Sean's 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

$8,000, or even $6,500 is a good price for a 2001 Chevy with 87K miles? I got a year old Hyundai Sonata back in 2007 for $11,000, that was with the 3.3 V6 and it was well equipped, and only has 34K miles.

I kinda think the Monte Carlo is a silly car though, it's more expensive than the impala, and offers nothing more. I personally don't think it looks any better than it, and the performance is about the same, with less practicality and higher insurance.

If this thing "handles like a race car", then my Mazda handles like a go-kart...no, like the world's best handling go-kart. No turn-of-the-century, mass-produced GM car handled like anything even close to a race car.

Having said that, at the time I would rather have had this than any other large GM sedan, and I'm a fan of GM's smooth and powerful V6's from that time. A close friend of mine has a 2001 Impala that handles atrociously, bobbing around like a cargo carrier, and offers absolutely no road feel. However, the engine and transmission are quiet and extremely smooth, and his car is surprisingly quick (quicker than my manual Mazda6 V6).

Well, for someone who is 16 years old it handles great for me, I've driven many other cars and they didn't handle this great. Ive driven Nissans that don't take turns nearly as smoothly and Toyotas that rattle more than you could ever imagine. Everything is really smooth and handles nicely, the only downside is that it has a rough suspension so the bumps are kind of annoying. And the insurance is extremely cheap on it as well, so i don't know where you heard that.

and @isend2c, all the cars that I were looking at in the $8k range at the time were around the same age, or newer but crappy. I was looking for something with character, thats why I didn't get a hyundai...

...I understand that it's your first personal car and you are very inexperienced person at such young age and you do have the emotional need to justify the spending of such amount of $$$ on an old car (regardless of the mileage), but saying that this old, overweight FWD car (with a "numb steering sensation", according to some car magazines/publications like C&D) "handles like a race car" doesn't give you much credibility and will simply cause unnecessary humorous and/or insulting responses from other people with more driving experience. Of course, if your only intended purpose was to "troll" other readers, then I guess you've succeeded...

As long as you're happy with it, that what really matters. Buying that first car is tough because there is not much experience to base your likes and dislikes on.

@cardrvr I wasn't dead serious when I said it handles like a racecar I'm not that dumb, I know a chevy is about as far from race car handling as it gets, what I'm trying to say is that for an 11 year old car I like the way it drives. And @lautomobile, thank you, that's what kind of comments I like seeing (no sarcasm intended)

"I can say one thing: it's mine and I love it."

That's really all that matters at this point. It's your first car and you are proud of it. I do not believe there's anything more that needs to be said. You certainly do not need to justify yourself to the Internet.

While I've never actually driven a "real" race car, I'm sure your W-body does not handle like one. However, we all started somewhere! Keep enjoying it!

Thanks @stress83 !
I know it doesn't handle like a legitimate race car, I've driven a family members Infiniti G37 and THAT handles really nice, but like you said, my point is basically its my car and I love it! I see what some people my age drive, so I know its not the worst car out there, but I like it a lot! It does the job for me and is surprisingly economical! Thanks for backing me up on my point there, I didn't know how to word it

" will simply cause unnecessary humorous and/or insulting responses from other people"

Just like the one you posted?

What's the point of these anymore anyways? No matter what you drive people come out of the woodwork and insult your taste as if they're better than you. If you don't like someones personal taste then move on and keep your insults to yourself.

Those are my thoughts exactly @threemopars, if people don't like it then don't comment, and if you do like it, then feel free to comment!

Hey Man, its yours, its paid for, you take care of it, it fits your needs and you enjoy it. "F" these other know nothings that want to pretend their Mazda 6's and Hyundai's are M3's in disguise. I had a 1994 Cutlass two door that pretty much was the predecessor to your car (albeit with a 3.4liter V6 and no extra power to speak of), and it handled pretty well too.

Not bad for your first ride. Good Luck and happy motoring!

Man you guys that criticize... I think this is one of those blogs that follows the basic rule any involved mother should have taught you. If you don't have anything nice to say just don't say it at all.

This is a car enthusiast website, from the young to the old. The great thing about car enthusiasts is that there is at least 1 enthusiast for every car out there. Why are SAABs are so popular when they are for the most part back in the day crap boxes with oodles of torque steer.

My almost first car was a 1996 Grand Prix GTP (before the redesign in 97) that I was able to upgrade from a 9 year old crappy Beretta GT (that I was still proud of). That grand prix was pretty similar to this monte carlo but had the high revving but finicky 3400 DOHC motor. That thing was heavy and had body cladding out the ying yangs, but I paid for every dime of it, it was loaded to the gills, had low miles and was relatively affordable and reliable and really quick. It has so much bang for the buck, wide tires and fully independent suspension. Looking back though I've owned way better cars since, but back then that car was awesome, rare (didn't see many of them) and I earned it.

I don't understand how we can rip up someone on this sight for loving their Monte Carlo which may not be a super competitive car, but offers a lot of bang for the buck and is at least different than the gagillion honda civics or whatever you see in high school parking lots.

vwpassatw8: good for you in your pride of your car and taking really good care of it and getting something a little different than what most people around you drive. That's what being a car enthusiast is partially about.

@itbeatswalkin Thanks man I really appreciate that! Its a relatively bullet proof car (minus the transmission issue I had before) so I'm happy. It's my first car and I love it, that's what matters

@06scooby, that couldn't have been worded better! I have heated leather seats that work better than the ones in my mom's 06 Mercedes (and I swear to god I'm not exagerrating on that) and a sunroof, onstar, cd player, homelink garage opener, etc, so why would I complain? Like you said, I'm obviously gonna look back one day and know that I've owned better cars, but its a good start! Not the typical car you see everyday

Congrats on your first car. And kudos for spending your own money to buy it. You'll appreciate it even more. It's certainly much nicer than the first car I owned (but I loved my first car anyway). I hope it provides you years of safe, reliable and reasonably inexpensive transport.

Don't worry about the comments. People aren't really attacking the car, anyway. They're just going a little bonkers over your hyperbole (Yea, I kinda chuckled at the 'race car' comment too, but it's all perspective, right?). Reading through all of it I see that you're just trying to show everyone how much you love your new toy. Nothing wrong with that. It's not a paper for third period English.

Enjoy the Monte!

What exactly happened to your dad's Passat W8?

@90in55 some part in the engine went wrong (I forget which part) and the W8 was a limited production car, and that was the only car that engine was ever available in, so we couldn't get parts for the engine, or even a replacement engine

Man, you guys are just killing this poor kid. It's his first car, let him enjoy it for crissake. Stop making him defend himself. You did, however, teach him a life lesson about choosing your words more carefully.

The Monte Carlo was intended to be a personal "luxury" coupe. It's too big and Impala-like to ever be a sports car, true. But for it's time 240 hp was a lot of power, and it is a comfortable car (had base model rental once).

That Monte Carlo was Chevy's NASCAR car for years. In fact, that's why it has the shape it does.

So in that way, the Monte Carlo could theoretically handle like a race car. Just a NASCAR one.

Your first car is, in many ways your favorite. Nothing like that first car, it doesn't matter what others think about your purchase, it YOURS!! Enjoy, and behave yourself on the road.

signed

A Dad

My first car was Toyota celica, and I thought it was the best looking, best handling, fastest car on the road. Yes, I was a... hm... you... um... child. But still, my celica handled better than your GM nonsense. HA! Anyways, eventually, you'll grow out of it, say... when you meet friends who actually are car enthusiasts and own stuff like STI or even my mr2 spyder, and realize that you've been stupid all this time, and start picking on youngster that you were online.

Hey Kid, don't let any of these losers get you down. Frankly, I think it's great you appreciate your first car. Enjoy it, life is short....

@ jriz:

You win for completely making Sean's "race car" comment relevant.

I think many of the comments here are a bit critical. Pretty sure my first car was nowhere near as nice as this. Also, $6500 is a very reasonable price considering the used car market has been been very inflated for the past several years. Even heaps of crap can barely be bought for under $2k, so this car looks well bought.
It's also pretty clear that he didn't literally mean it handles like a race car - keep in mind, at 16 years old, I'm pretty sure anything that hugged the road better than our mom's minivans was considered a sports car. This might not be the same as the NSX's and Cayman's others are posting, but it is still very clean and probably a lot nicer than other cars in his school parking lot.
Well done W8...

Dude, don't worry what these idiots say. For a first car this thing kicks butt. Seriously.

My first car (way back in 1992 or 1993) was a 1979 Diesel VW Rabbit. POS that barely hit 60. I would have died and gone to heaven if I had the opportunity to have a friggin' 1980 Monte Carlo, never mind what you have.

Enjoy the vehicle, become comfortable with a vehicle, and decide what you really like. Good luck and God bless!

My first car was a 1974 Monte Carlo equipped as follows:
Edelbrock Performer intake
Rochester Quadrajet carb(rejetted by yours truly)
Crane HT cam/lifters
Mallory ignition+recurved distributor
Blackjack headers+3" pipes
CBQ Turbo mufflers
B&M Trans Kit(to reprogram the slushbox)
15,000 lb. GVWR trans cooler
3.42 gears
super heavy duty shocks
semi metallic brake pads/shoes
Oh yeah, and Cibie Z-Beam headlamps.
It would chirp the tires on the 1-2 and 2-3 upshifts, and it handled pretty good for a big American barge.
Best of all, it purged me of my inner redneck...

Sorry about the duplicate entry...

Anyways, here is what I found for $8k or less within 200 miles of Providence, RI. ANY of them would have been better.

ALL from $6,500 to $8,000
- 2004 WRX w/ 87k miles
- 2004 Civic EX Coupe w/ 94k miles
- 2006 Civic EX Coupe w/ 101k miles
- 2004 Acura RSX w/ 110k miles
- 2005 Saab 9-2x w/ 76k miles
- 2001 A4 1.8T Quattro w/ 41k miles
- 2004 RX-8 w/ 96k miles
- 2003 A4 3.0 Quattro w/ 92k miles
- 2005 Mazda6 i w/ 55k miles
- 2005 GTI 1.8T w/86k miles
- 2002 Accord EX-L V6 Coupe w/96k miles
- 2004 Accord EX V6 Coupe (6MT) w/ 94k miles

And there are TONS more like this. Im just saying...

hooklyn -- I can respect your well-"spoken" dissertation on the [de]merits of Sean's Monte Carlo, but I'm going to take a stab here that the MC has a *bit* more personality than the Tracer you're comparing it to. Further, when you bought your Tracer, did you do research about the "best" cars you could have purchased with the limited amount of funds you had?

However, I must point out that perhaps you should have saved your condescension for someone more obsessed with their Monte: Google "My Strange Obession Monte Carlo." I think you'll be quite surprised... or sickened.

***I meant My Strange ADDICTION, not Obsession.

VWPassat....congrats on your first car! You'll enjoy it so much more having bought it yourself. By the looks of the pictures, you're taking good care of it.

Ignore those trolls who bad-mouth your car. Far as I'm concerned, they're the type of people who can't think for themselves and live their lives making decisions worried what other people will say (pretty pathetic existence). You bought the car because you loved it, and that all that matters.

I hope you have the same luck I've had with the red coupes I've owned. The only car that wasn't was a 96 Honda Civic DX silver hatchback...I got three speeding tickets with those, but never a ticket with any of my coupes. I hope you have the same luck with your Monte Carlo.

With all the nice features the car already has, any plans on doing anything to it?

@hooklyn:

So, you're saying there is something wrong about being proud of what one has? It appears to me that perhaps you're inferring that "real" enthusiasts are only ecstatic about "best" rather than what will suffice.

There would have been nothing wrong in taking pride in your Tracer. Maybe you didn't because it was given to you rather than you putting some effort into it.

@vwpassatw8:

Drive what you like and to hell with what anyone else thinks. The cars and bike in my garage make ME smile when I drive/ride them and that's all that matters.

I'm a little late to this party, but that's an excellent first car, its completely ridiculous to suggest otherwise. Lets review; it has more than enough speed and power for a new driver, gets decent mileage, goes in the snow, has good overall reliability and dirt cheap repair costs, its big and SAFE (which the parents will like) but still has the sporty looks of a red two-door that every kid wants. Its hard to find a car that checks all those boxes, MY first car certainly didn't.