OUCH TAZ: <------ Have we met? Im guessing you have something about being 50+ doing car shows??? cruiseing????

Augi:
As one 5th Gen owner to another....
Id say she has Character, History, Definately personality!
I can vouch for being a 50 yr old and cruiseing and showing mine!
Its a Great Thing to be able to have the mileage, the story, and the ability
to bring her back to life!
I have owned mine since it was new from the factory and I wouldnt trade, sell her for the world!

I say Keep her! What a great story to tell your kids in the future! and pass it on to them!

 

Augi, if I could do it over again I would've bought a truck before my other car... Just something to ponder.

 

Not at all. My comment was not a put down of people over 50. It was more of a question about the age of the car, and his intentions for the car. Dustin (Augi) is in his 20's. So my question to him was can he picture himself driving his Monte to shows and cruises when it's 40 years old about 25 years from now. (he'd be in his 50's by then)

For example...

Cars that are around 40 years old now. Some you see at cruises and shows all the time. Like Camaros and Mustangs. Some you don't. Like a Ford Pinto for example.

When the 5th and 6th gen Montes become 40 years old, do you think they'll be considered classics and be seen at shows and cruises everywhere? Personally, I hope so. And I plan on having my Dale Jr Monte too. (will people know who the he11 Dale Jr is by then?)

 

I was Just messn with ya! (Im 59)

However, Unlike Most Montes on the road today...The Majority of us Definately have the "unique" ones.... whether there Dale jrs, Dale sr's, Jeff Gordons, SS's Or the Customized ones like our members here.. Or even like Augi's that have a unique history....
I believe they will become classics! Lets face it... MonteCarlo owners are as Unique as the Monte's they drive (at least here on the forum)... Maybe we will be the ones that make them Classics? 15 yrs old is a Classic...and I believe 25 yrs and older make them Antiques....
I dont see in the future.. Chevrolet reviveing the MonteCarlo anytime soon! .... What do you think?

 

i'll probably spent like 8 grand on my 99z34 in the past two year on my monte so im definitely keeping mine especially since it gunna be 1 of 2 novi powered. i'm shooting for a modest 350whp. bout to hit 75k soon. it i hadnt put that money into the car probably would gone a down payment for a g8 gt and still kept the monte as a 2nd car.

 

1 of 2... 5th Gens?

 

I myself have kept considering the 5th gen to be a classic monte since day 1... It doesn't have the monte fender flares, it was the first fwd monte carlo, and it was the only one not offered in ss, but a z34 package.
Sadly though, it is a rarer model if you think about it... It was the only w-body with the gen 1.5 suspension

 

great point!

i never looked at it that way before...thanks!

Just one more reason to hang on to her Augi.

 

i wish they had put the gen 2 suspension so we could at least upgrade to bigger rotors and get adjustable struts without having to spend a fortune.

yeah there has been alot of 6th monte outfitted with the novi dont know how many are still around

 

sound card
hpt
For many people they still adhere to "old" car mentality of 100,000-150,000 miles is a death sentence of age for a car. Today's cars average (under proper maintenance) 200,000-300,000. I sold my '94 Grand Am with 215,000 miles. In one circle of my friend's I am the nut case to think a car could last 200,000 miles with reasonable cost of repair (I proved it can be done). The problem is, realistically, if you have to rely 100% on this car, how far can you expect it to last before something serious happens. I originally bought my Monte in '08 when the '94 had 150ish on it, this way if I started it up some morning and the drive train puked, I already had my vehicle of choice waiting (plans have changed since, hence the '02 Grand AM).
Com'on, an 80's Cavvy! Who wouldn't wanna go to a cruisin with that gem lol! I think classic is truly in the eye of the beholder. For some, it's sentimental value. It's being able to relive the "first car" experience or hold on to fond memories, no matter what the car is. I've usually considered classic and historical as the same (historical in the sense a car is old enough to get "historical plates" and in my location that's 25 years). But just because it classifies as classic/historical does not mean people care about the car and if no one cares about it, well, it's just another relic. In my area you can get "collector" plates and I think that is the license bureau basically pre-declaring the car as a future classic (as to get those plates the car has to be listed in a book of "collector" cars (some of that lists cars that were limited production) OR if you can provide documentation as to why your car deserves collector plates.

Don't talk about me and my '84 Camaro like that lol. In my case, she's in the garage and I have collected some of what I need to accomplish my future goals. Still a long road ahead (and I need to stop being my worst enemy, hence why even during these winter days, I'm finding ways to get to the garage and clean up some of my mess).
You touched a lot of great points Taz. And Augi, you're getting a lot of opinions. It's a lot of information to weigh. Personally, if I were in your shoes and truly loved the car and hoped to still have it at age 50 as a cruiser, I think it hangs in the balance of can you afford to park it and restore it while having a different car for a daily driver. I know you vested a lot of effort into saving this Monte from death's door (so it becomes something special). There are so many ways to go with this. I hoping you at least have the time to make a well thought out decision as well as discuss it with you significant other (cars are big to store and get expensive as a hobby).