Hey guys - a few of you might remember that I posted this thread asking what to be aware of with the 2000 Monte Carlos.

School's finally over and I'm starting to get back into the search for cars; I still think it would be a blast to drive if I can get one for around my budget ($3000).

Two more 2000 Monte Carlos SS's have popped up about an hour and a half away from where I'm at. One has 119K on it and the asking price is $3800. The other has 193k and is listed for $3200. I know that the 3800 motor is one that will last well beyond 200k if it's been well taken care of...Obviously the 119k car would probably be a safer bet, but it's also a bit farther out of my range.

I'm hoping to start test driving a couple Monte Carlos in my area so that when I get to the point where I go check out a possible car to buy I know what to look for.

Do you guys have any thoughts you'd like to throw in? I'm just hoping that a 2000 MC isn't too old and will last me a couple years while I finish up college.

Cheers!

 

Mine has 249,874 its a 2001 SS and its running like a champ no problems at all runs better than my moms 2008 grand prix

 

I hate high mileage cars and am thinking of selling off my monte at 107k. You might want to take those car to a mechanic to be looked at. You can't pick a monte for under $5k here. They probably need LIM gaskets.

 

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of super high-mile cars myself, but the 3800 motor can last well above 200k if it's been well taken care of. I've heard that the gaskets usually go at around 100k so if they've already been replaced, that would definitely be a bonus.

193k is definitely a lot of miles on a car, but if it's been well-maintained, it might last me long enough to graduate from college (about a year) and get a different kind of car.

 

IMO when looking at high miles, you need to be reasonable in what you expect. A car around 100K to me (generically) can be worth about $3000-$4000 (that's generically any car, about 10 years in age give or take).

I expect a modern car to get 200,000 with minimal issues (I'm driving a '94 Grand Am with about 220,000 and I did head gaskets at 180,000 back in '09, everything else has been minimal and easy for the most part, body rot is my biggest problem).

I've read Bonneville guys have a formula to get 300,000 easy out of a modern Bonnie. One thing to take into account, it's ALL moving parts. How many movements/revolutions and such can these parts take before having a failure. The higher the miles, the great the odds.

No matter what, it's a gamble. It comes down to how well was the car cared for and how was it driven. When shopping for a reliable used car, when you are shelling out big money, you need to really look it over and get a feel (not trust the seller's word, but actually do some looking) to see how it was treated. Pop the hood, look at, feel and smell fluids. Look under the car, inside the car, anything and everything.

Now, my wife is driving a '05 Impala we bought for $500 with 150,000 miles on a 3400. I did not really hesitate at that and I BARELY looked it over. We knew from the get-go it had a bad trans. I had to make a decision in less then 24 hours. I figured if we were not happy, did not wanna get the trans changed/fixed, I could make our $500 back (car's LOWEST KBB is $3000 something, so I'm sure opprotunity was there). Had a salvage trans popped in, did a LOT of neglected maintenance and that car is TIP TOP now 2 years later. No issues beyond a pair of wheel bearings.

 

Totally agree- if the 100k mile car was beaten on, neglected, etc- then it could be a real money pit as well. I've seen some 100k mile cars that were practically ready for the junkyard due to neglect.

With that said- in my opinion, a 200k mile car is realistically just about done. Even if well maintained- that is a lot of wear and tear. I know you think the engine itself is still good- but the short block is only one of many components of the car- there are all kinds of other things which have accumulated wear due to all the use in that time- transmission, suspension joints, brakes, fuel pump, even down to the CD player.

Everyone has their own experiences with high mileage cars- its just from what I've seen- hitting around 200k, the car is nearly worthless- so you've got to watch how much you put into repairs. Say you have something major pop up- transmission, or something- it just isn't worth the money to keep it running, since you have to consider the risk of how many more repairs could pop up in the near future- and the fact that you won't get any of your money back out of it when you go to sell it at 225k, 230k, etc (IE you buy the car for $3k, drop $1500 into a major repair, then can only sell the whole thing for $1500 or $2000 later).

 

Well said Bumpin'! A well cared for 100K modern car to me is just past "broken in". But 200K is the new 100K....

What amazes me is I've been looking at car listings and for years I used to say "Get $3000-$4000, you can buy about a 9-11yr old car with 100K in awesome shape (someone who took great care of it and dumped it because of the 100K stigma)". Now I look and either cash-for-clunkers destroyed that market OR people now see that 100K miles is not what it used to be.

I am seeing 10+ year old cars with 150+ ASKING $4000-$6000! I think these people are NUTS!! I saw an '02 Impala with 175K, power doors, windows, sun roof, has a check engine light (current owner had to pass emissions check last time 2 years ago by spending enough for what I call "the pity pass"), read trunk lifts are shot, he wants $1850 and is FIRM on the price. Seriously, high miles, a check engine code he does not know what it is and 10 years old. I think it's a bit much to be "firm" on the price myself....

 

Food for thought. Miles aren't everything, Even if the wear items and broken parts have been replaced, you still have age affected stuff. My 2004 at 107k is going to be in need of a filler neck, and brake lines just due to the winter around here.

 

Awesome replies, guys! Good information.

I'd say I definitely agree with pretty much all of what you guys are saying...I don't plan on finding a car on craigslist or something and just going and buying it. I think I'm kind of set on a Monte (unless you guys have other suggestions), and I'm hoping to start test driving some from a dealer just to see how they perform and what I should be looking for if I buy from a private seller. (Again, any major stuff I should ask/look at? Intake manifolds replaced yet, etc)

Regarding the pricing of Monte's. I'm seeing a lot of these 2000-2002 Monte's that look like they're in decent condition, but owners are asking 4k, even up to 6k for them and that's just too much for me to pay.

Here's some more questions to pick your guys' brains:
1) Many of the ads that I'm seeing are possibly in my price range ($3800 [kinda high] to around $3200) and they often say $x,xxx or best offer.
If the car has higher miles (120k+), should I try and offer them less for it? In my opinion, a 12 year old car is pretty darn old and shelling out 4k+ for that just seems ridiculous - I could be wrong though.

2) What's the best place to get price quotes for parts on a Monte Carlo? One ad I saw says that it'll need these parts on it:

• passengers side power window switch
• left rear speed censor
• tires
• front bumper(broken)

I think I would want to figure in the prices of those parts and see what those could end up costing me.

Thanks guys!

 

My 2002 is now over the 210,000 km mark... ... I have always changed the oil on time and kept up all aspects of the maintenance... Result, it still pulls like a freight train and is as quick as ever at WOT... As stated, it all depends how much TLC was invested... Have it checked out by a reputable mechanic before buying because it is not the amount of miles on it, but the pride of ownership put into it...