Is '95 Monte Carlo a good car???

Question

Looking at buying a '95 Monte Carlo. 3.4L engine. Car has some slight body damage but nothing serious. Alternator is bad and needs to be replaced. Thermostat needs to be replaced and the starter is a little weak. How hard is it to change the alternator on this car??? Are there any major problems with these cars??? Would it be a good buy???

Answer 1

I have owned a '95 Monte Carlo Z34 for five years, and it now has 143k miles on it. It is lots of fun to drive, but the 3.4L V6 is a pain to work on. The front axle has to be pulled to change the alternator. The intake manifold has to be removed to change the rear spark plugs. I once had an oil leak at a little $1 o-ring, but to change the o-ring, the entire engine had to be pulled. My car has never left me stranded or anything, and I'm not afraid to take it on 4 or 5 hour trips. If the engine needs a lot of work,  though, it might not be a good buy unless you are a skilled mechanic, or willing to put a lot of time and effort into it. If I were to sell my car, i would only expect $1500 or $2000 tops, with no mechanical problems or body damage.

Answer 2

Good maybe.

Great, no!

Answer 3

I had a 95 lumina, which is basically the same car. It also had the 3.4L. I never had a problem with the car. It was a very solid and great car. I sold it to a family member. It has over 160,000 miles on it. Still original motor and tranny. Do not I repeat do not listen to Natalia. she is like a Honda and Toyota prostitute! Throwing her trash out there, and hoping someone will buy it. Natalia, come on get real. You and your 35year old toyota and 51year old honda comparisons. Like I have said in the past, show me a 51year old Honda on the road! Until then shut up and go answer all the repair questions on the foreign car categories. There is plenty of them. You and your post are worthless.

Answer 4

was a good car... alternator is not hard to replace but id have it tested first thremostat is not bad either.. depends on the price under a grand maybe

Answer 5

No... the 3.4 DOHC engine has decent power (think it's about 200) but it's a total lemon.  

Answer 6

It's a good car, but like most any used car over 10 years old, it has been neglected by it's previous owner and will need some TLC.

Get the work done by a reputable mechanic, or if your capable and have at least some experience, yourself, and you'll have a great car.

Don't listen to Natalia........ Consumer Reports is great for dishwashers and refrigerators, but when it comes to CARS they are COMPLETE dumbasses........... And most TOYOTAS and HONDAS never even make it to 10 years old because they are cheaply built and either 1. they rust away, 2. break a timing belt and trashes the engine, or 3. is involved in a major accident due to broken ball joints.

To the next poster below.......... I replaced the starter in a 94 Cutlass Supreme 3.4 today (basically the same as a Monte Carlo Z34)....... and it's simple.

Answer 7

I had a ’97 MC for a decade and just traded it in a few months ago. It was a great car for me, but I can tell it went downhill in terms of performance in the last year or so I had it. It had 131,000 miles on it. Maybe I could have driven it a few more years, but with its age and mileage, I was concerned I was going to start having expensive repairs.

Don’t buy this car without having a trusted mechanic look at it. My dad was a mechanic and he did virtually all of my maintenance for the first 8 years I had the car – which I believe is the reason it lasted as long as it did. You won’t know how well this car was cared for if it’s not checked out.

My older brother was a GM mechanic for years, and he frequently complained about how difficult it was to work on mid-90s GM cars because there was so much “junk” (his word) shoved into the steering column. Might be an issue for you with repairing your starter.

That Consumer Reports c**p posted above is for the current generation of MCs, not the one you’re asking about.