:) Hello Everyone
#1
09-30-2012, 05:51 PM
:) Hello Everyone
Hello, my name is Julie & although I‘ve visited from time to time, I‘ve never posted
& kinda lost my username & password ‘till now.
I recently purchased a 98 Monte Carlo LS (in June) with about 165000 km , I‘ve wanted one for quite a while but of corse not nessicarily this model.
I work at a car dealership as an apprentice mechanic & am currently in trade school.
It took me awhile to get my drivers license because I was so discouraged after the first attempt & failing (not by much) due to lack of experience, the first time I ever got behind the wheel I was maybe 17-18 & probably just around a parking lot. My mother never drove but my brother had quite a bit of dirt bikes.
So when I got my letter to go to trade school, I knew i‘d have to get a car.After waiting over 2 weeks for a price on a 93 cavalier I had looked over for a safety, that only had 77000 k , & was told they wanted 2200 $ it, I decided to look somewhere else.
I went on kijiji & I‘m pretty sure the first thing I looked for was a Monte Carlo.
I found one just 2 hours away from where I live for 1500$, saying it was in great shape blah blah. So I emailed & said I was very interested & asked if they‘d take 1000 for it she said yes.
So I took one afternoon off work to go get it because my boss wouldnt lend me a dealer plate I‘d have to get to the license bureau before it closed in a city I wasn‘t familiar with.
Having to much faith in people thinking they have a good heart & I wouldnt be sold a lemon & being very excited, I overlooked everything, gave her the money & hopped in (after switching the ownerships & signing her little paper saying she sold me the car without any major repairs needing to be done). So I get in & notice the brakes feel a lil odd the abs light & engine light was on & I was like F***, I gotta drive back in this boat with no brakes. The brakes we‘re ok, but you have to press pretty hard, fluids probably no good or has air in the system cuz the pads & rotors are fine
I ended up spending, I know it doesn‘t seem like much, but when you get paid 1$ more than minimum wage, over 600$ is enough, & that was just to get it safetied.
I discovered much more things wrong with the car like a week or 2 ago, My rear strut buckemount bucket is rotting through
. An oil cooler line blew a couple weeks before I had to come to school but some one gave me an auxilary cooler,so all that cost me was a couple bottles of tranny fluid.
I Love the car but i‘m getting fed up with finding lil things that I really don‘t have money to fix. I really w. ish I wouldn‘t have been so excited & actually looked over some of the important stuff.
Well that‘s my lil long introduction/story, if its a lil odd it was kinda complicated writting this on my cell phone.
Hope youu all had/have an excellent sunday.
& kinda lost my username & password ‘till now.
I recently purchased a 98 Monte Carlo LS (in June) with about 165000 km , I‘ve wanted one for quite a while but of corse not nessicarily this model.
I work at a car dealership as an apprentice mechanic & am currently in trade school.
It took me awhile to get my drivers license because I was so discouraged after the first attempt & failing (not by much) due to lack of experience, the first time I ever got behind the wheel I was maybe 17-18 & probably just around a parking lot. My mother never drove but my brother had quite a bit of dirt bikes.
So when I got my letter to go to trade school, I knew i‘d have to get a car.After waiting over 2 weeks for a price on a 93 cavalier I had looked over for a safety, that only had 77000 k , & was told they wanted 2200 $ it, I decided to look somewhere else.
I went on kijiji & I‘m pretty sure the first thing I looked for was a Monte Carlo.
I found one just 2 hours away from where I live for 1500$, saying it was in great shape blah blah. So I emailed & said I was very interested & asked if they‘d take 1000 for it she said yes.
So I took one afternoon off work to go get it because my boss wouldnt lend me a dealer plate I‘d have to get to the license bureau before it closed in a city I wasn‘t familiar with.
Having to much faith in people thinking they have a good heart & I wouldnt be sold a lemon & being very excited, I overlooked everything, gave her the money & hopped in (after switching the ownerships & signing her little paper saying she sold me the car without any major repairs needing to be done). So I get in & notice the brakes feel a lil odd the abs light & engine light was on & I was like F***, I gotta drive back in this boat with no brakes. The brakes we‘re ok, but you have to press pretty hard, fluids probably no good or has air in the system cuz the pads & rotors are fine
I ended up spending, I know it doesn‘t seem like much, but when you get paid 1$ more than minimum wage, over 600$ is enough, & that was just to get it safetied.
I discovered much more things wrong with the car like a week or 2 ago, My rear strut buckemount bucket is rotting through
. An oil cooler line blew a couple weeks before I had to come to school but some one gave me an auxilary cooler,so all that cost me was a couple bottles of tranny fluid.I Love the car but i‘m getting fed up with finding lil things that I really don‘t have money to fix. I really w. ish I wouldn‘t have been so excited & actually looked over some of the important stuff.
Well that‘s my lil long introduction/story, if its a lil odd it was kinda complicated writting this on my cell phone.
Hope youu all had/have an excellent sunday.
#2
09-30-2012, 06:11 PM
Welcome to the Forum, Julie.....as for your story about being disappointed in the car once you took possession: I can sympathize. I had the same experience (not with a Monte Carlo) and ended up spending a lot of money before finally trading in the car. You'll find lots of good information on our site - what all still has to be done to your car? Is it at least drivable now? Post pictures when you can - its nice to see another female here!!
#6
09-30-2012, 06:40 PM
Thank you for the kind welcome 
.. , It‘s drivable, but she‘s in rough enugh shape.So far, just to get it safetied I had these repairs done:
- New Winshield (there was a chip I should have gotten taken care of before the sun turned it into a crack)
- 2 new tires, Need 2 more but they passed the safety
- Driver window motor, My passenger window has some issues, think its electrical.
- There was a hole in the rear wheel well I did a quick fix on with a sheet metal plate & spra foam,it doesnt look pretty. Both rear wheel wells are rusted, & it looks like someone attempted to start painting them
That might be all but I could be forgeting something
Oh I drove 2 hours without my fans because I was never told the switch for em was by my shifter (which has been acting up lately not wanting to get out of park). Then drove a couple weeks without noticing they had been rewired & the fuse was blown.
It left me stranded in a parking lot one night, had to buy & change the starter, & I bought a new crankshaft position sensor I haven‘t changed yet.
My tires rub on the inside of my wheel well, they are the right side but I think with my rear strut mount bucket rusting its having some issues. None of the springs are broken But I have quite a bit of clunks coming from the rear.
When I turn right, It sounds like a wheel bearing, but there‘s no play.
I had a coolant leak, Its stopped, but I think I have a head gasket issue. (There‘s sludge in my rad)
I just noticed the last time I had it in the air my filler neck is very rusted.
My seats don‘t lock & swing forward freely
My drivers door, door pins are shot.
Even my dash has seperated from the sun.
Seeing as mechanics cars are always the worst I shouldn‘t worry about it to much of it,its just a lil discouraging.
I don‘t think I‘ll be able to pist pics from my phone but if I‘m ever at a computer i‘ll be sure to post some pics (even if it is a lil embarrasing )
.. , It‘s drivable, but she‘s in rough enugh shape.So far, just to get it safetied I had these repairs done:- New Winshield (there was a chip I should have gotten taken care of before the sun turned it into a crack)
- 2 new tires, Need 2 more but they passed the safety
- Driver window motor, My passenger window has some issues, think its electrical.
- There was a hole in the rear wheel well I did a quick fix on with a sheet metal plate & spra foam,it doesnt look pretty. Both rear wheel wells are rusted, & it looks like someone attempted to start painting them
That might be all but I could be forgeting something
Oh I drove 2 hours without my fans because I was never told the switch for em was by my shifter (which has been acting up lately not wanting to get out of park). Then drove a couple weeks without noticing they had been rewired & the fuse was blown.
It left me stranded in a parking lot one night, had to buy & change the starter, & I bought a new crankshaft position sensor I haven‘t changed yet.
My tires rub on the inside of my wheel well, they are the right side but I think with my rear strut mount bucket rusting its having some issues. None of the springs are broken But I have quite a bit of clunks coming from the rear.
When I turn right, It sounds like a wheel bearing, but there‘s no play.
I had a coolant leak, Its stopped, but I think I have a head gasket issue. (There‘s sludge in my rad)
I just noticed the last time I had it in the air my filler neck is very rusted.
My seats don‘t lock & swing forward freely
My drivers door, door pins are shot.
Even my dash has seperated from the sun.
Seeing as mechanics cars are always the worst I shouldn‘t worry about it to much of it,its just a lil discouraging.
I don‘t think I‘ll be able to pist pics from my phone but if I‘m ever at a computer i‘ll be sure to post some pics (even if it is a lil embarrasing )
#9
09-30-2012, 08:17 PM
Hi Julie:
Greeting and Salutations..
Welcome aboard!
Sorry to hear your haveing these issues. With your MonteCarlo.
Theres a lot of GReat info and people here that are awesome too..
Im sure anything that your not sure how to straighten out..
Theres always someone here with helpful info.
That will help you get on your way!
Welcome to the best Forum on the net!
Greeting and Salutations..
Welcome aboard!
Sorry to hear your haveing these issues. With your MonteCarlo.
Theres a lot of GReat info and people here that are awesome too..
Im sure anything that your not sure how to straighten out..
Theres always someone here with helpful info.
That will help you get on your way!
Welcome to the best Forum on the net!
#10
09-30-2012, 08:27 PM
Welcome to the site. You can always expect some repairs on a 1000 dollar car. Most of the cars in that range seem to be the cars that were 300 dollars 10 years ago. At last the ones I look at seem that way. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
