Every Generation Chevy Impala Ranked By What They're Worth Today

One of Chevrolet's most popular historical mainstays is the Impala. Introduced in 1958 and remaining with the brand — barring a couple of brief hiatuses — until the automaker all but abandoned producing cars altogether, the Impala is a beloved General Motors icon. It has been through many changes in style, technology, consumer tastes, and company management, creating many classic models over the years. Over the years, the Impala has been seen as a coupe, sedan, convertible, and wagon, always fitting within the company hierarchy as a medium to full-size model near the top of the range.

With the Impala now out of production, all of them are fast becoming collector cars. However, there are still likely millions of unloved copies of the car languishing in barns and decrepit garages, waiting for new life. There are also plentiful examples of cherry-restored or all-original examples of the Impala that are kept for show, raced, or driven on sunny Sunday afternoons. Furthermore, the 10 different generations of Impala garner varying levels of interest and the valuations that accompany it. So, which one is the most valuable? 

It could be tricky to determine that exactly, but some less-than-scientific methods will probably do fine for our purposes of ranking each generation by value. Looking through a random sample of cars listed on Autotrader and Autotrader Classic, excluding those with elaborate modifications or requiring a full rebuild, we have determined an average value based on list prices of each generation. Here they are from the most affordable to the least.

Still too recent to have been awarded true classic or antique status, the eighth-generation Impala, produced from 2000 to 2005, comes in dead last in terms of value. These cars, during their time, were built by the millions to supply owners with a bit better than basic transportation. As a Chevrolet, it was never meant to be a premium or luxury car, but the Impala was never built solely for economy, either.

This Impala is a front-wheel-drive model with a choice of transversely-mounted 3.4 or 3.8-liter V6, offering from 180 to 200 horsepower through 4-speed automatic transmissions. These cars are relatively comfortable and originally came with better-than-adequate trimmings for the era. With fuel mileage above 20 mpg in combined driving, they offered economy competitive with contemporary 4-cylinder cars. 

Chevrolet also offered an SS version that came with a supercharged 3.8-liter V6 good for 240 horsepower. Trimmed with custom upholstery and graced with a rear spoiler and larger wheels, this car was never the ultimate in speed and power but was still a good runner and is the most sought-after of all the eighth-generation cars. The current average of Autotrader listings is $4,018.

[Featured image by MercurySable99 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

The period from around 1975 to 1985 is considered by some to be a dark age for the auto industry, even being dubbed the Malaise Era. Emissions regulations butted up against technology that had not advanced quickly enough to leave the world with cars that still ran too dirty while making a fraction of the power they had a generation before. American high-volume passenger cars could barely get out of their own way despite overwhelmingly being powered by V8 engines.

The sixth generation Impala, built from 1977 to 1985, is one of the least favored classics. The fact that these are no longer useful as reliable daily drivers and feature uninspired styling alongside woefully inadequate power plants makes them mostly unwanted classic cars. These Impalas had been downsized a bit from their predecessors and received the squared-off boxy styling so predominant at the time. Continuing in production through 1985, the Impala model was dropped altogether the following year in favor of the Caprice full-size model.

Some might say they are homely, while others revel in their nerdy vintage style. Regardless, they can be picked up rather affordably. Barring the many run-down junkers you can find of this vintage, average prices have crept up to $8,798 based on the available Autotrader listings. Many original condition models that are a little rough around the edges can be picked up for cheap, but other nicely restored and extremely well-preserved copies -– the cars that granny bought new and are just now being inherited -– drive the average up a bit.

A significant portion of Impalas currently sitting on lots of used car dealers are those of the ninth generation, made from 2006 to 2013. As these are barely more than a decade old, they are far from being called a classic, and many of them are beginning to be seriously worn out, with mileage hitting more than 200,000 miles. Cars today last much longer than they did years ago, but at 200,000 miles things tend to start coming apart all at once, making it prohibitively expensive to keep cars on the road. This will lead many of these to soon fill up spaces at salvage yards.

These Impalas, like their predecessors, also came with V6 engines driving the front wheels. Most of them are exceedingly dull cars, but the Impala SS received a 5.3-liter V8 stuffed under the hood and provided genuine performance. With 303 horsepower, the SS was a good-performing vehicle, although the styling remained a bit bland.

There are still hundreds of thousands of these cars on the road. While you could easily find many 2006 models completely worn out, there are likely just as many 2013 models in excellent running shape. There will also be everything in between. That said, the good-condition cars will raise the overall value, which stands at $18,306, based on our Autotrader sampling.

It should come as no surprise that the most recently built Impalas still hold a significant portion of their original value. The model line ended in 2020, making the tenth-generation Impala a prime candidate for Chevrolet dealer used car inventory. 

While it is out of production, the last Impalas are thoroughly modern cars equipped with ample technology and modern drivetrains. For the first time, Chevrolet offered the Impala with a 4-cylinder engine, the 2.5-liter Ecotec with 195 horsepower, leaving a V6 as optional. Choosing that one provides 305 horsepower, more than the previous generation's last V8. With the GM eAssist package, the 2.4-liter engine returns up to 35 mpg on the highway.

Inside these cars, you will find a touchscreen to handle music and navigation with MyLink infotainment system, and the upholstery and interior panels are refreshingly high quality. Safety features abound with a plethora of airbags, forward collision alerts, adaptive cruise control, and more. However, grabbing one of these still requires a healthy investment. The average price on Autotrader is $20,947.

By the time the '70s had rolled around, the Impala had grown to be the largest car offered by Chevrolet to date. Given that it was followed by a downsized car, it may still retain that title. This car was a full 18 feet long and nearly seven feet wide. It was offered as a convertible, coupe, and sedan with a choice of the Turbo-Thrift inline-6, Turbo-Fire 350 V8, Turbo-Jet 400 V8, or a big block Turbo-Jet 454 V8. The last option got you 365 horsepower, but with a curb weight of more than two tons, it had a lot to overcome to get it up to speed. Even so, it would surely be better than the 145 horsepower and 2-speed automatic with the 6-cylinder.

While these Impalas would not likely be considered as collectible as other cars of the period, such as a Dodge Challenger or Pontiac Trans Am, they did receive a boost in popularity in the '90s by being used as Donks. Donks are a unique breed of custom car that features bold custom paint jobs with matching interiors, hydraulic suspensions, and up to 32-inch rims, preferably coated in chrome or gold plating. They are very popular in the hip-hop community and the customizations can be both intricate and intense as well as costly.

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Setting aside the high values of custom cars like Donks, clean and original fifth-generation Impalas can still fetch a considerable price. Using Autotrader Classic to look up listings, the average of the nine listings available was $22,932. However, you should expect one with 32-inch rims and hydraulics to go for much more.

Cars from the late '60s have been popular collector rides for years. The fourth generation Impala, in particular, has been seeing a resurgence as recently as 2019. 

This generation, which was sold from 1965 to 1970, could be configured in an array of body styles from the factory, including two-door convertibles, two-door hardtop coupes, four-door coupe, four-door sedan, four-door two-seat station wagon, and even a four-door three-seat wagon. Furthermore, Chevrolet provided many engine options, ranging from a base inline-6 to small-block and big-block V8s with several combinations of carburetors and intake manifolds. These are great-looking cars that are big without being oversized like their successors. They also come from the muscle car heyday and many came with high-performance packages from the factory.

The SS package was and is the most sought-after on a classic Impala. In 1965, you could get an Impala SS 327, while later SS models could have a 396 or 427 under the hood with plenty of tire-roasting horsepower. As these cars are more than a half-century old, all original models will be exceedingly rare but not non-existent. Regardless, restored models will still cost you. The average asking price on Autotrader – which does not include any prestigious auction houses — is currently $43,939.

The Impala of the early '60s is a fine-looking carThe Impala of the early '60s is a fine-looking car. It has long been a valuable collector car that received a huge boost in popularity by being featured in some hip-hop tunes in the '80s and '90s. This model was immortalized by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg in "Let Me Ride" as well as in Eazy-E's "It's On," where he rapped that he was "Cruisin' down the street in my '64." These cars were popularized as lowriders -– cars customized with ornate paint and upholstery and set up with hydraulic suspensions, often with 13-inch wire wheels at the corners. These cars are also fixtures in scores of rap music videos from across the eras.

Long before hip-hop burst on the scene, the third-generation Impala was a sensible family car, available as a convertible, coupe, sedan, or wagon. Chevrolet offered five engine choices for this generation ranging from the 3.8-liter Turbo-Thrift inline-6 to the big 409 V8 and, for 1963 only, the 427 V8. The revised styling for 1961 gave buyers an attractive car with more subdued lines from its predecessor, favoring clean and straight lines with an overall more rectangular look with soft corners.

These Impalas are extremely valuable and sought after today. Not only do they continue to be popular with lowriders and the hip-hop set, but clean, restored, and original condition cars are also in demand at prestigious auction houses across the country. Despite the passing of 60 years since these cars were built, Autotrader Classics had 170 active listings for Impalas from 1961 to 1964 at the time of writing. The unmodified but drivable cars yield an average asking price of $62,449.

When Chevrolet designers changed the Impala for the 1959 model year, they started the transition from the wildly curvy jet-inspired styling that dominated the '50s toward the more conservative and straight-line look that prevailed in the following decade. It retained some of its curves but blended straight lines and creases in a move toward the more rectangular look that followed. However, more conservative and transitional styling in no way meant a less appealing design.

The continued influence of the jet age is apparent in this generation, particularly due to the decorative side strakes that begin halfway down the car with a jet-shaped ornament followed by paint flourishes that mimic jet engine exhaust. This is accented by the trunk lid, which features the wide v-shape of jetliner wings. The bubble-top canopy further accentuates its aviation-inspired look. Engine options included small-block and big-block V8s, with Chevrolet even offering Rochester fuel injection on this model, even if few buyers checked that box. Some of the most desirable cars today came from the factory with the famous 409 immortalized by the Beach Boys.

With only two years of production, buyers affix a serious premium to these Impalas in good shape. Autotrader Classics shows 51 listings nationwide at the time of writing – which is far fewer than third-generation car listings — with an average price of $66,170.

1958 was a busy year for Chevrolet. Turmoil beset the American auto industry with the decline of brands such as Nash, Hudson, Studebaker, and Packard, leading Chevrolet to revamp nearly its entire lineup. New for 1958 in the Chevrolet lineup was the Biscayne, the Yeoman, and, of course, the Impala. The Corvette had recently received a V8 engine, and the Bel Air became one of America's favorite cars. Although the budget-friendly Delray and Yeoman wagon wouldn't make it to the 1960s, the Impala would go on to be one of the brand's most successful models ever.

While the Impala survived its first model year, it was thoroughly redesigned shortly after it arrived, leaving the inaugural Impala as a single-year model, which makes it very rare. It is shaped and styled very much like a product of the '50s, which means curvy surfaces are abundant, along with shiny chrome trim and bright paint colors. Those who opted for more than the base inline-6 engine could choose between the 283 or 348 V8 with choices of carburetors, including a triple 2-barrel setup, or Ram-Jet fuel injection, which was a rarely chosen and expensive option that cost $488 in 1958 dollars.

You should expect that a single-year model of a now cherished automobile would command high prices, and it does. The convertibles are particularly valuable, especially when equipped with the 348 and triple carburetors. The most meticulous restorations sold at prestige auctions are likely to attract the highest bids, but on the pages of Autotrader Classic, the average hits $102,659.