Generation Gap: Chevrolet Monte Carlo Edition

"Amoore100" (amoore100) 08/31/2016 at 22:18 • Filed to: Generation Gap, Chevrolet, Monte Carlo

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Welcome to Generation Gap where we ask you about your favorite generation of a certain multi-generational car nameplate. Then, explain why your choice is right to the rest of us uneducated folks.

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After !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , let’s take a look at some not so amazing American machinery. From defining the Malaise Era to representing the cost-cutting of pre-bankruptcy GM, nothing quite illustrates the pitfalls of America’s biggest car company as well as the mighty Monte Carlo. That isn’t to say the beast doesn’t have its upsides too, though. In the end, which of its many generations was the best?

The options:

First Generation [1970 - 1972]

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Second Generation [1973 - 1977] and facelift

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Third Generation [1977 - 1980] and facelift

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Fourth Generation [1981 - 1988] and facelift

Yes, I know the SS exists. No, this isn’t an SS.

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Fifth Generation [1994 - 1999]

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Sixth Generation [1999 - 2005]

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Seventh Generation [2005 - 2007]

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Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 22:24

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Doesn’t show 4th gen SS... I am disappoint.

LongbowMkII > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 22:26

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I voted 5th gen. I know they’re fwd crap boxes but I can’t help but love the 90's of it. I feel like driving this to Initech and filing TPS reports.

wafflesnfalafel > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 22:35

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the neighbor across the street, Mr. Rudeen, had a bronze 2nd gen growing up - he’d go flying down our hill in it and piss all the other neighbors off...

WilliamsSW > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 22:38

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Easy - I had a 1st gen in high school, same color (and year I believe- '72) as the photo you picked, but with a beige vinyl roof. I'd take it to the drive in and the hood (all 6 feet of it) was a great place for 3-4 people to relax comfortably. It was a great car.

djgreenlava > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 22:39

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The third generation facelift is Monte to be but always shocked how well the Impala front end works for the final nose job.

Amoore100 > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 08/31/2016 at 22:57

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Of course it’s still there...it’s just implied...or maybe you want a picture instead?

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 22:58

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Either first (because Tokyo Drift) or fourth (because username).

Die-Trying > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 22:59

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second gen........ they make for beautiful race cars......... its like watching a large whale gracefully swimming around a racetrack.......

and you missed the aero-nose with bubble glass........

Amoore100 > LongbowMkII 08/31/2016 at 22:59

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Hey, whatever floats your boat! I’d totally rock a sixth gen SS if it was one of the Supercharged 3800 V6 models.

Amoore100 > djgreenlava 08/31/2016 at 23:01

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Agreed, I always found those strangely alluring as well. I wonder if it would work today? (Not my shop)

Hmmm, looks a bit too Kia Forte Koup but at least it’s not hideous?

Amoore100 > WilliamsSW 08/31/2016 at 23:03

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Hey, nothing beats the true land-barge experience! My mom still misses her sixth gen Impala if for no reason other than the fact that it would comfortably sit at 85 on Highway 5 all day long.

djgreenlava > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 23:04

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That rendering does have a Koup vibe but doesn’t look like a Civic coupe knockoff like the Koup does. I'll nod my head to GM needing a fwd cruiser coupe in this market.

Amoore100 > wafflesnfalafel 08/31/2016 at 23:04

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Isn’t that what youth is for? Doing dumb things in cars? Sounds like he made very good use of both of those things.

WilliamsSW > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 23:05

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Yeah, that thing had a 350 in it (base engine), and still had room for a radiator fan shroud that was about the same length as the block. I beat the heck out of it, delivering pizzas, and it never let me down.

wafflesnfalafel > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 23:07

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totally - except he was a 50 yo dentist! :)

Amoore100 > djgreenlava 08/31/2016 at 23:07

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True, the stance on the rendered Monte is much better than the econo-Koup. I wish I would say the same but it just wouldn’t sell, not with all the V6 Camaros around...

djgreenlava > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 23:12

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Any of the V6 modern muscle cars make the value really match the style and performance. FWD can offer a usable backseat for a mid size car though.

Amoore100 > Die-Trying 08/31/2016 at 23:13

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Haha, I love that analogy! It’s totally accurate though, especially with the Superbirds and Daytonas leading the pack in the ‘70s.

Also, was the aero nose an SS option only or did it come on standard Monties? I couldn’t quite figure that bit out, so I just went with a basic '87 car.

Amoore100 > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 08/31/2016 at 23:16

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Erm, drift?

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Totally get you there, though. G-bodies are amazing.

thatsmr > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 23:20

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My first car was a 77. Bought 1985. I voted for it for that reason. That car was the most bloated, underpowered, bad mileage getting, poor handling abomination ever set upon this world. It was a beauty though. White with red interior, white Landau (sp) roof, 15" chromies and white letter tires. Awesome.

Die-Trying > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 23:20

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there was an aero package on the ss, that had the nose, a spoiler, the bubble window, the 350, and something else.......

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 23:20

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Mmmm... so nice

Amoore100 > djgreenlava 08/31/2016 at 23:20

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True, but anyone concerned with backseat space is gonna get an Impala and anyone who wants a coupe is gonna get a Camaro. As a society we just aren’t quite as willing to spend time thinking about our automotive choices anymore.

Amoore100 > WilliamsSW 08/31/2016 at 23:21

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Completely overbuilt, those old V8s. Pity they’re now good as extinct, but it sure was awesome while they were around.

Amoore100 > Die-Trying 08/31/2016 at 23:22

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A jacked-up front end?

Amoore100 > thatsmr 08/31/2016 at 23:23

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Hey, nothing beats the first car effect and it sounds like the Carlo at least made for an interesting one!

Tristan > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 23:27

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I voted forth gen because SS, Aerocoupe and T-tops. First gen is a close second, though since it was made before the malaise had a firm grip on GM.

Amoore100 > Tristan 08/31/2016 at 23:30

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The first gen was essentially Chevy’s muscle car, then?

Die-Trying > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 23:33

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swaybars............

oddly enough, if you put in “aero monte carlo” into google image,

about 2/3 have that exact same (engine is missing, reverse)“rake” to them. its like they have springs for a heavier set up that never materialized......

WilliamsSW > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 23:34

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Yes, I’ve had a few of them, and they’re fantastic. Carburetion can be a little annoying at times, but it's just a minor headache.

Amoore100 > Die-Trying 08/31/2016 at 23:36

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Hmmmm, maybe we should try dropping something exciting into it since it seems perfectly set up for that. I wanna try this:

Although LS’s are so light nowadays it might not make too much of a difference.

djgreenlava > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 23:36

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It’s insane how many people just care what car can be leased for the lowest dollar that fits their image or that they can pay off in six whole years. The only thing I want to be upside down with in two and a half years is a pineapple cake.

Amoore100 > WilliamsSW 08/31/2016 at 23:41

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Oooooh, yes. I keep telling myself I want an old land-barge, then I realize carburetion is a thing and I scale back the search results to “1990+” I’m pretty well convinced carbs work with witchcraft and black magic, which is why it’s astounding that this damned thing with two SU carbs has covered 3 million miles.

Die-Trying > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 23:45

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iron big block seems to at least HELP get the nose down to about normal car height

but........ yeah...... even with a big block, jacked up front end

Amoore100 > djgreenlava 08/31/2016 at 23:47

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Exactly. Leasing seems stupid to me in the first place anyways. You pay all this money and you still can’t keep the damned thing when you’re done. I suppose you go up to the next newest and greatest which is subsequently discounted, but I’m old fashioned. I keep things till they break, then fix them and repeat. Consumerism truly is a confounding art.

Tristan > Amoore100 08/31/2016 at 23:48

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No, more like their entry into the “Personal Luxury” coupe market. The Nova and Chevelle were the bowtie’s muscle offerings of the era.

WilliamsSW > Amoore100 09/01/2016 at 00:01

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They’re not that bad- really. They’re just a little more finicky. If they’re kept clean and in good working order, they’re no trouble at all. I wouldn’t let that hold you back.

Amoore100 > WilliamsSW 09/01/2016 at 00:03

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Sounds good! I guess as with anything you have to follow the “good maintenance clause”. I simply cannot understand how people can’t grasp the notion that, hey, mechanical things need to be maintained even if they’re not broken unless you want it more broken. Idiots.

AfromanGTO > Amoore100 09/01/2016 at 00:30

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I always loved the Monkey Carlo ad.

WilliamsSW > Amoore100 09/01/2016 at 00:51

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Yes, exactly this. I have friends and family who seem to think that putting gas in and occasionally changing the oil is all you need to do. Yet I’m “lucky” that I don’t have trouble with my cars...

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Amoore100 09/01/2016 at 01:10

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The wheels on that Forth gen. I fell in love with them when I was in like 7 th grade.

Stef Schrader > Amoore100 09/01/2016 at 03:25

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Gosh, I love that brown on the first-gen pic, but I came home from the hospital in a G-body Cutlass, soooooo...4th Gen FTW!

shop-teacher > LongbowMkII 09/01/2016 at 11:18

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I certainly didn’t vote for them, but those things were cockroaches. My buddy’s wife had a ‘95 that was her first car, after it was her two older brothers’ first car as well. They didn’t get rid of it until they had a kid a few years ago. The thing had well over 200k miles on it, the interior looked almost new, and I think they got like a grand for it even.

WiscoProud > Tristan 09/01/2016 at 13:52

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This is the correct answer. The picture posted is the most boring version they offered. A black SS with maroon interior and T-Tops will always be gorgeous to me.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Amoore100 09/01/2016 at 13:54

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Boom.

Tristan > WiscoProud 09/01/2016 at 14:50

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They look fantastic in that brownish-maroonish color, too. And in white... They just plain look good. I tried a few years back to get one, but couldn’t find one that wasn’t either donk’d or completely trashed. :/

WiscoProud > Tristan 09/01/2016 at 15:00

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That's the problem, they were considered disposable for so long they've all been disposed of. Friend of mine in high school had one in the brownish-maroon color. Great car.

Tristan > WiscoProud 09/01/2016 at 17:43

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Too true. A high school buddy’s grandma had an SS Aerocoupe back when I was in high school. I wonder what ever became of it. The big killer of G-bodies where I grew up was the dirt track races. They were damn good on the dirt oval, though.

WiscoProud > Tristan 09/01/2016 at 17:55

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I saw many of them lose their lives in demolition derbies as well

Tristan > WiscoProud 09/01/2016 at 18:27

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Aye... It’s depressing. I do find comfort in the fact that I grew up in the rust belt, so most of them were doomed from the start.

RT > Amoore100 09/03/2016 at 05:36

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The first was probably the best, but was overshadowed by other muscle cars of the time.

I don’t know much about about gens 2-3 and don’t particularly like 5-7.

The fourth on the other hand, was a vehicle with a strong identity compared to the usual muscle car crowd - and it had a lot of variants to make up for things. Even if it fell flat in a few areas, I love my G-Bodies.

So gen 5 is my favourite.