Howdy I hail from New York. I'm a 19 year old College student Majoring Business Administration. I just started up my second year of college and gearing up to buy my first car, which would be my favorite car PERIOD; a Monte Carlo . I'm amazed to find the site actually, I was looking for some info regarding the average lifetime of a Monte carlo. If its alright I have a few questions for the pros' about this fine model.

 

Heyy! welcome to the forum! Yeah man ask away, that's what we're here for =D what kinda monte do you have in mind?

 

An 00-05, Those are my favorite Models.

I have a few private sellers nearby but I'm wary, of course there is no way for me to know the car is in decent shape unless I test drive or at least have a mechanic look at it. I was just wondering if there were any "Do's/Don'ts" that I really should look out for, such as mileage or year.

But to better clerify I have some examples.(if its alright to post links)

http://syracuse.craigslist.org/cto/1361017682.html

Thats one of the Private sellers nearby, The price is in my range, and the car looks beautiful and well maintained from the pic(they usually are, right?) Its the high mileage that has me worried. Or is 152k not really high? I was always under the impression that buying a car who's mileage exceeded 100k was not really a good idea. What are your thoughts on the matter?

http://syracuse.craigslist.org/cto/1363946535.html

Another seller, this one is definitely in my price range, and the mileage is a little more than i hopes but seems decent.

If anything, what would you guys look for when looking for a car, Does mileage REALLY matter that much? If so, How much is TOO much?

To finish, How much should I be expecting to pay for one of these models. I know it varies but nowadays the prices are all over the place, I see sellers trying to get rid of an 01, standard everything with 130k miles for 6-8k(seems like a rip off to me) but some 05's with better options for way less.

 

hi and welcome, i would pass on the 3.4 motor (second listing), the first one is most likely a 3.8 motor which is a pretty good motor that will be your best bet! goodluck with your search!! keep us posted, thanks

by the way, post whatever questions and links you think you may interested in, we are here to help with anything!!

sorry to keep editing but the 3.8 is a very good motor and from what most people on here say 150,00 miles is not a heck of alot!!

 

well the red 00 seems like it is in really nice condition but yeah 152K seems like a lot to me too but the car looks really clean so you gotta figure out for yourself if its worth the sacrifice ya know.

the 01 has less miles obviously but it doesn't appeal to me personally as much as the 00. and like chris said the 3.8 is a better motor.

okay this is what i got outta my car, maybe this will help ya a lil bit more. mine is a 04 supercharged monte carlo ss. it had 185XX miles on it when i got it and they were mostly highway miles. that is extremely low for an 04 model. the paint had a couple deep scratches here and there and some of the steering wheel radio control buttons were worn off and it doesnt have a sunroof. so it was in pretty great condition and my parents paid around 19000 for it. we paid a lot for my car but there were things like the supercharger and the paint job that made it so much. So that’s my lil story so maybe that will give ya a better idea of what you should be looking for price range, miles and what not.

but i mean like do you want a 00 or 01 or would you rather take the time to find a 04 or 05 that is around the same price with perhaps less miles and wear on it. when it comes down to it, it is really your decision and you gotta really figure out what you want to invest your money in. my dad always told me that you can’t buy a white truck and expect it to turn black bcuz that is what you wanted. Lol. Always had me a lil confused but it kinda makes sense. Idk I tend to ramble on about nothing whenever I’m tired so I’m just gonna leave it at that for now. Hopefully that helped a lil bit but I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t lol!

 

I like the 00 SS way better.....if you can swing it, get the 3.8L, you'll enjoy the extra power for sure. I think if you look hard enough you will find a good deal on a 3.8L no problem.

IMO milage is just a number on the dash board......however, thats when i'm putting on the miles. My 06 has 81,5XX on it right now, and its all milage I put on it since it was new when I bought it. Therefore I know exactly what kind of milage it is, and how well its been taken care of, so I have no doubt my engine will go on for MANY more miles.

I would be a bit nervious buying a car with tons of miles on it used...Unless you can find one that the owner can show you proof of it being maintained well, I would just look until you find one with lower milage, they are out there....

 

I would also go for 2000 SS. The 3800 is damn near bulletproof, and the miles are only a tad high. If you figure an average of 15k a year is acceptable (which is still low by today's standards), then you get 135k, so they are only above that by 20k or so. I'd go have a look at that one, and put it through a very harsh test drive. Then take it to a mechanic to look over. They should only charge you an hours labor to give it a once over.

 

Go for the 3.8 motor, it's one of GM's most reliable engines. I know of a '96 Camaro with the 3.8 and it has 230,000 miles, still runs fine. I bought my '03 SS used for $9,500 with 54,500 miles, I think I got it for a steal, the car now has 64,000 miles on it and has had no problems at all. I believe ANY car, used or new, can have its share of problems, these risks increase when you go over 100,000 miles, so try to stay under 100,000 if you can. Be sure to take these cars for a test drive, do everything you can with them, test the steering for tightness, the engine for hesitation, the transmission for slipping, feel them out. The Monte Carlo as far as I'm concerned is a very reliable car, just make sure you get one that's been taken care of, preferably with less than 100,000 miles.

 

I don't know where you live, but $19,000 for a car with 180,000 miles on it is WAY overpriced. The 2004 Monte Carlo SS fully loaded would typically sell for about $30,000 brand new, and a supercharger that's run for that many miles, highway or city, is probably wearing out and may have a LOT of knock, unless you've already taken care of it. It's a pretty car for sure, but for $16,000 you could have purchased an '06 Mustang GT with less than 30,000 miles, a V8 with 60 extra HP. I prefer Monte's, but with that much money to spend I'd go for the best overall deal if something better is around.