Hey, i'm in the market for a first car and being a monte lover i would ofc want a Monte as my first, a 6th gen pre face lift to be exact, i was wondering to all of you lucky owners about maintenance costs, costs of owning one, what's the driving experience like, common issues, things to look for when buying, ya know, general owning experience and common flaws to look for, and for reference id be using it as a daily driver for work, school, etc,

Thanks For Reading, Yall Have A Wonderful Evening

 

Fortunately these are about as economical to repair of a vehicle as you can possibly get. They're easy to work on, are generally pretty reliable, and parts can be found just about anywhere.

The real downside at this point is the age/mileage as theyre getting up there. So thats the most important thing to look at - how well it's been maitained and driven.

The two items I'd look at first:
-Transmission. If you look at some of these super high mileage cars that intend to own the car long term and keep 100% on top of maintenance, they still tend to go through 2 or 3 transmissions over the course of 500k. Not saying you're looking to push it that far, but that does mean if you get something with 100k, 150k+, you may be nearing end of life on the transmission. I'd check fluid color / condition, and pay ultra close attention to how it shifts.

-Body rot/ rust. In rust belt states this is certainly in the top 2 or 3 things that put these cars in the junkyard. Regardless where you're buying it in the country, look at the history of where it has lived. If it's ever been in am area with salt + snow, closely inspection the rockers and strut towers.

 

Alright ill add that to my notes, and nice '96 Monte!!

 

Thanks!

 

Bumpin' pretty much said the shortest answer.

The GM 3400 and 3800 offered in these cars are BOTH good engines (I have lots of experience with both of the and they are very solid and reliable). The 3800 in a Monte (and the 3800 Supercharged) is what most people look for.

As bumpin' said, cost effective, parts to keep them running are readily available and inexpensive, pretty easy to work on.

I would suggest you look at these threads for some additional information:
https://montecarloforum.com/forum/fw...0-miles-46078/
https://montecarloforum.com/forum/fw...lutions-30154/

 

well shoot those are hanes manual in a forum lmao definitely adding those to my notes thank you very much

and is that a pace car i see? Niceeee i like what you did with the hood showing the engine

 

I wanted the 2003 Monte Pace Car (which is a blue and silver car). Back in 2008 when I was shopping it was impossible to find one in my price range. Instead, I ended up with a 2004 Blue and Silver (same blue as the Pace Car I wanted). Never looked back. Thrilled with this car. The hood effect in that pics was thanks to a good friend of mine. A few things have changed under the hood since that was done (and thanks to a change in Ohio law, I no longer have the front license plate on the Monte).

 

im a Californian, my parents had a 02 SS High Sport Black On Black, and we always kept the plate cover on keeping the front looking perfect, we got a couple tickets for it but it was worth it lol

 

I have gotten tickets in Ohio for not having a front plate on a couple other cars. When I bought the Monte, it did not have the license plate blank, I had to get one and have it painted. Much better look!