2000 Impala Lifespan

Bah ! Keep the car & Drive it. I've owned 5 cars since 1980 & never replaced a Power Steering pump or master cylinder. Timing Chain & gears are all steel construction, should last a lifetime. Altenator could last

7-8 years. Water Pump should last about 7 years. I got 7-8 years on my original altenator, water pump & starter.

Which engine do you have?

If you can do the work youself it helps.

Not sure how long the ungreasable suspension componenets last in these newer cars. Ask some of the cabbies about suspension parts lifespan.

Do the routine maintenance at the scheduled intervals and the car should give you good service.

========= Harryface =========

1991 Pontiac Bonneville LE, 3800 V6 _~_~_~_~274,504 miles_~_~_ ~_~_

Amen, and don't beat your car.

Though those that do beat their cars tend to not maintain them either, which is why you get so many people that whine "oh gee don't buy a so and so car, they are a piece of crap!" did you do any oil changes.. "no..."

Also they are using Impala's as cop cars down here now, so if thats not a testimonial then I don't know what is.

I keep most cars 10-15 years generally. If you've done the scheduled service on it and happy with it, hang on to it. Yea you may need a alternator or power steering pump, etc. replaced over time, but that's cheap stuff compared to depreciation on a new car.

I beat the shit out of my car. It lives in Boston, MA and I'm a teenage driver. I mean, I'd like to say I don't, but jackrabbit starts and fast corners and whatnot are fun. Even in a 1988 Celebrity wagon. However, I take good care of it, and it's held up really well. Except for the two loose steering columns, so it's sitting in the yard right now until I put the third one in. I'm driving a Cutlass Ciera right now, and it was driven by 5 teenage drivers, and it wasn't taken care of very well, and it shows. The interior is beat to shit, the doors are literally falling off (some grease on those hinges would've helped), the tranny is dying, the engine was replaced once due to headgasket blowing (if they checked the oil once in a while maybe they would've seen the coolant..) Anyways.. it's a shit car, and it was barely taken care of. I think longetivity is a direct function of maintence.

-Sam

Theres always exceptions to the rule, I drove the hell out of my sunfire, always running the motor hard, no problems with it, but I gave it all the required maintenance, so I didnt have any problem.

The people that don't maintain their cars seem to be the kind that just drive the hell out of them as well, never cleaning the interior, giving it a wash etc...

Yup I've been having to let off the gas everytime I see a new Impala now until I get a better look. Used to be Crown Vics and hardly anyone other than cops drove Crown Vics. 3800's are to the six cylinder market as the 350 sbc was to the 8 cylinder market. They are a workhorse and parts are readily available and fairly cheap. I wouldnt worry about the timing chain so much, they last a good long while if not the full life of the engine. I say keep the car as long as you can, take care of it, and get your moneys worth out of it. The resale market is really only good for SUV's and full size trucks these days it seems.