the problem issues.

IMO the police package is great, but usually these were used on fleet cars, which may be worn out/abused by now.

[MCO_Death]

Originally Posted by MagicRat

The 3400 and 3800 are completely different designs.

The 3800 is the one to get.
It's an extensive refinement of the Buick V6 engine and traces its design back to 1961. It is extremely durable has excellent low end and mid-range power and is remarkably fuel efficient.

It's a workhorse and, although its resonably fast, its not considered exactly 'sporting' because it does not rev very high.

The 3400 is a refinement of the old 2.8 liter v6, dating back to 1979.
They are fine engines, are lighter and more compact than the 3800, but have some durability issues. These engines are known for blown head and intake manifold gaskets, although this does not happen to most of them.
They also have a tendency to break a camshaft when the mileage gets a bit high (ie above 120k miles)

A GREAT place to search is www.carsurvey.org
It has lots of owner written reviews.

Also, this subforum is great. Look around and you can find the problem issues.

IMO the police package is great, but usually these were used on fleet cars, which may be worn out/abused by now.

Should be noted that its hit/miss with police packages. Your taking your chances, which is why they usually are dirt-cheap compared to the other body style Impala's. I have one and put almost as much as I paid for it (4500) into it and it runs better than my 03 LS now (which has 50,000 miles on it, police pkg had 172,000 on it)

Definitly get the 3800, one thing I havn't had problems with is my engine.

[harrymay]

get the 3800, we have a 3400 in our 03, its an ok engine, but the torque range is higher than my 3800. like they said, its a well rounded angine and has been around 40+ years in various forms.

dont bother with a police package, think about it, they are running all the time at idle, and they revv up a lot and are mostly abused.