Need some help and information.

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I have no knowledge of this engine but even common problems are usually
pretty rare and mostly occur randomly. I don't think you can get any
meaningful idea of the chances of either of these particular cars developing
that problem. Even if one had twice the chance, that still does not mean
that that particular one will have the problem and the other will not. Or
that either one will or will not have a different serious problem. In
general, all cars are pretty reliable but all of them are subject to minor
or serious problems.

This may not help you at all, but it's the way I look at it. If there is a
clear cut choice, then that is the proper choice. Otherwise I think you take
your best guess and hope for the best outcome.

Don Young

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I don't know anything about the larger Impala engines.
There is definitely a intake gasket leak problem with
the Malibu 3.1 V6 engine, but that doesn't relate at
all to Impala engines. Maybe there's an Impala
usenet group?

What your paying for is peace of mind. The 3.4 has the intake leak problem about a 700 - 800 dollar fix. The gaskets have been redesigned to reduce leakage problems. It is a very reliable engine if its taken care of.

The 3.8l engine has an oil pan leakage problem. This is also an 800 dollars fix. This is also a very reliable engine. more horsepower here and the same gas mileage.

I have a supercharged 3.8 and it has 159k miles on it. 32 miles a gallon on the highway. Its been great.

Brakes and hubs are the only other real problems with W body cars.

I own a 2002 Chevy Impala with 3.4L Engine and yes my lower intake manifold had a gasket leak also. So if you have this problem I suggest when repairing the leak, you should also change out the water pump, thermostat, radiator, spark plugs and wires. Also flush out the heating coil too. If you don't , you will run into more problems. I did all this to my vehicle in February and it's running great now. Unfortunately, I spent lots of money on small things before getting to the major problem, so save yourself the headache and lots of mooney by doing it all at once.

Before I begin, I want to say that I come form a long-loyal GM family, that being said, I feel betrayed. I own a 1996 Monte Carlo that had the 3.1l and it had the intake gasket problem BAD! First the water pump went out, then the coolant literally poured into the oil. Bad JuJu, a few thousand dollars later, I find out that GM didn't even put out a TSB for that problem, which means they 'fixed' it with the SAME FAULTY PARTS!! Needless to say, I have the problem again!

Also, I own a 2005 Impala. I have never had anything big go wrong yet, but I have had a very diverse list of strange and small things go on with that car. The dash pieces separate, no hot air on the drivers side, mysterious burning smells coming form driver's side rear tire, it burns through brakes faster that Dennis Leary burns through a pack of cigs, strange crud building up in the cooling system even though the owners manual says it is good for 150,000 miles...All of which the GM dealer says is "Normal." If that is what they consider normal, do what I decided to do and not buy another one. No wonder GM needs a 10 billion dollar government bailout on top of the 35 billion they are already giving the Big Three!

Thanks for the replies Don and Russ. I'll look carefully for any leaks on
both and then
go with the one we feel is best. Appreciate the help.

There is no Impala group that I could find. This was the closest.

Bob...

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I believe the intake manifold leaks were mostly on the 3.4 and were taken
care of by 2004.

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