Someone was kind enough to write a message “help me” in the dust on the passenger side window of this classic Chevrolet Monte Carlo. As it turns out, the car has sat undisturbed for 24 years! It’s located in Roanoke, Virginia and is listed for sale for only $2,500 here on craigslist.
Amazingly, the car now starts right up and runs great according to the seller. We don’t know what was necessary to make that happen but bravo for the effort! The body shell looks sound, and despite 353,272 having been produced in 1976 you don’t see many of them now. Additionally, this is the upmarket Landau version of the car.
The seller claims they have all the trim rings for the polycast wheels and the stainless steel center caps are pretty inexpensive on eBay. If you look closely at this picture you can see the Monte’s plaintive cry for help!
I can see three of the center caps on the floor in this picture, but the mold (?) on the door makes me wonder what this thing smells like inside. Hopefully not too bad. I wonder if that seat could be stitched up? Plan on fixing the brakes and replacing the rotted tires as well before you start that imaginary drive!
A new battery highlights the dingy engine compartment, but what do you expect for $2,500? Personally I think this is a bargain despite the silicone that’s been used to smooth over the transition between the vinyl landau top and the surrounding sheet metal. What do you think?
Buy it, bring it out West, clean it, make it run well. Someone will buy it for a good price just to “slam it”…
I live in California, about 30 minutes from San Francisco, nobody wants these around here. A couple of years ago a friend bought one of these Monte Carlo’s and tried to flip it, it was a really nice low mileage car with original paint and interior. He wound up choking on it, finally he sold it for just over $2,000. These cars are dead players, they don’t have much of a following, those that like them won’t pay much.
Steve R
What? one of the best cars ever
I had a 1977 model. It was one of the best cars I ever owned. 305/350 in steel blue and a half vinyl top. Drove good, rode good, quiet inside, decent gas mileage…. It wasn’t that fast but, I had other cars for that. I sold it to get a new 1981 Corvette. Big mistake.
They love these in detroit. throw some big wheels on them and they have a cheap hoopty donker.
The swivel buckets are part of the Landau package, and this one appears to have them
There aren’t many around the east coast ; seems like most were made into Enduro , Street Stock and Late Model stock cars ! The rest either rusted away, and/or became parts cars for the racers.
We had a 76 Monte when I was a kid in the 80’s. We took a trip to Mount Rushmore in it, and we were approached by a TV crew that spoke very broken English. Turned out that they were from Tokyo Japan there filming something about Mount Rushmore. They could not believe how big our car was, and asked if they could film it to put on the news in Tokyo to show just how big American cars are. My dad said sure. As we left I remember my dad telling us, “if they think this thing is big, what would they think of Grandpa and Grandma’s 76 Coupe De Ville!”
My 77 had swivel buckets. Wonder if this one has them. Fun cars to drive. Pure Americana.
About as ugly as it gets.
GM could have kept the handsome body style of the ’72 through ’77. Anticipated rollover standards did not come to pass in the ’70s.
If that nose on this car is original with that hood ornament this car is a 1977, that was the first year it came out with those hood ornaments, the 1976 monte did not have a hood ornament from the factory.
Had three different years loved them
For $2500, wish I was closer but have other commitments at this time.
It is a 76 judging by the taillights but John is right the hood ornament only came on a 77. Someone added that because it’s got the 76 emblem in the grill.
I found and bought a nearly mint original 77 2 years ago that’s almost identical to the one I had in college. Got it for only $8000. I suspect you’d have more than that in this to get it back on the road.
These cars are such good drivers.
My Aunt bought a new Monte Carlo in 76 ..lime green white swivel bucket seats with a white landau top…ran nice..for the whole 20yrs ..looks nice and has style..better lkg cars than today…