One Owner, Daily Driven 1996 Impala SS is Proud of its Scars
Despite its numerous issues, this Impala SS is still a desirable performance sedan.
The LT1 powered, Caprice based Impala SS of the mid-1990s is quickly becoming a sought-after collectible. We found this well-loved, well-used example on Craigslist in Columbus, Ohio.
This black-on-grey 1996 Impala SS has seen some better days. It’s being sold by the original owner, who has put over 100,000 miles on the car. He’s not sure on the exact mileage — the odometer stopped working a while ago.
Its powerful (for the time) LT1 V8 is still chugging along, with no issues reported by the seller. It’s had the troublesome Optispark system serviced, and it’s also got a new battery, fresh tires, and a performance stainless steel exhaust system. The seller advises that the air conditioning system has been serviced as well.
Cruising the Mean Streets
As evidenced by the mileage and the broken odometer, the car is far from perfect. Twenty-odd years of daily driving will do that to you, and it wears its battle scars proudly. In fact, we’d say that it wears the bruises and scars of two decades of daily driving duty with slightly more grace than, say, a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord of the same year.
There’s paint flaked off on various places on the body. For whatever reason, domestic manufacturers in the 1990s simply could not figure out black or white paint.
To this day, it’s a common sight to see bleached-out black and white ’90s cars from Ford, GM, and Chrysler with huge patches of paint missing. Considering that, this Impala SS is actually doing pretty well.
We’re almost certain that there are a ton of small dings and dents that we can’t see from the photos. The seller does point out one particularly bad spot of damage. From the photo provided, it looks like someone backed into the left rear quarter panel, damaging the taillight as well.
Inside the Impala, the driver’s seat base is broken. The seat upholstery itself looks more like the victim of an overzealous kitten than 100,000 miles of daily use.
Even with all of these issues, the seller is still asking $6,500 for the car. He’ll probably get close to that from someone who plans of repairing the car’s issues and enjoying it as a modern classic. These cars are in high demand, and prices are on the rise.
Photos: Craigslist
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