Faults:

Rattle in steering column developed at about 40,000 miles. Solution was to remove steering column from the car, take it apart, and inject a tube of grease into it, then reassemble and install. Cost was $110. I was informed that this was a common complaint with Impalas and Chevy Pickups. Too bad GM won't cover it with a recall.

Otherwise, I have had no other issues with this car and it is a joy to drive.

General Comments:

This has been a very dependable car, with no issues except as noted above. It's very economical, especially on the highway. We have gotten as much as 34 mpg with this car, at 75 mph. It made a trip from Illinois to San Diego this summer, and performed wonderfully, as we expected.

It gets regular maintenance, contributing to it's reliability.

Only thing is, you see yourself coming and going all the time, because there are so many of them out there. If you don't mind driving something everyone else has, it's a good buy. I highly recommend it for its durability, style, and reliability.

It's no BMW, but then I didn't pay that kind of price, either.

Faults:

We have had a "grinding" noise in the engine for over a year now. We took it to the dealer and they said it was the alternator. Because of a more competitive price we took the vehicle to a private garage and had the alternator replaced. Noise did not go away. We have had back to two different garages, but no one can find the problem. The noise was not there for 3 years so we know there is a problem. We went to check the steering fluid thinking that the steering was grinding, but cannot find the steering fluid reservoir! Thinking we were idiots we had two other mechanics look for it and they read the manual that came with the car, but they could not find it either!!

Stumped, any help? Standover@cox.net.

General Comments:

Overall we have enjoyed the vehicle when it was not in the shop. We have had this vehicle to the dealer 22 times under warranty and now it is out of warranty and we are about to give up. (We purchased the extended warranty and that was well worth it)

Faults:

Battery was discharged once overnight without known reason.

Rear ammos changed right after safety certification.

Water is leaking during rainy days. It falls to the front passenger floor through the heater unit.

General Comments:

For seven thousands Canadian dollars it was the best. Fuel economy is great compare to the engine size. Plus it runs on regular gas. Police package is useful for heavy commuting. Excellent on highways and rough roads. Good internal size for big guys. Basic car with big engine. Winter tires will be very reasonable option for snow. With regular tires it is difficult to control if snow is getting deep. Some time will generate Check Engine alarms. Easy to cancel with standard radio. Good acoustics for basic radio. Good sensitivity for AM/FM. Painting quality is not really good. Looks like they forgot to put primer coating. Paint code in invoice is wrong one. Very cheap for insurance in Canada.