Welcome back! It’s officially autumn as of this week, which means it’s time to start thinking about plans for the winter. For some car folks, especially in places that like to go crazy with the road salt, that means finding a sacrifical lamb to get you through the snowy months while your prides and joys stay safe and dry inside. Today we’re going to check out two such cars, from two such places.
Yesterday’s project cars brought out plenty of support for both options, but the idea of a desirable generation of Chevy truck, in running and driving condition, for less than three grand, was hard to resist. And in fact, that truck has already been sold, it looks like. Best of luck to it in its new life; I can’t imagine anything will be harder on it than ranch work.
And thank you to the VW aficionados for the clarification about the Squareback’s floors. I was told, ages ago, that they were a simple bolt-in affair; apparently that’s not quite the case. As always, I regret the error, and I will endeavor to step up my research in the future whenever necessary.
Now, as anyone who has ever lived in the Midwest knows, winter is not the time of year for enjoying your favorite car, whatever it may be. Snow, road salt, and bad driving all threaten to destroy your baby, and while there are ways to mitigate all of them, only one thing can truly keep it safe from the winter: being parked in a garage, away from all that crap. But you still have to get around, so why not find something already a little bit ruined, but still reliable? You don’t have to spend a ton on it, either; just find something “good enough.” These two look like they fit the bill. Let’s check them out.
2002 Hyundai Santa Fe – $1,800
Engine/drivetrain: 2.7 liter dual overhead cam V6, four-speed automatic, 4WD
Location: Lansing, IL
Odometer reading: 146,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Looking back, a Hyundai SUV seemed like an inevitability. SUVs took off in the mid-1990s, just as Hyundai finally started to figure out how to make decent cars. The only real question is why did it take the Korean giant until 2001 to get in on the action?
The Santa Fe is a car-based SUV, what’s now known as a crossover, though I don’t recall hearing that term in the early 2000s. It has a transversely-mounted V6 engine driving either the front or all four wheels. This one is 4WD, with a four-speed automatic transmission. It runs and drives just fine, according to the seller, and has good heat and air conditioning. What more do you need for a winter beater?
The interior photos we get in the ad are terrible. Seriously, these are the best ones. From what I can see, it looks all right, though I do wish they’d cleaned it out. Maybe they were trying to show off how many cupholders it has, though the water bottle on the seat says that there are one too few.
On the outside, you can tell it’s a Chicago-area car. There’s quite a bit of rust in the rocker panels, and I have a feeling that those ill-fitting aftermarket flares on the rear wheel arches are hiding more. But we’re not talking about a restoration candidate here; we’re talking about a cheap way to get through until the snow melts.
2006 Chevrolet Impala LS – $1,500
Engine/drivetrain: 3.5 liter overhead valve V6, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Cambridge, MN
Odometer reading: 265,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives, I assume
For almost three decades, the Impala nameplate rode on the back of RWD, body-on-frame sedans with V8 engines. When the Impala name resurfaced in 2000 on the FWD replacement for the Lumina, a lot of old-school Chevy fans weren’t happy. But Chevy had already done the same thing to the Malibu and Monte Carlo nameplates, so it didn’t matter much. Besides, the new Impala was a pretty nice car.
This is the second generation of the FWD Impala, with a 3.5 liter “High Value” V6, a development of the old 60-degree V6 that GM built forever, only with variable valve timing to bump up the power and efficiency. It drives the front wheels through a 4T65-E overdrive automatic. The ad doesn’t actually say how well it runs, but it’s bad optics for a dealership like this to advertise a non-running car and not disclose it. I have to assume it runs and drives.
It’s a grandma-spec Impala, with a split bench seat and a column-mounted shifter. I kind of prefer this setup in this car, actually; it’s not sporty in the least, so why not make it comfortable? It’s in surprisingly good shape for a pre-bankruptcy GM car with 265,000 miles on it. This must have been a sales rep’s car or something, someone who spent a lot of time on the road, but who also never ate in the car.
It’s getting rusty, and as is typical, it’s worse on the driver’s side. It’s rusting from the inside out, which means it’s worse than it looks already. But again, it just has to last the winter.
The lifecycle of ordinary cars like these is one of depreciation, wear and tear, and eventual scrapping. They’re not meant to last forever. But when they get this cheap, if you can get just one more winter out of them, and save some other car from the ravages of salt and snow, then they have done their job. Which one do you think would make a better beater?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
For that modest price difference, I’d go for the Hyundai with the far lower mileage.
Plus it’s basically a station wagon… so it will be more useful for hauling bulky items.
Going to go with the old “runs poorly longer” choice here, IE the Impala, it’s also the cheapest option which is the goal of a winter beater.
If I remember correctly this generation of Impala was the last non truck vehicle to offer a front bench seat in the usdm.
You may be right, it outlasted the Ford Panther platform by a few years.
Not really a bad choice between the two, but push comes to shove I’ll take the Hyundai. It’s just a bit more practical for my needs.
But seeing these winter beaters makes me so happy to live in the arid west. We get snow, but I can drive my 22-year old Ranger all winter and see nary a hint of rust after all these years (knock wood).
Interesting how places where they build a lot of cars also salt the ever-loving crap out of their roads…
The mission is simple: get from A to B. So on the basis of intangibles, I gotta go Hyundai. The styling is simple and pleasant. The Impala looks like some weird nerd who’s going to fact-check your grocery list. I’ve never really liked the kinda-retro-but-not-really thing they did when reviving old names in those days. Plus, fold the seats down or rip ’em out, and it’s actually cavernous back there!
This is a toss up, as both would presumably do the trick. I would take the Impala. I can assure you, that Santa Fe is just as, if not more rusty underneath than the Impala. Both probably have a max of 2 years of service life yet, but at least the Impala will shuttle you around in reasonable comfort compared to the Santa Fe.
Comes down to which is less crusty really, I’m also guessing the Chevy. It looks like it may have a chance at passing PA safety inspection. The missing (duct tape) rockers on the Santa Fe are an automatic no go.
I’ll take the Impala.
Had a coworker with this generation Santa Fe here in northern IL. Salty winter roads weren’t kind to these and over a decade ago it had a rotted out subframe, exhaust issues and the fuel tank nearly fell out of it. All that rust has soured me on these, and the one here looks worse than his did when it started falling apart.
Trusty rusty GM for me. The entire body can he holier than the Bible, the suspension can be held together with hopes and dreams, but it’ll begrudgingly plow through the slush and salt just fine. I can hear the exhaust leak already.
Had both of these when I lived in the frozen north. The Hyundai handles the snow pretty darn well, all things considered, but the Impala wasn’t bad for what it was (a cheap company fleet vehicle). I’m going with the Hyundai, but just barely.
I definitely prefer the Impala, but you’d better inspect the subframe/suspension mounts carefully first. That’s what kills these. And maybe the occupants if one isn’t careful.
It seems like the rust is always worse on the left side of the car. I think it’s because of splash thrown at you by oncoming cars when you’re on a two-lane road covered with half-snow, half-slush, half-salt.
SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!!!
I mean, uh, gosh, where does the time go? I’d better get busy.
Counterpoint: Wooohooo!!! Goodbye triple digit heat!!! Can’t wait to throw on a sweater when the mercury finally falls to 70 in December.
I get both worlds were i am. 99% humitidy at 90 degrees f in the summer. And 20 and below during the winter.
I already have a 2004 Impala winter beater that I drive all year round. Picking the Hyundai for the 4WD and haulability
Unless the frame is absolutely Swiss cheese I’m taking the Hyundai. AWD and a wagon to haul a bunch of home depot stuff in there. Use it until the end of February or March and then unload it onto someone else.
I’d trade you a Big Mac with a custom swiss cheese interior for it.
My best friend has an 08 Impala LS as a winter beater and daily driver, it’s from California though so even though it has around 260k miles like that one for sale, it has zero rust. I joke all the time that his car will do everything ever asked of it in a mediocre way for as long as one will tolerate it. It’s not quite a penalty box, but it’s not swathing you in any kind of luxury either. They do feel sort of cheap inside but they are automotive cockroaches.
Is it commonly thought that a split bench is the more comfortable option? I’ve never thought so. I vastly prefer my own bucket.
I always felt like center consoles in cars like this got kind of encroach-y. The bench feels more spacious, which is I guess what I meant. Either configuration is probably equally comfortable.
Can confirm. More space is generally more comfy.
No way! Unless you LIKE banging your knee on a hard plastic console.
*random redneck raises their hand*
Going Hyundai for the 4WD and would throw on some cheap snows if I’m doing a lot of driving out there. Both of these cars have a limited life left due to what lies beneath so I’ll pick the more winter capable car today. The Impala’s not bad but that is a lot of miles for a Chevy that has already spent 18 years doing winter duty.
We had this same Santa Fe. It was a pretty good vehicle. It actually did good off-roading too. Ours had about 170K miles on it when we sold it.
I’m going with the Hyundai in this case
If I’m buying a beater might as well make it 4WD so I voted Hyundai. Both would be fine for a year or two of winter duty.
I bet the Impala has the Check Engine light on *chef kiss*
It will run bad for long but nothing will kill it. They own the highway, you better move if you see one in your rear mirror because they are not stopping.
EGR Valve = GM tax
Cries in Chevy Volt*
This era of Hyundai products felt like they all tapped out around this mileage with some fix that cost more than just junking the thing.
This was the tail end of the GM era where they might run shitty, but they still run.
I’m going GM this round even with 100k more miles it’ll serve it’s purpose as a beater with a less complicated drive train.
I’d take the Hyundai with 4WD as an all year daily… if I could afford it. 😛
Thanks Mark.
But even using my internet money here.
It’s too late to have a debate about these pieces of shit.
Neither.
I had an Impala of this vintage. Bought it brand new. It seemed like a nice car, and the trunk was enormous. However, it ate tires like there was no tomorrow. Even with regular rotations, I had to replace 4 worn out tires in less than two years. It was my wife’s car, and she’s a very conservative driver. The dealer insisted it was because she regularly drove over a single set of railroad tracks, knocking it out of alignment.
So I voted Hyundai.
What if it WAS the railroad tracks?…
It wasn’t a particularly rough crossing, and I drove over the same tracks in my SUV regularly with no effect. And the vehicle we replaced the Impala with (Mazda5) had no issues. My wife’s previous car (Buick Rendezvous) also had no problem.
Kinda indicates to me that the crossing wasn’t the issue.
Well my only experience with railroad crossings is in an N64 game where you lose all tires if going 40mph+ over them. J/So I believe I am a qualified authority on train track tire wear and alignment issues.
I still feel like it was an alignment issue. My family had several cars on this platform and never had that issue. Including 2 impalas, a monte carlo, and a couple grand prixes? Not sure how to spell that but you get the point. All were great cars and I have had terrible luck with Korean cars so Chevy gets my fake money today
Grands Prix, like Attorneys General.
Learn something new every day. Thanks!
Now matter how lame or stupid it is, I always learn something everyday.
There was a headline in The Onion years ago about William Safire (famously a stickler for precise language) ordering “two Whoppers Junior”.
Now there is actually a BK commercial in which the narrator refers to “two Whopper Juniors”. 🙁
The 2.7 in the Hyundai is actually a pretty good motor. It’s not fast or efficient, but it’s durable.
My aunt and uncle had one for the longest time, then they upgraded to a newer version.