Faults:

Fuel pump regulator, 2007.

Motor mount bushing, 2004.

Water pump, 2014.

Brake rotors - normal stuff.

Weird "temp gauge drop, with check engine and fans running constantly when shutting off". Shame on Chev on this one - seen this on many Chevs on internet blogs - dealers have charged hundreds, swapping gauges etc..! The problem is a sticking thermostat! Easy repair, but not clear symptoms.

General Comments:

Bought from my mother-in-law who wanted leather seats (had cloth). The car had 62000 miles when purchased. Has been possibly the most reliable car we have ever purchased. The car averages 28 MPG, + we have seen 31 MPG on highway trips. The 3.4 is not a strong engine, but it is adequate for a commuter car.

Faults:

Cooling system issues.

Head gasket.

Suspension/steering issues.

Lots of little electrical systems (alternator, switches going bad, etc).

General Comments:

Drives fantastic on highway. Roomy and comfortable on long trips.

Decent city driver, a bit clunky on maneuvering (e.g. parallel parking).

Never had transmission issues, one of the few systems that worked well. Lots of ongoing problems with many other systems (cooling and suspension particularly), resulting in big bills about every six months.

On the plus side, it's still running nearing 180K (after recently sinking in about $1200 again).

Faults:

Headlight clip missing, which left the passenger side light assembly free to swivel around.

Head gaskets at 311,000 km.

Rotors and pads at 6-7,000 km.

Trunk misaligned.

Anti-theft system constantly thinks I'm trying to steal my own car. Immobilizer has been supposedly repaired/replaced already, and this is still happening.

Fuel warning on when tank is still half full.

Horn sometimes does not sound, takes a bit of effort to find "sweet spot."

General Comments:

Picked up the vehicle as-is for a simple repair project/beater. Heard good things about the police spec Impala, and it seemed cheap.

The best part of this car is its performance. No complaints from the 3.8L V6 besides the expected poor fuel economy. Suspension is firmer, and the brakes are strong. All these parts were upgraded for the 9C1 and 9C3 Impalas.

Holes were drilled for the antennas, and a few are starting to leak. You can still see the police markings on the taillights, holes are drilled all over the dashboard to mount a variety of removed equipment, and there was a random wooden board screwed into the trunk floor when I bought the car. There is a gap between the rear seat cushion and rear seat backrest to allow more space for cuffed hands, presumably. Also, the front bench seats were replaced by a now-removed center console and bucket seats. You really have to remember this car was used by the police, and at one point, all the holes and missing items were useful.

Electrical problems consistently haunt this car, especially the immobilizer. At least three times, the car has mistaken my key for I-don't-know-what and refused to start the engine. Every time, it's away from home, and has to be towed. Head gaskets gave out once, but damage was not nearly as bad as I thought, and seemed to be a wear issue. Mechanically, this car has held up higher than my prior expectations (though that's not saying much, it still is higher maintenance than my Volvo).

The interior is spacious and rather comfortable, if not depressing. The mild blue plastic that made up the entire interior (dashboard, door cards, pillar covers, liners, carpet, etc) really didn't help. The (blue) vinyl seats get ridiculously hot in any amount of sunlight. The trunk is accessible and spacious, and also thankfully not depression-blue. But you don't get to see that while driving, unfortunately. Don't get me wrong, everything is well laid out and easy to use, but the colour is just overwhelming and horrible. Too bad re-upholstery costs so much.