I told a buddy of mine who has a car lot that I'm looking to sell my trans am (once I get it fixed) and look for something like an '87 monte carlo SS. He told me that he has an '87 SS, white with t tops and that he would trade me straight up for the trans am (which still doesnt run). I'd like to do that but the plan was to sell the car and pay off the note, save up for a few months, and pay cash for a monte, then use the money from the monthly payments I've been making and put that twards mods. But I'm really too lazy and poor to fix it (the trans am).

What do y'all think? Trust my mechanical skills to maybe fix my trans am, or trade him and be paying a loan for the next 2 years but have a car that runs.

 

What is all wrong with your car? It can't be that bad off can it? Just remember you want to trade a '96 for an '87.............I wouldn't trade if it were me.

 

Depends, personally i wouldnt just because you would be owing the money that you owe for the 96 ta for a 87 monte carlo.

Sure the T/A might not run now. But how much can it really cost to fix. Just do it right one time and it will last another 100+K

If you didnt owe money on the T/A it would be a little different, because you would have more options.

Well i havent been much help so ill just shut the hell up

Good luck man

 

No way I'd do that trade. The Monte is an 87 & will have it's own load of problems. Just fix the TA...what all is wrong with it?

 

Regardless of mileae, your car is ~10 years nwer. Its worth more than any 87 GM short of a Grand Nat'l.

Ryan

 

My Saga

I've been struggling with the T/A for going on 2 1/2 years now. It's been overheating and draining coolant since I bought it 3 years ago (not often though, otherwise I wouldn't have bought it). First it blew a head gasket. I took care of that then I was trying to sell it. A (ex) friend of mine wanted to buy it but wanted to drive it around for a day first. Since he was a friend (I thought) I went ahead and let him do that. He called me up the next morning and blah blah blah he overheated it and drove it home like that. So now it's got another busted head gasket AND a knock.

Then I buy a used long block for it. Once I install it I find out that it has a knock as well, but the guy I bought it from told me that he had no idea if it was in working order or not so I can't blame him, that was just my bad judgement.

And now I hold in my hand a machine shop estimate for about $950 to fix it and I don't have any money because I spend it all on the payments and insurance.

Now you see why I wanna get this damn car out of my life? I've been broke for the last 3 years for something I got to drive for 6 months.

 

I know someone who will probably work out an "as is" trade for another LT1 car. It's a buddy of mine who owns Regal Performance. Just call 972-475-5656, ask for Ronnie. Tell him Jason sent you. He'd give you something a LOT better than an 87 Monte

 

But I kinda like the monte. It has great potential (LT1 swap ) and the insurance is dirt cheap.

 

You can't pay $950 for the machine shop to bouild your motor, but you are gonna be able to pull off an LT1 swap???



If you have decent credit, get a short term personal loan (1 year) and have the car fixed. You may struggle for the next year to make all the payments, but you'll be better of financially a year from now than if you traded. Not only that, but will your bank actually let you do it? I mean to say that the insurace will be under his name when your bank gets a copy of the policy (leinholders get a copy at each renewal).

p.s. Monte SS are slow (stock)! I outran one 10 years ago with my '88 Firebird 2.8l V6 at close to 120 mph.

 

I'm thinking years down the line for that.

And credit is shot, no loan for me.

I just want a daily driver for now and when I start making some money, then I can mod it.

 

What is the current payoff on the TA?

Did it have these overheating problems when I met you in my Caprice and we test-drove each other's cars for a possible trade? You never said anything about that...naughty naughty.

 

It's always been my feeling that once you don't trust a car it's not worth much to you. My advice would be to drive that monte, run the vin on a lemon checker, have the GM dealer TI it, and compare the blue books with the repair cost figured in. But it's like I said earlier... if your not happy with car and no longer trust it, its not worth a whole lot to you. I love the Ol monte SS body styles too so maybe I am biased a bit.

 

The T/A has been paid down to like $5K, it only overheated about once every 2 months. So I wasn't too worried about that.

The car has lost my trust, it seems like whatever I do to it, it breaks again within a few days. I'm just scared that it'll do that again and I'll have to start all over.

And I too love the old Monte body style.

 

Honestly you might be better off just getting out from under the T/A until you get on your feet.

I wouldnt even worry about modding the monte either. Just get things straightened out before you even head down the modding road.

Good luck to ya! Its a b*tch to get things straightened out. Hell it seems as though thats all im ever doing.

 

Word!