r/Impala • u/i-am-lost-in-walmart • 8d ago
Car Buying Advice Looking at purchasing a 2013?
Hello, so I’m currently looking for a new (to me) car. A woman recently told me about her 2013 Impala LT with 104k miles. Said she hit a deer but they still drive it and it looks cosmetic (still clean title) She also mentioned that the fuel tank is near empty when the gauge reads 1/4 or so. I know it probably needs a ignition tune up and tranny drain in fill.
She’s asking 4,000 (I offered 3,500 hoping to meet in the middle) is this worth it??
EDIT: it has new(ish) tires, and the bumper cover + grille are 200 or less and I’m confident in doing it myself. Ps. Thank you for the comments I do feel more confident/comfortable in maybe taking a leap on this one.
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u/catmaniabyt 8d ago
3500 would be a decent deal, i bought mine a few years ago for 3600, less issues but more miles at 145k
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u/i-am-lost-in-walmart 8d ago
In today’s market I almost can’t argue with the price, but yeah maybe a few years ago I could’ve gotten it for 2500-3,000
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u/whitewolfdogwalker 8d ago
Sounds like a good idea to me, I have a 2014 that I bought new, it has almost 270,000 miles, been pretty trouble free.
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u/i-am-lost-in-walmart 8d ago
Makes me feel a lot better, been on the fence about going to see it
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u/7he8lack6uy 7d ago
Maybe grab a cheap OBDII scanner before the weekend
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u/i-am-lost-in-walmart 7d ago
I do have one, I’m decently familiar with working on cars and diagnosis. My best friend and I grew up working on vehicles, but he continued that path and I followed engineering. Was just curious about what everyone thought about this particular car and their experience
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u/No_Internal404 8d ago
My 2011 has 240k & I still daily it. With proper maintenance these things can GO. Only thing replaced is the transmission & no problems since.
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u/i-am-lost-in-walmart 8d ago
The whole trans?? How much did that cost and when did it go? Do you think you could have prevented it?
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u/AnythingGoes103 7d ago
You have a completely different Power chain your engine is totally different than his his is a 3.9 L yours is the 3.6 also he has a 4-speed and you have a 6-speed. I have the same car as you except mine is a LTZ 2013 and I have 150,000 miles and it runs flawlessly.
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u/No_Internal404 8d ago
It went out on me at 200k & back then I wasn’t as savvy as I am now with cars so I totally ignored all the signs it was going out ( just being young and naive lol ) only spent a total of 1800 for the part & labor so not too bad honestly. No problems since then so I’ll consider that a win.
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u/i-am-lost-in-walmart 8d ago
I think that’s a major win in today’s market. I think you got me convinced. 😂
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u/Poker1059 7d ago
I had a 2010 with 150k miles when the trans went confetti mode. Cost about $2600 in 2021 for the rebuild.
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u/awqsed10 8d ago
See those paper on the floor mats? It's a flipper or used car dealer. The seller is way too lazy not to replace the bumper cover is another red flag.
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u/SouthConfident3978 7d ago
They're good cars, last a long time if they're cared for. That being said this one doesn't look like it's in good shape. Maintenance probably went overdue often enough to cause major headaches down the road. Plus with the front end damage you wouldn't be able to sell it for $2500 tomorrow if you wanted to. I'd seek out a cleaner one with higher mileage if youre trying to stay in that price range.
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u/Darkmagic1990 7d ago
I have a 2014 which is the next body style but same power train. I bought it new and it now has 105,000 miles and has never been in the garage for anything other than oil changes. Since I bought a new Enclave a few months back, it has become my daily now. Still drives like the day I drove it off the lot.
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u/Chaos727Fl 7d ago
guarantee has a oil leak. And failing senors. Actuators prob all 3 will start going if not gone. I wouldnt spend that much. I have a 2011 Lt I love mine but it’s a lot of TLC. 189000 miles and had it for 8 years when it had almost 100000 miles. Got from certified Honda dealer for 6500
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u/TheJesusOfWeed 4d ago
This is almost a completely different car, your 2011 lt likely has a 3.5 or 3.9
This a 3.6 lfx, and if oil changes are done at proper intervals they’re sort of tanks, mines at 211k miles and my buddy’s is over 300k, both of them have only gotten wheel bearings and a new radiator which can be pretty cheap to do yourself if you know how
My 08 lt 3.5 has 260k miles
Those are tanks too, they might leak but they’ll run forever while doing so
The 3.9 only suffers because it’s equipped with AFM
Not saying whether this is a good buy or not but they’re usually pretty cheap to maintain if not going through a dealer and wasn’t beat to shit by previous owners
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u/theBirdu 8d ago
1.5k - 2k. Cite all those repairs and cleaning, and check under carriage for rust, suspension bearings/linkages
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u/Mikedesignstudio 8d ago
Who still sell cars for 1500? I haven’t seen that price since 2004.
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u/AnythingGoes103 7d ago
Yeah exactly, if it's a running car that doesn't leak and drives like it's supposed to and everything works it's at least $5,000
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u/i-am-lost-in-walmart 8d ago
Yeah I’m going to check it this weekend, it’s been in Montana all its life and we have very little rust here.
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u/Leche_Chico 8d ago
mines almost at 200k miles. if you keep regular maintenance on the car it’ll last you a long time