Noob here!

Hey guys! I'm new to this board. I currently do not own a Monte, but I'm in the process of looking at one to purchase. I currently own a Nissan Maxima, which I've had since January. I'm just not happy with it so its for sale. I'm a Chevy gal. My dad tried to talk me out of  the Max, but I wouldn't listen. I learned the hard way ...LoL. Anyways, I just wanted to post and say hello.
 
If anyone could give me any pointers as to what to look for as far as mechanical things, I would appreciate it. The Monte I'm looking at is a 2000 SS w/104,000 miles on it. The guy is having some work done to it cuz it didn't pass inspection. He said no engine work is needed. So any help would be great!

Welcome Lisa from VA. Let me be the 1st to welcome you here.

welcome to the site! did he tell you what didnt pass inspection? and just make sure u test drive the car and check all the fluids and the normal quick checks b4 u buy a car...carfax is a good help as well

I'd stay away from the earlier 6th gen Montes, like the '00 or '01. I had an '01 SS LE and LOVED it, but it didn't love me back. That's why I got rid of it at 116,000 miles. Try to find a later year. Spend a couple of extra$$. Actually, if you can find a late model low milage car from a GM dealer, you can get a 100,000 mile warranty with it if it's certified. I spent  $,$$$ for that warranty.
I Love my Intimidator SS, and he loves me back.

Thank you for the welcome! I hope I learn a few things about Montes here. I've always loved them, hopfully soon I will be driving one.

Hi Lisa and welcome to the site.
I'm sure you'll get lots of great advice from the people here. 
What kind of work is the guy having to get done to pass inspection?
Going from a smaller car to a bigger Monte SS takes getting used to.  I've had mine since august, and I'm still trying to get the hang of getting the Monte centered between the lines in parking lots.  I find myself still hugging the line on the passenger side.
 
Hope the car works out for ya, without any major problems.  I asked other 2000+ Monte owners what they thought of their car before I bought mine.  They all told me it was a great car, and was really reliable.  Which was a welcome relief from my money pit of a grand am.

Lets see... The catalytic converter replaced, rear brakes, high beam switch replaced along with the outer tie rod ends, new tires. He just aquired it back from the ex-wife as part of the divorce. He doesn't drive and hasn't drove it. He is selling it cuz he don't need it.

I'm very cautous now with buying used cars. I purchased my Maxima from another member on one of the boards that I'm a member of. I knew the engine had been replaced due to the original being blown by nitrous. It was heavly modded and a few months before he sold it, he started stripping the car down. By the time I got it, it was pretty much back to stock. I have had some issues with it that I just can't figure out. Recently, I found out that the engine in it now also had nitrous ran through it, even though he said he never had. 80 dry, 150 wet. A little much in my opinion. So this time around, I just want to be VERY careful. I know the basics to look for I guess.

do u have any friends who r mechanics? maybe the guy will let u test drive it and u can see what they say

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChevyChick07

Lets see... The catalytic converter replaced, rear brakes, high beam switch replaced along with the outer tie rod ends, new tires. He just aquired it back from the ex-wife as part of the divorce. He doesn't drive and hasn't drove it. He is selling it cuz he don't need it.

 
From a year here, it seems that all late gen Montes suffer from steering problems and cat problems.
 
You seem to have it covered.  If the Intermediate Steering Shaft and/or Steering Rack are okay, you are on the right track.

Welcome to the site

Yeah I do. I have a guy that goes with me. The owner said I could take it overnight and have him look at it, so that is probably what I'm gonna do.

How can I tell about the Steering Shaft and/or Steering Rack are ok? Would it be some "play" in the steering or ???
 

quote:

ORIGINAL: SolaraSlayer

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChevyChick07

Lets see... The catalytic converter replaced, rear brakes, high beam switch replaced along with the outer tie rod ends, new tires. He just aquired it back from the ex-wife as part of the divorce. He doesn't drive and hasn't drove it. He is selling it cuz he don't need it.

From a year here, it seems that all late gen Montes suffer from steering problems and cat problems.
 
You seem to have it covered.  If the Intermediate Steering Shaft and/or Steering Rack are okay, you are on the right track.

On my car with the screwed up intermediate steering shaft, when you turn while moving forward you can feel a slight popping feel in the wheel. I have seen them get very bad, where you can actually see the wheel jerking when you are turning.

Howdy 

A bad ISS feels like sloppy tie rod ends or something else wrong with the front end. Yes, it starts with a little play in the steering wheel, and ends with a clunk in the steering. If it's been replaced, you should be set. If it's been re-packed, it's an on-going problem. It just needs to be replaced, like the catalytic convertors need to be replaced. Everything else is just car stuff going bad, like the front hubs (bearings), and they are a little salty. Like I said earlier, the later  6th gen Montes seem to me to be less problems, but then they are more expensive.  To me car payments on a newer car is less than car payments + car maintance on an older car, as one with 100,000+ miles, especially if you can get a 100,000 mile warranty.

Welcome to the site Good Luck on finding a good Monte

I had to laugh when i read RocknSS04's reply

quote:

I Love my Intimidator SS, and he loves me back.

  I thought it was funny Cuz I think of my 04 Intimidator as a "she" cuz of her extreme hot looks. Now my Old brute of a chevy truck i think of "him"
I just got a kick out of that.

honestly. take it to a mechanic if yo dont have some one you can trust to give it a once over tha tyou know has a clue.
 
with todays cars they can put them on a machince and tell you everythign wrong with them.
And most shops will have a pre buy inspection rather cheap in comparison to buying a lemon.
 
ALSO WELCOME!!

Thanks to everyone for the great advice! I will def. have someone go over the car very well!! I got burned with my current car and I'm not looking to have it happen again. I commute an hour for work plus I go to Norfolk / Va. Beach on a monthly basis, so I need something that is going to be dependable. I'm a single mom, so I have a tight budget too. But I so love the Montes.

Welcome Lisa!
 
Hope you get a good deal on your Monte.  Thankfully the few problems there are with Montes, most are relatively in-expensive.  The most you should need to spend on that car for a good 150K on the clock is a trans flush, fuel filter, Coolant flush, the basic maintenance.  The ISS shaft depends on how long it has gone without lube.  My car is a 2006 LT3 (as in my sig) and it's already had the ISS lubed.  If this hasn't been done, it can cause further steering problems.  My problem started with just a slightly more difficult turn, it was just slightly harder to turn the wheel.  This happened gradually, and I didn't notice it until the lube was done.  I got it lubed (while the car still has chassy warranty) because I was actually starting to get some of the slight "knocking" you can feel/hear while turning, more so in hard, slow turns (navigating a parking lot) versus while moving at any decent speed (20 mph above)
 
The second problem is the Cat converter, I'm glad this has been replaced on your car, because it actually is warrantied to 80k or 100k by GM, because it was so common for them to get clogged on the montes.  In fact, many a person has come on here asking about possible transmission problems, and a few have actually had the trans rebuild (a trans shop will almost NEVER tell u that ur car doesn't need a rebuild... even if it's brand spankin new)  because the clogging causes such an exhaust manifold pressure than it can mess with the sensors that control the trans too (don't ask me how, I dunno, lol!)
 
So that's one less worry.  I also happened to have a problem with my turn signal switch on my 2003 LS...  The turn signals worked fine, but randomly when driving at night my headlights would just turn themselves off.   Luckily clicking the brights on/off was a quick fix, but the lever that controlled it turned out to be the problem.  Should be a cheap fix, backyard mechanic could probably do it, but it's already been done, so you should be good.
 
Expect to spend 8-10 k on anything newer than 2002, add a good 2k if it's an SS.  I only made like 7K on my trade in, they priced it at 10 and it sold nearly immediately!  (it had 75k, 2003 red LS monte)
 
Some of the harsher-treated W bodies have suspension problems, allthough this isn't super-common.  Any mechanic can make a quick inspection of that and tell u if anything is looking bad.  The hubs are a common issue, and expensive to replace, so first check if the car has traction control (TCC).  If it does, drive with it on, and off.  If, when on, itturns itself off, or you get ABS warnings, it could be related to the hub.
 
But other than these rather minor problems the cars are very good, and if you do have any problems... well you know where to go!  hehe...