Which Car -- 2003 Impala or 1996 Camaro

General Discussion
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1

I own a 2003 impala right now. It has 65000 miles on it and is excellent condition. I was recently interested in buying a 1996 camaro. It has 70k miles and is also in amazing condition.



Both are garage kept and I know the owner of the camaro.



I am looking for a car I can really make look nice, something that when you are driving your like, wow, thats a nice car.



So which car would you pick?



Thanks

2

Well, I’m biased. I personally think that era Camaro was a fantastic looking car, and the Impala looks like a family car.

So if you’re going for looks and turning heads, it’s the Camaro hands down.

3 
I would likely go with the Camaro, although I liked the older ones better.  

It is really a personal thing and I would guess our choices would not likely be the same. 

In any case good luck and enjoy the new ride.
4

Why not both?

Both are good cars if they are well kept, and it sounds like this is the case. You may regret selling an Impala in excellent condition, especially if you have problems with the Camaro. Will you blame your friend?–it is often stated not to buy a car from a friend or family member.

5

That’s what I’d do. Keep the Impala as the daily driver and then make the Camaro something special.

6

Those are 2 vastly different cars but both are reliable vehicles and I’d say have both if possible.

Regarding the Camaro, my oldest son has a '96 Camaro RS with the F1 body kit and it’s been a superb vehicle for him even though he now has a 2nd car to boot. The car has over 250k miles on it and the engine and transmission have never been touched other than basic maintenance. (oil and fluid changes, filters, plug wires, etc.)
It still gets 30 MPG on the road (3.8) and can be driven anywhere.

This could just be me but I do have a few knocks on these Camaros. The long swoopy nose takes some getting used to; watch the curbs.
They sit low to the ground and getting a jack underneath them is a bit of a pain when it comes to raising them for oil changes, etc.
The seating is low to the ground along with a high door panel. The former (for me anyway) makes it a bit difficult to get out of the car and the latter sometimes makes me feel like I’m “riding around in a hole” so to speak.
This is a personal preference that may bother some and not others.

Other than that, great car in my opinion and especially with a measly 70k miles on it.

7

Insurance should not be too expensive for the Camaro, even if it is a Z-28. Tell the insurance company that it is not a commuter car, and the insurance should drop dramatically. You shouldn’t pay much more than $3000 for the car, even if it is a loaded Z-28 SS.