Thinking of trading in my 2013 Chevrolet Impala LTZ .. am I making a mistake? (rental, vehicles)

[Ctos23]

Hi all. I read these forums a lot and I don't know what has come over me lately. I would like to speak to some members of the community and try to make a calm level headed decision and not rush out and do something out of impulse.

So here is my scenario:

I currently own a 2013 Chevrolet Impala LTZ with 49,000 miles on it. I have about $9,500 left on my loan, and recently I've been looking at cars and I'm considering trading it in for something else.

Now here is the thing, I love my Impala a lot, and quite honestly it gets the job done for me. All I use it for is commuting. I live in Arizona, so there are no crazy twisty or wavy roads here, everything is a clean freeway and grid-style streets, Arizona is pretty made made to order for a large Sedan with not the greatest handling. My commute is literally a straight shot of 80% freeway driving, straight line driving, couldn't be any more simple.

- The only thing I don't like about my Impala:

I get quite a few rattles from time to time, but I've been told this is a pretty common thing in this model. I'm mostly listening to the radio so I don't really notice it.. but lately it's been getting a lot worse.

- The interior does actually feel pretty cheap at times, and I wonder how much it's going to hold up on me once I get into long term ownership.

- The seats are okay, but the leather really seems low grade. My car before this was a 2005 Nissan Altima 3.5 with a leather package, and the leather seats in this car were much, much better then the Impala. They are just a little too rough for my tastes, but I've driven in more uncomfortable cars before.

- I have a black exterior impala with the gray interior. I would of probably preferred black on black, but it's not a deal breaker.

I've had a couple minor repairs but nothing major, did some repairs to try and stop the rattles but it keeps happening, I also had an actuator stop working and that was $450 to repair, ouch. Dealer said I also needed rear breaks and some other routine maintenance done as well.

Above all else, I know other people's opinions don't matter, but everywhere I go, and every review I read, people just trash this car and says it sucks, and is not fun to drive. I mean, is this really the case? I don't seem to have a problem with it overall, but people really seem to be against this car. There are several reviews on YouTube of people just putting down this car so much, and all the reviews are very consistent. Everyone says the only good thing about this car is the new 3.6L V6 engine.

So I just want to make sure I'm not missing out on anything that could be better.

I'm a single male and I don't have a family I need to haul with me, I pretty much drive this car alone 95% of the time.

I was looking at 2015-2013 pre-owned models with low miles, particularly I'm looking into a Camaro V6, Mustang V6, Dodge Charger V6, Maybe a Malibu or Chrysler 200 (V6), Nissan Altima or Sentra, Chevrolet Cruze.

Or maybe some late year new models being sold off at the end of the year.

All of these cars pre owned and late year new cars are into the $15,000 - $20,000 range in price, so I would basically be spending 10 grand more to get into one of these cars. I'm particularly interested in either the Camaro or Mustang, just because I'm single and don't need a 4 door, but I enjoy the 4 door cars because they have more visibility and less blind spots... but I also like the idea of a midsize sedan or compact if they're comfortable to drive and has decent fuel economy.

I'm not a driving enthusiast, I'm not the most mechanically inclined person. I don't know how to do any car maintenance at all and I have a few disabilities that prevent me from working strenuous activities with my hands. All I do is go from point A to point B pretty much. All I really like is enough power for passing and freeway merging and a decent sounding radio.

So with that said, should I stick with what I have and ignore the haters, negative reviewers, and really come to terms with this car, or should I go for something a little more desirable? Part of me thinks I am just wasting money. I could understand if I was an actual enthusiast, but I am not. But there always seems to be an allure to owning a sports car, or a car with bold styling, but then part of me would not want all the extra attention, I do enjoy that the Impala blends in and doesn't attract any attention, so I have that going for me too.

I listed a lot of cars but the most that spark my interest are the Camaro, Mustang (base V6 models) and the Base Charger, although I've read online to never buy a Charger, people say the Impala has way more power and a better engine, and Dodge has reliability issues.. but the interior is nicer, and Chargers just look downright awesome.

I know this is a long post, but I just wanted to cry out for help before I consider doing something really stupid, or should I embrace this car and keep it, aside from the hate this car gets with how bad it drives, rental car stereotype, etc.

Thanks all.

[southernnaturelover]

If you like the car, keep it. Don't put yourself into more debt just to impress other people that you don't even know.

[notnamed]

Yep keep it. If you're not an enthusiast and just want something to cruise the highway nothing wrong with that.

[WyoNewk]

Keep the Chevy, at least until it's paid off. It's a good, reliable car, nothing that will turn heads, but nothing to be ashamed of either. You'd be best to keep it for awhile after it's paid off, then keep "making payments" but to a savings account for your next car. THEN buy a new or used car that tickles your fancy.

[Rogarven]

Originally Posted by WyoNewk

Keep the Chevy, at least until it's paid off. It's a good, reliable car, nothing that will turn heads, but nothing to be ashamed of either. You'd be best to keep it for awhile after it's paid off, then keep "making payments" but to a savings account for your next car. THEN buy a new or used car that tickles your fancy.

Yes, pay it off. You don't want to roll that over on the new car.

[Ctos23]

I like it, just really hate all the damn rattles it has when driving. Thing is like a rattle box at times even riding along the freeway, I guess I've heard its pretty common though.. all cars get rattles.

The $400 actuator repair stung quite a bit, then my service advisor telling me it will happen again, I'm like.. great. *sarcasm*

Plus, all the negative reviews it gets.

I guess no car is perfect though, every car has problems and cons. I suppose as long as the powertrain holds up, it should be good. I really like the Malibu's and some other cars, but this one is nice too.

Thanks for the advice so far, if anyone else wants to chime in, I appreciate it. I came here to get a second opinion before potentially going out and doing something impulsive.

[notnamed]

Yeah if you were asking what car to get for your situation I would just say a Camry. But since you're already in the Impala keep it. Hunt down the rattles and address them. An occasional $400 repair still beats a consistent payment.

[TrapperL]

Sounds like you're in a love hate with the car. Of the cars listed, the Camaro or Mustang will be the more dependable. Stay away from any Chrysler V6 better known as Pentastar. They have a head defect that causes head gaskets to crater at about the same time your warranty expires. If covered by warranty, Chryslers fix is a new head gasket and after that, the next time it's out of your pocket. There has been no new redesigned heads as of yet. Your car and what you owe on it will be a wash as the car is worth about what you owe, maybe a little less. You might also consider looking at a used Fusion. They have a real good dependability record and get great gas mileage but the newer models are 4 bangers only. The 2.5 4 banger has a history for being a great engine. Considering where you live, a black car has got to be HOT. You can't hardly give a black car away here. Might consider a much lighter color.

[blind spot]

Well...I'm not a "car person" but my 2004 Impala reached 237,000 miles before a bad car accident last weekend (got rear ended on the fwy by a couple of wannabe gangbanger thugs) that bent the frame. I didn't maintain it at all. I seriously was the worst car owner ever. I've had to make repairs of course when things broke but I didn't replace anything you're supposed to after driving it X amount of miles or do any flushes or ANYTHING. I'm not saying this to brag, I'm definitely going to take better care of my next car, but just to tell you that even though there were some issues with my car that I chose not to fix (because the fix cost more than the car was worth) it was still running and probably would have kept going for another year or two before I had to just completely scrap it. It had just started reaching money pit status this year. I am honestly amazed that the car lasted as long as it did.

So all that to say....it might not hurt to just keep the car. But I'm also looking at a Camry or Accord for my replacement so I'm not in love with Impalas or anything.

ETA I don't remember any "rattles" though. Do you mean you hear them all the time when you're driving? Is that a suspension issue? Again not a car person...

[exhdo1]

Originally Posted by TrapperL

Sounds like you're in a love hate with the car. Of the cars listed, the Camaro or Mustang will be the more dependable. Stay away from any Chrysler V6 better known as Pentastar. They have a head defect that causes head gaskets to crater at about the same time your warranty expires. If covered by warranty, Chryslers fix is a new head gasket and after that, the next time it's out of your pocket. There has been no new redesigned heads as of yet. Your car and what you owe on it will be a wash as the car is worth about what you owe, maybe a little less. You might also consider looking at a used Fusion. They have a real good dependability record and get great gas mileage but the newer models are 4 bangers only. The 2.5 4 banger has a history for being a great engine. Considering where you live, a black car has got to be HOT. You can't hardly give a black car away here. Might consider a much lighter color.

It's a known problem that effects about 1% of the Pentastar engines (cracked head). It is the left side and the repair is a new cylinder head. Chrysler has also extended the warranty on the vehicles that may have this issue.