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29K Original Miles: 1985 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS

I can remember when these Monte Carlo SSs were seemingly everywhere, and a perfect garage to some enthusiasts may have included an SS like this for daily driving and a C4 Corvette as a weekend-only car. The Montes came in a limited color palette, but that only added to the feeling of exclusivity. While the Aero Coupe is the one to buy if you want an investment-grade Monte Carlo, these notchback-body SS is a great buy for a daily driver-friendly classic that will be dirt cheap to maintain while likely not losing much in the way of value. The mileage on this example is quite low, clocking in under 30,000 and presenting as such in pictures aside from some minor cosmetic flaws. Find it here on eBay with under 15 hours left and the reserve unmet.

The bodywork is laser straight, and shut lines look nice and tight. The rear taillight panel is missing a painted trim strip beneath the license plate area, which isn’t acknowledged in the listing but is a bit distracting. I’m not sure how easy or difficult it is to find this piece, but a quick visit to a Monte Carlo owners group should find a good spare strip without too much effort. The tinted windows may not be to everyone’s liking, but it’s certainly period appropriate for one of the hotter cars of the 80s to have them – plus, they’ve likely helped to keep the interior looking as fresh as it does. I’ve seen a few of these Montes sitting on lowered suspensions, and they look super slick; I’d do the same here if it were mine.

The interior of the Monte Carlo didn’t feel particularly sporting, despite the exterior’s aggressive appearance. It didn’t help that many of them came with the tragic maroon explosion like so many other 1980s GM products, but at least it’s in mint condition. Everything – the door panels, dashboard, seating surfaces, and carpet – present extremely well. For low mileage time capsules, a minty interior is almost more rewarding than a perfectly preserved exterior, as it can take far longer to correct the ills of a neglected cabin. The seller notes that the air conditioning has been “updated,” which I can only assume to mean it’s been converted to R134A. The stereo has also been updated with a modern headunit.

The 5.0 Liter L69 is the original numbers-matching drivetrain, and it looks near-new under the hood. The radiator is new, as are the shocks. No other maintenance is mentioned, but with this sort of mileage and the reasonable upkeep these Monte Carlos require, it also doesn’t need a laundry list of repairs to feel good about making a bid. For a low mileage survivor like this, I’m surprised to not see more bids, or at least enough to clear the reserve, as there are other cars in similar condition on eBay right now with far higher asking prices. Hopefully, that missing trim panel isn’t spooking potential buyers, as this low mileage SS otherwise looks pretty much pristine.

Comments

  1. Avatar DrillNFill

    I like the burgundy interior, it looks super comfortable. That’s how we rolled in the ‘80s lol, better than the “several shades of gray and black” were allowed to have today. 😆

    I’m not sure what trim piece under the license plate is supposed to be missing, it looks normal to me in the photos. The earlier Montes all had that full-width “notch” cut out between the plate and bumper. The later ones were flush all the way down to the bumper.

    Neat car!

    Like 3
    • Avatar doone

      I fully agree an you can see the reversing lamps just above it on the left and right. Black to match the window trims.

      Like 2
  2. Avatar PB

    “Original” but has stripes replaced with a set for the black and maroon SS, not the correct ones for white or silver. And 86-88 rims.

    People need to stop using the term original when you can spot clearly visible changes.

    Like 7
    • Avatar jerry z

      PB, you are correct. I knew something wasn’t right with the stripes. I thoight I was looking at an ’86 SS. With those changes, it would be smart to look at in person.

      Like 1
  3. Avatar Timmyt

    I got an 87 t-roof with 92,000 completely original and Barrett Jackson clean for 16,000

    Like 0
  4. Avatar Boatman Member

    I knew something was off with this car. Thinking there might be more. The SS callout isn’t right and something’s wrong with that nose.

    Like 0

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