By 1972, the First Generation Chevrolet Monte Carlo reached the end of its production life. As the final year before introducing the larger 5mph bumpers, many people believe that it is one of the most attractive versions that Chevrolet produced. Our feature car is a tidy classic that seems to need little. It presents well as a driver-grade vehicle, and the optional V8 under the hood blesses it with respectable performance for a car from this era. Located in New Baltimore, Michigan, the owner has listed the Monte Carlo for sale here on eBay. Solid bidding has pushed the price to $17,000 in a No Reserve auction.
Finished in Cranberry Red with a Black vinyl top, the overall presentation of this Monte Carlo is relatively impressive. The seller indicates the car received a repaint in its original shade around a decade ago, and it continues to hold an excellent shine. The owner mentions a few marks and imperfections, but these are minor enough to not be visible in the supplied photos. The panels look straight, with no noticeable dings or bruises. The replacement vinyl top looks as-new. There is no bubbling that might indicate nasty hidden secrets. Speak of which, this Monte Carlo has spent its life in southern climes. Therefore, its lack of rust is no surprise. Externally, it looks clean. The underside shots reveal spotless floors, which will be encouraging for potential buyers. The trim seems above average for a driver-quality car, as does the glass. Rounding out the exterior is a set of factory Rally wheels wrapped in new narrow whitewall tires.
The Monte Carlo’s interior presentation is on par with its exterior. That means that while its overall condition is above average, there are a few flaws for the buyer to consider. Chief among these are a couple of cracks in the dash pad. These aren’t severe and may be repairable. Other alternatives would be to throw a dash mat over it to hide the issue from prying eyes or spend $170 on a dash cap that glues over the pad. The best solution would be to replace the pad entirely, but this will cost the buyer $460. It will be a matter of choice and how much of a perfectionist the next owner is. The seller indicates that the previous owner had a new headliner professionally installed, but it seems that the remaining Black vinyl trim and carpet are original. There is no significant wear or physical damage, and the buyer could display the Monte Carlo at a show or Cars & Coffee with total pride. There is an aftermarket radio/cassette player, but I can’t spot any further additions. Luxury touches include air conditioning, power windows, cruise control, and a tilt wheel.
Chevrolet offered prospective Monte Carlo buyers several engine choices in 1972, and the original owner of this car walked the middle ground by selecting the 350ci V8 equipped with a 4-barrel carburetor. This motor brought 175hp to the table. The rest of the drivetrain includes a three-speed Hydramatic transmission, power steering (which was standard in 1972), and power front disc brakes. If that owner had driven the Monte Carlo off the showroom floor to a drag strip, it would have covered the ¼ mile in 17.6 seconds. Okay, I admit that figure doesn’t seem particularly impressive by today’s standards. However, with the advent of tightening regulations in 1972, it still stacked up well for a family car designed to accommodate six people in relative comfort. For potential buyers, there are plenty of positives with this classic. The owner states that it has 77,000 genuine miles on the clock, although he doesn’t mention verifying evidence. The spotless engine bay presentation makes it no surprise that the Chevy runs and drives perfectly. The buyer can look forward to handing over their cash and driving off into the sunset behind the wheel of this baby.
Sometimes it can be difficult to gauge the desirability of a classic car, but this 1972 Monte Carlo poses no such challenges. Given its overall condition, it is unsurprising to learn that it has already attracted twenty-five bids. It is a turnkey proposition, and while it isn’t perfect, it is easy to accept the seller’s claim that the car receives compliments wherever it goes. The auction is fast drawing to a conclusion, so it will be interesting to see where the bidding reaches when the hammer falls. The big question is whether you will be an interested spectator or if you will make a bid to park this Monte Carlo in your garage.
Nice ride. Not sure about an “optional” V8, as they all had them in one form or another.
He is referring to the optional 350 4bbl V8 this Monte has, not the standard 350 2bbl V8.
Few items here not correct. Still functional, just not correct. To me, that means be diligent when inspecting. What’s off? Here we go.
Dash – does not have the Monte Carlo woodgrain face (overlay).
Front seat – seat cover in incorrect pattern and material. Should match back seat.
Wheel trim rings – these are for ’73-up Pontiacs and our beloved sqaure body pickups.
Grille – should be bright, not all black. Maybe when they painted the underside, they did the grille at the same time!
Spare rim – should be a matching rally wheel.
Air cleaner – with that wide mouth, that is a ’75 – newer version
A/C line – not correct for the year. That goes for the heater hoses, too.
Is that the original engine? No picture of rear package shelf. It has an aftermarket radio – speakers, too?
With all these indiscretioncies that you can see, what about the items you can’t?
The lower rocker panel below the moldings should be painted black, not body color.
And let’s not overlook the single seam, incorrect texture vinyl roof
Yes my 1970 Monte had double seam and textured .
wood grain dash also.
buckets and console .Burgundy and black. Damn should have kept it that was my first car. I thought i would never part with it I restored it back in the 80’s.but Sh** happens.
What a gorgeous car.
Excellent lines and a great color combination, easily the nicest gen of Monte’s.
I love cars from most eras but I keep getting drawn back to the late 60’s and early 70’s.
Beautiful car with the perfect drive train.
Same background as the brown 74 Corvette coupe. I have an eye for detail.
I’m picturing the original owner of this car saying, “yeah, I could have bought an Eldorado, but I prefer something with a little style.” This one has an undeniable presence.
Back in the day, most of the ’70-’72 MCs i saw wore the factory wheel covers.
Many had rear fender skirts too, which i assume were not avail when you got the optional sport wheels shown above.
The front grill should not be blacked out & should have more chrome bits on it.
Nevertheless, IMO, this is the handsomest car Chevy ever built – how could they not offer this car &/or at least a retro Chevelle after the modern Challnger came out?!, with of course hidden side roof posts like on the Chally.
Tons of lost sales – to this day!
Same with Ford & a modern vers of the ’70-72 torino!
I would buy 1 of those – IF they had bigger side windows than the modern Challenger.
The sales material states that rally wheels could not be ordered with fender skirts although I have seen some owners do it. There is not much clearance between the skirt and the center cap.
These are really nice riding,comfortable cars.
A few years back I found a ’70,in really good shape,
at a local repair shop.It had been there for quite a while.
They were willing to give it away.
I tried to find someone interested in in,but got no
takers.Sad to think it probably went to the crusher.
This was my favorite GM “A-Special” platform car of the 70s. The only thing I’d rather have is the buckets and center console shifter. But, the 350 is just fine with me.
Wondering…how many of you know that on the helmet visor of the figure on the rear trunk lock, the 1970,71,and 72 models have the year displayed in Roman numerals?
The Roman numerals on the helmet were only used in 1970 and 1971. They were eliminated for the 1972 model year and used slash marks where the Roman numerals once were.
Beautiful looking car. I’ve always loved the 1970-72 Chevy Monte Carlo. Given its age and condition, I’d pay between $10,000 and $20,000.
That’s quite a range! I’m guessing the owner would prefer $20,000.
Ended:Mar 09, 2022 , 8:00PM
Winning bid:
US $19,600.00
[ 41 bids ]