First Car: 1997 CRV vs. 2001 Impala LS

[Yanson]

A few weeks into looking to buy a car I think I'm finally bringing the search to a close. There are 2 cars that I believe it is coming down too, which both are pretty good and I wouldn't mind driving.

1997 Honda CRV
-$7000 Total
-1 YR Power train
-160 000 km
-4 cyl, 2.2 L
-Standard Features
-Roomier, could do more
sporty, summer stuff

2001 Chevrolet Impala LS
-$6000 Total
-AS IS
-180 000 km
-6 cyl, 3.8L
-Fully Loaded, much nicer interior
-Much cooler looking

Now what brought me to the 2 cars was safety, space (compacts turned out to be too small for my size), mileage , insurance and price. For the first 4 the CRV is good, however the Impala has slightly better insurance quotes. The Impala is very nice and powerful and very good insurance rates but the mileage is high, not great on gas, no warranty and the resale value isn't as great, CRV prices in the trader as still high all these years and I'll change cars in 3+ years.

The decision can lean anyway right now and if anyone has any input it would be greatly appreciated!:cheesygri

[hightech]

I don't have the Consumer Reports for the 97 CRV, but the 98 CRV is ranked EXCELLENT. The 2001 Impala, by contract, has piss poor reliability on all counts.

CRV:
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj218/hightechto/CRV.jpg

Impala:
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj218/hightechto/impala.jpg

Its a no brainer: The CRV is more reliable, fuel efficient, and has better storage then the Impala.

I rented a 2003 Impala on a week long vacation and hated the handling, turning radius, fuel consumption, and seating position. Only good thing about it: I can drive fast and people think I am driving a Police Cruiser :D

There is a reason why the police force left the Impala and went with the Ford Crown Vic. The Ford has far superior reliability then the Impala ever did.

[Alvito]

arent these two cars in totally different class? wouldnt the impala be considered a more family oriented car? and the CRV a single persons car?

depends on your life style.

[AudiDude]

IMHO the CRV is gutless and has a small cramped interior. The inside may look big, but wait until you have to put stuff in it. Imagine a family friend with her 2 kids shopping. One in the front, one in the back beside some groceries and the stroller in the back (for youngest child) with some groceries jammed around it. It didn't take long for her to discover the CRV isn't is practical as it looks. It is somewhat a toy. The AWD is a bit of a joke as the front wheels usually spin a bit before the back even think of joining in.

OTOH, the Impala is cheaper on insurace because it is an old-folks car, but I really believe I can put more items in the car than the CRV. It also has that "generic motors" feeling like you've driven the same car all your life (good or bad, you decide). Don't discount the lasting ability of the 3.8 V6, it'll hang in there. This car should be easier to fix (thanks to GM's part bin engineering) at most mechanics. Larger interior (you said you find subcompacts too small, I don't see the CRV being for you).

What warranty do you have with the Honda, Lubrico??If so, you could get that for the Impala. Don't buy a vehicle for what you "could" do with it. Buy it for what you need it to do for you which could be anything ranging from get you from point A to B or perhaps if you drive far, more relaxing due to it's size. I personally wouldn't drive an uncomfortable car just to save money 3 years later, for me it isn't worth it. If I fit nice and it is easy to drive, I can relax. If the car is uncomfortable, it'd better have 500HP or something to take my mind off the uncomfortable $hit ride...

As an aside, I would never buy either of these, so you know there is no fanboyism here.

[FD3S]

I don' think you can call the CRV a single persons car at all..

It is more of a Family CUV/SUV....

I would Opt for the CRV...

As stated above, it scores much better in every cat. verus the impala...


Price difference?

[hotgo]

4 year newer car, cheaper to purchase, cheaper to insure, cheaper to repair. Easy answer... the Impala.

[l69norm]

One thing to check closely in the Honda is rust in the wheel wells. A "crappy" Impala might be a better overall car than a rusty "nice" Honda

[IoannI]

I'd go with the Impala. Personally, I'm a fan of GM W-Body vehicles. The CRV is pretty nice, but I'd go with the Impala.

Cheap on insurance. 4 years newer. Of course 20kkm more, but its also fully loaded and spacious.

[Dragons4Life]

Honda CR-V hands down

1. 2.2 4 cylinders VS 6 cylinders 3.8L ( this right here would save you money on gas)
2. Honda Engine will last you way longer than the impala, its proven well maintained Honda can get to 300k+ Kms no problems at all.
3. You can much more, and its more fun to drive.

[Yanson]

From what I've gathered from what information I've received that the Honda would be a good choice if it is in good condition and the impala I would have to be very careful it was in good working condition. That is one of the pluses of the Honda, I know that it will be covered against major stuff for 1 year so at least I'll get that much out of it. I've heard the 3.8 impala though is a good engine and its actually more reliable than the base 3.4, and its easy to fix if something goes south. decisions decisions...

[KawaiiTentacleBeast]

Watch out for the EGR burning a hole in the intake manifold on the 3800. It's a known problem, you could even ask to see if the manifold has been replaced with an updated one.

[mr_raider]

The 3800 series II is an excellent engine (consumer reposrts be damned!), However, beware of all the lectric doodads in GM cars. They can malfunction.

[hightech]

The 3800 series II is an excellent engine This is one area that I have to agree with. The 3800 series of engines is very reliable and parts are easy to fix.

My main take on a car is that it should be serving me more then it being in the shop getting something fixed. Sure, it may be cheap to fix, but it is a pain in the a$$ to have to fix it every time. Given the sketchy repair history, 1 big repair job will pretty much wash away any savings you may have. Guess it all comes down to pay now, or pay (perhaps a lot more) later.

I am not a fan of either of these cars either (hated driving the Impala as a rental, god help me to ever buy it). The CRV is also underpowered. I'd rather go with a V6 Toyota RAV4, or even a Subaru Forrester. Not sure about your budget or pricing, but the Forrester should be reasonably priced, better in winter, and also quite reliable as well (model years 2004 onwards)

[IoannI]

I've heard the 3.8 impala though is a good engine and its actually more reliable than the base 3.4, and its easy to fix if something goes south. decisions decisions...

I've driven the 3.1, 3.4 and the 3.8 and they are all beautiful engines. You setp on the lightly, for instantneous acceleration, and woo it roars from the inside.

[mau108]

I owned a 1st gen crv and it was a very reliable SUV (honda calls it that, I just call it a jacked up civic with awd and more room :P)

I had a 2000 which had a few more ponys under the hood then the 97-98, you also may find the road noise a bit annoying compared to the impala. But if you want reliable, cheap to drive and versatile the crv is the one.

It also had very good leg room for the back seat, heck I think it has better leg room then my rdx :(

Miss her :( some jackasses stole it off my drive way. If you decide to go for the crv just listen to the valves or get a mechanic to listen and see if they need adjustments, that was the only problem on the CRV, valves may make noise early on, a simple valve adjustment is all that is needed. I actually didnt need one till 120k.

http://www.hondasuv.com are where the crv fanatics live :) There used to be awesome offroading videos of the CRV outdoing offroading machines (nissan xterra is one I remember)

[leon200608]

You should definitely go for the Impala, really worth the money and the insurance is cheap! It's a tough vehicle and really lasts.

[leon200608]

GM W-body cars are pretty nice large sedans. Very solid and very tough. Parts are cheap stuff. That's why cops and cabs use them as cruisers. 4T65E auto tranny has great torque and doesn't break down easily.

[galanz]

Are you over 50? Get the impala.

[frogger]

Are you female? Get the Chick-RV

In all seriousness, check the obvious wear parts on both cars to see if they will need replacing anytime soon.

[hotgo]

$7000 for an 11 year old car. Sounds too much to me... doesn't even matter what the other car choice is.

[VivienM]

I think everybody knows what my recommendation is going to be. :)

That being said... the mileage sounds a bit high. I haven't been monitoring W body pricing lately, but how does the price compare to say a Buick Regal LS of the same year? (Mechanically identical car, with a couple different options, e.g. Impala has HomeLink garage door opener, OnStar, etc, while the Buick can get auto climate...)

[VivienM]

There is a reason why the police force left the Impala and went with the Ford Crown Vic. The Ford has far superior reliability then the Impala ever did.

The police never really went big into Impalas. Two big reasons having nothing to do with reliability:
- Crown Vic is body-on-frame, so cheaper to repair if the body is damaged...
- Crown Vic is RWD, and for a whole bunch of reasons, police prefer RWD

[VivienM]

I've driven the 3.1, 3.4 and the 3.8 and they are all beautiful engines. You setp on the lightly, for instantneous acceleration, and woo it roars from the inside.

Indeed. Did the OP test drive it? That pushrod torque can get mighty addictive, especially compared to a Honda 4 banger...

[Desolatax]

If you want an extremely reliable vehicle, go with the CRV. It WONT die on you. I had one for 2 years ('97 from the states, fully loaded with leather) not a single problem with it. It was pretty gutless, but did get pretty good fuel economy. I didn't have any problems with space inside. Pretty good looking S/CUV for being 11 years. Great winter vehicle, started up every time, didn't get stuck ever (accidentally ditched it, but still had summers on and we got half a foot of snow, still got out easily with the AWD). Made it up our hill (about 33 degree incline) with two feet of fresh snow with no problems with cheap winters. One nice thing is that it feels alot more car-like than any other comparable S/CUV I've driven.

Since it is your first car, I would recommend getting a vehicle such as the CRV. Great reliability, not too much power so you can get used to driving a car by yourself (when you are driving by yourself, you generally are a different driver than you are with your parents), great vehicle for learning on, also has more ground clearance.

If you want to increase the HP, add some stickers.

[mr_raider]

If you go with a CRV, check if it uses a timing belt or chain. If it's belt, you need to find out if it has been changed. Otherwise it's due, and that's your first big expense.

[Engi-Nir]

According to EPA rating
21MPG Impala 3.8L V6 -2001 model
21MPG Honda CRV 4cyl, 2.2L -1999 model, can't find 1997 on their site.

I always get confused when people keep saying honda is more fuel efficient without checking EPA.

[VivienM]

According to EPA rating
21MPG Impala 3.8L V6 -2001 model
21MPG Honda CRV 4cyl, 2.2L -1999 model, can't find 1997 on their site.

I always get confused when people keep saying honda is more fuel efficient without checking EPA.

1998 CRV 4 cyl, FWD, old test procedure - 22MPG city, 25 MPG highway
2001 Impala 3.8L, old test procedure - 20MPG city, 30MPG highway

Interesting, isn't it? :)

(and yes, I deliberately used the old test procedure numbers because I don't trust whatever "adjustment" they're doing to make it comparable to the 2008 procedure numbers)

[gherikill]

Honda CR-V hands down

1. 2.2 4 cylinders VS 6 cylinders 3.8L ( this right here would save you money on gas)
2. Honda Engine will last you way longer than the impala, its proven well maintained Honda can get to 300k+ Kms no problems at all.
3. You can much more, and its more fun to drive.

Average length of service on a 3.8 L Impala used as a taxi is 550k KMs. Go with the impala. It has a much better engine, more space, looks better, is more reliable and is much newer.

Not to mention that boys should not be driving CRVs unless they hang out on Church st.

[mau108]

Average length of service on a 3.8 L Impala used as a taxi is 550k KMs. Go with the impala. It has a much better engine, more space, looks better, is more reliable and is much newer.

Not to mention that boys should not be driving CRVs unless they hang out on Church st.

uhh boys like modifications, CRV has a much larger aftermarket support. Although I agree it wouldn't be my first choice for a car for a teen.

regular Impala is an old geesers car also on the new model the mirrors are so odd.

Late 90's Impala SS is hawt
http://www.vipimports.com/images/carsforsale/96_Impala/001.jpg

[mr_raider]

Plus if you can get one white, people will always let you pass them because you look like a cop in the rear view mirror.

[gherikill]

uhh boys like modifications, CRV has a much larger aftermarket support. Although I agree it wouldn't be my first choice for a car for a teen.

regular Impala is an old geesers car also on the new model the mirrors are so odd.

Late 90's Impala SS is hawt
http://www.vipimports.com/images/carsforsale/96_Impala/001.jpg

Impalas have tons of aftermarket mods.

Check out the North American Impala's Owners Organization forums for details.

http://www.naioa.com/v2/modules.php?name=Forums

You can get close to 500 hp from a supercharged 3.8.

[frogger]

I think if you are willing to go up to $7000 for an Impala, you can get one with less kilometres/in better shape and perhaps a 2002.

Stick to the LS model, it has a better suspension setup than the base Impala.

[Desolatax]

One other thing about the CRV, if a cop sees you speeding, he won't take a second look. Never got one ticket while I was driving mine, and lets just say I wasn't.... closely following... the speed limit. It doesn't attract any attention from the police, which is also one nice bonus.

[Yanson]

Well thanks guys for all the input... and the final choice was!


1997 CRV!

Why? Well I test drove them and I liked the CRV. It's also in good shape and runs well. And truth be told its not the coolest car ever, but it can get me from point A to point B and point C on weekends, and the warranty sold me. Secondly although the impala is cooler and could be tricked out, I don't really want it. What I really want is my Nissan 350z when I'm finished schooling and got a job and I hit the big 25. And I think this car will last me that long so that was the decision.

[malecoke]

u wont regret it....i swear by SUVS now after trying to get home @ 12am in the storm on saturday night.....

[AudiDude]

Plus if you can get one white, people will always let you pass them because you look like a cop in the rear view mirror.

Upon reading this, I missed the first comma. So for a second there, I was wondering why white people would let you pass because they thought you were a cop, more than non-whites. Now that I found the comma, it all makes more sense...