I dont know if its just my area or what , but I do see Impala LS's and Monte SS's absolutely everywhere around here , almost as much monte's as Impala's . It may just be the market around here , but they seem to VERY popular and they both get pretty high quality marks . That being said , I dont think chevy will have to hard of time selling them . Havent driven a Impala , but I have a Monte . It was really a great car with a cool more upscale feeling interior , the only thing it lacked was the blower and dare I say a manual trans .

 

What if anything is GM offering, or planning to offer for these buyers? [/B][/QUOTE]

Aveo SS baby.


(Seriously. If an Aveo SS does come out, Im outta here.)

 

It's not bad, but it's not great, either. The blower and bigger wheels/tires probably add only a couple hundred bucks to GM's cost.

Also keep in mind that the guys from Marysville automatically give you 240 HP whenever you buy the V6 version of their midsize car, and they offer a 6sp manual, too.

I'm anxious to see the resale value of these cars, too. If you buy a GTP, you avoid the whole fleet-car stigma - not so if you buy an Impala. My guess is that depreciation will rear its ugly head very quickly.

 

Yes, I'll bemoan a $28,000 FWD car.

I want GM to give me a better performance value than Subaru, with their AWD WRX, that is performing on par with stuff priced well above it for $24,000. Why can't they? I thought GM was supposed to bring us LOWER prices than the competition on performance, and instead we get higher?

Average price of a new car is 30k, ok great, now what's the average price of a new car when you only factor in the brands that your average joe can afford (No Infiniti, Lexus, Caddilac, Lincoln, BMW, etc.). The average gets tossed way up by the army of cars for $40-50k+, doesn't matter if only 1,000 of those are sold compared to 100,000 of the $16k car, because you're just factoring "average price".

GM's cars are not a value in any way. I don't see anyone buying any modern GM car and thinking they got a lot for their money.

There is no reason to buy a Monte or an Impala over an Accord or Maxima, they offer less power, and the quality, better or worse, has a much worse reputation and isn't exactly drawing the buyers into showrooms.

 

Designed, well, yes late 90's... but they didnt hit the road until MY2000.

That point is rather shallow, since every vhichle is designed before it is released...

If it shows to you, that is a matter of opinion. I think Monte Carlo in particular still looks good (guess that's why I bought one), but I'll agree that after 4 years, it (and Impala) should recieve a styling freshening, just like any car should.

 

I'm no fan of FWD, but for what the Impala & Monte Carlo gives you for the money, and the fact that these cars are well made and priced low (try comparing prices of the Accord or Maxima with the same equptment that Impala has standard).

Impala & Monte Carlo aren't ripping RWD V8s, but for the market they are intended for they most certainly are a very good deal.

 

It's funny how many people forget that the V6 standard in both these cars base is more powerful and less revvy then the 4 cylinders in Japanese models base sedans.

Also it's overlooked that the most fuel effianct mid sized sedan sold in the US is the Impala.

 

Yes, but an Accord Sedan starts at $15,800 for a I4 and $23,000 for a V6. Honda covers a broad buyer range with the Accord seeing the top of the line EX V6 comes in around $25,500

The Impala on the other hand starts at $21,600 for a 180hp V6 and then if you want the 200hp LS, it starts at $24,700.

This is where I draw my conclusion that the Impala isnt exactly the best bang for the buck. More standard features seems to be expected when your base car starts $6,000 more than your competition. I'm not particuarly biased towards any car being that I dont really care for 4 door family sedans, it just seemed to me that asking ~$27,000 for an Impala is stretching the envelope. Thats probably the highest price point the car can be marked

 

I think you've forgotten that the MSRP on a Chevrolet is now the "just joking" price. I would expect at least $5,000 off sticker on a gimpy old Impy SS. This body style will have been on the lot for five season, and it wasn't that hot when it was new. In comparison, Honda isn't kidding around with MSRPs, and new-style V6 Accords were in short demand earlier this year. (Big suprise - people actually want Accords.)

Of course my biggest problem with the lame Impy SS is that some decent trucks aren't very far away in price. Your basic, but well equiped base Avalanche is running $32-35k, but discounts are at least $8,000! Now that the bodykit is optional, I don't find the Avalanche very objectionable anymore. Sure, the removable rear window is about the size of a letter slot, but who cares about rear visibility when you're having fun.

I'm really starting to wonder why Chevy is bothering with its passenger car line. Would anyone notice if they substituted Daewoos with bow-tie badges?

 

Yea, but the 3.4 L has a power peak only 300 RPM lower than the Accord's 2.4 L I4, and the Accord has a 5 speed auto which certainly helps the situation (neglecting, of course, that a manual is still available in the Accord but not an Impala).

WRT fuel economy, the 2.4 L Accord beats the 3.4 L Impala, and the V6 Accord beats the 3.8 L Impala. Yea, I know, the two cars are in different categories according to the EPA (even though you called the Impala a "mid-sized" sedan, when it's actually classified as a full-size).

 

Not flaming you buddy, but something doesn't jive too well with me concerning that NADA thing... mostly because the NADA listing is so much higher than the other stats. Let's think about this a second...

1) If your NADA stat averages the cost of ALL cars - domestic and import, the average is skewed to favor the high-priced imports. According to the link that centric posted, the average price of an import has been ABOVE that of the domestic since 1982.

2) I have no reason to doubt the U.S. Department of Commerce when they say the average car price in 2001 was $21,605, based on an average import price of $27,477 and an average domestic price of $19,654. See THIS LINK for details. I will do additional research into this figure, and from where they arrived at it... stay tuned.

3) Now I have to assume that the values the NADA is using are MSRP (since we're talking "new" only, the depreciation and market values do not come into play), and since they are much higher, which begs another point...

4) If we assume that the NADA prices are "dealer prices", then musn't we also assume that the difference between MSRP (or NADA) and the stated U.S. Department of Commerce numbers represents considerable favoring to the automakers and/or dealers?

We may not have to outright call the difference "dealer's profits", but there sure is a poop-load of $$$ that seems to majically appear between what the NADA says was paid (where we know dealer add-ons are included) and what the U.S. Department of Commerce says was paid.

You gotta admit, this deserves some research... there's a BIG difference between the two claims, and either one is "credible". I'm just doubting that the U.S. Department of Commerce is so far off, considering that they are checking the sales, luxury, and operating taxes of these vehicles based on their numbers, not to mention guaging manufacturer's reported incomes against their reported sales figures that's one of the reasons for this metric.

Consider me on this one...
Prepare thine selves... I'll be back in a few days!

 

My guess? NADA prices are MSRP, and Commerce Department figures are what was actually paid by the consumer.

Keep me posted. This type of stuff is interesting.

 

0-60 in almost 7 seconds? WOW! I'm impressed! I'm glad they'll only make the impy SS in black only, as the meager 40 extra HP, whimpy FWD 6 cyl platform, and same old look will surely be a collectible as soon as hits the lots. I see all the mid 90s impala SS owners running to the lots to trade in their old turds upon arrival.

PS: having owned a 2002 impala I can say they are a high quality car (but severely anemic under the hood), but come on! Why waste the SS badge on this? This is what the impy LS and monte SS should currently have anyway. Actually, the monte SS shouldnt exist at all. Just an LS until they return it to its origin.

I suspect in 2004 they will add some stickers and a Tornado to the cavalier and call it an SS as well.

 

SO... your 2002 Impala was a great car, but didn't have enough power... so Chevy offers a model with 40 more horsepower.... and... you... are... mad???

 

I got my 2001 MonteSS for 23K and 0% financing for 5 years. I got it because I think it looks cool. You either love the styling or you hate it. Six way power, heated ,leather bucket seats with lumbar support, traction control, antilock brakes, low tire pressure monitoring system, On-Star, heated side mirrors, sun roof, 16 inch alloy wheels, cd-cassette, driver info center above rear view mirror with compass, outside temp, fuel consumption, mpg, etc., 32 mpg highway and a good punch from 65 to 90. Handles great in the winter, and its relatively big, which I like. Not bad for 23 grand. Didn't get it for drag racing.

Also, it handles extremely well for a big car. There are no interior rattles and very little wind noise.

To be fair, under warranty I had replaced: the air bag sensor, one of the heated seat switches, low oil level sensor replaced and a leaking power steering unit.

Freakin GM. I still can't get myself to but foreign, even though there is an assembled in Canada emblem (mapleleaf) in the door.