Most people think of the 1982-up cars when suggesting an Eighties Monte Carlo, and a lot of that is due to the love-or-hate looks of the A-body 1978-1981 version. A departure from the Colonnade body that defined Monte Carlos of the 1970s, the 1978 car had been downsized significantly as part of GM’s plan to better handle the Arab oil embargo and CAFE regulations. The 1978-81 Monte Carlos have similar interiors, running gear, chassis and engine selections as the 1982-up G-bodies, and if you are lucky you can even find a manual transmission Monte Carlo. For a project car or a first car, they are a good choice, usually being cheaper than the later model Monte Carlos and Super Sports.
For someone who is looking for a low-work shot into owning a cool car, this Monte, which we will presume to be a 1978 model (“1987” is isn’t), looks to be a good step forward. The silver metallic paint is fresh and the small block Chevrolet is even fresher, at 400 miles old. New wheels and tires adorn the Monte, which was destined to become a drag car by the previous owner before they lost interest. Their loss, your gain, though explaining the nubs next to the taillights might get tiresome after a while.
Craigslist Link: 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
I generally get along with Montes, but that generation’s weird fender lines and angled headlight buckets just makes it look cartoonishly bad.
I agree, the Monte, Cutlass, Regal were just plain ugly during 78-80 but the Malibu was a looker. Go figure.
That generation Malibu is a lot more subtle and understated by comparison. I’d snap one up in a heartbeat.
Back in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, I owned a total of 6 Malibu’s, including a wagon and El Camino.
I dated a girl who was 5 ft. nothing and owned a first gen Monte. Anything within a car length was in jeopardy, it scared the s#$t out of me when she drove.
That would be “’78-’80” and “’81-up” G-Bodies. ’81 was the year GM rebodied all of the 2 door G Bodies, not ’82.
1. 1982 is the year the A platform went FWD. The Buick Century, Chevrolet Celebrity, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera (84-up Cutlass Cruiser) & Pontiac 6000.
2. Read the ad, do the math: That car only shows 99,999, the odometer has rolled. It’s been repainted with the left mirror missing. It was wetted down before the pics to help it shine.
3. A new built mystery displacement SBC with a 650 Holley. it’s probably a 1980 267 from a Impala. When people build an engine to be proud of they tell you what it displaces and what it uses. Not ‘previous owner just got tired of it’.
4. The seller can’t even get the year right in the title. He may not have matched the paperwork to the vin.
5. One has to be extra careful buying cars from Kentucky. So much Ohio prints on title cars that have a previous Kentucky title. Someone just has to claim the car sale was not done with legal owner consent and can sue for the car back. i know a Fiero Collector that got burned after he fully restored a 87 V6 car.