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Post by human on Oct 18, 2014 0:56:07 GMT -6
So my dad called me today and said he'd found a new car for my mom--a 2014 Buick Lacrosse. And he offered me her a rather pristine 2011 Impala LT with every gizmo and gimcrack available except for a sunroof (bummer), which has only 15,000 miles on it. He said he's replacing it because the warranty is about to expire (on years, not miles). Once they take delivery of the Lacrosse, I'll be able to pick up the Impala for its trade-in value.
This will be the first 21st century car I've ever owned. The newest one to date was my '98 Aurora (may she rust in pieces). Four cars later and I'm still sliding backward--'97 Cadillac, '95 Bonneville, '97 Olds LSS, '95 Aurora. I've got the LSS for sale now--I posted the details in the marketplace section, in case anyone's interested. I'll probably keep the '95 Aurora as a weekend toy for now, but if I decide to part with it, y'all will be the first to know.
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Paulaurora
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Post by Paulaurora on Oct 18, 2014 8:26:14 GMT -6
Congrats Even tho I never liked chevy for quality of the cars and ofcause aurora is much stronger safer car. But I knowhow u feel my wife replaced her 01 Aurora with 2014 Volvo s60 its nice feeling to drive a new car or few years old car. But I still think in some ways my 2001 Aurora drives better then even That Volvo even tho Volvo is much more stable on road.
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Post by Marc on Oct 18, 2014 10:36:05 GMT -6
I drove into the 21st century almost 14 years ago.....directly from 1972! (1972 442 W-25 455)
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Post by human on Oct 22, 2014 22:51:45 GMT -6
Update--Mom and Dad brought their new Lacrosse home today and Mom loves it. In a perfect confluence of events, I also sold the LSS today. We'll be closing the transaction on Friday once the buyer gets his cash together. I'll be going to pick the Impala up on the following Friday, which is Halloween--or should I say "Impalaween"  Of course, I'm hangin' onto the Aurora as a weekend toy for the foreseeable future. I haven't lost all my marbles yet just a few of them. |
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Post by rorafan on Oct 23, 2014 11:44:08 GMT -6
Awesome - congrats on the sale and the new car! Glad to hear you're keeping the 'rora around for a bit.  The Impalas are good, reliable cars. |
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Post by dietz4ibanez on Nov 1, 2014 9:02:06 GMT -6
I've rented a few impala's on round trips, even the newest body style. Great riding cars with great gas mileage!
Sent from my XT1254 using proboards
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Post by human on Nov 3, 2014 0:45:10 GMT -6
I went down to Charlotte Friday to pick up the Impala. Took the Amtrak and it was a really pleasant experience. Ticket only cost $16.61 with my AAA discount. I spent part of the afternoon with Mom and Dad before heading back with the Impala. I was pleasantly surprised by the overall driving experience although that 3500 V6 is a little on the anemic side, compared with the Aurora's V8. On the plus side, the fuel economy is quite good. I topped off the tank about halfway home when I saw some cheap gas. I just couldn't pass up $2.73 a gallon. I reset the DIC before I got back on the road and it did 34 mpg at 70 mph with the cruise control on. At that speed, the cruise held the engine at about 1,800 rpms. Now that I've driven it around town for two days, the average is a little below 25 mpg. I can live with that. My only real complaint about the car is there are just two darn many buttons on the steering wheel--eleven by my count--and the two I use the most (volume up and down) are the least accessible. That said, I really do like the Bluetooth system. Touching a button on the steering wheel to answer my cell and then talking hands-free on the car's built-in speakerphone is just brilliant. And speaking of brilliant, the fog lamps throw some serious light down on the ground. They actually light up the road where it's needed most better than the high beams. Cup holders that actually do what the name implies are also a welcome innovation.
Yeah, it's not an Aurora and it's kind of non-descript (but for the rear spoiler and 17-inch alloy wheels, it would be indistinguishable from a state motor pool vehicle) but I'm kinda liking it.
Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT (Luxury Edition)
Weekend Toy: 1995 Aurora (Autobahn Edition)
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RCA1186
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Post by RCA1186 on Nov 3, 2014 7:06:29 GMT -6
Still haven't crossed that line myself. Cars so far, '93, '97, '98, '99 haha. Although I'm looking towards buying a friend's mother's 2002 Saturn SL2 as a DD replacement for the sable wagon. Can't pass up the gas mileage, and the fact it only has 40k miles! Congrats on the new ride!
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Post by rorafan on Nov 3, 2014 12:41:16 GMT -6
Cup holders that actually do what the name implies are also a welcome innovation. Yep, I had to laugh when I read this. Completely agree. Don't forget they offered a police pkg. for the Impala (yes, the FWD ones) so there may be some upgrades available if you're so inclined. |
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Post by human on Nov 3, 2014 21:33:34 GMT -6
Yeah, it's great to find a good low mileage car and even better when you know the history of the car. Still haven't crossed that line myself. Cars so far, '93, '97, '98, '99 haha. Although I'm looking towards buying a friend's mother's 2002 Saturn SL2 as a DD replacement for the sable wagon. Can't pass up the gas mileage, and the fact it only has 40k miles! Congrats on the new ride! Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT Weekend Toy: 1995 Aurora |
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Post by aj on Nov 4, 2014 1:41:10 GMT -6
Well at least you finally got yourself a newer car and a good deal on it!
I still prefer my Oldsmobiles over my other new cars. Nothing seems to take their place in ride and comfort
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Post by human on Nov 4, 2014 13:43:17 GMT -6
Agreed. That's why I'm holding onto my old Aurora. Considering that the newest Oldsmobiles are now more than a decade old, it was just time to move on. It looks to me like the Impala's LT Luxury Edition and LTZ trim levels are intended to appeal to the type of buyer who would formerly have gravitated toward Oldsmobiles, but it's not the same. It sometimes seems kind of strange to look down at the steering wheel and see that Chevy bowtie staring back at me. I would have preferred an Impala gazelle there. Interestingly, I don't think the car has the word "Chevrolet" anywhere on it, just a bowtie on the front and rear. Well at least you finally got yourself a newer car and a good deal on it! I still prefer my Oldsmobiles over my other new cars. Nothing seems to take their place in ride and comfort Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT Weekend Toy: 1995 Aurora |
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Post by ohiobuckeye on Nov 4, 2014 15:22:29 GMT -6
This post got me thinking, and realized that the "newest" car I've ever owned was my very first vehicle, a 1973 Chevy Monte Carlo purchased right out of high school in 1977. Plz don't do the math.
I've owned many cars since but my new daily drivers have been pick-ups for many years.
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Post by human on Nov 6, 2014 10:45:04 GMT -6
Yeah, I've never owned a brand new car, even though my dad worked for Oldsmobile, but I have had four cars that I have acquired with less than 20,000 miles on them. the newest one I've had, relative to the year I acquired it was my 1986 Calais Supreme, which I bought in the winter of 1988 when it was two model years old and had 13,000 miles on it. This Impala is second, being three years old (four model years) with 15,000 miles on it. The first LSS I had was a '94 model purchased in the summer of 1999 with 14,000 miles on it. When I was in college in 1983, I bought my great aunt's 1977 Buick Skylark coupe with about 14,000 miles on it. This post got me thinking, and realized that the "newest" car I've ever owned was my very first vehicle, a 1973 Chevy Monte Carlo purchased right out of high school in 1977. Plz don't do the math. I've owned many cars since but my new daily drivers have been pick-ups for many years. Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT Weekend Toy: 1995 Aurora |
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RCA1186
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Post by RCA1186 on Nov 6, 2014 12:35:34 GMT -6
This post got me thinking, and realized that the "newest" car I've ever owned was my very first vehicle, a 1973 Chevy Monte Carlo purchased right out of high school in 1977. Plz don't do the math. I've owned many cars since but my new daily drivers have been pick-ups for many years. 73, The year they ruined the styling on the Monte Carlo, IMO of course haha. |
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Post by aj on Nov 8, 2014 0:44:25 GMT -6
Yeah, I've never owned a brand new car, even though my dad worked for Oldsmobile, but I have had four cars that I have acquired with less than 20,000 miles on them. the newest one I've had, relative to the year I acquired it was my 1986 Calais Supreme, which I bought in the winter of 1988 when it was two model years old and had 13,000 miles on it. This Impala is second, being three years old (four model years) with 15,000 miles on it. The first LSS I had was a '94 model purchased in the summer of 1999 with 14,000 miles on it. When I was in college in 1983, I bought my great aunt's 1977 Buick Skylark coupe with about 14,000 miles on it. This post got me thinking, and realized that the "newest" car I've ever owned was my very first vehicle, a 1973 Chevy Monte Carlo purchased right out of high school in 1977. Plz don't do the math. I've owned many cars since but my new daily drivers have been pick-ups for many years. Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT Weekend Toy: 1995 Aurora What plant did your dad work at? My great uncle worked for Oldsmobile over 37 years and had his office at bldg. 70 in Lansing Michigan. My father also owned his Olds and Cadillac dealershipfor for over 30 years and he did well until he was force to close his Olds franchise and had no more Olds to sell to his customers. So Oldsmobile is in my blood too. Cadillac and the lambda platforms is probably as close as we are gonna get to the Oldsmobiles. |
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Post by human on Nov 10, 2014 10:40:47 GMT -6
He didn't work at a plant. He was a district sales manager. He was based out of the Charlotte Zone office and called on dealers in North and South Carolina.
Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT
Weekend Toy: 1995 Aurora
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