If you were buying today, which car would get your 30 grand...give or take afew bucks.

 

If I spend $30,000 on an Impala SS or Monte SS it better come with an AWD upgrade and the new 5.3L LS4.

Edmunds.com says you can get a 2004 Impala SS for $23,318 after the $3000 rebate. If you can get one for invoice it goes down to $22,763.

 

Are you sure about that?

Chevy.com lists the Impala SS base MSRP at over $28,000. The last time I saw a MC SS Supercharged or Impala SS at the dealer....they stickered at over $31,000.

 

If it was my choice, the Magnum RT. The wife says she doesn't like wagon styling, but we own a Matrix XRS, go figure. So I guess the 300C.

 

Hands down the GTO

 

No family sedans for me nor any fwd stuff, so GTO all the way.

 

I was torn 3 ways on this. According to the car mags, GTO, 300C, and Magnum all have the same acceleration till above 60 when GTO seems to be able to pull away. Not because the GTO is slow, but because the Magnum & 300C are so damn QUICK!

300C has style and quality, the Magnum is the ultimate sleeper (a STATION WAGON! ), yet the GTO is a coupe, and that's what I went with. It's going to be relatively rare (300s are already everywhere out here!), it's build for the rugged rural areas of Australia, so I don't think there's too much our rough roads can do to the car over the years, and it's low keyed styling is perfect for my freeway driving habits.

Impala's and Grand Prixs aren't even players in the game anymore. The new Chrysler 300 simply blow them out of the water in terms of style, quality of interior materials, and what you get for the price. Even the new Ford 500, while pretty much a slug next to Hemi LXs and blown W-bodies, still has a more upscale design, better materials, and seems to have a general feel of a car above it's price & market position. Impalas & Grand Prixs, though undeniably quick, feel cheap now. Being flattened by a Hemi C for just a few thousand more doesn't help.


The supercharged Impala SS sedan goes for $27,435 with an invoce price of $25,103. There is a $3,000 rebate and an additional $1000 loyalty discount if you drive a GM product (assuming it's still in effect). This means the Impala supercharged SS is going for $23,000.

Any statements on prices below this is completely unreliable because there are so many variables involved from local promotions, to how many days supply of cars a dealer or factory has, to how large your dealer is, to who's running the sales department at the time, to which month, or what time of the month it is, to a whole host of other factors. Even supplier shortages can affect the final price of the car.

There's always going to be someone who thinks they'll be able to walk out of the dealer with a car for less money than the dealer paid for it. But in reality, the dealer's going to make money off you one way or the other. Even if in the end, they add back on prices via "options", intrest rates, "dealer prep" or something else.

 

GTO, easy.

 

I like the GTO because there are so much that you can do with it with the help of the aftermarket.

 

personally, i'd probably take an EVO...

but from your list, i voted GTO

 

1. For a car that's built "for the rugged rural areas of Australia" the GTO sure bottoms out real easy. Perhaps Aussies aren't half as "rugged" as we've come to believe.

2. With their long suspension travel and sensible high profile rubber, the 300C and Magnum RT are excellent cars for the terrible roads of the snowbelt. You can tell there was alot of design input from engineers who actually live in Michigan.

3. I don't like the "high belt-line" design movement that the LX cars have ushered in, but at least the look is new. I have have a hard time applying the word "new" to any aspect of the GTO.

 

If I were buying for myself, I'd get a GTO from the cars listed.

Though, ironically, I currently own a 2002 Monte Carlo SS and 2004 Grand Prix GTP.

With the cars coming out in the next few years, I will have no reason to basically be forced into looking at FWD cars like I feel I have the past few years.

 

since the question related to "if I were to buy now..", then I'm picking the 300C. I have no justification for a 2 door car right now, and I really want power/perfomance and luxury. Also prefer RWD. I would also entertain the magnum...

If the Commodore came stateside (or GMNA's coming out with one on the Zeta) then it will certainly be on my list..I know the Commodore interior can be really nice, like the Monaro/GTO, and hope that any similar car in GMNA's future stable will also have nice luxurious interior.

 

this from someone with the word MAGNUM in their name...

I personally chose the GTO. the 300C's nice, but i don't want a sedan right now and if there was no GTO I'd pick up the Magnum. maybe I can get my parents to get one!

 

Evo is a bit under 30k, but wheres the G35 Coupe and STI? I'd probably choose one of those.

On your list, GTO.