Actually, the mid 90s Impala SS also did 0-60 in a tick or 2 under 7 seconds as well, so it's not like a 1997 Impala SS is going to exactly run away from Darth's V6 Monte Carlo SS.

The Monte Carlo S/C SS will have about 250hp (only 15 less than the '97 Impy SS), 280 ft/lbs torque (about 40 less), and will weigh about 3600 pounds (600 pounds lighter!).

Again, I'm not a fan of FWD (especially after having a Maxima the past 4 days), but I'll still call MC SS a good car. Nobody's going to trade a steadily appriciating Impala Ss for one, but I'll bet there's way more than just a few Impy owners that also have a Monte Carlo sitting in their driveway as a daily driver.

 

Considering that an 2004 "Impala SS" offers little that wasn't available in the 1997 Buick Regal GS, this car is little more than a joke at this stage of the game. The same goes for the Monte SS -a car that looks infinitely worse that its 1983 namesake. At least the dear departed Buick Riviera was better kind of ugly.

However, the 94-96 Impala SS was a shining example of how GM could produce style and performance for a bargain price. This vehicle had massive performance for its time, and would have received 310hp and a 6-speed if it'd survived until 1997. Even today, I'm seeing Caprices being converted into fake Impys, SSs with major modifications and - heaven forbid - lowrider conversions.

Considering how the current Impala lacks real space, refinement, standout value or decent styling, I'd say there's no comparison.

 

I am still amazed at how many people glorify the 90's Impala SS's styling since when the Caprice can out, all I heard were 'bathtub on wheels', and 'beached whale' jokes.

 

Darth beat me to the punch. but to reinterate, that "style and performance, at a bargin price" statement is way, way off.

Caprices were ridiculed ruthlessly right on up till Impala SS came out. What's really stupid in hearing everyone comment on how good it looks, is that the only thing Chevy did is cut out the rear wheel openings, put a new plastic grill on it, and paint it black. Suddenly, people fall over themselves to praise it. Nevermind, that the Caprice in the next lane, driven by a 60 something year old guy, is the same car & just as fast.

As far as the bargin comment, You've got to be kidding me! Those things went for $24,000 plus markup in 1996!!! That's something like the low $30s (plus markup) today! Just for black paint, bucket seats, and the SS label. Sounds familiar? (Z28s typically ran $19-23,000..24K for convertibles... back then).

What the Impala SS did was make GM alot of money for next to no investment, since everything but the grill & mini spoiler came from off the shelf. It's a nice car, and they are very popular with the 50 somethings who seem to be holding them and asking for near insane amounts for them (there are still some in LA going for more than initial price).

But let's be realistic here. We are talking about a maligned Caprice, with police car suspension, $50 worth of plastic, redone seats from the Buick Roadmaster, and about a $3000 markup from a similarly equpted Caprice Classic.

 

It's amazing that someone who rails againt the $4,000-extra Camaro SS didn't see the value in a $3,000 Impala SS. Besides the cosmetic work and suspension work, this car had Corvette quality disc brakes on all four corners. Braking was the biggest weakness of the B-bodies, and this car answered all of my objections. They also removed the speed limiter, so the Impy could do a true 145mph.

Was $23,000 a fair price for full-sized performance sedan in 1994? Considering that BMW was asking a bit more for the lethargic 4-cylinder 318i sedan - a car BMW should never have sold in the U.S. - it looked pretty cheap. Of course, a similarly equipped LT-1 Z28 was about the same price at the time, but the Impy was a whole lot more useful. Even the ride quality was fairly decent, something that I didn't expect from a performance car at the time. It turned out the suspension wasn't standard "police issue," but the dampers had been retuned for the 17-inch rubber - hence the good ride and handling.

Of course, the amazing thing is that the old Impala is just as quick as the 2004 Grand Prix GTP. That's with the same nominal horsepower rating, but a far great curb weight. To put some perspective on the issue, a manual transmissioned (stock) Mustang 5.0 from the early 90s would do 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, but so would the huge automatic Impala SS.

It's no wonder that all of those "50 somethings" are holding on to their Impalas.