Was looking to purchase a 2001 Monte Carlo SS pace car. It has 158000 miles the interior is in excellent shape, the body is in great shape except for in front of the rear tires needs patched and the rocker panels are completely rusted and will need replacement. The floorboards and suspension are in decent shape. Wanted to get an idea of what the value of it would be. It is a one-owner vehicle with excellent maintenance records and It has all the certificates and documentation to verify it is a pace car. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks all.

 

Check that rear quarter panel (around the gas filler). Check the strut towers in the trunk. Check for sludge in the radiator, overflow bottle and oil fill cap. Any records for intake manifold gasket work? Dexcool eats those gaskets and thats pretty high mileage if they have not been replaced. Thats what the "check for sludge" is about. Hows the trans fluid look? Again, pretty high mileage if the trans hasnt been replaced or rebuilt. The trans in these cars suck although there is the rare case of them lasting 200k. About the certificate, that doesnt raise the value unfortunately unless you personally want to pay more because of it. Once those rocker panels rust, you usually need serious repair under them to reattach. Im probably missing some things that you should check...

As for value, I cant really say anything on that. Theres others here much more knowledgeable than me on this.

 

Looks like the front fender was possibly replaced (I don't see the checker board decal on it). If so, could be a sign it was in an accident. Since you are talking about a car with actual driven miles, plus rust (proving it was not even a summer car), I would not worry about "collector" value, it's not there unless the car is to be fully restored. As for a value, asking people are going to shoot opinions on what they think it is worth. You have to look around at what's available and figure out actual market value. I would compare it with any 01 Monte SS with a High Sport package (it's the ground fx, wheels and spoiler, like what the pace car has). Also check with KBB and Nada and just average things out. But depending on the rocker rot, you *MIGHT* want to walk away.

 

IMO we can't really give an accurate assessment without seeing some pics of the rust. Sounds like rockers are shot and the rear fenders are rusting through? How about inside the top of the strut towers? How are the metal lines (brake and fuel) - especially at the bends?

Given these cars aren't worth that much to start with (especially with that high of mileage) severe rust issues like this generally get them down to junkyard scrap value. Thats because the average person can't do advanced body work like this and shops charge a fortune via hourly rate to do get this stuff all fixed up. If someone really wants a clean 6th gen, its usually cheaper to just buy one from a southern state vs trying to do all this work.

If you've got the ability to do that kind of repair on your own, I'd offer absolute bare minimum as theyre not going to have people lining up to throw money at them with that kind of condition.