[larchmont]

While my TSX was in the shop the last couple of days, I had a Chevy Impala.
My review: It doesn't suck.

I didn't mind it, which surprised me -- not because I didn't think a Chevy could be good, but because I hate big cars. I got rid of a TL-S for the TSX because the TL-S was too big for me, and the Impala is a whole lot bigger than that. And for such a big car, it handles pretty nicely. To tell you the truth, I couldn't much tell it from the Lexus ES300 that I test drove a couple of years ago, except of course that the Lexus' interior was like a Rolls.

I got the Impala from Enterprise Rent A Car. The dealer didn't have any loaners available, but they have a deal in such situations where they let you get a rental car at their expense. :bowdown:
At first I got a Malibu, but there was clearly something wrong with the car (it sounded like pots and pans banging together), so they switched it for me. They didn't have anything else smaller.

My first car was a '69 Nova. Back then, I didn't ask much when it came to cars. It just had to run, and its image had to sort of fit me (I turned down a Mercedes, if you can believe it). Other than that, I didn't care much one way or the other. But I was pretty happy with the Nova.

Other Chevy stories?

 

[Joker]

As much as the Impala didn't suck, how nice does it feel to be back in your TSX :thumbsup:

 

[Whatchamacallit]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the domestic brands. . . . it's just that Hondas and Toyotas seem to get better as you add more miles into it.

I'm talking about less problems down the road. Although Hondas and Toyotas have had their share of problems, it's no where near the level of the domestic lables (per Consumer Reports reliability ratings).

Words like "bland" and "uninspiring" are often used to describe Hondas, but it's the same "boring" look that allows them to age well. (I do agree that Honda is über conservative with styling but the newer Acura models are breaking that mold).

Honda/Acura - If you take good care of the car, it's almost as if the car rewards you with dependable, reliable, mode of transportation for a very very very long time. It's like a car that loves you back. :nod:

 

[larchmont]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the domestic brands. . . .I'm talking about less problems down the road. Although Hondas and Toyotas have had their share of problems, it's no where near the level of the domestic labels.....

Honda/Acura - If you take good care of the car, it's almost as if the car rewards you with dependable, reliable, mode of transportation for a very very very long time. It's like a car that loves you back. :nod:

And even BMW's, I guess.
I keep dissing my old 320i every chance I get, but it did last 12 years for me.
Of course I had to put about a billion dollars into it, but it lasted 12 years.

When I got a Legend in '88, I joked that it was going to take me into the next century. But it did -- all the way to '02, with little cost and almost no trouble.

If you have the money to spend for a better car -- and I don't mean a Rolls, just something like a Honda or Toyota rather than a Hyundai or a Ford -- it's sort of an investment, not just an expenditure, especially if you like to keep your cars for a long time. Sometimes when we say things like that, people argue that it's not really an "investment" and start giving definitions of the word. But I'm not talking about that -- just that it's not purely likely spending money, because you're building dividends for the future.

And I don't want to hear any dictionary definitions of "dividends" either.


Meanwhile, all the best to Ford and GM and all the other domestic brands to give us cars that are every bit as great as the imports. They're trying, and maybe they'll get there.

And that Impala wasn't half bad. :bowdown1:

 

[bob shiftright]

If you have the money to spend for a better car -- and I don't mean a Rolls, just something like a Honda or Toyota rather than a Hyundai or a Ford -- it's sort of an investment, not just an expenditure, especially if you like to keep your cars for a long time. Sometimes when we say things like that, people argue that it's not really an "investment" and start giving definitions of the word. But I'm not talking about that -- just that it's not purely likely spending money, because you're building dividends for the future.

"Never invest your money in anything that eats or needs repairing." -Billy Rose (NY Post 26 Oct 57)

The State Police drive Impalas. Enterprise rents Impalas. Consumer Reports ranks the Impala #13 in "family sedans" (1-2-3 are the Passat-Camry-Accord V6s).

The Impala stickers at almost $2000 MORE than the EX-L Accord V6 CR tested!

Is there anything else you need to know?

I would personally rather drive your old, clapped-out 320i 4-banger with a slushbox than a brand new Impala!

 

[larchmont]

"Never invest your money in anything that eats or needs repairing." -Billy Rose (NY Post 26 Oct 57)

The State Police drive Impalas. Enterprise rents Impalas. Consumer Reports ranks the Impala #13 in "family sedans" (1-2-3 are the Passat-Camry-Accord V6s).

The Impala stickers at almost $2000 MORE than the EX-L Accord V6 CR tested!

Is there anything else you need to know?

I would personally rather drive your old, clapped-out 320i 4-banger with a slushbox than a brand new Impala!

That 320i was a 4???????

About the Impala/Accord comparison, especially the price: Glad you brought that up because.....I noticed that Consumer Guide has the Impala in the midsize category and I figured they just goofed. But now you tell us CR does it too!

I don't see it. The Impala is 200" long, 73" wide, which to me is clearly, most definitely full-size. I guess they're going mainly by weight, or "mass" as Bob S. seems to prefer.
The Impala is lighter than most cars of its size -- in fact it's less than 100 lb. heavier than the TSX.

To me, the main criterion should be, what does the public think? I'd bet that most people by far regard it as full-size. I mean, just look at it!

And, Chevy does have a car that really does meet all the usual mid-size criteria -- the Malibu. That's the real comparison to the Accord etc., including on price.
Not the Impala.


P.S. ......but I see that the Malibu costs more than the Accord too.

Actually it's not that simple -- that's if you get the Accord DX or if you pinch the EX. But -- I suspect that MOST Accords wind up being higher, including because I imagine you can get better discounts on the Malibu (but I'm guessing).

Anyway, I see that Malibu prices aren't considerably less than Accord prices -- they're comparable. I did not know that.

 

[ChinchillaX]

The police hate Impalas here, but overall its a good car.

 

[CraZydudE]

larch what happened to your tsx??

 

[bob shiftright]

That 320i was a 4???????

Your BMW had a 2 liter SIX????

Shows you how much I know. Well, everything since the 2002, the Bavaria and the CS is just a flash in the pan anyway, right?

BTW, have you ever visited the 2002-Bavaria-CS boards? THOSE guys are a LOT less anal than the typical e46 BMW owner. Kinda guys you'd like to go out and have a couple of beers with! CLICK for e9 Board (Note recent post titled "Sunroof Rust" :bowdown1: Ya gotta have some passion!)

 

[larchmont]

.....BTW, have you ever visited the 2002-Bavaria-CS boards? THOSE guys are a LOT less anal than the typical e46 BMW owner. Kinda guys you'd like to go out and have a couple of beers with! CLICK for e9 Board......

Yeah -- I took a quick look. But, looks to me like it's all about BMW's! ddddddddd2

 

[larchmont]

Your BMW had a 2 liter SIX????

Shows you how much I know. Well, everything since the 2002, the Bavaria and the CS is just a flash in the pan anyway, right?.....

Well, either my sense of humor or my sense of reality must be on vacation, because I couldn't tell from your post which it was, 4 or 6. So I looked it up.

It was 4-cyl indeed. :donno:

 

[kiteboy]

Your BMW had a 2 liter SIX????

A friend of mine has the Mazda MX-3 Precidia, which has a 1.8L V6.

 

[larchmont]

larch what happened to your tsx??

Hey, CraZydudE, howya doin', been a while!

You gotta come more often, we miss you!

Thanks for asking. It's fine now, but....the trouble started 2 weeks ago when they fixed the center console lights. (Actually, we've discovered, it's called "center STACK," not "center console," but I don't think we're gonna get the world to stop saying center console.) They fixed those lights all right, but....it took 5 days instead of 3 hours, they had to reorder both parts that they had gotten because both were defective, and when I picked up the car, there was a RATTLE in that area, plus the power outlets didn't work. Then, the other day, the car was completely dead, which I assumed was related to the other stuff and which I was afraid might mean that the car was doomed to have electrical problems forever.

But now it seems to be fine -- including, mysteriously, that the rattle went away after the work that they just did, even though they didn't intentionally do anything for it. :donno:

In case you want to see more about the center console stuff..... uh, I mean center STACK stuff , it's over here:

http://www.tsxclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1114

 

[CraZydudE]

center STACK," not "center console," but I don't think we're gonna get the world to stop saying center console.) They fixed those lights all right, but....it took 5 days instead of 3 hours, they had to reorder both parts that they had gotten because both were defective, and when I picked up the car, there was a RATTLE in that area, plus the power outlets didn't work. Then, the other day, the car was completely dead, which I assumed was related to the other stuff and which I was afraid might mean that the car was doomed to have electrical problems forever.

But now it seems to be fine -- including, mysteriously, that the rattle went away after the work that they just did, even though they didn't intentionally do anything for it. :donno:

In case you want to see more about the center console stuff..... uh, I mean center STACK stuff , it's over here:

http://www.tsxclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1114

damn that sucks. Glad to hear it's fixed..1blue1.gif

 

[bob shiftright]

A friend of mine has the Mazda MX-3 Precidia, which has a 1.8L V6.

The BMW m20 "small six" had a displacement ranged down to 2 liters. (I'd guess for markets that tax engine displacement.) I just didn't think they sold it in the US.

Trivial factoid: Gioacchino Colombo's short-block V12 was first built as a 1.5 litre in Ferrari's first model, the 125 of 1947.

 

[kiteboy]

The BMW m20 "small six" had a displacement ranged down to 2 liters. (I'd guess for markets that tax engine displacement.) I just didn't think they sold it in the US.

That engine in the 320i is available in Canada. Price-wise it's a closer competitor to the TSX ($35k base), but with 160hp, steel wheels and leatherette, it is completely owned by the TSX in base trim.

 

[Ferg]

BTW, have you ever visited the 2002-Bavaria-CS boards? THOSE guys are a LOT less anal than the typical e46 BMW owner. Kinda guys you'd like to go out and have a couple of beers with!

Ouch! I'm not anal.


Ferg
Non-uptight e46 BMW owner

 

[bob shiftright]

Ouch! I'm not anal.


Ferg
Non-uptight e46 BMW owner

I'm sure you're an atypical e46 BMW owner, and not a typical e46 BMW owner if you're slumming here at a Honda board!

(As a member of BMWCCA, I claim some basis for my BMW prejudices.)

 

[Ferg]

I'm sure you're an atypical e46 BMW owner, and not a typical e46 BMW owner if you're slumming here at a Honda board!

(As a member of BMWCCA, I claim some basis for my BMW prejudices.)

Actually, it's funny you should mention that. I belong to two big BMW boards, but both are soooo boring. I'd rather be stuck in the eye with a hot poker than hang out there for very long. They have lots of members, and lots of posts, but I don't always want to read about cold air intakes and ECU's, and why Chris Bangle is a dork. Comparing cars and getting personal opinions is much more interesting to me, and that seems to be the vibe over here. I like the fact that people on this board can feel free to talk about other cars, and how they compare to the TSX.

Besides, I really am a big fan of the TSX, so it makes sense that I hang around here, even though I don't have one.

Yet.

:naughty:


Ferg