+Joe Camarillo If you plan on going from one of Chevy's lowest priced cars (that you're still paying off) to a car that costs over $45K, it would seem you have to find a way to boost your income pretty significantly.
+242HP True. However, I got screwed in financing because a previous vehicle I financed that was a lemon and it was about to run out of warranty. So they added the balance after payoff of it to my new Cruze and I pay close to $600/month @ 8.25% interest. A new SS should be more anyway but I can now get approved for a 3.5% interest rate.
+Joe Camarillo Just out of curiosity, what was the lemon that you got rid of before paying it off? Damn, you really got yourself into a bad position from that car.
Milford Civic: Except discontinuing the G-bodies (Monte SS, Buick GN, 4-4-2, Pontiac 2+2) back in '87. OR, cancelling the F-bodies (Camaro, Firebird) in 2002. Luckily, they reversed this in 2010 with 5th gen** and revamped (more power, less weight) for 6th gen - I own 2017 2SS. I bet that pissed off the 2002 Camaro owners, who bought them to store and appreciate in price, being the last year model. I'd still like to get a 2002 WS6 Trans Am or Formula. ** they had to bring back the Camaro, because ..... Transformers!
GM chases the $$$. They've once again committed to SUVs but discontinued car lines and will be caught off guard when fuel prices hike again. It'll put GM near bankruptcy again.
No, it won't put GM near bankruptcy. They made their money on the Impalas. Unless we strike a new source of petroleum, heavy, v8 powered sedans like this will continue to fade into obsolescence. It's sad, but this is how times are. Hell, a brand new Lincoln Navigator which probably weighs twice what this thing weighs is about as efficient. They even tried to continue the V8 sedan lineage not that long ago with the Chevy SS, which.. failed.
XenomorphLV426 ...Well said. Although the 06-09 W-Body impala SS is nice (since it came with a proper engine despite an incorrect FWD layout, she was still respectable). The current one is just a sad reminder of how times changed. A highly optioned new LTZ model boasts a "V6" badge as if that's something to brag about. So disrespectful to the impala lineage that a V6 is worth bragging about. Even though it's a powerful 3.6 lfx a true impala should be always be a V8. A Chevy version of the new Caddy CT6 and a 6.2 under the hood would be my next car IF they had the balls to build it and people bought it instead of the latest useless cute little CUV.
wtf is a true car? you have turbo powered 4 cylinders that produce more power than some V6s and V8s. Also, there is fuel economy, and most people will not buy a V8. Because if you slap a V8 people will want a powerful V8 that smokes all things...this means mad insurance premiums. Plus, they had an SS model that was crazy potent, no one bought it.
TheNacropolice fuel economy of a turbo inline 4 in a big car is fairly shit across the board. You need to get into any turbo engine to get it to move, you really need to get into a turbocharged small engine to get it to move, especially if you have a big car. My 93 caprice gets comparable gas mileage to a new v6 impala, and it's 25 years old with 200k miles on its v8... Having more low end power can mean that you can drive it more gently, should you choose, and still keep up with traffic, which means better fuel economy than you'd expect. Not to mention the lack of turbo lag is a huge plus in a lot of ways.
I used to work on a police fleet back in the early 90s and those Caprices were the very best cop car of the era. Fords were so bad that many law enforcement agencies chose to refurbish their old Caprices rather than buying new Fords. I bet Ford threw a party when they heard about GM stopping production of the Caprice.
Roadkill did a comparison of the vic against the caprice. I've driven both, and have to say ford got the vic right after gm canned the caprice. The post 2000 cvpi handled way better than the mid nineties examples did.
While I love the Chevy, I have to say the Ford Crown Victoria turned out to be the most iconic cop car possibly ever. I've never heard anyone say they were bad. They did have a fuel tank issue, but it was corrected.
@Grumpy cat I have no doubt that the Charger is a good car. But it's not like the Crown Victoria in terms of comfort and bang for the buck. The Crown Vic checked all the boxes as a real police car. Many police departments don't require a car that has a huge amount of horsepower, especially those in big cities. That being said, the Crown Vic had decent performance that was much better than many earlier police cars and was comparable to modern V6 Chargers.
That's why Chevy builds all there crap in China and Mexico Ford builds a better products are out selling Chevy by a lot by the way my 2010 crown vic will do 0-60 in five seconds much improved
Damn you GM for killing this car! Such an awesome car with so much potential, killed off just when things were getting interesting for the B-body platform. Just think how these cars would have performed with an LS engine and continual upgrades...The new (Australian built) Caprice and S.S. sedan are nice and quick but just don't have the same old school American feel.....
Escalating CAFE rules pretty much killed everything cool in Detroit. They're even doing that to Japanese cars and trucks as well forcing redesigns that aren'tso good..
Man if I were to become rich I wouldn't even look at lambos or exotics, I'd straight up buy gems like this SS, GNX, syclones and a whole other bunch of American classics, seriously you guys knew how to make proper machines. Love from a mexican fellow.
Good old school 4wheel disk. Its just a 4door camaro with a smaller cam thats all 😂. Just needs an lt4 cam and lt4 intake , good tune and 342 gears and she good to go. 350 crank power easy. Lt1 numbers so underrated the dyno proves they make 300crank power stock.
My grandma had this car, yes...my grandma. My Grandpa was a huge GM muscle fan, and when this came out in '95, he bought her a black one. She hated it, I loved it.
Wish my grandparents would of kept their 57 bel air fuelie they had in 1964. They paid $50 for it. It was my grandmothers daily. But back then it was just a used car. It’s long gone. The only thing left of it is the am radio that is now in my possession.
I remember being extremely disappointed when I heard that GM was discontinuing these cars, along with the big Cadillac and Buick sedans. They wanted to switch the factories that made them to full time SUV production because the SUV’s were outselling them. It was a trend that hasn’t ever reversed itself. American sedans of ANY sort are almost obsolete in the 2021 model year.
I was 21 years old in 1995 and wanted an SS SO badly I could taste it. I'm older (not grown up) now and have a Pontiac G8 GXP with a 6.8L LS3. Like I said, not grown up, just older! :)
+C-FLO GARAGE-ENT , you could modify a Chevrolet Impala SS of that era to become one, and you could also modify the engine to be that big block bruiser 545 HP engine as well, though, to be honest, it would simply be better to put a modern Corvette engine under the hood instead, especially since a stock one is like 650 HP.
Pax Humana ... That 6.2 would be a whole lotta fun in that big beast. I've been tempted to just take the 6.0 LQ9 out my Escalade and swap the LT1 in my 96 but the experience of the modern Vette motor in that old B-Body would create the ultimate sleeper
@@LSp8 Just find a loaded Camaro 2SS wreck (extra credit for ZL1) and transfer the drivetrain and most of the interior to an Impala or police auction find. a 6.2L 455/455 or 650/650 motor with 8 or 10 speed auto, or 6M if you prefer. Should be lotsa wrecks. I'm 65, been driving for almost 50 years, and my Camaro SS is quite a handful. Somebody has got to be wrapping these around poles or trees. ZL1 must be a real widow maker!
@@awesomeone2979 Nu bro 1996 was the last great Impala after that it wasn't never the same and that's why he say from 1958 to 1996 except for the 5th generation and sixth generation Impala which is from 1971 to 1985 those were the bad looking Impala's 🤭☺️.
The Chevrolet SS is kind of like this car's successor. Yes, it's based on the Holden Commodore, but it's still a badass car. This year they're coming with the magnetic ride control and it's going to be a manual.
I say the stance the look both front and back end is made this car so badass especially with the black paint oh man. The same thing for the Cadillac Fleetwood of that year, the front is lowered just a bit and the back raised just a bit as well going down the street the car looks like it demands respect.
Worked at a Chevy dealer from 95-96. I loved running this thing around however very few takers then. They sat on the lots forever and hardly ever test driven. I am sad to say that discontinuing them was the best thing to happen to them. Now they’re beloved and people appreciate them today.
Very true. But how's GM supposed to show up their corvette with an land yacht? Recently they had to dial back the camaro bc it was pulling better than the vet
One of my all time favorites, I had a Caprice with the same engine and it handled surprisingly well, even in snow lol. Man I miss having that land yacht lol.
I love my 96! whenever I have some new passengers on board for the first time I just slam the gas and I could feel that LT1 just scream down the road sinking everyone into there seats! there's nothing like that feeling.. I picked mine up with only 62k miles on it.. hardly driven .. the score of a lifetime
Christian Barrett I never realized they had a standard option. Talk about bad ass! Don't let these 90's classics die! They will never build anything like them again!!
@108143667369122411155 Look it up. There were 3 LT1 engines, Vette-300hp, iron block and aluminum heads, Camaro, 275hp, iron block, aluminum heads and the Caprice- 260hp, iron block and iron heads.
231mac the vette was iron block aluminum heads, same with the camaro , camaro has smaller cam weak pcm tune. Impala 2 bolt main smaller cam, and iron heads same port work though. Weaker pcm tune lol. Im just talking from experience seeing them on dynos etc. Gm rated rates are off.
I used to have a neighbor who owned one of these with a killer exhaust I thought it was the coolest sedan I have ever seen a few years later and I still hope,I can one day get one
+BZBEAST12 , the 2008 Impala SS is a better package all around. However, if I had one, I would immediately get rid of the engine that is under the hood, custom build an engine from an LS7 Corvette, or, better yet, an LSX engine, make it look like the engine that is under the hood of this vehicle, do some more customizations, and then I would have a nice little road beast.
The crew felt the need to add their own 'personal' touch, manual was never a production option. I also think the crew was retaliating for when about 10 years earlier the GM people deliberately underreported specs for their Grand Nationals/GNX tests.
Never really cared for the Roadmasters but this and the Cadillac Fleetwood's of those were gorgeous inside out and so badass. Always wanted an Impala SS had a couple of Fleetwood's still would not trade their ride comfort for anything other than the big 3 from across the pond. Man I miss these cars
When I first saw the Caprice in late 1990, I thought it hideous and fat. And I still do. When I first saw this in 1995, I couldn't believe it was the same car. And that was before I knew what was powering it. It's what a black dress or a well-fitting suit can do to someone's figure.
Almost the same experience here. Upon first seeing the Caprice in 1990 and the Impala in 1995, my late father and I said uttered the same words on both occasions: "What is *that*?!"
Sick! Always dug these. Like the GN they're subtle, and clean. But so badass... We have the LT1 in our Wagon, it pulls good! Even with the super highways gears!
What an awesome car I can’t believe I’ve never heard of it till now! I’ve been an lt1 fan since they came out in 92 and bought a 96 Z28 when I was 18 and now have owned a 95 Z28 m6 for the past six years there’s nothing like that lt1 torque! My friends grandpa owns a 94 impala SS with a few goodies on it I recently got to drive it I was impressed with the acceleration of that massive boat!
I was the sales manager at a Chevrolet dealership when those guys were new we sold every single one we got they were so cool I had one for a demo it was dark maroon
These cars were selling like hotcakes in the Middle East. This was called the Chevrolet Caprice SS and the Caprice literally was the most popular car in the Gulf area in the Middle East. Anywhere you go in Saudi Arabia you will find a Caprice. Such a terrible, terrible decision by GM to discontinue these cars. They were superb.
+sabufinisher , if I had a GNX, I would put the best parts of the GNX engine and combine it with the GSX engine and the Wildcat engine and then REALLY have some fun.
I always wanted one of these. Used to work on them all the time when I was a Chevy tech at a local dealer. with lots of gear, a loose converter and a mildly nasty 383 would be quite nice on the street. The iron head LT1 was detuned a bit with a different cam and choked up exhaust but had an improved intake port that flowed a little better than aluminum lt heads and its the design the ever popular L31 Vortec head used. I think the LT1 Buick Roadmaster would make a nice sleeper
I only paid 4500 for my 96 back in 2010 and I get offers for over 10k every time I bring old girl out the garage and I still refuse to sell. Wanted one since they came out in late 1993 when I was 7 and saw a brand new 94' getting test driven with a maniac behind the wheel. My dad called the guy a nut for flying by us on the shoulder of Rt 50 in VA and I was drooling. These cars are a lot of fun!
Got a 1993 Buick Roadmaster in 2003, no major repairs until 2020 when the motor finally wore out. Our grandson got a LS3 crate motor to replace the old one and installed it at his shop. It's much quicker and gets better gas mileage.
I'm salty they never put this car into production. My favorite full size sedan is by far 94 to 96 caprice, impala, and roadmaster. Those cars are fun to drive and get great gas mileage if you stay out of the gas pedal.
...They are surprisingly good on gas, I get nearly 30mpg when I cruise on the highway just like my 5.7 Charger but of course that goes out the window quickly when it's a straight highway at 3am
Have a 96 Impala sitting out in the driveway and had a 93 Caprice. Really love those B bodies. Wonder if GM ever regretted pulling the B bodies out of production and handing it over to Ford.
I agree I take the GM B body over a crown Victoria any day I grew up with my father buying cars from GM from buick olds and Chevy he still owns a vintage 1977 caprice with a little under 70 thousand miles still runs like the day he purchased it in late 77
+M22OHIO The wimpy front-drive platforms. I loved this cars since they mimicked the burly size of the '70s cars. But this SS was a bold outside the norm production build like the Buick Grand National, Dodge Viper, 2000s T-Bird, Chevy SSR, and Plymouth Prowler. Today's cars are not quite doing this. Maybe the CTS-V and the Dodge Hellcats but that's it.
This car got me excited to buy my Marauder. I couldn't afford an Impala SS at the time, but years went by and I made more $ so I bought one of the last Panther platforms made by Ford. Still love her and she is still as beautiful as the day I bought her, but it would be cool if she had a sister with SS tags sitting next to her in the garage. Then again, that might be a bad Idea... A Merc and a Chevy next to each other might tear my garage down. Never mind, cool vid though.
Detroit Marauder. ...I had my 04 Silver Birch in my garage next to my DCM 96. Still got the Imp but replaced the MM with a new Charger RT. I want another MM but looking for a DBP!
I was working for Chevrolet at the time and GM's focus was to build more extended cab pickup trucks because that was what the masses of people wanted. They no longer wanted a full size car but instead were using pickups as family cars. We couldn't get enough extended cab 4X4s during that time. I loved the Impala SS, especially the 1996, and was sad to see the full size GM car die. The SS could outrun the Mustang Cobra in top speed and the Buick Roadmaster could beat the Mustang GT 0-60 in 1994. The thought of "dad" in his full size car beating the young hot head kid in his Mustang always made me grin a bit.
I drive an almost bone stock 96 Impala and this makes me feel all fuzzy...cars are WAY better in many respects now over 20 years later but this car is still badass and I get compliments almost weekly
Correction: the RWD Impala's successor had arrived, a 415HP Chevrolet SS which is really a badge-engineered Holden Commodore from Australia. It can even be had with a manual, but GM did not even bother spending a single penny on advertising and then complaining it doesn't sell.
Dallas Breault ...So sad and they never had one commercial for it but I see an advertisement for a Malibu or Wimpala (yes I spelled it right) every 5 minute or some new useless CUV that everybody and their grandmother suddenly NEEDS. The SS could've been sold like the Charger. FCA is smart enough to advertise these beasts and get them sold, hell I even bought a new RT! Just selling a single version (fully loaded like a SRT) for those high prices was just GM shooting themselves in the foot.
I still think Ford payed off Chevrolet to leave the police car segment. The Caprice 9c1 was a huge favorite & dropping it in 1996 was barely a half-life.
Thats style of the Impala SS was only produced from 1994-1996, then it came back in 2000 as a mid sized front wheel drive sedan. Ford had the Full sized V8 rear wheel drive american car market til 2011, when it axed its panther cars. I love the full size rear drive american cars. I have a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis and plan on keeping it, im also looking for a second Grand Marquis or even a Lincoln Town Car.
+Donald Thompson I think the driveline is excellent but not the body style. I find these rather ugly looking. I would much prefer the Fords over this. Mercury Marauder would be my choice over the Impala/Caprice.
Glycerin ...It was a complete disgrace to the Impala heritage. It's the equivalent of naming the next generation Ford Focus the new Mustang. Such a beautiful history and classic muscle car that was turned into a typical mundane grocery getter. They should've just left the Lumina nameplate and properly retired the impala nameplate.
@@starxlr7863 Merc Marauder is slow but looks cool.. I had hoped Ford would bring back the Galaxy 500 during that period, late 98 through 2011, Imagine a police package Crown Vic slammed with 300+ horses, maybe a Boss at over 400hp
Purchased brand new 1995 SS from Jake Sweeney Chevrolet. Had it 13 months. Put 13k miles on it. Loved it every minute I drove it. Unfortunately, it had to be towed 5 times for a no crank, no start problem. GM bought it back from me. Cut me a check for full purchase price. Next week it was back on dealership showroom floor with a "Today's Special" sign on it! Lol. Smooth, fast, quiet, handled great. Just wouldn't start!
thats weird because they are becoming so rare and we have 2 of these bad boys in my little Canadian village! i own one and i know where a black one is parked it doen't get drive much but does! ive never speak to him tho i should because he own the same car as me so we might become best friend! XD
no longer marketable? people loved these large body on frame gm's. i'm a ford guy and I loved this impala gen. it was a big mistake in my book when they ditched these large body on frame cars, because once that happened they also lost out on a bunch of sales going to law enforcement agencies as well. which is why many law enforcement agencies a few years after they discontinued the large body on frame impala's went to the crown vics. now ford is in the same boat when they killed off the crown vic.
+SteelCity1981, there have been talk that Ford ALREADY is resenting the axing of their large RWD's and will do proper replacing starting in '19 MY with a RWD-based "Lincoln Aviator", which would probably spawn a new RWD-based Explorer and later a new RWD Lincoln Town Car (to rejoice the limo supplier people), which would spawn a contemporary Crown Vic, this time with all the modern goodies, like power and optional AWD... Also by that time Johann, the Swiss at Cadillac, will have its' proper CT (8 or 9) RWD/AWD flagship (a RWD Impala or Caprice) "down the road"?.
+syxepop , one could only hope, right? I would love to see Chevrolet have some balls and simply put an Impala on a CTS, or, better yet, CTS-V, frame and for them to also bring back the Caprice, Caprice Classic, Bel Air, and Caprice Estate, AND, most of all, to also let Cadillac do the same thing with the CTS-V Wagon.
Pax Humana, right now both GM and Ford are in front of "a fork on the road". Both seem to need the large RWD platforms for their livery fleet clients, fuel prices are inexpensive for now and at the same time sales of the largest sedans have tanked making it difficult to decide on whether getting back to build a large RWD-based sedán or not. Larger crossovers and SUV's are still being asked for in droves and "sold like pancakes". (CTS and CTS-V, soon CT5 and CT5-V are the same car, the latter being the performance version, both on the shortest version of the (CT6 and CT8/9 to follow) Omega RWD unibody platform). Sounds to me it'll be an "uphill battle" to convince GM suits to make a financial case for a full-sized RWD-based Chevy sedán, less so on a Buick version, but may be doable. The thing is that the (Holden Commodore) SS @ $46K or so maybe giving an indication where such a RWD Imp would go (probably even higher). Most of the other models you mention would have niches so small that would have to be "left to the car history archives", particularly the "soon to be collectible" CTS-V Wagon... (their fans would have to "make do" for now with the latest 'Slade)
SteelCity1981 is right on in saying these cars were still selling well in the Midwest. GM used the self fulfilling prophecy of killing the car, then saying that they dont sell well. If GM were to bring back a RWD body on frame for the fleet market then make a say "Impala SS" 2-door hardtop model it would sell like crazy. It could be done on the cheap too. Just do like the big 3 did in the 50's and 60's and raid the parts bins. Lots of go-fast goodies can be bolted on and plug and played. The most expensive part of that would be the tooling for the body.
Seth Thomas, the problem was NOT with the Imp SS, but rather with the Caprice "whale" that it was based on. Middle Eastern affluent people (and in a lesser degree American RWD gearheads) didn't liked the design so much that they've prefered to buy either an older used Caprice or a Crown Vic. I don't believe you'll see a 2-door RWD BOF car anytime soon... Even the smaller ones are a hard sell for most buyers, since they've prefer the convenience a 4-door design gives, even more so if it's raised from the road and have a substantial cargo area and / or room for at least 7 American-sized adults, even if the drivers don't carry them 99+% of the time. That's what full sized crossovers (Traverse & Co.) are there for, but unfortunately for you those are FWD-based for packaging and fuel compsumption (CAFE mandate, remeber?) reasons.
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Luved da guy shift n da gears lmao 😂
They discontinued the car because of the Federal side impact standards mandatory for 1997.
This Impala SS and the 87 Grand National were the best GM had to offer
"We'll one day look back at a time when GM built the biggest, baddest cars in town!". You got that right, John!
GM, a company that hands down has made some of the worst and most forgettable vehichles, has also made some of the very best and most iconic vehicles.
Gm is just lazy
It’s 2022 and he sure is right
These SS's are straight gangster, I love these things. I hope one day to score a survivor that hasn't been ruined and chopped up.
My dream's to own a 2015 Chevy SS after I'm done paying off my Chevy Cruze... Hopefully they still sell them 2-1/2 years from now...
Lee N I hear ya. I seen a SS painted red and lifted with 28's and I almost slammed into it on purpose to put the car out of it's misery.
+Joe Camarillo If you plan on going from one of Chevy's lowest priced cars (that you're still paying off) to a car that costs over $45K, it would seem you have to find a way to boost your income pretty significantly.
+242HP True. However, I got screwed in financing because a previous vehicle I financed that was a lemon and it was about to run out of warranty. So they added the balance after payoff of it to my new Cruze and I pay close to $600/month @ 8.25% interest. A new SS should be more anyway but I can now get approved for a 3.5% interest rate.
+Joe Camarillo Just out of curiosity, what was the lemon that you got rid of before paying it off? Damn, you really got yourself into a bad position from that car.
Dude with those gloves on at 2:52 gets a little excited messing with that shift lever lol
Lol I thought the same thing
MikefromQueens lol damn. He gonna tear up something
That guy is a spaz lol! Must be Doug Demuro’s dad!
And They always beat the shit out of the tilt steering wheel and other adjustable items
He likes it rough
My favorite Chevy of all time! Best car of the 90's
You like the lt1?
Bell air u might be a 90"s baby .. It dont even look like a imp .. Its a souped up cop car
Ever. 69, 88 , 96, 69, 71 , 73 , 64 are all years to find better Chevys.
Seriously, you're favorite Chevy???? Wow, just wow.
LARRY Ford grow up
Discontinuing production of these is one of the worst mistakes GM made. These cars sold like hotcakes and still would be.
Ima fan fwd made GM more more money and the platform was getting old.
Milford Civic: Except discontinuing the G-bodies (Monte SS, Buick GN, 4-4-2, Pontiac 2+2) back in '87.
OR, cancelling the F-bodies (Camaro, Firebird) in 2002. Luckily, they reversed this in 2010 with 5th gen** and revamped (more power, less weight) for 6th gen - I own 2017 2SS. I bet that pissed off the 2002 Camaro owners, who bought them to store and appreciate in price, being the last year model. I'd still like to get a 2002 WS6 Trans Am or Formula.
** they had to bring back the Camaro, because ..... Transformers!
GM chases the $$$. They've once again committed to SUVs but discontinued car lines and will be caught off guard when fuel prices hike again. It'll put GM near bankruptcy again.
No, it won't put GM near bankruptcy. They made their money on the Impalas. Unless we strike a new source of petroleum, heavy, v8 powered sedans like this will continue to fade into obsolescence. It's sad, but this is how times are. Hell, a brand new Lincoln Navigator which probably weighs twice what this thing weighs is about as efficient. They even tried to continue the V8 sedan lineage not that long ago with the Chevy SS, which.. failed.
Kaylon Centers You’re correct, GM may not make 5 more years.
Last legit Impala.
XenomorphLV426 ...Well said. Although the 06-09 W-Body impala SS is nice (since it came with a proper engine despite an incorrect FWD layout, she was still respectable). The current one is just a sad reminder of how times changed. A highly optioned new LTZ model boasts a "V6" badge as if that's something to brag about. So disrespectful to the impala lineage that a V6 is worth bragging about. Even though it's a powerful 3.6 lfx a true impala should be always be a V8. A Chevy version of the new Caddy CT6 and a 6.2 under the hood would be my next car IF they had the balls to build it and people bought it instead of the latest useless cute little CUV.
wtf is a true car? you have turbo powered 4 cylinders that produce more power than some V6s and V8s. Also, there is fuel economy, and most people will not buy a V8. Because if you slap a V8 people will want a powerful V8 that smokes all things...this means mad insurance premiums. Plus, they had an SS model that was crazy potent, no one bought it.
TheNacropolice fuel economy of a turbo inline 4 in a big car is fairly shit across the board. You need to get into any turbo engine to get it to move, you really need to get into a turbocharged small engine to get it to move, especially if you have a big car. My 93 caprice gets comparable gas mileage to a new v6 impala, and it's 25 years old with 200k miles on its v8...
Having more low end power can mean that you can drive it more gently, should you choose, and still keep up with traffic, which means better fuel economy than you'd expect. Not to mention the lack of turbo lag is a huge plus in a lot of ways.
I liked the 2004-05 Impala SS. 240 supercharged hp from the legendary 3800 V6, and quick and fun to corner.
Jon Moss iS a Pimp
I used to work on a police fleet back in the early 90s and those Caprices were the very best cop car of the era. Fords were so bad that many law enforcement agencies chose to refurbish their old Caprices rather than buying new Fords. I bet Ford threw a party when they heard about GM stopping production of the Caprice.
Roadkill did a comparison of the vic against the caprice. I've driven both, and have to say ford got the vic right after gm canned the caprice. The post 2000 cvpi handled way better than the mid nineties examples did.
While I love the Chevy, I have to say the Ford Crown Victoria turned out to be the most iconic cop car possibly ever. I've never heard anyone say they were bad. They did have a fuel tank issue, but it was corrected.
@Grumpy cat I have no doubt that the Charger is a good car. But it's not like the Crown Victoria in terms of comfort and bang for the buck. The Crown Vic checked all the boxes as a real police car. Many police departments don't require a car that has a huge amount of horsepower, especially those in big cities. That being said, the Crown Vic had decent performance that was much better than many earlier police cars and was comparable to modern V6 Chargers.
That's why Chevy builds all there crap in China and Mexico Ford builds a better products are out selling Chevy by a lot by the way my 2010 crown vic will do 0-60 in five seconds much improved
@@dennisparker3786 5 second Crown Vic? ROTFLMAO...put down the peyote
Damn you GM for killing this car! Such an awesome car with so much potential, killed off just when things were getting interesting for the B-body platform. Just think how these cars would have performed with an LS engine and continual upgrades...The new (Australian built) Caprice and S.S. sedan are nice and quick but just don't have the same old school American feel.....
I agree the potential that GM had with the B body so sad to see them go
@@DavidR-ub2dpAgreed my brother.
Escalating CAFE rules pretty much killed everything cool in Detroit. They're even doing that to Japanese cars and trucks as well forcing redesigns that aren'tso good..
Man if I were to become rich I wouldn't even look at lambos or exotics, I'd straight up buy gems like this SS, GNX, syclones and a whole other bunch of American classics, seriously you guys knew how to make proper machines. Love from a mexican fellow.
I bet that people will buy it if they start to make it again. It’s really perfect in everything from design to engine.
0:45 Is that Boomhauer's dad? We need subtitles please.
whateverdgaf lmao he thought he was running’s an auction
lowbudgetmotorsport lmao I was thinking the exact same thing. Everything said was one run-on thought. Hilarious actually
lmao😂😂
That's the hideous midwest-Michigan accent.
😂
112ft... them brakes on point for 4200lbs
Yeah, some new cars can't even do that, lol.
Good old school 4wheel disk. Its just a 4door camaro with a smaller cam thats all 😂. Just needs an lt4 cam and lt4 intake , good tune and 342 gears and she good to go. 350 crank power easy. Lt1 numbers so underrated the dyno proves they make 300crank power stock.
respect, yes but they note the more aggressive "disc grinder" compound brake pads
Damn skippy!
That car wishes it was only 4200 lol
My grandma had this car, yes...my grandma. My Grandpa was a huge GM muscle fan, and when this came out in '95, he bought her a black one. She hated it, I loved it.
My dad bought one brand new in 1995 from ostrom Chevrolet in Montebello California he still has it and it still looks brand new.
I wish my grandparents kept theirs. They only had it for a year until they replaced it with a Lumina.
Myrdoc what a car to replace it with :/
Wish my grandparents would of kept their 57 bel air fuelie they had in 1964. They paid $50 for it. It was my grandmothers daily. But back then it was just a used car. It’s long gone. The only thing left of it is the am radio that is now in my possession.
Myrdoc your story made me cry
I remember being extremely disappointed when I heard that GM was discontinuing these cars, along with the big Cadillac and Buick sedans. They wanted to switch the factories that made them to full time SUV production because the SUV’s were outselling them. It was a trend that hasn’t ever reversed itself. American sedans of ANY sort are almost obsolete in the 2021 model year.
I was also bummed by their decision to go FWD until the mid 2000's starting with the RWD Cadillac's.
I was 21 years old in 1995 and wanted an SS SO badly I could taste it. I'm older (not grown up) now and have a Pontiac G8 GXP with a 6.8L LS3. Like I said, not grown up, just older! :)
Shawn Dessart
You can bore them out easily mate.
Shawn Dessart Bored and stroked fully forged Texas Speed and Performance 418 LS3 and good for 500 N/A HP at the wheels.
Only a couple of lame ones on my page.
Hell ya
I am 21 and own a 96 ss my second car I love it
i have never seen a manual impala ss in person that would be cool to drive
+C-FLO GARAGE-ENT , you could modify a Chevrolet Impala SS of that era to become one, and you could also modify the engine to be that big block bruiser 545 HP engine as well, though, to be honest, it would simply be better to put a modern Corvette engine under the hood instead, especially since a stock one is like 650 HP.
I have a car with an LT1 and Borg-Warner T56, it's funnn
C-FLO GARAGE-ENT what is it
Pax Humana ... That 6.2 would be a whole lotta fun in that big beast. I've been tempted to just take the 6.0 LQ9 out my Escalade and swap the LT1 in my 96 but the experience of the modern Vette motor in that old B-Body would create the ultimate sleeper
@@LSp8 Just find a loaded Camaro 2SS wreck (extra credit for ZL1) and transfer the drivetrain and most of the interior to an Impala or police auction find. a 6.2L 455/455 or 650/650 motor with 8 or 10 speed auto, or 6M if you prefer.
Should be lotsa wrecks. I'm 65, been driving for almost 50 years, and my Camaro SS is quite a handful. Somebody has got to be wrapping these around poles or trees. ZL1 must be a real widow maker!
The amount of awesomeness of this car bring tears to my eyes... impressive.
Cheers from Brazil.
In Loving Memory of the Great Chevrolet Impala (Sunrise 1958-Sunset 1996)
R.I.P. :(((
@@awesomeone2979 The real deal Impalas I mean. :)
@@awesomeone2979 Nu bro 1996 was the last great Impala after that it wasn't never the same and that's why he say from 1958 to 1996 except for the 5th generation and sixth generation Impala which is from 1971 to 1985 those were the bad looking Impala's 🤭☺️.
Why can't manufacturers just go crazy sometimes? What's stopping them from producing mad cars like this?
Have you been in a vacuum for the past year? The Dodge Hellcats are just that.
oldtwins You don't need to try to educate on cars. I know about the Hellcats. It's about time something like them came along.
Then what the hell are you talking about? Haha
seen the Chevrolet SS for 2015? Blows this old girl away
The Chevrolet SS is kind of like this car's successor. Yes, it's based on the Holden Commodore, but it's still a badass car. This year they're coming with the magnetic ride control and it's going to be a manual.
That's a gem of a car!
Shortly after the filming of this video the transmission was beaten to death by the driver.
pbandj37
Cringe ☹️
He had the drivers gloves one while doing it, fingerprint analysis will be futile!
Lol 😂
Yooo fr he was slamming it around LMFAO
He's just re-working the transmission tunnel so that the T56 will fit.
God, I was in love with these cars since they came out. I think the wheels make this car look badass.
I say the stance the look both front and back end is made this car so badass especially with the black paint oh man. The same thing for the Cadillac Fleetwood of that year, the front is lowered just a bit and the back raised just a bit as well going down the street the car looks like it demands respect.
@juncho1977 - re: "God..." 1. do you often write to God much via CZcams Comments? 2. every get a response from God?
Worked at a Chevy dealer from 95-96. I loved running this thing around however very few takers then. They sat on the lots forever and hardly ever test driven. I am sad to say that discontinuing them was the best thing to happen to them. Now they’re beloved and people appreciate them today.
They learn the hard way. This car is gorgeous.
this car should have came from the factory like this lol very impressive numbers for such a big car in the mid 90's
Very true. But how's GM supposed to show up their corvette with an land yacht? Recently they had to dial back the camaro bc it was pulling better than the vet
I love these cars. I've owned three Crown Vics and will always have a soft spot for these big cars.
+PantherP74 WHY??? BIG CARS SUCK BALLS!!!
+fred smith You drive a smart, right?
One of the coolest GM products ever made.
I daydreamed about a nice warmed-over 454 factory option back then. They could have found a way to fit it in and play nice under the hood.
one of the best cars ever made..big roomey,quiet,handles unbelievable,fast,great looking car
The sounds are wonnnderful!! lol.! It's 2017, and I STILL want one!
2019 same boat
lol, it's 2020 and many want cars from the 1960s.....new cars are trash, just copies of each other from one brand to next.
The last real Impala made.
One of my all time favorites, I had a Caprice with the same engine and it handled surprisingly well, even in snow lol. Man I miss having that land yacht lol.
Kobbetop Impala SS has g86 limited slip differential Caprice has g80 locking differential from the trucks/SUV
I had a 9 C1 as well I actually beat a few Impalas with it
@kobbetop - re: "lol" (x2) = what is so funny about your serious comment? or do you tack on that silly "lol" into most social media comments.
I love my 96! whenever I have some new passengers on board for the first time I just slam the gas and I could feel that LT1 just scream down the road sinking everyone into there seats! there's nothing like that feeling.. I picked mine up with only 62k miles on it.. hardly driven .. the score of a lifetime
Keep an eye on that OptiSpark!
When those "new passengers" experience you "scaring the pants/skirts" off them means ... few repeat riders !!
No way! Six speed manual! Unbelievable. Totally didn't expect to see that.
Exactly!!! Put it in Neutral and find the second gear; coast. Keep the transmission good 💯
I want that impala
IronLordOmega ive had two. You would love it!
Christian Barrett I never realized they had a standard option. Talk about bad ass! Don't let these 90's classics die! They will never build anything like them again!!
Darin no standard option on this model.
@Christian Barrett '96 is the year as it was the only year with analog gauges and a console shifter. 94-95 was a column shifter with LED readouts.
Me too
Impala SS was so cool. So low and wide. And a 300hp V8 to boot.
260 hp.
231mac i never believe that 260 shit lmao. Once u drive one u want say that, same with the lt1 camaro those "rated" power numbers are off.
231mac not believing "260 hp to the crank" just no way not after driving one i was shocked lol.
@108143667369122411155 Look it up. There were 3 LT1 engines, Vette-300hp, iron block and aluminum heads, Camaro, 275hp, iron block, aluminum heads and the Caprice- 260hp, iron block and iron heads.
231mac the vette was iron block aluminum heads, same with the camaro , camaro has smaller cam weak pcm tune. Impala 2 bolt main smaller cam, and iron heads same port work though. Weaker pcm tune lol. Im just talking from experience seeing them on dynos etc. Gm rated rates are off.
I used to have a neighbor who owned one of these with a killer exhaust I thought it was the coolest sedan I have ever seen a few years later and I still hope,I can one day get one
+BZBEAST12 , the 2008 Impala SS is a better package all around. However, if I had one, I would immediately get rid of the engine that is under the hood, custom build an engine from an LS7 Corvette, or, better yet, an LSX engine, make it look like the engine that is under the hood of this vehicle, do some more customizations, and then I would have a nice little road beast.
I see I just like the looks of this but I could see how you could make a real nice road beast as you said
My parent's Roadmaster wagon hauled ass and handled great , and could carry 4x8 plywood sheets. It drifted really well after they gave it to me.
@BigEightiesNewWave - what does "It drifted really well after they gave it to me" mean?!?
"Lord Vader, your car is ready". I'll never forget those Chevrolet SS ads.
Wow very cool to see the impala SS B-Body platform cars with a 6 speed manual transmission we see most of them with automatic transmission
The crew felt the need to add their own 'personal' touch, manual was never a production option. I also think the crew was retaliating for when about 10 years earlier the GM people deliberately underreported specs for their Grand Nationals/GNX tests.
I was 16 years old when this car came out, I wanted to own one. Still love it.
This car should have made it into at least one Terminator movie!
How 'bout a Blues Bros remake? "Cop shocks, cop suspension..."
All kidding aside, this car did AMAZING in the slalom!
justinbig10 seems more like a Robo-Cop kind of car
Never really cared for the Roadmasters but this and the Cadillac Fleetwood's of those were gorgeous inside out and so badass. Always wanted an Impala SS had a couple of Fleetwood's still would not trade their ride comfort for anything other than the big 3 from across the pond. Man I miss these cars
I love that 96 impala, there will never be a better car
proper American car. Even a manual. yes....yes...yes.
One of few. If you have a manual, its been built.
That was the only manual version built
When I first saw the Caprice in late 1990, I thought it hideous and fat. And I still do.
When I first saw this in 1995, I couldn't believe it was the same car. And that was before I knew what was powering it.
It's what a black dress or a well-fitting suit can do to someone's figure.
Almost the same experience here.
Upon first seeing the Caprice in 1990 and the Impala in 1995, my late father and I said uttered the same words on both occasions:
"What is *that*?!"
did you reply to yourself by mistake
@@punchy207 Oh my God, I did, and I didn't even notice until now. And that's not the first time I've almost done this.
At least I gave myself a "like"
@@rpm773 i've done it too
Same here
Sick! Always dug these. Like the GN they're subtle, and clean. But so badass... We have the LT1 in our Wagon, it pulls good! Even with the super highways gears!
optispark issues?
+sonnywitdamoney nope! 190,000 so far.
The early LT1 optisparks had issues. The newer vented Optis didn't. I have a '97 LT1 at 158K and no opti issues.
I have a 95 9c1...no opti issues..
@@Sonnywitdamoney Idk what you all are doing, but i have a vented opti and its replaced every 75,000. on number 3
What an awesome car I can’t believe I’ve never heard of it till now! I’ve been an lt1 fan since they came out in 92 and bought a 96 Z28 when I was 18 and now have owned a 95 Z28 m6 for the past six years there’s nothing like that lt1 torque! My friends grandpa owns a 94 impala SS with a few goodies on it I recently got to drive it I was impressed with the acceleration of that massive boat!
Holy shit, buddy, don't have to break the shifter to show us it's a manual transmission
Why the hell is he slamming the gearbox?
because he can
***** that is why cars have transmission problems.
Lord Apophis cool story bro
Showcasing how the throws feel like. Yes, I take it he was a bit too harsh.
I read your comment before I watched the video, and when he started slamming the gearbox, I about died of laughter. He was so serious with it. 😭😭😭
while many my age want exotics... my dream will always be a stock and clean 94-96 Impala SS.
I was the sales manager at a Chevrolet dealership when those guys were new we sold every single one we got they were so cool I had one for a demo it was dark maroon
Now that's a man's car !
@Take off your pants and jacket Nah, I'm 65 and love my 2017 Camaro 2SS!
True, a real man's car. Juniors go elsewhere!
@Jayski , says the guy who drives a Civic with a weedeater motor.
I love this car.
+LocDawgd AND I LOVE UR MOM!!
+LocDawgd , the one that is in your picture is also no slouch itself.
LOL "Big, Black, and BRISTELING FOR ACTIN!"
This impala video > every other car video ever made in life
I will one day have a 94-96 I've always loved this car already got a 96 Camaro SS
These cars were selling like hotcakes in the Middle East. This was called the Chevrolet Caprice SS and the Caprice literally was the most popular car in the Gulf area in the Middle East. Anywhere you go in Saudi Arabia you will find a Caprice. Such a terrible, terrible decision by GM to discontinue these cars. They were superb.
Boy have we came a long way. Those numbers can be made with an intake, exhaust, and a proper tune
@@Lunchboxinthebuckeye353not my problem. Sucks for you 🤣
@@Lunchboxinthebuckeye353and actually.... you can. And it's NOT 50 states... it's 34.....
This car came out when I was 16. This was my dream car!
Being a Ford guy, I gotta say this is one bad ass car
Lord Vader your car is waiting.....
yes!!!
+dave runner the buick gn is vader's car man what a sick and usually over looked car
+sabufinisher , if I had a GNX, I would put the best parts of the GNX engine and combine it with the GSX engine and the Wildcat engine and then REALLY have some fun.
+dave runner I remember that ad! I laughed my ass off when I saw it and think of it every time I see one of these cars.
I have been scouring the webbernet AND the interweb to find that advertisement with no luck.
My aunt basically drove the wheels off of one of these...such a cool car
That was an amazing review. That car moved like an angry black bear chasing you in the woods.
I always wanted one of these. Used to work on them all the time when I was a Chevy tech at a local dealer. with lots of gear, a loose converter and a mildly nasty 383 would be quite nice on the street. The iron head LT1 was detuned a bit with a different cam and choked up exhaust but had an improved intake port that flowed a little better than aluminum lt heads and its the design the ever popular L31 Vortec head used. I think the LT1 Buick Roadmaster would make a nice sleeper
Nubbins we had one traded in at our dealer a few years ago. I considered buying but it was beat to death and had evidence of severe accident damage.
...Roadmasters and Fleetwoods were an awesome addition to this chassis. So kick ass and so much potential
these hold value like a Honda. people are asking $17k for one of these now.
+CalypsoNotch408 yeah, you're right.
+CalypsoNotch408 , we will see once you put an LS6 engine under the hood.
Sold our '96 for almost what we paid for it
I only paid 4500 for my 96 back in 2010 and I get offers for over 10k every time I bring old girl out the garage and I still refuse to sell. Wanted one since they came out in late 1993 when I was 7 and saw a brand new 94' getting test driven with a maniac behind the wheel. My dad called the guy a nut for flying by us on the shoulder of Rt 50 in VA and I was drooling. These cars are a lot of fun!
I had a 1996 police caprice which was basically an impala SS without the badging. I wish it were a manual transmission though. Truly a bad ass car.
Got a 1993 Buick Roadmaster in 2003, no major repairs until 2020 when the motor finally wore out. Our grandson got a LS3 crate motor to replace the old one and installed it at his shop. It's much quicker and gets better gas mileage.
I'm salty they never put this car into production. My favorite full size sedan is by far 94 to 96 caprice, impala, and roadmaster. Those cars are fun to drive and get great gas mileage if you stay out of the gas pedal.
Chris Howard the optispark is a nightmare. I know. I have a 93 z28. It eats optis all day.
...They are surprisingly good on gas, I get nearly 30mpg when I cruise on the highway just like my 5.7 Charger but of course that goes out the window quickly when it's a straight highway at 3am
Woulda been cool if they'd made a convertible version of this as well. You still could have had quite a bit of trunk room!
I have this on VHS
I live in Montgomery county and watch these every week
As soon as GM gets something completely awesome, they kill it. The 1996 console shift Impy SS was fantastic despite the OptiSpark.
Have a 96 Impala sitting out in the driveway and had a 93 Caprice. Really love those B bodies. Wonder if GM ever regretted pulling the B bodies out of production and handing it over to Ford.
I agree I take the GM B body over a crown Victoria any day I grew up with my father buying cars from GM from buick olds and Chevy he still owns a vintage 1977 caprice with a little under 70 thousand miles still runs like the day he purchased it in late 77
I wonder where this one-of-a-kind car is now...
Private Collection somewhere.
Around 8 years ago it was for sale at a dealership in arizona. The price was pretty low at around 30k.
I have a 95 Impala SS I fuckin love this car, by the way I have a 72 chevelle and 72 EL Camino, the impala is so much fun to drive!
These cars are very cool - I'll say that first - but today, a Challenger V6 makes similar power. We've come a long way.
If GM really wanted to right itself, it would bring cars like this back with modern day upgrades!!!!! Not everyone wants these BS crossovers and suvs.
Just buy a Charger....
All the BS Chevy been making for past 20 years still don't top this.
+eldo59 the new SS 4 door is cool
+eldo59
The new Impala's I'm talking 1999-Present are a disgrace compared to the B-Bodies. The new Impala's should be called the Lumina.
amen
+M22OHIO The wimpy front-drive platforms. I loved this cars since they mimicked the burly size of the '70s cars. But this SS was a bold outside the norm production build like the Buick Grand National, Dodge Viper, 2000s T-Bird, Chevy SSR, and Plymouth Prowler. Today's cars are not quite doing this. Maybe the CTS-V and the Dodge Hellcats but that's it.
+eldo59 the new Chevy SS is basically a new Impala but with LS3 RWD.
This car got me excited to buy my Marauder. I couldn't afford an Impala SS at the time, but years went by and I made more $ so I bought one of the last Panther platforms made by Ford. Still love her and she is still as beautiful as the day I bought her, but it would be cool if she had a sister with SS tags sitting next to her in the garage. Then again, that might be a bad Idea... A Merc and a Chevy next to each other might tear my garage down. Never mind, cool vid though.
Detroit Marauder. ...I had my 04 Silver Birch in my garage next to my DCM 96. Still got the Imp but replaced the MM with a new Charger RT. I want another MM but looking for a DBP!
I still want one of these.
Was that guy trying to rip the shifter handle off the transmision? What a dork!
I never really forgave GM for stopping production of the B Body.
Imagine what it could have become if it lasted as long as the Panther body.
I was working for Chevrolet at the time and GM's focus was to build more extended cab pickup trucks because that was what the masses of people wanted. They no longer wanted a full size car but instead were using pickups as family cars. We couldn't get enough extended cab 4X4s during that time. I loved the Impala SS, especially the 1996, and was sad to see the full size GM car die.
The SS could outrun the Mustang Cobra in top speed and the Buick Roadmaster could beat the Mustang GT 0-60 in 1994. The thought of "dad" in his full size car beating the young hot head kid in his Mustang always made me grin a bit.
I drive an almost bone stock 96 Impala and this makes me feel all fuzzy...cars are WAY better in many respects now over 20 years later but this car is still badass and I get compliments almost weekly
I’m Lucky I have a 96 impala ss all original super clean excellent condition
D
never say never. the rear wheel impala ss is back .
DreamWave Dave lies
Correction: the RWD Impala's successor had arrived, a 415HP Chevrolet SS which is really a badge-engineered Holden Commodore from Australia. It can even be had with a manual, but GM did not even bother spending a single penny on advertising and then complaining it doesn't sell.
And this is it's last year.
Dallas Breault ...So sad and they never had one commercial for it but I see an advertisement for a Malibu or Wimpala (yes I spelled it right) every 5 minute or some new useless CUV that everybody and their grandmother suddenly NEEDS. The SS could've been sold like the Charger. FCA is smart enough to advertise these beasts and get them sold, hell I even bought a new RT! Just selling a single version (fully loaded like a SRT) for those high prices was just GM shooting themselves in the foot.
What a sleeper; I had no idea.
My dad had one of these we all loved it
One of these (the 1996 year with the 240bhp iirc) is my dream car. I love the shape, the interior, the way it looks... it's just perfect.
With the absolutely immense aftermarket for Chevy small blocks the year is really irrelevant
I still think Ford payed off Chevrolet to leave the police car segment.
The Caprice 9c1 was a huge favorite & dropping it in 1996 was barely a half-life.
Thats style of the Impala SS was only produced from 1994-1996, then it came back in 2000 as a mid sized front wheel drive sedan. Ford had the Full sized V8 rear wheel drive american car market til 2011, when it axed its panther cars. I love the full size rear drive american cars. I have a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis and plan on keeping it, im also looking for a second Grand Marquis or even a Lincoln Town Car.
+Donald Thompson I think the driveline is excellent but not the body style. I find these rather ugly looking. I would much prefer the Fords over this. Mercury Marauder would be my choice over the Impala/Caprice.
*then it came back in 2000 as a (boring ass) mid sized front wheel drive sedan.
Glycerin Yeah but even that 2000 is way more advanced and has more options than this caprice here.
Glycerin ...It was a complete disgrace to the Impala heritage. It's the equivalent of naming the next generation Ford Focus the new Mustang. Such a beautiful history and classic muscle car that was turned into a typical mundane grocery getter. They should've just left the Lumina nameplate and properly retired the impala nameplate.
@@starxlr7863 Merc Marauder is slow but looks cool.. I had hoped Ford would bring back the Galaxy 500 during that period,
late 98 through 2011, Imagine a police package Crown Vic slammed with 300+ horses, maybe a Boss at over 400hp
Purchased brand new 1995 SS from Jake Sweeney Chevrolet. Had it 13 months. Put 13k miles on it. Loved it every minute I drove it. Unfortunately, it had to be towed 5 times for a no crank, no start problem. GM bought it back from me. Cut me a check for full purchase price. Next week it was back on dealership showroom floor with a "Today's Special" sign on it! Lol. Smooth, fast, quiet, handled great. Just wouldn't start!
One of the coolest badass cars ever created!
A 90's classic.
thats weird because they are becoming so rare and we have 2 of these bad boys in my little Canadian village! i own one and i know where a black one is parked it doen't get drive much but does! ive never speak to him tho i should because he own the same car as me so we might become best friend! XD
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! THAT IS MY OTHER FAVORITE IMPALA SS!!!! ONE BADASS FAMILY CRUISER!!! THANKS FOR SHARING!!!!
Not only is it the year I was born in but this shit is bad ass. Definitely will buy one in my life.
The new ones are junk compared to these monsters... Aww the good old days
no longer marketable? people loved these large body on frame gm's. i'm a ford guy and I loved this impala gen. it was a big mistake in my book when they ditched these large body on frame cars, because once that happened they also lost out on a bunch of sales going to law enforcement agencies as well. which is why many law enforcement agencies a few years after they discontinued the large body on frame impala's went to the crown vics. now ford is in the same boat when they killed off the crown vic.
+SteelCity1981, there have been talk that Ford ALREADY is resenting the axing of their large RWD's and will do proper replacing starting in '19 MY with a RWD-based "Lincoln Aviator", which would probably spawn a new RWD-based Explorer and later a new RWD Lincoln Town Car (to rejoice the limo supplier people), which would spawn a contemporary Crown Vic, this time with all the modern goodies, like power and optional AWD...
Also by that time Johann, the Swiss at Cadillac, will have its' proper CT (8 or 9) RWD/AWD flagship (a RWD Impala or Caprice) "down the road"?.
+syxepop , one could only hope, right? I would love to see Chevrolet have some balls and simply put an Impala on a CTS, or, better yet, CTS-V, frame and for them to also bring back the Caprice, Caprice Classic, Bel Air, and Caprice Estate, AND, most of all, to also let Cadillac do the same thing with the CTS-V Wagon.
Pax Humana, right now both GM and Ford are in front of "a fork on the road". Both seem to need the large RWD platforms for their livery fleet clients, fuel prices are inexpensive for now and at the same time sales of the largest sedans have tanked making it difficult to decide on whether getting back to build a large RWD-based sedán or not.
Larger crossovers and SUV's are still being asked for in droves and "sold like pancakes".
(CTS and CTS-V, soon CT5 and CT5-V are the same car, the latter being the performance version, both on the shortest version of the (CT6 and CT8/9 to follow) Omega RWD unibody platform).
Sounds to me it'll be an "uphill battle" to convince GM suits to make a financial case for a full-sized RWD-based Chevy sedán, less so on a Buick version, but may be doable. The thing is that the (Holden Commodore) SS @ $46K or so maybe giving an indication where such a RWD Imp would go (probably even higher).
Most of the other models you mention would have niches so small that would have to be "left to the car history archives", particularly the "soon to be collectible" CTS-V Wagon... (their fans would have to "make do" for now with the latest 'Slade)
SteelCity1981 is right on in saying these cars were still selling well in the Midwest. GM used the self fulfilling prophecy of killing the car, then saying that they dont sell well. If GM were to bring back a RWD body on frame for the fleet market then make a say "Impala SS" 2-door hardtop model it would sell like crazy. It could be done on the cheap too. Just do like the big 3 did in the 50's and 60's and raid the parts bins. Lots of go-fast goodies can be bolted on and plug and played. The most expensive part of that would be the tooling for the body.
Seth Thomas, the problem was NOT with the Imp SS, but rather with the Caprice "whale" that it was based on. Middle Eastern affluent people (and in a lesser degree American RWD gearheads) didn't liked the design so much that they've prefered to buy either an older used Caprice or a Crown Vic.
I don't believe you'll see a 2-door RWD BOF car anytime soon... Even the smaller ones are a hard sell for most buyers, since they've prefer the convenience a 4-door design gives, even more so if it's raised from the road and have a substantial cargo area and / or room for at least 7 American-sized adults, even if the drivers don't carry them 99+% of the time. That's what full sized crossovers (Traverse & Co.) are there for, but unfortunately for you those are FWD-based for packaging and fuel compsumption (CAFE mandate, remeber?) reasons.
That is impressive power. And a 6 speed? Wow, didn't know that. That's my new daily driver. .
Grandpa had one of these manual. I miss these large American rear wheel drive sedans.