(first posted 2/19/2016) Once the natural and logical choice in vehicle for the large majority of Americans, by the 1980s it was clear that the full-size sedan’s popularity was waning. Between the fuel crises of the ’70s, the influx of imports from Europe and Japan, and the growing availability of compact SUVs and minivans, the full-size sedan was no longer the aspirational vehicle it once was, and its vulnerability was becoming apparent.
Full-size sedans still represented a large portion of new car sales in the early-1980s, but even the definition of what a full-size sedan was in the traditional American sense (rear-wheel drive, primarily V8-powered, and externally gigantic) was being threatened in the advent of more efficient, externally small, front-wheel drive “full-sizers”. The rear-wheel drive dinosaurs would still enjoy popularity through the close of the decade, but more than often they found sales in the form of the highly-optioned Brougham-esque variants, generally purchased by older, set in one’s ways buyers.
Base models, like this 1984 Impala were increasingly rare among private buyers. Evidently, a combined need for basic, no-frills transportation and large size was no longer a high priority for most new car buyers. Fleet buyers, like law enforcement agencies and taxi companies, still bought them by the dozen, but apparently Chevrolet no longer felt it was necessary to market its base full-size sedan under a separate nameplate with a unique front clip. After 1985, the Impala, long Chevrolet’s second-most prestigious series, went the way of its already departed lower Bel Air and Biscayne series. For the remainder of this generation, all full-size Chevy sedans would wear the Caprice badge.
Lacking any major cosmetic flaws and even possessing all four original wheel covers, this impeccably cared for Impala is a true survivor and offers a real glimpse into the past.
Related Reading:
1978 Chevrolet Caprice Classic sedan
1984 Chevrolet Caprice Classic coupe
I love that second photo, pure Americana. Long may the world have a place for such glorious big slabs of cars.
I remember my friend Charles bought a very basic impala like this one. He really likd it and he got a lot of use out of it. To me it was too plain and one sat too low on the non power seat. It had a 6 cylinder engine and it was slow. I prefer broughamy cars myself but it suited Charles perfectly. At th time I was driving a base Vic and to me that was the better car with its better seats and standard injected 302. But like I said Charles preordered basic transportation and that Chevy served him well for years. There is much to be saimplicity
Never knew that by the ’80s the Impala would be
relegated to bottom end of the B-body totem pole
trim-wise. I compared noses of it VS a Caprice
and definitely saw some differences: Impala lacked
the rubber bumper guard and hood ornament of
the Classic, but had a grille that was just different
from that of the Caprice, not any less handsome.
I’m sure the Impala interior was accordingly more
spartan than a Caprice interior.
Great find. I like the last paragraph of the brochure excerpt:
“…Impala is everything a real car ought to be.”
That says it all, and I bet the majority of the (few) people who bought such a car in 1984 agreed 100%. None of this silly, little front-drive import-looking stuff… I want a REAL car.
One other small point is that these Impalas are probably the last full-size cars to come without a passenger-side mirror. I think dual mirrors became standard in ’86, even for the base Caprice.
Re the passenger sideview mirror, it was common to see B body Lesabres and 88s without them as well. I had a ’83 Lesabre Custom without one (I added one after I purchased it). I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a few 86-90 low trim Caprices without a passenger mirror but it was far less common than in ’85 and back.
My grandfather’s last car was an 87 Caprice Classic, maroon on maroon, with only a drivers side mirror.
My grandfather’s last car was an 87 Caprice Classic, maroon on maroon, with only a drivers side mirror. It was pretty basic, manual windows, manual locks, am/fm radio, a/c, wire wheels and the V6.
I would feel BLIND without a passenger-side(RH in
U.S, Europe) mirror.
Tip: Unless you are driving a motor home, tractor-trailer,
or bus, you should see none of your own vehicles side
in your side mirrors. That should imply how to set them.
Very hard to do BGE(blind glare elim.) in most cars with
folding side mirrors, since extra hardware to fold mirrors
requires mirror surface to be further out from side glass
on both doors.
Strange, though, how Volvo and Mercedes had folding
mirrors 25 years ago, yet inside edge of side view mirror
was less than one inch from side window glass in those
older models….
A lot of time at stoplights I look straight ahead and see the next driver’s face in their side mirror! This suggests that, in their normal position, their mirrors are aligned to look BEHIND their car. It’s baffling. I think a lot of people don’t ever even touch them.
Lerooy:(by chance ever hear of “Great Gildersleeve”?) lol
I was once one of those drivers, until I
discovered Blindspot-Glare-Elimination
15 yrs ago.
My side mirrors have a telltale if someone is in that lane in the blind spot. I look over my shoulder to make sure.
I was taught in mid 70s Drivers’ Ed to aim the one and only outside mirror so I could just see the rear door handle.
In anything smaller than a Chevy Suburban, when the side-view mirrors are correctly set, you should see none of your own vehicle in them. This is called the ‘BGE’ method and is used by the majority of drivers outside of the U.S., especially in Europe.
SomeOneInTheWildWest wrote “My side mirrors have a telltale if someone is in that lane in the blind spot. I look over my shoulder to make sure.”
Set your mirrors correctly and you won’t
need some newfangled gizmo to tell you
what you’ll already see:
http://www.driversedguru.com/driving-articles/car-driving-skills/the-bge-mirror-setting-eliminates-blind-spots/
Without seeing a small part of my car in the mirror, I have no reference point to judge what I am looking at. I already have the new technology so why not use it? The car can detect oncoming traffic when I am backing out of a parking space too, not that one should depend on that.
Your reference point will be the road itself. You
should not see any of your car in its side-view
mirrors. That is why they are called such.
Your inside rearview should be set up to see
everything behind your vehicle.
Millions of people across the Isles and main-
land Europe use the blindspot-glare set up
without any problem. It just takes getting
used to. You can actually tell who is using
it on the road and who isn’t, by how they
drive.
I myself have a hard time using it in my
specific car because as I previously said,
my side mirrors are too far out from the sides
of the car to provide coverage between their
inner edges and the outer edges of the inside
rear view mirror. Auto designers think they
are doing customers a favor by positioning
side mirrors further and further out from
the vehicle sides, then they add “blind-
spot detection” to compensate for the
blindspot their design created! LOL see?
So the best way to get blind glare elimination
to work is to position side view mirrors as far
forward toward the A-pillar as possible, and as
close to the side glass as possible.
If you are paying attention you should notice someone behind you moving into the “blindspot”. My understanding is that this scheme does not fully eliminate the blindspot. The only safe thing is to look over your shoulder before changing lanes.
I never had to look over my shoulder in
my 1996 Ford Contour(Mondeo for
European readers). Good design that
allowed for proper blind spot glare
elimination setting of mirrors.
European readers are probably laughing
right now at this notion of turning our
heads to glance over our shoulders.
Seriously ;
I have tried the adjust carefully until you cannot see the side of the vehicle and yes , it helps , I always attach a 2″ fish eye mirror to the highest out side edge of both mirrors to be sure .
Not looking over your shoulder means you’re an unsafe driver as you’ll never see someone planning to jump into the open spot in your mirror from an adjacent laneway . this is basic professional/commercial driving tech .
-Nate
I did have drivers ed a very long time ago.
That’s all good and fine.
But I don’t think they
taught BGE method of side
mirror setting back then,
or now. Blame it on American
pride and resistance to do things
any way other than “my way”.
Let’s just stay clear of each other
on the highways and we’ll be
just fine. If someone merges
into my lane and nearly hits me and
has to veer back into their
original lane, I’ll think fondly of you,
WildWest. 😉
When I took drivers ed outside mirrors were not standard equipment, but optional, usually only on the drivers side.
I did look this method that you like. As far a glare goes, my inside and drivers side mirror automatically dim when someone is behind me at night, so I don’t notice any glare.
SomeoneInTheWildWest wrote: “I did look this method that you like. As far a glare goes, my inside and drivers side mirror automatically dim when someone is behind me at night, so I don’t notice any glare.”
Again, another example of an
electrical/electronic gizmo that
is trying to do the job of proper
mirror setting, which in itself
will minimize glare. That is why
it is called “Blindspot-Glare-
Elimination”.
Yes, B-G-E does have blind spots:
narrow ones between the side
mirrors and inside rearview, but if
properly executed, you should still
see both sides of a vehicle
transitioning from behind you to
abaft(aside of and slightly behind in
nautical terms) your’s. I.E.: the
rear half of the side in the rearview
and the front bumper in your side
mirror.
Unfortunately, I have lost entire
SUVs in my particular car’s side
mirrors using BGE, simply because
its mirrors are too small and too far
outboard of the side glass & A-
pillar. So I have to glance over my
shoulder when merging or
changing lanes in *my* particular
car. But that does not suggest
that I will anytime soon go back
to the American “TRV” mirror
system(Triple-Rear-View!)
What you seem not to get is that someone on a small motor cycle can disappear in a small blindspot, and running over a motor cycle is not a good thing for the motorcyclist.
Also, the inside mirror will still glare even if you point your outside mirrors off into never land.
SomeoneInTheWildWest wrote: “Also, the inside mirror will still glare even if you point your outside mirrors off into never land.”
It’s not pointing outside mirrors “off
into never land” – it’s setting them
correctly.
As far as glare in the inside rear
view: there’s a lever to flip for
that. Power not required.
My car automatically reduces the glare, and then when no-one is behind, it resumes normal reflectivity allowing one to see behind in the dark. Most of the last few cars I have owned had this.
SomeOneInTheWildWest wrote:
Posted February 21, 2016 at 12:28 PM
“My car automatically reduces the glare, and then when no-one is behind, it resumes normal reflectivity allowing one to see behind in the dark. Most of the last few cars I have owned had this.”
Goody! I prefer to perform all these
functions myself. I can also live without
heated and cooled seats, auto-volume
on the stereo, power windows, and
power door locks. The only thing
‘automatic’ I need in a car is the
transmission. A lot less stuff to go
wrong.
Why on earth would you need or want an automatic transmission?
“need an automatic transmission?”
Are you suggesting I’m a total luddite? Well
I am when it comes to things that make sense.
And heated seats, power this, power that don’t
make sense to me. I tried learning manual, and
nearly shredded a friend’s transfer case. LOL
I also don’t like daylight saving time – especially
in March! It’s already been proven to
INCREASE energy consumption in states
that recently started using it. Stop staying up
until 1am watching TV(aimed at no one specific)
and sleeping in, and get up at 5am in June when
the sun is out.
Somethings to think about. I’m the K-Man. 😉
RE : automatics :
When I was a laddie I too thought and said (loudly) ” automatics are worthless and for fools , I’ll never own one ! ” etc. , then I grew up and realized a closed mind cannot learn anything .
Now I’m old and crippled , most of my driving is in town and I don’t get along with the clutch pedal like I did decades ago so I have mostly automatics , this includes my beloved old shop truck .
I still find few can keep up with me unless they’re serious enthusiasts .
No shame in driving an automatic , or a cruiser or a pink car ~ whatever a Man does , it becomes Masculine by default .
-Nate
A base Ltd was more to my liking with its standard 302 and better interior and handling. In practice the v6 in the Chevy ate more gas than a .8 cylinder and didn’t hold up as well.
I agree about the V-6, however, Chevy’s 305 V-8 was optional on the Impala too.
Ran a Carfax, this one has the V8
Back in the day, just about every priest I knew in every parish drove a black Chevy Impala just like this. Somber, judicious, practical and most definitely not judged harshly by parishioners.
FSDusk,
There were two parishes in my small hometown when I was growing up, and both pastors each had an early ’80s B-body Chevy Impala. I thought it was kind of silly.
On the other hand, the pastor of another parish in a town (a wealthy ski resort) 25 miles north of my hometown drove a Cadillac Eldorado. Figure that one out.
Better collection offerings, I guess.
You’re right. During the winter time, if my parents and I had to attend Mass at St. Paul’s (the aforementioned parish in ski country), the parking lot would be full of Audis, BMWs and Mercedes with NY, MA, NJ and NH tags.
Funny you should say that. My first used car was a 1971 Ford Custom four door sedan previously owned by a priest. It had a 302 V8, power steering, AM radio, cloth and vinyl interior and not much else. Wonderful car and a pleasure to drive on the open road
I’m jealous. I know the 71 full size Fords get a lot of hate, but to me the 71’s were the best looking ones of the entire decade. When they switched to the simpler egg crate grill and front bumper crossbar on the 72’s that ruined the look for me.
I agree with you on the 71 Ford grill. I did prefer the rear tail light treatment of the 72 full-size Fords. Think in your mind the second Dirty Harry movie.
In the ’90s when I was a child and still somewhat religious, our church’s priest, Father Foley, drove a first-gen Chrysler Concorde. Interestingly, his brother owned Foley Chrysler-Plymouth.
His successor drove a first-gen Camry Solara. A bit more flashy. That was still 15 years ago, I have no idea what priests are driving these days.
fiats
It is whatever would have been cheapest that got the job done.
My great aunt was a nun and the convent (that she belonged to) had Dodge and Plymouth K cars in their motor pool.
Civics, Corollas and W body Impalas seem to be in the lead in my area of the midwest. Back in the days when dealerships were more commonly locally owned, it seemed that whatever brand was sold by a prominent Catholic family would be the place to go. There used to be a lot of Mopars with an O’Brien sticker in rectory garages.
Shades of Lake Wobegon.
The ones I personally know drive a CR-V, Lacrosse, ES350, Impreza, and Outback.
The long-time pastor of the Catholic church in which I grew up was a Buick man. He had a series of LeSabres. This was in the late 80’s to early 00’s. I don’t remember all the cars of the junior priests, but at least one had a Century. I wonder if one of the Buick dealerships in town was owned by a Catholic?
The one nun I remember having there on a semi-permanent assignment didn’t own a car–not sure if her order prohibited it, or if she personally chose not to. She depended on catching rides with parishoners, office staff, or priests. Thankfully her apartment wasn’t far from the church.
One of my parish priests had a 1962 Olds Dynamic 88 sedan, bought from the local Olds dealer who was a prominent parishioner. Black of course, with blackwalls and dog dish hubcaps – the perfect picture of probity. Except inside, where it had practically every option available, including A/C, power seats and the 330 hp Skyrocket V-8.
I attended a large Jesuit college preparatory school for boys, and the Jesuits all drove late model Olds 88s and 98s, courtesy of Ron Joseph at Columbia Oldsmobile. One of my kids goes there now, and the parking lot at the rectory is full of late model Accords.
I graduated from a Jesuit university a few years ago, and the Jesuits’ parking lot seemed to be full of late model Corollas, with the occasional Prius, Escape, or Equinox.
shades of “Mystic River” come to mind. 😀
Brendan,
Did you leave a note on that Impala offering to purchase it? Because I would have in a heartbeat.
And I would have put in said note that I was a GM aficionado.
Haha no I didn’t. This isn’t my type of car at all.
No?
I always figured ya to be a Brougham-esque type of guy. 😉
When I was a kid, out Monsignor bought a new, dressed-up black Caprice, it would have been a 72-73ish with fender skirts, vinyl top and red leather? interior. Pretty snazzy, I remember overhearing my dad snarling about the padre fleecing his flock…
These downsized cars have really aged well. Park this next to a bloated, lumpy pre-77 full size GM car and it’s amazing. The only thing I might change on the pictured car is replace the full wheelcovers with dog dishes and black steel wheels. If you’re gonna go basic, go basic.
Of all the B-body wagons that were assigned to my Father by his employer (nothing but B-bodys for the salesmen from the early 80s till the late 1990s – and ONLY box B-bodys) he only ever received one Impala among a herd of Caprice, Custom Cruiser, Buick Estate, and Parisienne.
The Impala was the only one with a vinyl interior and was painted bronze with a tan interior.
These were incredibly popular here in Atlanta as ‘city cars’ from the mid-1990s to right around the mid-2000s. The black community here was fond of putting aftermarket wheels on old full-size Detroit iron and these full-size Chevys were right near the top of the list when it came to buying that almost classic car that could fully feature that expensive fake bling.
The funny thing is I almost bought a Caprice back around 1998. A dealership near one of the auctions I worked at had one that was molderizing in the back lot for months on end. I drove it and offered a bit over $2k for it. The used car sales manager let me know that his mother-in-law owned it and he wanted around $3500. I liked the Caprice, This one was definitely a garage queen with virtually no where at all on the seats (which wasn’t easy to find here in Hotlanta).
It was a 1989 model with a 305, silver, and no paint fade which was another weakness of these cars. Unfortunately he was trying to fish retail, and I was already used to buying cars at the wholesale price. It sat around right up to the time when that dealership folded their tent.
Instead I bought a silver 1983 Lincoln Mark VI with 90k miles for $1500 that was a retirement gift to the former President of the Coca-Cola Company. My wife and I used it as our limo when we got married and, honestly, I think the 1980s Lincolns and Fords with the 302 were far better vehicles. You could have skipped every GM full-size rear-wheel drive vehicle from the 1980s and never shed a tear thanks to the penurious tyranny of the Roger Smith regime.
If GM had adopted TBI with passenger cars even 5 or 6 years sooner than they did it would have gone a long way toward making their vehicles much more desirable.
True, but look how far behind in technology many of the Japanese brands were during that same time and they were gaining popularity nonetheless.
I was shocked the first time that I realized Toyota was still using ignition points in the late 1970s-early 1980s. And some Subarus still had a manual choke during that same era! A manual choke on a new car??
It was more about the quality of whatever technology was used than it was the chosen technology itself.
Quite true. The Japanese were intrinsically conservative, and wanted to be absolutely sure a new technology was going to meet their reliability standards. Toyota in particular was conservative about FWD, and did not rush in until it was good and ready. And unlike GM, their new FWD cars were right from day one.
My 1987 Ford Escort 1.4 had a manual choke. Worked flawlessly.
TBI: Turner Broadcasting?
Throttle Body Injection: one of the simplest least complex forms of fuel injection – requiring very little work to retrofit to an existing engine. I plan to add an ATOMIC EFI system to the 289 V8 in my 67 Mustang when it becomes economically feasible to do so.
Thanks principaldan.
Not much of a acronym guy. 🙂
A coworker bought a mid 80s Nissan Pulsar that did not have self-adjusting brakes, as she discovered the hard way.
With GMs market share and total production back then they should have been into TBI in the 70s and real FI in the early 80s. They were chasing pennies and losing dollars.
All part of my theory that domestic manufacturers, GM especially, deeply resented auto regulations, especially smog, and had a take it or leave it attitude. You’ll buy what we build, like it or not. Except Japan and Europe to a lesser extent. We all know how well that worked out.
I don’t know that I agree with you that the 302 Fords were better vehicles than the 305/307 GMs. Comparing apples to apples, the ’86 Pontiac Parisienne Brougham my parents owned was probably a better car overall than the ’91 Crown Victoria LX I owned at the same time. Despite a power deficit (140 HP/255 lb-ft for the carbed Olds 307 versus 150 HP/270 lb-ft for the EFI 302) it “felt” more powerful and more confident on the road. It returned better highway mileage. It seemed to handle better (225 width tires as opposed to 205 width could have been a factor). And it had better legroom in the back seat. Granted, this is just one example, but that’s an awfully broad statement.
These vehicles were also popular for fleet lease managers and auto auctioneers because you could buy them for right around the 90k to 100k mark at around $3000, and run them until 250k at which point you could sell them for close to $1500.
Gas was cheap in 1999, but my Camry coupe got far better mileage and I pocketed an extra $1000 or so a year just with the fuel economy difference. I was on the road close to 40,000 miles a year back then.
I always think of these last Impalas as taxi cabs. It was so rare to see one, even back in the day, that wasn’t some sort of fleet vehicle. This is a great find today, but a sad reminder of how badly the Impala tumbled between the high point in the mid-1960s to its (first) end-of-life in the mid-1980s.
America my have walked away from the B body basics but I read that rural Canada still loved them with a small V8 .
By the early 80’s GM’s plan was to replace the big body on frame with FWD unibody designs. What they planned for the Impala/Caprice is not clear, as the Caprice remains in production into the mid 90’s.
GM could have designed a unibody RWD sedan, but I can’t see that happening in the mid 80’s. Instead the Caprice and the RWD Cadillac sedan (basically the old RWD Deville) are kept in production well beyond their design expiration date.
They didn’t plan for Chevrolet as their assumption was so bad how the future Chevrolet buyer wouldn’t be able to afford a full size sedan. And in reality, Chevrolet didn’t have a full size sedan after B-Body for quite a while.
Nice ! .
I don’t like driving big cars but these were stellar vehicles , sturdy and comfy , hard to kill .
As mentioned , many were sold as Taxi Cabs , this meant the standard RPO Police option except with a V-6 .
L.A.P.D. bought these by the car load , all had the 350 C.I.D. V-8 IIRC (possible) Civilian was only offered the 307 by thewn .
The Boys (and Gals) in Blue _still_ talk about these fine cars , how they’d take punishment like A ’69 Dodge Polara and keep on going .
-Nate
The problem these Chevys had was their demographic. By the early 80s, the only people buying these at retail were the old guys. But the old guys had always believed down to their bones that Chevy
The first cab I ever rode in was an Impala like this in early 1980s Chicago.
My widowed second grade school teacher, Mrs. Schweiger, had one of these.
My great aunt and uncle had an Impala of this vintage.
I won’t say that taxi companies, widows, and senior citizens were the only purchasers of these, but they certainly covered a lot of the early 80s Impala market.
Oh, and DougD’s dad purchased one.
I swear this and the Toyota SUV behind it inverted colors somehow
I never see any imports cars in that shade. Even for traditional bigger sedans, that cheese shade is kind of rare and probably would only appear on Lincolns these days.
Not an SUV, a Tacoma crewcab. That could be the key – people still buy pickups as statements and nobody worries about the resale value of a Tacoma since it’s ridiculously high anyway.
This car missed the far better 4.3 liter TBI V6, by one year, that was phased in for 1985 and replaced both the Chevy 229 and Buick 231 carbureted V6’s. It initially was rated for 130 horses and 210 torque but was upgraded to 145/225 a year later and made a convincing case for the cheapskate buyer to avoid the optional and thirstier V8 option. Speaking of the optional 305 it too was upgraded with a bump in compression to 9.5:1 and power went up to 165 from 150. This was still the most common engine found in these types of cars and provided more than enough pickup for the majority of buyers during the 80’s.
One thing that’s interesting is that the LB1 4.3 with Quadrajet made 155hp and 230 torques in 1985-86; it was installed in full size trucks and vans, as well as some Astro/Safari vans… That’s awful close to the LE9 305 in my 1986 K10, which urps out 165hp and 240lb-ft with a Q-jet.
I’ll bet Chevy gained some “conquest” sales on these due to AMC buyers not being able to trade in on another Matador. At least 35 -40.
I’ve always liked this version of the Chevy Impala. My grandmother had a 77 Impala when I was growing up. While its grille looked different from this year, its body looked the same. I’ve always found the Impala more attractive than the Caprice Classic. My favourite years for the Impala are the 1977, 1979, 1980 through 1984.
From a mechanical standpoint these are about as simple and robust as any semi-modern vehicle could be. From an interior design perspective, they seem rather cheap. I think if they had put a decent diesel in them, they would have been/would be, a great daily driver.
My uncle Michael had one similar to this. I was disappointed when he traded it in for a Toyota Avalon, a reliable car as Toyotas go, but not as attractive as the Chevrolet, nor was it roomy or comfortable.
A good friend of mine scored an ’83 Caprice Classic for $300 last year. Clean and straight with good paint and a semi-decent interior. The reason he got it so cheap was the freeze plugs in the engine were rusted out, and the elderly owner had neither the time nor stamina to tackle the job by himself.
That’s a nice one. Fantastic deal for $300. Freeze plugs are cheap.
Up until 1982, Both the Caprice and Impala was available as 2-door and 4-door sedans along with the station wagon. The next year (1983), all 2-doors and the Impala wagon was dropped from Chevy’s B-Body roster. Between 1983-85, sales of the Chevy B-Body (led by the Caprice) increased as gas prices were trending downward. and the Caprice was once again available as a 2-door. 1985 was also the year the B-body Chevrolet got a new instrument cluster along with new radios featuring electronic tuning.
Impalas were rare after ’80, most were cops or taxis. Name made a comeback with the W body. And now, the Caprice is the fleet car, soon to be axed.
Nice find! It’s getting rare to see Caprices of this vintage, let alone an Impala in this kind of shape. I wonder if it was one of the few privately purcahsed, or if it was an ex-fleet car that didn’t see hard use?
It doesn’t look too rusty for a 32 year old car in salt country, but the rust along the rockers is a bit worrisome. Hopefully that can be addressed before it becomes structural. I do wonder if this is an elderly original owner, or someone younger for whom it’s more of a “modern classic”?
I drove the police versions of these all through the late 70s and 80s. With a 350 and a 4 barrel, the HD suspension, they were Great 🐅
Seeing these always makes me thing of the chase scene from To Live and Die in LA.
Yikes, I’ve done some of that railroad track stuff and there are things that cause damage, like to oil pans you rookie. That’s what the captain said….
Back in the mid-1980’s I worked for a Tier-1 parts supplier, our main business was with GM. As a consequence, we had a motor pool of then-current Chevrolet models. Initially, I worked part time in their advertising department and one of my many tasks back then was as the gopher (go-fer). Most times I got stuck with one of the Celebritys we had, but my absolute favorite was the Impala. The major reason why I favored it so much is that it looked like an unmarked Pennsylvania State Police car of the period.
That dark blue Impy could clear passing lanes on rural Pennsylvania highways like no Celebrity ever could… I frequently wore my dark blue jacket and sunglasses, people would see that car and assume that it was an unmarked police car and get the Hell out of the way.
It was great fun.
While one of my favorite cars of all time, the post-79 variety Impala/Caprice suffered greatly from GM’s further pursuit of economy via weight reduction and to me this car even looks cheesier and flimsier somehow than the ’77 to ’79 models. The thinner metal shows dents and waves more easily than the heavier gauge sheet steel used previously. I do prefer the Impala to the flossier Caprice of ’77 and later, but they do seem much thinner on the ground. Love seeing this one!
This is what my great Uncle drove (probably an earlier year, like ’77 or ’78) when he came to visit us in 1984. We live 1700 miles from our relatives, so we seldom got visitors as relatives.
My Dad had his ’78 Caprice Classic wagon and took them sightseeing in the area, but got hit in the side of the car during their visit. He didn’t get it fixed; traded it on the worst car he ever bought, an ’84 Pontiac Sunbird. The Sunbird went through 2 engines in less than 80k miles and had a broken timing belt at less than 1000 miles, plus had numerous other issues (leaky power steering hoses, bad electrical switchgear). My sister had bought an ’84 before my Dad did, but she had no such problems, only rust (which is common where she lived, not where my Dad did . Dad’s ’84 got regular maintenance per the book, at the dealer, no idea why it was so bad to him…he didn’t buy GM for awhile after that, but his last 2 cars were Impalas, so he eventually went back despite the Sunbird.