My crappy rental - 2007 Chevy Impala

gtrietsc

gtrietsc

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2004
Messages
1,581
Location
Allen, TX USA
Car(s)
'07 Ford F-150 FX4, '06 BMW M5
So, my truck is in the shop right now for repairs after the battery leaked acid all over the passenger side quarter panel. They estimate 10 days total for the repair because there is body work involved.

Anyway, the rental they gave me is a 2007 Chevy Impala. After driving it a little, my first impression is:

I should have taken the extra insurance from Enterprise. How are these things not upside down everywhere?

Seriously - I traded with my wife at lunch the same day, after a doctor's appt. for our baby. We both feel safer with her in the X3 than the car. When my wife got home later, I asked her what she thought, and she told me it makes her appreciate how good our vehicles are, and she (not a car person, mind you) couldn't believe how floaty the suspension was, how terrible the braking is, etc.

Plus, the thing just screams cheap. I snapped a few photos if it yesterday to illustrate. This was engineered to barely fit the definition of "car".

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The interior is even worse. Hardest plastics known to man. Terrible seats. And a very uninspired console design, to say the least.

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Just thought I would share my hell with you guys.
 
That is why no one actually buys new ones. Almost every Impala is a rental, or was a rental at one point in its life.
 
Didn't Enterprise buy those without available Side Impact Airbags, or something like that? It's a wonderful car, it has alloys! I'm left wondering if the wheels were the most expensive part. What's the point in faux wood? The seats look like they'd be supportive if you were 400+ lbs.
 
Not the first time they did something like that:

800px-66Toronado.jpg


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Hell look at just about everything Caddy produced in the 90s.
 
It's a temporary loaner. What did you expect? Just be thankful you have some sort of transportation in the first place. :dunno:
 
The reason why it seems so cheap is because the Impala is cheap. I don't think there's a "full size" car that is as inexpensive...maybe the Grand Prix but that's still a GM. That said...a 2007...its very old for a rental, seems time for them to sell it especially if its near the 35,000 mile point.

The Impala is not my least favourite mostly because there are much worse cars with a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep badge.

narf said:
That's supposed to be wood? :rofl:
Click to expand...
I don't really understand the faux wood, they all look extremely fake and to me its very unattractive. The few Impalas we had with aluminum trim replacing the faux wood look so much better.
 
What this car needs is a new SS version.. a version with a more powerful engine and a body kit without doing anything to the brakes or suspension.
 
Shentar said:
What this car needs is a new SS version.. a version with a more powerful engine and a body kit without doing anything to the brakes or suspension.
Click to expand...

They already made that. :p

On the subject of interiors....

This is what $30K gets you from GM:

2009-Chevrolet-Impala-SS-Dashboard-1280x960.jpg


This is what $30K gets you from Hyundai:

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And the Impala SS is slower to 60 than the Genesis V6 sedan. :p
 
https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2009/10/01/WebImpala03.jpg
 
Could be worse.

Could be blue hard plastic.

Had that in a rental in the USA once...
 
AiR said:
https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2009/10/01/WebImpala03.jpg
Click to expand...

Yeah, you better look out for lions. :lol:
 
MacGuffin said:
Could be worse.

Could be blue hard plastic.

Had that in a rental in the USA once...
Click to expand...

The interior of our 1995 Ford Taurus was all blue inside. It was great! :D
 
Wait...it's front wheel drive? Damn, and I thought the Police package version was cool...damn.
 
Spectre said:
They already made that. :p

On the subject of interiors....

This is what $30K gets you from GM:

2009-Chevrolet-Impala-SS-Dashboard-1280x960.jpg
Click to expand...

I am impressed that they managed to find the precise color of clinical depression.
 
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