Gang,

Please forgive this noob if this is a redundant topic. I searched, and didn't find anything similar, so here goes:

Where/when/why/how/from whom did you acquire your Monte Carlo? Did you buy it new or used? How much did you pay? Any interesting stories?

As for me, I "bought" mine (1999 LS) from my brother over Thanksgiving 2010. He owns an auto body repair shop, and also sells cars he gets at auctions. While I've been a Monte Carlo fan forever, I wasn't looking specifically for one at the time. However, as it happened, this was simply the right car at the right time. The asking price was $3,000.00, and my Chrysler 300M was sucking my bank account dry with the repairs in addition to the monthly payments (this is not a criticism, as they were by and large routine maintenance), and so we worked out a trade deal whereby my loan balance would be paid off, and I drive the Monte home free and clear. So I guess technically, I didn't "buy" my Monte, and (hopefully) I'll save money in the long run, repairs and all.

For the record, I have nothing but praise for the 300M, and I hope to be pick one up again someday.

Bruce

 

I was a private first class (E-3) returning from cuba. While I was down there, I was talking with a guy about buying his 1986 Pontiac Fiero that had an LS4 swapped into it. His price was $7000. I looked around and discovered that you can't do it yourself for that cheap. When I returned to the states, my wife informed me that she used my $7000, that I had set aside, to purchase a 2003 Kia Sedona. I used my overseas pay stub (LES) to finance $20,000 for my 2006 Monte Carlo. I originally was looking to buy a Lincoln LS V-8. THAT car was $8,000 but it smelled like pee. When I test drove the Monte, I was hooked and got into payments that I couldn't afford until I was promoted... twice... After I found out that CARTUNING.CA existed, I saved money for 6 months and used part of my income tax return to purchase their turbo kit. I have been head over heels for Montes ever since. By the way, Welcome to the forum and this was a great idea for a thread.

 

I bought my '00 used from a local car dealer. MSRP of $5,995 -- up to $7,100 by the time I got it home (but with only 53k miles so you can't complain).

I had to get tires on it, engine tune ups, oil change, have a bearing replaced, etc. before I could really drive it so that's where the extra charges came in.

 

Bought mine at a Chevy dealership in a town about 45 minutes away from me (Tilbury, Ontario). It was a dealership demo that never sold. Sat on the lot for three years because they were asking too much for it. The original sticker price was $43,510.00. But I got it (in 2007) for $26k plus my 99 Grand Am GT. But during the three years it sat on the lot, I always had to stop in and look at it when I was near by. Never thought I would actually own it someday. I figured by the time I was ready to trade in the G.A., it would be gone. I didn't even know about the whole signature series limited editions at the time. Never saw any of the signature series montes until after I joined MCF.

I was so glad to get rid of the Grand Am, and get into the Monte. My Grand Am GT was super fun to drive, but it was a huge money pit. Not in the good way either. If I was sinking money into all kinds of mods, that would be one thing. But I was having to spend money on repairs just to make it driveable again. It was bone-stock except for the K&N replacement air filter and my CoverKing custom seat covers.

 

I bought mine in the fall of 09 from a dealer in Aurora MO. I traded a 05 Buick LeSabre that I had bought for my Mom (nursing home now). I originally wanted a yellow pace car edition then a blue one but couldn't find one. I seen a couple of others with the same color but couldn't get to them. One from Paducah KY only had 28,000mi and it was a 05.
I had just about given up when I found this one on Autotrader.



....And the rest is history.........

 

Got my '02' in Detroit in apr. 07 with 69k miles traded in my 89 chev celebrity payed too much $10,500 now have 130k mi and payed it off last march just got done lowering it last friday it looks sweet

 

Craigslist in Salinas CA, April 2010.

Was looking for a comfy commuter car after getting booted out of a company supplied F150.

Was zeroing in on a Bonneville or Impala or fox body T-Bird. Almost bought an '03 SS, but the kid had title issues, and the car had electrical issues. Saw the '06 MC on Craigslist posted by a small family car lot. Paid $8000 cash, about $2,000 under average bay area price, it had low miles (55K) needed a real good cleaning, car fax had records of it being dealer serviced about as per the book.

Never meant to buy the car, it was a lucky find during a car search. Good machine so far. It's my breadwinner commuter car, safe & comfortable. People say it "fits me" whatever that means.

Son that drives the Firebird wants one now...

 

Mine was a graduation gift from high school in 1983 (my first car). Parents said do I want a party or a car...tough choice...my Dad and I headed down to North and South Carolina looking for something rust free and came across the 72 sitting at a small dealership in North Carolina for $1,100, we popped the hood and a added bonus was a 402 big block sitting in the engine bay. A short test drive and we bought it, my Dad drove it back to Ohio while I followed behind...

 

there is a story with my car

when i was about 10 or 11 i was shoping for a van with my mom and step dad,and while i was in the show room in front of my eyes was this car,and i never new chevy had cars or at lest cars like this at that age,it was a Dale jr monte, and i was trying to get my mom to buy it but no we needed a van because my sis was on the way soon,so i was just in a daze with the car and the sales guy comes out with the keys,puts the hood up and says ill start it and you can check it out and rev it


4 weeks later some one got the car and crashed it on the highway

then when i got my dl my first car was the van we got from that day lol,and i had it for little under a year before i got to car shop,i looked all over for the right car,and at this age i forgot about the monte i saw before,so here i m pulling in to a car lot and the people outside are saying we are just closing up but you can look around,so i did and one person said let me know if you wanna test drive a car ill stay late for you,so i test drove a pt cruiser,and my step dad went inside to sign papers,and then when i turned around there it was,the car i seen before but not in the Dale jr car but the same one and it sparked memories,cool thing is that it was under the spot light on a ramp at the car lot,i paid 10,000 for mine back then with like 38k miles on it,best car i have ever seen or put the pedal to the metal on

 

I have a story behind mine as well..

From when I was 17 to when I was 19, I worked for a local chevy dealer. There were two 99 model montes there, one was a demo ls and one was a reposessed z34. The z stayed around so long that the dealer was installing an alarm system on their cars in 02 and they installed it on this as a brand new car.

I owned a 95 z34 at the time and loved the red 99 I kept seeing. Nobody would buy it because they were asking full price for a repo'd car with 25,000 miles.

I totalled my 95, bought a contour and drove it for 8years. Now, much like sgt miller, I was talking to a guy about buying his fiero, I sold the contour for 1500 to afford the fiero, he backed out of the deal. I needed to buy a car then as I was in my moms car and she needed it back. Looked on craigslist and found a 99z34 for 1700. The family bought it as a backup and a year later, they realized it just sat in their front lawn. I went, talked them down to $1300 and drove the car home. Bought it with 190xxx miles, it now has 227xxx miles, replaced water pump,driver front wheel hub a/c compressor, driver seat upholstry (leather), and the alternator.

The reason for the story told before, I took the dash out to replace the panel and ran across a box, called a chevy dealer about it and they told me it was a dealer installed alarm put.in from 02^ on their new cars. At the same dealer I worked at when I was a teen... the rest is possibly history.