I traded in my Monte and got a new car Saturday. Completely didn't expect to do this and really didn't want to. I loved my Monte Carlo and miss it already. But it had 238,348 miles on it and had become a money pit since right after it hit 200K. It's literally been bleeding me for 3,000 bucks every six months since it crossed the 200K mark. I spent the money at first thinking I would get another 2.5 years and 300+K out of it. But then Thursday I pulled it out of the garage only to find a pool of coolant under it. I took it into a local mechanic I trust and got the phone call...Head Gasket is bad. A crap ton of money to fix. So I just decided it was time to move on to a new car and spend my money on something new and reliable vs. continuing to invest in the Monte, considering its age and mileage. Sad to see it go, but excited about my new car.

I got top blue book value for the Monte as a trade.

The new car is a 2014 Chevy Malibu 2LTZ Turbo. It's pretty much loaded with everything you can get on them. I love it so far. It's super comfortable and honestly, faster than my tuned Monte. 259 HP and 295 Ft. LBS at 3,000 RPM, with a 6 speed auto. It moves quite well!

Attached are some pics.

And for those of you that haven't seen the Corvette since the stripe, there is the last pic of the Monte with the Corvette, since the stripe work and grill.

 

Mike:
This is truly shocking news! (At least for me)
I know you have had your bouts with the Monte...and up until todays post... I was under the impression you were quite pleased with the Monte since making the last repairs on it..

However,
Congrats on your new purchase! I hope it gives you the pleasure and the comfort you once enjoyed in your Monte!
I surely hope ...
This doesn't mean you will be leaving the forum!

The vette looks Great!

 

I have zero intention of leaving the forum!!

Don't get me wrong, the Monte was a very reliable and comfortable automobile. I'm sure with repaired head gaskets, it would continue to go on. But who knows what other sensor would go bad in up coming months...I hope it finds a good home and someone capable of doing the head gasket repairs themselves without having to pay the loads of money it cost to have a shop do them. It will be missed in my book....but never forgotten.

 

Good to know Michael!
Things would surely not be the same around here without you!
Question is....
Now that you no longer have the Monte to talk/complain about...
What shall we talk about?

I'm sure your new Maibu LTZ will provide you with many miles of Smiles.!

 

It is a sad day when any of us have to part with any car that brought us many smiles over a lot of miles.

I was really hoping you'd hit that 300K mark. Sounds like when the trans went was the turning point. But honestly, you hit 200K with very little hassle from what I hear, that is truly outstanding.

I'm happy to hear you intend to remain active here on MCF.com and not retire your position in the staff yet.

That Malibu looks really sharp. Looks like a good switch for you. I hope the Malibu brings you a lot of problem free miles and lots of fun. If not, you have the Vette

 

congrats on the malibu.

The vette looks great too.

 

Yea the Monte was and still is a solid car. The first 200k were great, and aside from repair bills (and some just plain maintenance stuff) the last 38k of the 238k was good too. Hell I just drove it to Colorado and back in September, trouble free!

Tranny was April, Radiator and upper cooling hose June, later in June Oil Pressure sensor, August another Water Pump, then I put new struts and tires on it (wouldn't have done had I known I was trading), October was a new camshaft actuator, November was front wheel bearings and steering column. December it gave me a break and then Happy New Year....head gasket leak.

I am almost sure the car would make 300k, but I think it would take consistent money to make it happen. No fault of the cars, it had a ton of miles, things wear out.

I think part of my sadness in getting rid of the Monte is not only sentimental, but I am disappointed I didn't get to take it to 300k, I really thought I was going to. It certainly was an option, but at the end of the day, a brand new car sounded more appealing then continuing to sink money into the Monte. Definitely a bittersweet moment.

The Malibu and the Vette are both Chevy's...so I'll definitely still have stuff to talk about here.

 

Congrats on the new ride Michael. Sometimes you gotta cut your losses and move on to something more reliable as your daily driver. You got a lot of miles out of the Monte. Here's to many good miles in your new one.

 

Looking at your list of recent repairs, the only one that strikes me as unusual is the camshaft actuator and steering column. But, in someways, your Monte entered uncharted territory.

Go back 10-15 years ago, I had friends call me crazy thinking a car could make it to 200K without killing in repair costs. I feel I proved them wrong with my v6 '94 Grand Am (the other two cars that should have hit 200K before that '94 met with premature ends in auto accidents). Cars have had this ability for a LONG time. The most critical part is keeping up on the maintenance, too many people neglect that and then complain when the car kills them with bills.

Again, no shame, it has served well and as you pointed out, 200K and nothing unexpected. Beyond 200K, how long can anyone expect something mechanical to last.

I remain hopeful your Monte will find a good new home.

 

Sorry to hear you decided to get rid of your monte, but happy that you found a nice replacement, that at first impression you seem to enjoy.

My car has just hit 299 123 kms, so I expect it to hit 300k this week and now I hope those things don't start happening to mine, although I did just have to change the tranny, but I still consider that regular maintenance for a car with that many miles on it, but at the same time if a series of events started to go wrong such as in your case I suppose I would also be tempted to get rid of it lol

Glad you are planning on staying with the forum