2012 GM Chevrolet Impala Information

I couldn't resist writing an article about my car. I do a lot of driving. (By the way, I am not a used care salesman and I DO NOT work for GM). After so many miles, I know my car so well.

The entire exhaust was still original. The transmission had to be changed at 500k, but the engine was still "factory." I rarely changed the oil (only every 20,000km to 25,000km or so). I learned long ago that the recommendations to change the oil every 5000km is only for the average driver. But if you drive a lot it would be quite ridiculous, Some people I know NEVER change the oil, and their car is FINE right until the end, however they don't pile on the miles!

In my 2001 impala, only the gas gauge sensor failed, all the other sensors were still the originals until the end (at 850,000 km). Forget about engine shampoo, no way! In previous cars that I'd owned, as soon as I cleaned the engine, the problems would start. I learned that, unless a real professional does it, never ever touch the engine. No Way!

Look at how dirty it got...see photo below.

The car doesn't mind. Nobody on the street can see under the hood anyway. Everything was working perfectly when I gave it away. The engine was quiet and smooth, even the transmission was perfect.

My next car was also an Impala...of course, (I got a 2004 model). For this car I do actually follow the "change oil indicator" because the algorithm got a lot more clever. It usually triggers around 11,000 km or so, which is much more reasonable than the old 5000km recommendations.

I have discovered that the only people who hate the Impala are the very aggressive and bad (overall) drivers. There are very many negative and hateful types out there. They automatically get skeptical, then jealous and freak out upon finding out about my experience with the Impala!

The car I drove before the Impala was a GM Chevrolet Caprice. What a piece of junk that was. I was in the garage for repairs every week. The car was a pig on gas, but strong like a TANK. All in all though, a real pain in the *ss.

Impala logo:


Please return to this page for the continuing saga of my adventures with my Chevy Impala...

The Impala underwent a substantial makeover in 2000, then again in 2007 with much of the engineering work done in Oshawa, Ontario (CANADA) where the Impala is built.