Hello, everybody! I am looking at buying a 2002 Monte Carlo SS. I will be seeing it this Tuesday, March 15, but before then, I have a couple of questions that hopefully somebody here can help with. 1. What should I be looking for in the way of rust? I came from a Grand Prix (also 2002) with completely rotted out rockers. Are there any problem areas on the Montes? 2. The passenger door won't open. This is all I know from the craigslist ad. The seller said that it does not open from the inside or out, so could it be something with the latch mechanism? Are there any common problems with this or fixes? I also can do any troubleshooting steps needed when I see it on Tuesday. 3. The driver's side window will go down, but not up. I am less worried about this, but I would like to get it fixed. I was reading online a little bit, and it seemed like it was either a regulator or electrical problem most of the time. Can anybody attest to this? If you can help, thanks in advance!!

 

Hi Cody.
Rockers, front fenders and rear fenders behind the wheels are the most common rust areas. Door problem could be associated with rust behind the passenger front wheel as that area supports the door and might be allowing it to sag, otherwise, I would suspect the latch since it opens from the inside but not the outside. As for the window, regulator or electrical wire, switch or connector would be most likely, but could also be broken rivets that fasten the window track to the door.

 

Beautiful, thanks, plumbob. I will check these things out!