The W-Body is not a platform that gets a lot of love from enthusiasts, but it is one that, for better or for worse, has been in constant production since the late 1980s. It has been sold with Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac badges, with inline-four, V6, supercharged six, turbocharged six and V8 engines, and in sedan and coupe body styles.
Although a significant proportion of W-Bodies manufactured were flaccid Luminas and bench-seat, rental fleet Impalas, there have been some bright sparks along the way.
If you’re all about that boost, how about the ultra-rare (1990-91 only) Grand Prix McLaren Turbo and STE Turbo? The 6000 STE gets a lot of adulation to this day for being a competitive domestic sport sedan offering, but the Grand Prix had more modern styling and a turbocharged V6. It was still a four-speed automatic or nothing, though. At least with the Grand Prix you got a funky Sable-esque light bar! These early Grand Prixs also came with amazing bucket seats too.
If turbos aren’t your thing, why not try one of the later 3.4 DOHC V6-equipped Ws? With an impressive-for-the-early-1990s 210hp, these were about as quick as a Taurus SHO and you could even get a 5-speed manual. These engines weren’t bulletproof, but you could get them in the wild-looking Lumina Z34, as well as the Grand Prix GTP and STE and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.
Those early Cutlass Supremes sure were smooth-looking, before the ugly cladding was added. You could get the Quad 4, the first domestic DOHC four-cylinder since the Cosworth Vega, from 1990 until 91 in both the Cutlass and the Grand Prix. Oh, sure, they were noisy and ate headgaskets, but they revved hard and put out as much power as a lot of V6s even though they were naturally-aspirated.
Would you describe your family as ‘supercharged’? If the answer is yes, maybe a second generation W-body Buick Regal GS is in order. They looked a lot like your grandpa’s Century, but they packed a supercharged version of the trusty 3.8 V6 with 240hp and an impressive 280 ft-lbs. If the Regal was too much of a Q-ship for you, you could get the same engine in the wide-track second-generation Pontiac Grand Prix.
Maybe you’re like Tim Allen and you think everything needs MORE POWER. Well, GM stuffed a 5.3 small-block V8 in the 2006 Impala and Monte Carlo SS, 2005 Grand Prix GXP and 2008 Buick LaCrosse Super. They didn’t make any noteworthy suspension modifications for Chevy, so unless you like the sensation of excessive torque steer as you slide across flat, unsupportive seats, maybe you should look at the Pontiac and Buick.
303 horsepower and 320 ft-lbs is an eye-watering amount of power for a front-wheel-drive car, but reviews of the time were impressed by the dialled-down torque steer and competent handling of the Grand Prix GXP; the use of larger tires in front played a part in that. The GXP was also the first W-Body in over a decade to have anything close to a manual transmission, with a 4-speed automatic with TapShift paddles. 0-60 was under 6 seconds, and the V8 engine didn’t make the car as nose-heavy as you’d suspect. Still, these V8 W-Bodies had transmissions made of glass so… Uhh, get an extended warranty.
Finally, you could get that kind of horsepower from a smooth, modern V6 mated to a modern, six-speed automatic transmission in the 2012-present Chevrolet Impala “Limited”, as seen in your local rental fleet. Sure, nowadays these Impalas are very much outclassed by the new, Epsilon platform Impala and Malibu, but they are cheap and fast and the bugs have most certainly been ironed out by now.
Which W-Body would you pick?
Either an early Cutlass Supreme coupe, just like the red one in the picture above, or an Oldsmobile Intrigue. The Intrigues were actually a very decent attempt at creating a Camry/Accord challenger. It’s unfortunate that it faced so much in-house competition, as well as Oldsmobile’s overall withering state by that point.
Agreed. This was the first GM “import fighter” that seemed like they’d actually taken some useful lessons from the Japanese competition rather than the usual formula of simply benchmarking whatever generation was current at the time development began, then penny-pinching the resulting product to death and relying on bargain basement pricing to move the metal.
I tend to think of the Intrigue as being in the same category as the Chrysler LH cars — another big, modern domestic sedan with credible styling and engineering that was almost a world-beater.
Definitely the 3800 Intrigue. The 3.5 is a little quicker and sounds nicer, but the 3800 for dependability. It’s easy to forget how favorable the reviews were for that car then. I’m not making this up, but one of the magazines referred to it as “an E-Class Mercedes for thousands less.” Maybe that’s a bit much, but it was by far the best looking out of that varied group. I’d still love to have one loaded out for a daily driver.
Owned a 98 GL with all options minus power pass seat and moon roof, nice ride. It was a sharp car but was not quite as refined as my friends 94 Camry, sure it was faster, looked better and the interior seemed nicer…but when you hit a pot hole it became all too clear which was the superior car despite the age difference. I traded for a 99 Aurora fully loaded with everything but the Autobahn package and again the bumps and pot holes, my soon to be wife’s lowly Corolla would handle with aplomb what would rattle the bones of my $35000 rolling sculpture, this would be my last GM car. You would think in the decade or more the chassis was on the road GM might have worked out the impact harshness, especially having it’s headquarters in Michigan where I lived at the time.
They are all pretty ugly, but if ya gotta pick one , I guess the Olds Intrique is ok……
I married into a 97 Lumina. It was white with gray cloth seats… about as “rental” as you could get. I have to say, that was a good car. You wouldn’t whip anybody off the line or at the finish, but for straight up basic transportation, it got the job done.
The early 90s Grand Prix coupe, by far. The styling was the most aggressive and screamed (fast car). With the 3.4L it could back that up, somewhat. But give me a ’94 GTP coupe with either the 3800 supercharged V6 or better yet the 5.3L V8 swapped in. That would be the ultimate W body.
The cutlass coupes are nice looking too. And Im fascinated with these alloys as on this red one. Such a unique and striking wheel.
Look up the pace car one. It debuted those wheels, and had a black background on them that looked a little better.
Those were the wheels from the International Series, thus quite rare.
I have a set from my fathers old 1991 cutlass supreme international edition. Taking offers for anyone who’s interested.
Hands down the 97-04 Regal GS. Very quick yet understated.
+1, Eric. I love Q-Ships!
We could also mention some favorites who didn’t go further then concept-cars like the El Camino Z34 made with the assistance of ASC.
http://autosofinterest.com/2012/05/06/1992-ascchevrolet-lumina-z34-el-camino-concept/
And also some W-body Monte Carlo prototypes converted to RWD.
http://montecarloforum.com/forum/off-topic-5/gms-5th-gen-rwd-prototype-50476/
The 97-2003 Grand Prix with the 3800 V-6. Car drove very well, was roomy, reliable (83k miles), and looked good!
For the first time in a long time, GM had a car that could compete and win.
Of course, they killed it with the 2004, which was a reskinned version that replaced the nice curvy lines with an ugly horse mouth, and which had a ridiculous instrument cluster. Also, I could no longer fit in the back seat.
2nd, I also like the 2006 Impala. Big car, but when it came out in 2006, it was more than the sum of it’s rather unexceptional parts.
I had a 2001 GP with the 3800 V6 and 4 speed automatic transmission. In many ways it was a good car; it was comfortable, it handled reasonably well, decently quick for what it was, and it was even fairly economical (30+ MPG on the highway). However, and this was a huge issue for me, the thing needed a new power steering pump every 8 months or so, and did for the entire five years of my ownership. As long as the car was under warranty this just an inconvenience (being without the car for two days); once the warranty ran out I traded that puppy away within two weeks. I got to know the service department at the local Pontiac dealer quite well during this era; they were as mystified as I was as to why it kept eating power steering pumps. It was likely just some sort of random fault with my car but it was certainly annoying.
I’ve owned two. A ’97 Grand Prix GT coupe (the first and only new car I’ve ever owned) and an ’04 Impala LS. Both 3800-powered and all but trouble-free.
The GP was a treat to myself after working on a project that consisted of several months of 84-hour weeks. Just about everyone on the team went out and threw some money around. Cars, boats, vacations, down payments on homes, you name it. It was March of ’97 and the new GP was a big seller. Certain color/option combinations were very hard to come by. I almost ended up having to order one when my dealer was able to trade a Montana minivan to another dealer for a GP coupe spec’d out almost exactly as I wanted. Two years and 84,000 miles later it was traded for a low mileage ’96 Grand Cherokee. Only problem in two years was a fog light that burned shortly after I bought it and pinhole leak in a power steering hose.
Fast forward to 2005. The previous year my grandmother had passed away and left behind an ’02 Dodge Dakota 4×4 Quad Cab (which I still own) with just 7,400 miles on it. I took the money from an annuity she had taken out on me (all the grandkids had one) and bought the truck from her estate. Over a weekend I flew up to Illinois and drove the truck (14 hours solo) back to Houston.
That left me with what to do with the 2000 S-10 that (when I didn’t take my employer’s Astro home) was my daily driver. It sat in the driveway caked in pine pollen for months until my then-wife and I decided to take it to CarMax for some quick cash. With check in hand we were on our way out of the showroom when a gold ’04 Impala on the showroom floor caught her eye. We came back the next day, plunked down the check from the S-10 and traded the Grand Cherokee in for the Impala. The decision to buy the Impala was largely influenced by my good experience with the Grand Prix and my father’s ’03 Impala (also 3800-powered) which he drove the crap out of for work. It had 180K when he sold it in ’08 and at last report it’s still on the road. Only thing that went bad on Dad’s first Impala (he currently owns an ’08) was the ABS/traction control computer.
Our Impala was an ex-Hertz car from Hawaii. Gold, tan leather interior, sunroof and perhaps best of all, the fleet-only OnStar delete option. No Big Brother! By my guess it had racked up almost as many miles in transit as it had under its own power. Oshawa to Honolulu to a GM auction in Oklahoma City then finally to Houston. After our divorce she traded the Impala for a Hyundai Tuscon because she missed having an SUV. To my knowledge she never had a major problem with the Impala.
tl;dr version – Great gas mileage, comfortable on long trips and at least from the late ’90s on, very well made. Still tons of them on the road around here. What’s really surprising is how many ’97-’03 Grand Prixs that are not only still running, but in much better condition than the average 12-18 year old beater.
I don’t really care for any of them. I don’t like 4 doors, and the 2 door models with the door handle in the B pillar just look weird. The Impala is a good generic transportation car, and IMO looks better than the other 4 doors. I have never seen anyone successfully make a 4 door look sporty, so bland and very conservative is the best look for them. The Impala seems to pull that off the best.
You say you’ve never seen anyone successfully make a four-door sedan look sporty? Really? How about the first gen “cloud cars,” like the Stratus and Breeze with the available 5-speed manual? Or, better yet, the second gen Intrepid? A lot of guys, including young guys at the time, loved the Intrepid. Besides the standard 2.7L six, you could get a 3.2L or 3.5L. Those cars were reasonably fast, had a spacious interior and a very large trunk. They were comfortable on the road, too. To me, those are still some of the best looking 4-door sedans ever. And used now, they are very affordable. There are known fixes for any of the occasional problems.
Yes I was a big fan of the LH cars when they first were released. At the time, I had two young kids in diapers, so I really didn’t have the bucks to drop @$25K for a full sized car (in 1992 dollars). If I would have spent that kind of money, a new minivan would have made a lot more sense.
My sister and her husband had an early Intrepid ES with the 3.5, it replaced a well loved Pontiac Bonneville SE that was handed down to one of my nephews. I drove the Intrepid on a number of occasions, and my respect for that platform continues.
It would have been great to see a continuation of the FWD Chrysler 300 instead of the wholesale switch to a Mercedes-based RWD platform. It could have been called something other than 300, but would have made a nice alternative to other FWD sedans at the time.
A co-worker still has a FWD 300M Special, and after all of this time it is a really nice car. I don’t have the courage to ask her to drive her car, but I can only imagine that it drives even better than my sister’s old Intrepid.
Forgot to say that the best part of the 1998-2004 Intrepid for me was the cloth bucket seats. Absolutely the most comfortable seats of any car I’ve owned in over 40 years. I really miss that nice, immaculate car that my niece wrecked. Of course, Your Mileage May Vary.
I’ll take the 2000-2005 Impala, with the 3800, please.
I used to own a 2000 Impala with the 3400. The chassis was nice. It wasn’t a sports car, but for a large sedan, it handled very nicely.
It wasn’t excessive, but it was solid. That’s what I want in a car.
I agree. I know several people who had these and got great service. They did have the shortcomings covered here bot overall they were reliable, affordable, reasonably economical, and nice looking. If GM did not have such a terrible reputation by the time they came out I feel they would have been competitive with Camry et. al.
I’ll agree with you gentlemen, it was a decent/honest car. Good, maybe not great; yet, something I would not hesitate to recommend to one on a budget. A Camcord may be better, but not cost as less per mile, while still being satisfying. I miss seeing them disappear from airport rental fleets, unlike the Chevy Metros. Their sound systems were even decent.
Speaking of Impalas, I have one with the 3400 in it, bench seat/column shifter too. I’d rather have something fancier, but I do rather like it.
While I think this generation of Impala does look nice, I think the spoilers and console shifts that so many of them have are silly. Its a good, honest sedan, and unless its the SS version, it has no sporting pretenses whatsoever. In fact, I think they would have been better off just plunking the v8 into one without the spoiler and console shift to make a real sleeper.
Oldsmobile Intrigue. I really thought this car might save Oldsmobile. It looked good and rode nicely.
It sure did have a lot of promise. Unfortunately quality issues got it. I recall that when it came out the Detroit News (I think) did a review and really ripped it. Turns out there were numerous small defects. Olds was over right away with one that had been fully inspected and checked out but the damage had been done. Pity.
That is sad, but every car has its first year issues. If I could get my hands on an Intrigue for a good price I would buy it. It was the first of the W body cars that did not have a dash board that did not scream 1970’s
All of them, beautiful past representations of what GM could do in the 90s and 2000’s before “The Crash”.
I thought the 1996-vintage Pontiac Grand Prix looked quite good, at least on the outside. The interior left a lot to be desired in both styling and materials, but the exterior stylists did a really nice job.
Cutlass Supreme sedan for me! I love that wrap-around window. I’m not sure if the sedans were offered this way, but I’ll take mine with quad bucket seats, heads-up display, and a manual transmission.
I’d take one of those early Grand Prix (Grands Prix?) in coupe format. McLaren Turbo, as mentioned in the article, sounds like the one to have…
1997-2003 Grand Prix hands down.
Me too!
I like the 6th generation Grand Prix, especially those built between 2001-2003 that all used the same front end, as the SE model’s unique grille wasn’t very attractive and stood out.
I’ve owned both a supercharged 2001 GTP 2 dr coupe and a 2003 SE 4 dr sedan… and both were great cars, with the former outperforming the latter, for obvious reasons. The SE was a durable ride with it’s 3.1L V6 and standard options package. I quite liked it and owned it the longest of the two cars I had.
The ones with the 3800 are all ok, bonus points if they’re supercharged, and aesthetically the 97-03 Grand Prix was the best looking.
I still wouldn’t own any of them though. The early Ws have the torsional rigidity of a piece of paper and the later ones have the worst interiors of all time. I’d rather walk.
I’d say the ’97-’03 Grand Prix also had the best interior of the lot. Sure it was the typical GM cheap materials, but the design and layout were very nicely done. The Impala interior was comfortable but the dash sure wasn’t much to look at.
Yeah! We had a 2000 Impala for six years. The dashboard was gaudy! The gauges were nice and legible, but the dash more than ruined the inside for me.
The Intrigue had a much nicer interior in my view.
The thing I never could get past with those particular Grand Prix interiors was the cheap looking and feeling grey buttons used on the radio buttons and various switches and knobs throughout. Not to mention the abnormally glossy textures on all the soft surfaces, this stood out in the black/dark grey interiors the most, like they were perpetually Armor Alled, even though they weren’t . As a functioning attractive design I agree, the Grand Prix dash was certainly no slouch there, but the finishes just let it down.
I was never fond of the red illumination either but that’s subjective, I’m not fond of older BMWs for the same reason
None of the above? OK, ok – I’ll play along. The later Century GS is the only one of these that even remotely appeals to me. But having spent a fair amount of time in my mother’s 06 Lacrosse lately (which I acknowledge is not strictly a W body), I’m even having trouble ginning up enough enthusiasm for that one. But if it’s good enough for Jim Klein, who am I to argue.
I think you meant Regal GS instead of Century…but yes I did really enjoy mine. Great car and I would happily have another. I’m honored that you remembered!
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/coal-1998-buick-regal-gs-yes-as-a-matter-of-fact-i-would-rather-have-a-buick/
JPC – I reread my own COAL just now and came across this comment of yours:
“One of these with the supercharged 3.8 would have some appeal to me. I have never really paid attention to these, and had forgotten about the GS variant.”
There is another comment from myself that I do not see a Chrysler 300 in my future. Hah! That comment was only 14 months ago…!
I would not turn down one with a 3800 V6 (regular or supercharged), 3.9 ltr V6, or 3.6 VVT engine.
The rest are dead to me – the 5300 V8 eats transmissions and the other engines are too low on torque/power to make me accept the compromises of the W-body like poor rear seat leg room and a rear cushion that is too low to the floor.
I have driven more W-body Impala’s of both versions than can be counted. So I will eliminate those from my list.
However, let me tread new ground. I’m liking the ’00s Monte Carlo – but not just any one. A co-worker has a Monte of that vintage in black that is a Monte Carlo SS and is supercharged. Give me one like that and we’ll call it a day!
I really wanted to like the 1994-95 Chevrolet Lumina. From its styling it looked more modern than the same years’ Ford Taurus. But driving it felt like a throwback; the Taurus was more comfortable, tauter-riding, handled better and overall felt like a newer-design car.
Maybe “a significant proportion of W-Bodies manufactured were flaccid Luminas” answers the question as to why.
My late departed 95 Regal that looked just like the one in the pic I’m attaching. I didn’t like the 3.1 but it was always reliable once the engine was shored up.
It got kind of tired after a very hard life but someone else is driving it around now. I sold it to my mechanic, who was very happy to have it.
I like the early Cutlass Supremes very much. There’s one for sale here in town but it needs a transmission. No thanks.
I liked, or kinda liked, most all of them to some degree, save for the Impala and Lumina; and actually the 2-door Z-34 Lumina was fairly cool. I’ve always been a sucker for rare, limited production models, so the Grand Prix McLaren Turbo would be at the top of desirability for me. Also, a 1985 Pontiac 6000STE with the fuel injected 2.8L and the available Getrag 5-speed manual transmission. A fifth gen Grand Prix Turbo (1989 or 1990). A late nineties or early aughts Buick Regal GS. And for everyday driving and late model-dependability, a 2012 or newer ninth gen Chevy Impala. Wiki says the last retail Impala available with a bench seat and column shift transmission was the 2013 model. Maybe I need to get one of those.
Seems I overlooked the Olds Intrigue. That might be one of my favorites of the bunch. The other being the early nineties Grand Prix coupes, such as the 1994 GTP coupe mentioned by MoparRocker74. And, yes, I kinda liked the Olds Cutlass coupes. Especially the rare convertibles.
I would guess that on looks I would go with either Oldsmobile….just wish the coupes had conventional door handles. If the Intrigue, a “baby Northstar” and a Cutlass? The 3800.
And yet, the Impala attracts because it is so in-offensive. Think of it as the grownup’s version of a blue blanket.
Buick Regal GS is it for me. I’ll be 60 in a few months, you know.
My only experience steering a W body was in a 2001-ish Grand Prix. It was a rental on Kona Island, Hawaii. I really liked that car.
Back in the early 1990’s, I was a huge Chrysler fan. Nothing was more beautiful to me than the LH cars, with the Dodge Intrepid and the Eagle Vision vying for my attention. But, in late 1996 I got my first views of the new Grand Prix. With the LH cars, Chrysler had pulled another “1957”, knocking everyone down a few pegs.
But, when the revised W bodies came out in 1996, I realized GM had pulled a “1959”. There wasn’t a stinker among them, but the first one I saw was the GP and I was hooked. After that, I’ve never been unable to un-see them, even today. Where I live in SW Lower Michigan, these cars are still quite common. Many of supercharged versions became teenage play-toys once they were depreciated enough, but a great many survive unmolested.
The CC effect in action: I had to stop at the department store (Meijer) on the way home from work this afternoon and as I was walking into the store, a rather well preserved Grand Prix GTP (supercharged V6) coupe pulled into a spot a few yards away from me. It seems hard to believe that these nearly 20 year old cars are still roaming the salty streets of the upper midwest, while most of the rest of the competition has been scrapped by now.
There are other Ws I’d be happy to own for sure. But I’ve liked this model for so long, I feel that this the correct choice for me. I’ve attached a pix of the model I’d like, a late 90’s Grand Prix GT with the atmo 3.8 V6 and a nice low key silver paint job…
I’ll second the comment on just how many of those GPs are still on the road, especially here in the salty midwest. More amazing is how little rust there is on them even when compared to other W-bodies of that era.
Make mine Dark Teal Metallic. Eighteen years after the last one rolled out of Fairfax (’97 was the last year for that color on the GP) it’s still the best looking. Aside from the interior (mine was tan leather), this is identical to the one I owned…
I’ve always liked the last version of the Regal and Century. The basic shape was pleasant without the extroverted redneck styling of some of their corporate siblings.
Not one of my favourite platforms, but if I had to pick it would be a 2006-09 Impala SS with the 5.3 V8. The fastest Impala built up to that time despite being wrong wheel drive for a muscle sedan. In fact I would love to drive one, as the thought of 300 hp going to the front wheels in a car like this really fascinates me. Is it a pointless torque steer monster, or does it work somehow?
Not a bad looking car either in my opinion, if a bit generic with the front end design. I do like a fast car with an understated appearance. The Pontiac would be the better choice as a driver’s car, but like nearly all post 1990 Pontiacs it hurts my eyes too much to look at it.
Pointless torque steer, the GXP I drove could have been used as an illustration in the dictionary for the term. 300 horsepower in an underdeveloped band-aided 20 year old platform isn’t the way to make it work. I hear they eat transmissions too.
In 1988 I clearly remember lusting for a white 2 door Grand Prix STP or whatever top of the line was called. i wanted that dash, those steering wheel buttons and had recently been owner of a grand am that did not live up to its appearance, which stoped me from buying the kool aid this time.
i rented a 1998 century to go to ptown and it was well screwed together, and unnoticed by law enforcement as well as bad elements.. i felt invisible and i rode comfortably, feeling safe. i think a regal gs would be good.
i’d most like a dark teal cutlass convertible in the final year 1994 with a 3.8 if that was offered.
but never felt anything for a lumina, so i’ll pass on that one, unless its an l-34 or whatever the sporty graphics model coupe was on lumina., well before it became a monte carlo.
1997 to 2004 Regal, either LS or GS. Current company is an LS, and it is plenty torquey. Then the LaCrosse Super. With 4 ventiports.
The 6000STE was an A body, NOT a W body … Ugh. Lol 🙂
I’m a Pontiac guy… and I’ve always thought they were sexy, even though they are getting to be very RARE to find … The 1991-95 Grand Prix GTP coupes with the wide fender flares and honeycomb mesh GTA type wheels.
I would love to find one.
1991-96 Buick Regal with the 3800 V6, I’ve always liked these cars a lot, especially the Limited and GS versions with leather interior, I also liked the 1998-02 Oldsmobile Intrigue although I know these cars were unfortunately not solidly built vehicles.
William already hit all of the good ones, and then Brendan added the only other one I like in the first comment. If I had to narrow it down to one it would be an early Cutlass Supreme International Series with the Quad4/5-speed just for the fact that it’s so rare and different, plus I thought it was the best looking W-body by a mile. Runner up goes to the Turbo Grand Prix (coupe – the sedan is cool but just a little too weird looking in ways that I’m not into).
My “Worst W-Body” nomination is the Dale Earnhardt Intimidator NASCAR SS Monte Carlo Patriot 9/11 Commemorative Edition.
Can’t do it. And I tried.
A mechanic friend let me thrash a ’12 W-body Impala rental a few months ago. I’d read all about what great cars these final few years of Impalas have turned out to be and was considering buying one.
It was hold on Sally as I took it STRAIGHT to 125 MPH, grinning all the way…
…but as I backed down to 75-80 and took in my surroundings, so much of what I saw screamed OLD GM…the way it drove was like my late MIL’s Grand Prix, or the Cadillac DTS’s (different platform, same feel) rented on business the previous decade.
Cheap. Wanting.
I WANTED to like it.
But my wife’s 2nd gen Equinox feels so vastly superior…and in fact, so did the Chevy Sonic I drove just a couple weeks later…
The THING or THINGS that made a GM FWD so obviously a GM FWD are gone in the newer ones. It’s like night and day to me.
I wanted to like the 2001-2005 Monte Carlos, especially the Supercharged SS’s. But I can’t get around that THING or THINGS. And when you drive upwards of 30K/year, those intangibles loom large. Especially when my ’97 Blazer, now in my 11th year of ownership and getting a little ragged around the edges, feels more solid.
So respectfully, I’ll take a ’13-newer Epsilon Impala with the V6.
Ditto with the 06 Lacrosse I have been driving. I have really, really tried to like it. It should push all of my pleasure buttons, like durable mechanicals, nice build quality, and those chrome tri-shields on the steering wheel. But I just. hate. this. car. It makes my strippo Sedona feel like a sports tourer.
I’ve had 9 W’s since ’00 as company cars. 3800, 3900 and now 3600. All LTZ or equal trim. They were all ‘just good enough’. Very reliable, fairly economical.
Seats are almost comfortable, radio is pretty good. No outstanding features to impress anyone, but I can drive a 500 miles a week.
This year, I have some special projects that will mean more driving. So I passed on my ’14 Impala limited to replace an ’09 Malibu that become an electrical ticking time bomb. It had been recalled or serviced at the Chevy dealer 16 times.
Now, I drive a Passat TDi SEL (NMS), and it has more comfortable seats, several usable features and drives much easier. Getting 45 mpg is a bonus.
I bought it at a Chevy dealer, where it had been traded on a $72k Suburban.
Not my first Passat, nor my first diesel. It is quite ‘de featured’ from my ’07 highline wagon personal car. But it is better than ‘good enough’.
We Own/ed three of these things, and I am good friends with a number of other people who did/do. For a car that no one seemed to really lust after new and that were considered failures (perhaps most/all went to fleets?) a surprising number of people lived with one of these things. Dad STILL has his 1995 Cutlass 4 door sedan, and my brother still has his 2000 Grand Prix 3.8 N/A. I had the misfortune of purchasing a used ’93 Cutlass Convertible 3.4 DOHC. It was a beautiful car! I loved it! I would still have it today but a lot of things broke on it, and fairly expensively. Everything you heard about the 3.4 is true. That was also the problem with the Intrigue; it was nicely finished on the inside and had an attractive interior, but there are a lot of annoying constant repairs to the cars as they age that drive people to Camcords. Window switches, door latches, the window regulators, the fuel pump hand thing – – – yes, you can keep a GM car running for longer than anything else but a lot will have broken off in the meantime.
I’ve had quite a bit of experience with a few variants of the W platform, and I would go for either a ’97-’05 Century or an Intrigue with a 3.5 in it as my favorites…the Century for sheer comfort and reliability; the Intrigue for it’s sexy looks and ability to really move fast.
An original Cutlass coupe, pretty much exactly like the one in the article. Flush headlights, those wheels, and that deep red color (lose the gray at the bottom if possible)
A friend of mine has an Intrigue and it seems like a very nice car, but the styling just doesn’t do anything for me.
Is this a trick question? I mean, there is just so much to not like about this designed by a committee monstrosity. It was like all the worst things that could happen in a car were all rolled into one design and set to the divisions. From there, things either got better (Pontiac) or were equally horrid (Buick). These cars were horribly under-built. Every part was just big enough to get through the warranty, as was the whole car, actually. When I was at GM, loads of these cars came back for struts, racks, ABS sensors, MIL’s, non-functional accessories, upholstery flaws, you name it. GM’s qc on Delco was so bad often replacement parts were defective.
The Pontiac was the best and, again typical for GM, the later Grand Am’s with the 3800 V-6 weren’t bad cars, but you’d better expect to wrench on it, and do so often.
But they run! I’m truly impressed by the number of beater W-bodies roaming the streets. Who needs quiet struts or non-pulsing rotors? Who needs ABS? Who needs every speaker or all 4 HVAC speeds? Ripped mouse fur seats and worn rubber steering wheels? Why do you think they sell Hello Kitty covers at Autozone?
GM finally moved beyond building cars with fatal factory engine flaws (Vega, HT4100, et al) to building cars with OK powertrains wrapped in a rapidly decaying plastic shell. Progress!
It is simply a matter of numbers. In some parts (not here) the car sold relatively well. Hence the number of W Body beaters. In five years, they will be gone.
“Every part was just big enough to get through the warranty, as was the whole car, actually.”
Tell that to the millions still running every day!
With regular cash infusions, you can make any car run.
Always thought the 2000-2005 Impala was very underrated. (by the standards of ’00s domestic sedans)
Significantly bigger and softer than the Camry/Accord, it pulled off the “cushy American cruiser” role in a tidier, more modern package than the old B-bodies. The paint didn’t peel off in sheets like the crappy Luminas that preceded them, they at least tried to put some style into it (taillights, emblems, faint fender skirt), the interior was roomy and comfy, smooth boulevard ride. I’d happily take one over a late Taurus – which didn’t do the “European” thing well but also didn’t do the “American” thing well, or an Intrepid, which… oh wait, they’re all gone already because their 2.7 engines self-destructed at 90,000 miles.
My favorite is far & away the first gen 88-96 Regal coupes (the ’89/’90 GS in particular. Loved the wheels, the black grille, and the full digital instrument panel only available those two years). Also really like the ’06-’07 Monte Carlo/SS & the Lumina Z-34. Next car will probably be one of those Monte Carlo’s in V6 form.
From a practicality, and performance for the dollar standpoint, you really can’t go wrong with the current “new-old” Impala Limited. Great cars. Definitely the modern Cutlass Ciera/Buick Century.
And my least favorite(s) of the bunch? All the first gen sedans – just hideous cars. Also the revived ’95-’99 Monte Carlo. Just…yuck. Typical jellybean car that didn’t deserve the Monte nameplate. Should’ve kept the Lumina nameplate for that car.
Ehhm… Well, none. OK, OK: the latest Impala of that ilk if I had to drive from Vienna to Salzburg once a week and did not care about the fuel costs.
I suppose my all-time favorite W-body would have to be the Olds Cutlass convertibles with the “carry handle” roll bar. In bright red, please.
My 2004 Impala was a very nice car and I loved the 3400 engine – very economical.
My 2012 Impala is a really nice car, even if it is out-of-date in some respects, but worlds better than the 2004. It’s an LTZ model, so lots of extras that make my long commute really comfortable. The stereo is great. So are heated seats when it’s cold on my aging rump!
We encounter W-bodies on a daily basis at our used car dealership. There is always at least 3 on the front row for sale and our buyer always looks for the special ones like Regal GS, Grand prix’s in GT or GTP trim, Intrigue GL or GLS and even the odd Impala SS or LaCrosse Super or CXS. These cars have there issues but so do the Taurus/Sables, Chrysler LH cars right up to 2004 and even the 1997 on up Camry’s and Accords which also suffer from warped rotors, rust, bad wheel bearings, sensors, intake gaskets on the Toyota V6’s and trans axles on the V6 Accords. The best W-bodies seem to be the 02 on up Impalas, the 04 on up Grand Prix’s, the 98 on up Regals and Century’s and the 05 on up LaCrosse. Note that the 04-08 Grand Prix’s, 05-09 LaCrosses and 06-08 Lucernes used the Series III 3800 which fixed the intake gasket issue as did the 06 on up Impala’s with the 3500/3900 and current 3.6 global V6. Those models are the best of the bunch and we rarely hear back from a customer other than minor things.
My favorite W would be the Impala line followed by the Intrigue. My folks had a 1999 Intrigue with the 3.5 and I owned a last year 2002. There 1999 had a couple of minor issues but my 2002 was bullet proof and went well past 160K miles with but a change of spark plugs and a battery and routine service. I owned a plethora of other W-bodies in a post from the other day and the majority of them treated me well.
Don’t forget about the movie Josh and S.A.M. (see link).
Good riddance to this chassis! This was everything that was wrong with GM for so long.
My husband drives an ’02 Buck Regal LS w/ the 3800 and likes it very much. He has a very heavy foot! I am currently driving an ’05 Park Avenue w/ the 3800 and also like it. It has plenty of power and is very comfortable.
Always loved the look of the Intrigue and 1990 Grand Prix Coupe.
Love my ’04 Impala. Smooth, comfy, kinda fast and kinda efficient.
From what I can see, the ’12 and newer Impala (Limited) is one of the better used car deals around these days, and probably offers the best mix of virtues of all the W bodies. My ’12 LT has plenty adequate power from the 3.6L, good interior room and comfort (at least up front), decent handling by big-car standards and reasonably good fuel economy (mine gets better real-world highway mileage than the ’07 Focus it replaced).
The W-body Impy might not offer the very latest in automotive design trends, but frankly I prefer some of its old-school features: windows larger than gunslits, a center console that’s not so tall and wide as to intrude on legroom (I’m 6’3″ and usually splay my legs while behind the wheel), and velour-type upholstery that’s much easier to clean than the woven cloth usually seen these days.
My choice is the Grand Prix, of course being a Pontiac salesman/sales manager from 1985-2009 makes me biased! For most of these years, the Grand Prix was a great demo. Here are a few recollections of the w ody Grand Prix:
1988-1990 sold very well, all types of people came in to buy them, especially the fancy SE with 4 bucket seats. The turbo and STE models were crazy money back then and only sold if they were factory brass hat cars. The sedan sold very well in 1990 (some were quad 4 yuck!)
1991-1993 harder to sell unless b4u aero package coupe. 1992 demo stands out in my mind. It was a 3.4 b4u coupe with the 3.4 24 valve V-6 . Black with gold wheels. Great looking car. 3.4 not a very memorable engine or great performer in my opinion. NEVER wash the engine of a 3.4 (nice deep spark plug inserts to fill up with water). Still some quad 4 coupes and sedans to destroy future sales.
1994-1996 great seller! The smooth 3100 V-6 was a great improvement over the original 3.1. Repriced GTP and better looking sedans made for a great car. Dark teal was the hot color during these years.
1997-2000 great seller that people actually WANTED. Loaded GT/GTP coupes and sedans very hot items. 3100 se sedans hard to sell, especially with the plastic wheelcovers :(.
2001-2003 GTP still popular, but most of the others became lease/smartbuy giveaways to payment buyers. More base 3100 se sedans in the mix.
2004-2008 2004 sold well until about August 2003, theneveryone that wanted one got one. The orange 2004 GTP 24 hour test drive car remained in inventory until Feb 2007. Did not order any Grand Prix for stock from 2005-2008 unless begged by district rep to take a few. GXP was a great car however. In 2006 I found the sweet spot and started selling tons of Grand Prix: program cars with leather, fancy wheels, heated leather seats, electronic climate etc with under 20000 miles that could be profitably sold as GM certified for $13995 during the current model year. Strategy worked well with the 2007, but then the 2008s had the nice options (leather etc) but plastic wheel covers. Game up :(.
Then it all ended…..
I have to go with the 97-03 Grand Prix. My late grandad had 2 GT Sedans, a silver ’98 and a royal blue ’02. I distinctly remember my cousin and I being very excited to visit them in downstate Illinois and see their new car(we would have been like 5 y/o). The ’98 replaced their tauras based early 90’s Continental. It lived a fairly problem free life, taking over boat towing duties from their tired ’94 galant. It eventually migrated to the bay area with my aforementioned cousin as his first car. He totalled it within the year. When the Galant coughed up its transmission, it was replaced by a dealer’s ’02 GT. I remember riding 40 miles back from the dealership in tandem with my grandparents each driving twin grand prix’s.
The ’02 is still kicking with only 110xxx miles on it. My grandma doesn’t drive anymore and my folks use it as a second car. i pretty much learned how to drive on it (and the 98 as a kid on country roads). I drive it occasionally and it hauls ass compared to my civic. I remember hating how low the back seat in the 98 was in comparison to the window.
I still see tons of Grand Prix here in Chicago. Many are pretty beat, some with 24″ rims. They are fun cars, i just hate slushboxes.
I daily drive a 1996 Regal, the 4T60 died years ago so I did the L67 /4T65E-HD swap. With the old 3800 it was fun to drive but now with the supercharged one it’s a real blast.
I have no aspirations to replace the Regal, but I’ve thought often about buying a second first Gen W-body. Likely that would be a Cutlass Convertible or another Regal, also very partial to 91-92 Grand Prix.