2002 Chevrolet Impala LS 3.2 Liter from North America

Summary:

Good car, solid value for the price

Faults:

All four brake pads had to be replaced before 10K miles. All 4 rotors were also replaced, in addition to 2 front brake calipers. I purchased this car from a dealer out of my area. I took it to a local dealer for repair of this problem and it was repaired with zero cost to me. Great service.

General Comments:

The car handles very well at most speeds.

The car is extremely comfortable and the interior controls well designed and easy to use.

The car is plenty powerful and still provides good gas mileage.

The trunk space is very generous.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th March, 2004

2002 Chevrolet Impala LS from North America

Summary:

Nice, but with mechanical faults

Faults:

Both front wheel bearings went out at 14,000 miles. Dealer replaced, but only turned rotors and would not replace worn tires.

General Comments:

At 24,000 miles I had to have the rotors turned again. Dealer refused to replace them. Said they did me a favor by not charging me for turning the rotors.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 25th September, 2003

27th Sep 2004, 15:45

I'm guessing not saying that you probably make sharp turns pump your brakes, or maybe brake to fast?? I had the same problem with a Taurus gl, but I understand why now... it because I was used to driving a smaller car and sedans don't corner as well.

2002 Chevrolet Impala LS 3.8 from North America

Summary:

A very smooth reliable vehicle

Faults:

Nothing to this point. The car has been simply very reliable.

General Comments:

As I stated the car is very reliable and very smooth.

The car exhibits to much tire noise on hard road surfaces.

The cars interior has some cheap points. An example would be the exposed screw heads in the doors armrests.

Over-all the car is a pleasure to drive,but I find that it is a fairly expensive vehicle to purchase.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd August, 2003

2002 Chevrolet Impala LS 3.8 Series II from North America

Summary:

A lot of car for a little money

Faults:

Brakes are staring to grind and braking distance has increased dramatically.

Intermediate steering shaft had to be repaired.

Driver's side front seat foam is loosing its shape.

General Comments:

The performance is great, but can use some bolt on parts to help it breath a bit more.

There should be a way to disable the Daytime Running Lights. They are very bright and cause glare to oncoming drivers.

There should be a way to disable the Auto Headlamp feature. When parked at night the headlights stay on.

All of the "comfort" features are controlled by the radio. It requires you to purchase an expensive relocation harness to change out the factory radio to an aftermarket unit.

Not enough aftermarket parts for the car. The styling is nice, but it needs a little help.

Believe it or not, it has more interior room than my 1997 Ford F250 Extended Cab.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th March, 2003

2002 Chevrolet Impala 3.8 liter V6 from North America

Summary:

Poor reliability

Faults:

Assembly quality is good for a domestic, but the electrical system is possessed. I've had two power window motors fail, dash lights flicker, power door locks have failed three times. The radio has been replaced.

I've also had mechanical problems. The "reliable" 3.8 liter V6 loves to leak oil at only 14,500 miles from around the valve covers. I lose 1 quart every 1000 miles and Chevy says "It's within a tolerable amount."

I've also had to replace a water pump at 5500 miles and the rotors are warped- which to the dealer's credit they said this was common and will replace. The alternator went at 11,700 miles.

General Comments:

I had driven Toyota for a while and decided to go domestic for a change thanks to the 0% financing. This car has been a nightmare and I've had a lot of problems I think are unreasonable at this level of use. The car I traded in on this one was a 1993 Camry. I had 117,000 miles on it when I traded it in and had it in the shop ONCE for a repair other than scheduled maintenance. That repair was a new starter at 108,000 miles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 26th February, 2003

9th Sep 2003, 15:11

I bought an Impala for my wife two years ago (I think it's a 2001). We had intermittent problems with the blinkers for two years (they say this is in the hazard module) and we also have a water pump leak. Mostly, the car is fine, but I've certainly had better experiences with Japanese cars, and it sounds like the water pump issue might be chronic. You know about the recall on Impalas for a bad "coolant low" message?