1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS 5.0L (305) V8, VIN H from North America
Summary:
A good value if you can get one cheap and aren't 6'3
Faults:
I bought the car from an older lady who used it to commute to work every day, but kept it in her garage all the time when it wasn't being driven.
The car had some rust on the rear quarter panel, and also on the driver's door. This is apparently pretty common for A-Body GM cars.
Headliner was drooping and sun visor fabric was shot.
Car needed a tune up.
Needed a transmission fluid and filter change to correct burnt fluid and a harsh shift into 2nd.
Needed a radiator flush.
Needed valve stem seals and new valve cover gaskets to correct smoke on start-up.
General Comments:
Interior of the car was very uncomfortable for a tall person. My head would brush the headliner even when I put a new one in to replace the drooping one. There was no adjustment for up/down of the seat to correct this.
Driver's side was hard for a tall person, as I felt very cramped. Legroom approximately equal to a '90s Jeep Cherokee Sport, even though the Monte was a big 2-door that should have had more room. Passenger side legroom was fine; unfortunately, that meant having someone drive me everywhere to enjoy it!
Car was not logical to work on, and the 3-C engine control computer (a primitive computer-controlled carburetor system) meant there was a lot of extraneous crap -- wiring, sensors -- that got in the way of doing even the basic repairs.
The car did have some great pick-up and was fun to drive. The V-8 was peppy and gave good performance.
The car had a variety of nice options like power locks, windows, and cruise control, as well as a premium factory digital stereo/cassette player.
Might have been more fun if it was an SS.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 29th October, 2002
5th Feb 2012, 23:44
The early Montes WERE A-body cars till either '80 or '81. From '81/'82 they became G-body cars when the A-body moniker was used for the new 1982 Chevy Celebrity/Buick Century/Pontiac 6000/Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera FWDs. Learn something... so the poster was partially right, but after '82 Montes were G-bodies. LOL.
6th Feb 2012, 21:12
Sorry, but the G body was born in 1978, and used through 1987.
The 78-80 bodies were different from the 81-87, but was still built on the G platform. This also applied to the Regal, Cutlass, Grand Prix and early Century, LeMans and Malibu.
4th Nov 2002, 19:41
Great review! Just one correction; the Monte Carlo is a G-body car, not an A-body.