Hello, my name is Sonny, I am 72 years young and live in Washington state. I am retired but still own and operate my dump truck business. Today I stumbled across a Dale Earnhardt MC SS Intimidator in the weeds. I have been told that the engine is seized but the body and interior is in good condition. Can you help me get some basic information on this car? The VIN# 2G1WX15K819330264 I think it's a 2002 or 2003 model (it was locked and I couldn't get the mfg info from the door post). There are a number of factory decals and rally type striping on the car. I haven't got a response from the owner yet. How can I estimate the value? Your wisdom and help would be appreciated, thanks. I apologize if I'm if the wrong section to pose this question.

 

In 2002 GM released a Dale Earnhard Sr Signature Edition Monte. GM made 3,333 of these. It featured a non-supercharged 3800 v6. This was black, silver ground effect, red stripe that borders the ground effects and the body. It has other features specific to Dale Sr (like the #3 on it). Don't let the one or two locations with the word "Intimidator" fool you, that does NOT make it an Intimidator (purely Dale's well established nick-name).

In 2004, GM released the one and ONLY Intimidator Edition Monte Carlo. They produced 4,000 of these cars. This is an all black Monte, featuring the Supercharged 3800 v6. The word Intimidator appears on multiple locations of the car and a few other items tied to Dale Sr.

As for value, it varies. If you follow auction sites like BringATrailer.com, some of these special edition Montes with super low miles, all original, mint condition can fetch about $18k. Based on what you mentioned, given the condition, possible seized motor, the Monte you found is probably not going to fetch anything extra for being a special edition. I suggest using a variety of resources to try and determine a ball park value. Without seeing the car myself, but hearing it has a seized motor and it sitting in a field, if you are looking to make an offer, I cannot see that being much (assuming the owner is willing to sell).

 

Thank you for your prompt reply. I have restored several cars over the years and this one peaked my interest. I have a lot to learn about these Dale Earnhardt MC cars. As of today 02/14/2024, I have not received a reply back from the owner and he may want more for it than I want to invest, I just didn't want to let the car slip by without inquiring about it. Thanks for your assistance.

 

No problem. It is great to see when people take interest in these cars. The FWD Montes have a stigma of looking great but some people dismiss them for not being RWD.
Hopefully you hear from the owner.

If the 2000-2007 Monte is something you are interested in, I highly suggest this reference guide (price is cheap but information in it is great):

 

From the details you've given, I wouldnt offer any more than scrap value for it.

Blown 3800 is very concerning- that's literally one of the most reliable GM engines of the modern era. So it likely either has a zillion miles or was heavily abused.

Id also second what Maniac said - these special editions only bring decent (if you can call it that - they still aren't even bringing their original sticker price, much less inflation adjusted) resale to collectors with virtually zero mileage. If someone blew the engine and left this sitting out, it probably has six figure mileage on it. You'd probably spend most of the car's value just getting it back on the road again.

If this is for a personal vehicle, I'd buy a good running / driving southern monte (non special edtion) and spend your restoration time/money adding the stickers and trim to look like a special edition.

 

I posted a reply a little while ago but don't know where it went. I got a hold of the owner, he's asking $1000 but I think i can get it for $800. Here's some of the info I have: It's a 2001 MC with 185K miles on it clean and straight inside and out. I'll post a few pics and a RPO report. I want to thank you all for sharing your wisdom with me, working on cars I enjoy, acquiring a money pit I don't. Many thanks

 

Wow, I'll admit that looks a lot better than I was imagining.

For that kind of money if it is just the engine and everything else checks out OK, I think you could come out just fine on it. Luckily 3800s are still fairly plentiful in junkyards so you should be able to get it back up and running for fairly little money.

The one question I'd ask (since you've got no way to verify it functions) is for service records on the transmission. Given the mileage, if theres no data there on any replacements / rebuilds / upkeep, I'd assume you'll likely have to replace it as well. Even if it does work today, I'd not be excited about bolting a fresh engine to it knowing its probably on its last legs.

 

I totally agree with you. I had a 2002 MC and it had an issue with the torque converter locking up, as I understand thats a fairly common problem, I would just as soon rebuild the original engine so the numbers match. when it's all said and done I figure I'll be into it money wise some where around 7-9K$ +/-. I'll get the joy of restoring it and if I sell it I may have a chance of breaking even cost wise. Thanks for your opinion and thoughts.

 

Best of luck with it! If things go through, hopefully you'll post some progress pictures on here - we love that kind of stuff!

 

I agree with Bumpin' it is better than I expected. And that is a 2001 Monte Pace Car Edition that someone slapped some #3 Dale Earnhardt stickers on. GM made 1,300 of that car for that year. It needs some TLC, but the item that surprises me the most, based on the pics, the rims look decent.
Do your best to confirm it is a solid car (peak under it, pop the trunk and pull the covering from the rear strut towers, look in the wheel wells and rear quarters). If everything checks out, make an offer you feel is fair knowing it needs a drive train and other work to make it running.