Chevrolet Impala (1977 - 1985) Reviews, Pricing & Specs

305 is a dog without A dual plane intake and a good old Quadra-jet! Way better mileage with a 4 barrel. Looks fast sitting still. Cheap to buy. Never had major repair issues even w/ the 305 in it. Add a rear sway bar and it is no longer a boat! Interior finally ... totally redone including remove dash face and re-dye Everything. Replaced rear axle and sway bar with a 1996 Impala SS unit. direct bolt in. New axle has 3.08 gear, Posi and Disc brakes and the large factory sway bar. I tossed my after market bar in the trash with the old axle. Having an issue with the parking brake cables. Improve braking but lose brake stand capabilities with: 'Pro Bolt' proportioning valve bolts to increase rear disc line pressure. New axle requires 5 X 5 wheel bolt pattern Impala comes with 5 X 4.75. I grabbed steel rims from a Buick road master. these are 8' X 15' rims. When dash was re-dyed, had the speedometer re-scaled to read up to 120 MPH. I had to also due to different re-end ring gear change,swap out both speedo gears in the tranny. Gas mileage is now really bad, can't keep my foot off the Go pedal.Aug 15, 2010

I still regret the day this car was sent to the boneyard. It was a solid runner and never failed to start on even the coldest mornings (except, of course, when the starter itself failed). Power was enough to get you where you were going in a hurry, but don't push that big boat suspension. The simple V8 was easy to work on with ample room in the engine bay (except around the starter, grrr). Swapped the basic-looking interior out for that of an upper-level Buick of the same body type. Driven sensibly, the gas mileage was decent for a V8. Just don't drop that right foot too often or a tank can go by quite alarmingly.Oct 11, 2009

I love running this car on the open road - but because I wasn't "raised" on this type of car, it is difficult to operate occasionally. I am constantly flodding and/or stalling... Have never had to take it to the shop for anything other than routine maintenance. Gas milage is surprisingly wonderful for such an old car. Also able to peg the speedometer, when the conditions are right.....Oct 10, 2009

It was powerful and comfort with sporty look! I was driving for fun and to enjoy th driving, even if it was long distances, you can keep enjoy driving for the last kmr! When I bought it was 7 years old, and I drove like 50000 km and then sold it for a man who still keep it until today. Today I have one Japanese car from 2005, and one German from 2008 for work, but still linger to my oldie Impala. Mar 08, 2009

It has a great nostalgia factor, by that I mean that it feels old cause everything doesn't work. On the up-side the drivetrain is practically bullet proof and could possibly go another 30 years if the body etc holds out. Plus it sounds kinda cool. These cars can be had for a pretty cheap price and are becoming quite popular as fixer-uppers. I get offers on mine regularly!Oct 08, 2008

For in tense and purposes... this car is the best one I've ever owned. It's possible that I just had some type of car ESP with it or whatever, but she never leaves me on the side of the road. She's currently STILL RUNNING with some of the most messed up parts. The radiator has a giant hole in it, but never once has it overheated. The engine has a blown head gasket, but it does still run. She's currently running on 3 cylinders (out of 8). I have lost the entire exhaust system (catalytic converter included), but she has no problems (even though she sounds like a NASCAR, but for now we'll call that a good thing). More than once I have completely run out of gas, but she has always brought me home safely. I bought her for a pittance ($300), but she'll be mine until one of us gets too old to drive anymore (I hope I go first).Sep 03, 2008

Many moons ago I had a great car. And the Chevy Impala was that great car. The handling the great, it ran great, and it looked good. It had been recalled due to issues of tires and pressure. Something simple regarding tire pressure recommendations. Regardless I did put super sixties on the car. Wider tires all around that would have been expected. Improved the ride greatly. AT the time of ownership this car was the easiest to care for, as it was you could do it yourself. With the wide tires, and decent suspension, it wasn't as fun a car to drive as it was the most pleasant drive I ever did own.Jul 10, 2008

i have a 79 with the 305 i updated spark plugs and high prformance plug wires now i get 24mpg on highway great car drives great new egxaust and cat converter is all i have had to replace besides usual wear brakes and plugs was my granparents car and now is my daily driver not super fast but great car for a 40mph kick down that is the power band on the 305 with the 2 barrel carb at 55mph it gets 24mpgMar 02, 2008

Big, comfortable, reliable. As it came from the factory, riding in one is like going down the road relaxing on your favorite cushy old sofa. It's big with lots of room to stretch out on the long rides. The suspension is setup so that you hardly feel the bumps in the road. The steering is so easy, you can turn the wheel with your pinkie finger. They're quiet too. Not just on the outside, but inside also. You hardly hear any road noise as you drive them. That's all nice but I'm a performance guy, and BOY can you make these cars perform! Because they share a lot of parts with GM's F-bodies it's easy and inexpensive to upgrade to much better handling and braking. I'm not saying that the stock handling or braking is poor, In fact it is quite good for a touring vehicle, just that it CAN be made into a decent canyon carver fairly easily. Believe it or not, even though it's bigger it's around 200 pounds lighter than a 2nd generation Camaro! 1977 all the way to 1996? are basically the same under the body, meaning parts interchange from newer models like the Impala SS's from the 90's is easy. (thanks GM) Plus there's all kinds of aftermarket performance parts for them. Either way you go, stock or performance, you can't beat the reliability of these cars.Sep 26, 2007

I bought this 78 impala and its in good condition,and I was realy surprised about the handling,the suspension rides realy smooth&comfy but can at the same time take corners and doesnt bounce around as much as a chevy caprice(as much as I love the capices :) ). I have the 305 engine and its not so bad,the hp is low but the torque is good and altough it doesnt go to 200mph its still exciting to drive.Feb 01, 2007