Hey everyone, thank you for watching our channel! Hey don't forget that I sell posters of all your favorite cars. You can find them in my eBay store. www.ebay.com/str/paylessposters
I have owned my '76 for 43 years, being the second owner. I have put several hundred thousand miles on it with continuous improvements. Of all my vehicles, the Monte is still my favorite. I also owned a 77 for several years and put 100,000 miles on it. 2nd gens are great!
When I was a kid, my uncle bought a brand new baby blue 1976 Monte Carlo with a white interior and when he pulled up to my house, I thought that was a really good looking car. Almost 50 years later, that flowing design still looks great. Looking at the Monte Carlo brings back so many great road trip memories
1973 will always be my favorite of the second generation. My mom had a 1975 when I was a kid. They lost me at the quad headlights though- it just never looked right to me.
I owned a black '88 Monte Carlo SS with the 5.0 and rear spoiler that was nice looking, the first- and second-generation Monte's were my favorites though.
I wish you could get the interior of the first gen in the body of the second gen. That horseshoe shifter, and the map lights in the mirror and the fiber optic lamp monitors were just some really nice touches that did not make their way into the 2nd generation. By the mid ‘70’s the bean counters were starting to cut costs on the interiors.
Always preferred the olds and the Pontiac on these cars… but the Monte was ok too… that white interior looked beautiful, and the swivel buckets were awesome
These were everywhere! The later generations were necessary due to regulatory constraints and market changes (as you note), but the second generation may have been the peak. The colonnade coupes were far more attractive than the colonnade sedans were, and they never seemed to fit together as coupe-sedan siblings usually do.
My favorite gen is the 1st one, unfortunately I haven't had the pleasure of owning one. I have owned a 73, a 74, 2 75's and 3 77's along with several of the 3 gens. The 3rd gens made great fox body slayer's, especially when you hung clutch pedals and ran a 4 or 5 speed with a set of 3.73 rear gears. My favorite feature on the 2nd generation was the swivel buckets. Thanks for the great episode on an iconic generation of the Monte Carlo 🍻
I think 1975 was the best looking 2nd gen any I had one with a rebuilt 350 out of a 71. 13s in the quarter. Midnight blue with a white quarter vinyl roof. White interior. I like the round headlights, the 75 grill and the body color strips on the taillights. Wish I still had it.
Michael J., you knocked this video OUT OF THE PARK!! Your pace and pronunciation was on point!! The pace and every aspect about this was TV worthy IMHO.
We all have cars we wish we still had. In 1984, I gave up a 1978 Trans am with tops for a 1978 Honda Accord! And I had to give the used car lot $1000 on top of the trade! Kick myself in the ass for it but I couldn't afford the gas. The Accord really helped get me by during my tough financial times though.
What I recall most about the 2nd gen MC's were 2 things. #1, Most stolen car in the Chicagoland area. #2. Most sought after car for demolition derbies. That being said, I like this generation, and finding an unmolested example is pretty rare now days.
::The 3rd generation 1978 Monte Carlo was really plain looking. 7:38 It almost looked like a plain old Malibu and almost killed the car line off completely. However, the 1977 2nd Generation model was the best year ever. My dad's car was a gorgeous lacquer cream color with a white vinyl top including popular then wide white wall tires. It had a white leather interior. Just beautiful. The body rusted out bad though back then really fast. The 4th generation Monte Carlo came back really strong . However, the 5h Generation 8:56 looked like nothing more than a Lumina. Just plain ugly. I was surprised the car model even survived after that era.
Had one of these. Ok car, nothing special, but very dependable. Also had a Grand Prix from this generation. Nicer interior and more power. Both decent, but GM build quality in these years was not great.
I'll get flack but the M/C shoulda died after '77. I say that because the Camaro was much better as a sport coupe, the downside Impala coupe was better as a luxury coupe and the downsized Malibu was better overall coupe, they shoulda continued the Laguna Sport for a NASCAR racer..
I agree, the last "real" Monte Carlo that had it's own "look" was the '77 - after that the Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, Cutlass and Regal all looked the same aside from minor tweaks here and there!
IMO, the 2nd gen Monte's styling is cartoonist and suggests a clown car. It looked ridiculous on race tracks. It was the era of effeminate rock stars, leisure suits, choked engines, opera windows and disco...ugh!
There were a lot of them, but not as ubiquitous as The Caprice and Impalas. I had a 77 Impala with the cool 3 dimensional rear glass. Leaked oil like the Exxon Valdez from the rear seal though.
I've still got my 73 Monte Carlo. All stock and original. Around 80 thousand miles on it. It's been parked mostly, but once in a while I will take it out in the summer for a drive. Waiting for that one grandkid to come along then I'll hand it off to him. My dad bought it new and I bought it from him. It's still gorgeous and people will walk out into the street just to tell me they had one or knew someone who did.
I bought a full loaded 1976 Monte Carlo Landau with 14,500 original miles about three Years ago. I was not looking for it I just happened to see it in a driveway with a For Sale sign on it. I bought it off of a 74 Year old lady that was selling her deceased 96 Year old Mother's car. I couldn't pass it up.
I remember as a kid in the backseat in my father’s 1977 Monte Carlo he bought new so nostalgic just spending time with my dad miss him those Chevys reminds me my pop great video
That's what this channel is all about. The trips we'd take in my dad's 1968 Bel Air wagon and later 1978 Impala Wagon. Gosh I miss my dad and those good old days.
The downsized late 70's models were just as striking looking. My grandmother had a downsized Buick Regal that was really a good-looking car just similar too these.
Had a 1970, first car I bought in 1980 when I was 19, black over red, that 454 went like stink! Great interior with the full length center console and woven nylon seat fabric. It wasn’t much of a handler and the brakes were horrible but I loved racing other muscle cars during that era and just cruising the boulevards of SoCal in that bitching ride!
@@tpolerex7282 Last of the true Muscle Car era where Cubic Inches was the reign. I know Superchargers and Turbochargers are here today but I prefer good ole Cubic Inches. 😎
@@ThisOldCarChannel I'm a first generation Monte collector. 1970 with 454 original, 1971 custom Monte with 350 4 bolt main and a 1972 Monte 350. Still have all of them. The 1971 is a race / track car with hood pins and extremely fast. The 70 and 71 have bucket seats with floor shifter and 72 with bench seat. I've owned 12 of the 1971 and 1972 Monte Carlos. The 1970 is very rare. Some call it the SS Monte carlo. Great channel 👏.
Can we get a Suburban history vid? Would be nice 1935 to now…well prior to 1935, the were actually being made for the military, which the government still uses suburbans today.
I always thought the 2nd gens had a really sexy shape to them---and when equipped with Corvette Rally wheels accentuated it with style and a touch of class
@@marcusallen2951 Yeah, I didn't like those at all. It made no sense to me for them to make the Monte Carlo smaller than the Nova. They shrunk the Mailbu, the Monte and the Impala, but kept the Nova the same size until the very end
Not a fan of the collonade lux coupes GM put out, but if I had to pick, I'd take a 76-77 Cutlass. Not a fan of round headlights on these cars, nor a fan of the sheet metal swooshes over the wheels on the Montes, which continued in 78. If you are ever in need of a headlight / turn signal piece for a 78 or 79 monte, you can use one from the opposite side of a regal and turn it upside down. They are interchangeable. Badge engineering rearing it's ugly head.
When I was a kid we had a 1974 and a 1977. They were both white with red plush interiors with bucket seats.. my parents loved them! I loved them to so much I nearly bought a brand new 1997 white Monte Carlo. However it would have costed me as a 10 year old in Canada $600 a month to insure it with a clean record.. got a Dodge Ram instead and it lasted me 18 years.
I still have my 1977 Monte Carlo rust and all had it since 1986❤😅 swivel seats ,auto on the floor,moon roof ,350 four barrel engine.no power windows or power trunk AC.
The second gen from 73-75 were my favorite years. I had a friend who had a first gen and it was nice but the early second gens just seemed so much more classy of a car. The quad headlights I didn't care too much for but those early ones and the Chrysler Cordoba and Dodge Charger SE were some great designed cars from the 70s.
My dad had a brown 77 monte with swivel seats. He LOVED that car. I was too small to see over the dashboard so he used to let me stand on the shotgun seat and hold me with his arm for safety while we drove lol.
I was a teenager from 1970-'77, so those years span both the 1st and 2nd gens. I do really like the 1st Michael, but the 2nd is my favorite. The '73-'77 took the car to its full potential, bringing out the contours 'suggested' on the 1st in a bold, sexy manly manner. To my eye, the '74 and '75 were the peak models within the 5 year range. The '73 perfected. Although the '76 still had the beautiful taillights, the front end was ruined by the ugly Chevelle stacked headlights. Same with the '77 of course, and even the taillights were 'off' as well. The Cordoba was a clever fusion of both the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix, for guys that liked both. I liked it too actually, for that reason myself! Unfortunately the drastically downsized 3rd gen '78-'80 Monte couldn't 'pull off' the 2nd gen's style which I appreciate them trying to do, but It looked kind of droopy. The 4th gen '81-'87 retained the efficient size of the 3rd, the beautiful look of the '74-'75 taillights and trunk, the gentler side sculpturing of the 1st gen befitting the smaller body, but with a distinctive look all it's own. I wish SO BAD I'd see ANY Monte's at classic car shows. They're 50 years old! Isn't it about time?!
My aunts Chevelle was totaled while she was sitting on the side of the road. She purchased the 73 MONTY Black with swinging out bucket seats. It was totaled in a flash flood (HOUSTON). She went with the new Chrysler Cordova with Corinthian leather. Beautiful car,,, total piece of shit!!! She went back to GM and purchased the very similar Buick Regal with gorgeous waterfall Grill. That 77 Impala that you showed,, my mother bought in that exact same green color. I took that car to prom, my little brother took that car to University of Texas… This video was old home week for me. Thanks!!!!!!
Cordoba....Beautiful car but piece of shit. I agree! haha! Double whammy for your Aunt. Sucks. That's what this channel is about! At times, we get those who will critique the photos, the video or the presentation. They fail to realize that all we're doing is tying to take our viewers back to the good old days, whatever those days may be. Thanks for sharing.
I was 16 in 1975, so I grew up with these cars. I'm a sucker for any 2 door personal luxury car with opera windows. I'd have to say my favorite was the 1973-1975 Pontiac Grand Prix. GM really messed up the front end of both the Grand Prix and Monte Carlo in 1976, with square headlights. But the second generation of these cars is by far my favorite.
🛑🛑 Can you do a history of the Mercury Marauders? My dad had a 1970 X100 Marauder in white, with a red interior, console shift, fender skirts, with the 429. It was Stupid Fast!!💨 😂👍
These are my favorite GM cars. My grandfather had a '73 with a 350, my uncle had a brand new '77 with the 305, and I had a '76 with a 400 small block. Were the 2nd Gen the powerhouse that the 1st generation was? No, but I loved the styling, and they had the potential to be monsters. 1973 was the only year that the trunk lock was below the lid. After that the lock was in the truck lid and with the Landau package, the Monte Carlo crest covered the lock.
When I was in high school, my best friend and I went in halfsies on a 1974 Monte Carlo. I did all the repair & maintenance work on it since my buddy wasn't a mechanical geek. After graduation, I moved far away then bought a 1974 Monte Carlo Landau in 1984 and it's still my daily driver to this day. I've got north of 500k miles on it and intend on driving it forever. It's fully loaded with almost every option and an absolute delight to drive. I've personally witnessed how people's reactions to the car have changed over the decades. When I first got it, my peers thought I was wasting time and money building a performance engine for it - by the way, a powerful engine negates the "malaise" label and validates the "muscle car wrapped in a velvet glove" description. The next decade, people would say I should trade in "that big ol' land yacht" for something more fuel efficient; I know what I drive and don't complain about gas prices. The next decade, was quiet for the most part although there were maybe a handful of self-appointed environmentalists who berated me for killing the planet with my car - I replied "with the car being (then) 40-years old, the average person would be on their sixth car by now. I'm still on my first. All I've used is some petroleum. If I were on my 6th car, I would have had to engage is mining for various metals, refining, etc., then used all the chemicals to make plastics, etc., so, when you look at the big picture, I'm actually more environmentally conscious than the average person." Part way into the next decade, I started getting people commenting how they remember seeing these cars back in the day and their uncle or neighbor had one… In other words, nostalgia. In recent years, there's hardly a week that goes by where someone doesn't ask if I want to sell it. So, in summary, it's interesting how my car went from discarded ugly duckling to desirable classic.
Greetings from Glenn in Cleveland! My first car was supposed to be a 1972 Bucket, console, a/c white on white w/ black int. Monte Carlo with fender skirts. When it came time to buy it, my cousin backed out of the deal. I instead got the 72 Skylark GS. I have always wanted a 1st gen Monte and never got one! I love the 2nd gen Monte in particular the 1975 or the 1977. Besides the awe-inspiring body lines, there is something about getting behind the wheel and staring down the long hood!
YES! That's what I remember when my dad brought a 1977 home back in 1980. He said he was thinking of buying it but did not. He let me take it to the store to buy a coke. I was 16 and remember the smoothness and long hood while driving it. Wow! You brought back that memory. Thanks for watching.
My mother purchased a 1977 silver with red bench seat interior Monte Carlo. On the day she picked it out brand new from the dealer it was the center piece of the dealership since it was slowly going around in a circle on a round platform on the showroom floor of Z Frank Motors which was Located on Western Ave. in Chicago. Around 1985 my family drove it from Chicago to Miami Florida roundtrip with no problems. Such a great car! Looking to eventually buy one and also would like to find a late 70's FJ 40 Toyota Landcruiser. The more expensive and modern new cars get with all the extra tech stuff and ridiculous repair bills, the more I am inclined to save my heard earned money and restore and cherish reliable and affordable automotive classics such as the Monte Carlo.
Looking for a '77 also! That's not easy. In 1980, my dad (RIP) brought home a a silver 1977 Monte. He told us he was thinking of buying it. I asked him if I could drive it to the store to buy a Coke. I remember how smooth it drove and how the hood looked as I was driving it. At 16, I was like WOW! Good luck. Let me know if you find one.
The ‘75 is one of my favorite years for the Monte Carlo. I like the tail light design. I’m not a fan of the stacked rectangular headlights that followed in ‘76. Great video! Thanks for posting! ✌🏻✌🏻
These made good Demo Derby cars over the years. All of GM's 73-77 mid-size cars were stong, but Montes and Grand Prix were best with all that extra room between the engine & radiator.
Fantastic stunning Monte Carlo, what a beautiful car indeed, my favorite might still be the 1st Gen lol, a most entertaining & truly informative video review of a most Iconic American Classic car, I love it. Thanks for posting & for an incredible channel.
My grandpa owned a 74 (or 75) Monte Carlo in candy apple red with American racing wheels & a loud stereo. It was dope!! If I have a chance in the futuro I will try to get one!! I loved that car!!
My best friend in high school had a ‘74 that we terrorized our town in! It was black on black with swivel bucket seats and floor shift, 350 with headers and a 4 brl carb and he would race anyone that pulled up next to us.
My dad had a 77. T tops , white with red pin stripe , and red vynil interior . I'd love. To have one today, if I could ever find 1 that wasn't completely rusted out like what I find here in Houston.
I was 16 in 1987. I was making $3.35 an hour and neighbors has a 1974 Monte they were selling for $150. I had either $75 or $100 saved up and they allowed me to pay off the remainder. It did not have a reverse gear but I didn't care. That car meant freedom.
In 1980 I bought a '76 Monte. My first car, the day I traded it in on a new '86 Cutlass was a terrible day looking back all these years. In 6 years of ownership I may have spent 300 bucks on repairs other than the usual tires and battery, etc.
One of the best cars I've ever owned was a brand new 1974 Monte Carlo, blue with full white vinyl roof. Loved the power and handling. Whipped that car around the winding mountain roads of New Hampshire. you couldn't have knocked it off the road with a bazooka. Loved that vehicle. Biggest problem was keeping that vinyl roof cleaned. When the 1974 started to rust out, i eventually bought a brand new 1980 Monte Carlo. Piece of garbage. No power, no room, unlike the 1974 it was clearly just a fancied up Malibu. V6 engine was weaker than a new born kitten. At only 122,000, the 1980 died. Mercifully. Now on my 2nd Equinox, good car, but looks like every other SUV on the road. Sure miss that '74. And my local Chevy dealer has a first generation 1970 mint condition in his showroom, along with a 11963 Impala convertible and a 1976 (might be off on the year) Corvette Indy pace car edition. He won't let me have the Monte or the Impala. Don't have any interest in the 'Vette. None of them are for sale.
Can't beat the 2nd Gen. Aunt had a '72 Monte. It was an ugly green but boy it was fast! Love me my Corvette. I have a 2013 Grand Sport. Thanks for watching!
Don't laugh but I used the old product Westleys Bleche White on my white vinyl roof which is what I also used for the white wall tires. I just added a sealant to keep it from cracking and it shined beautiful. Everyone asked why it looked so super white. :) I agree the the 3rd Gen Monte Carlo looked like a plain old Malibu and the only thing uglier was the 5th Generation which looked like a plain Lumina.
My first brand new car was a fully loaded 1973 Monte Carlo my wife had a brand new 1979 Monte Carlo they were both brand new and they were very very excellent cars and for the money we searched around can we checked out everything and if you ever buy one either one the early one or the older one even now if it's in good shape you will not be disappointed for what you get and you can actually make them a lot better than the way they came
Was all you saw driving around when I was a kid . My stepmother had an Olds and the neighbors had a Chevy , both boats and WONDERFUL to ride around in ! That’s those late 70s cars for ya . . LAND YACHTS 😂
Michael, Where in South Texas? I lived in the RGV for 5 years before moving to San Antonio. An employee of my family's C store bought a new Monte in 1973. I remember how quiet it was and comfortable!
First generation for me! I can't put my finger on it - I liked the "Colonnade" cars - not for the Monte Carlo as much. For some reason, the First gen Monte Carlo was the winner for me! Maybe it was that "Sleeper" look to it, or just the lines, IDK!
I guess Ricardo Montalban did a really good sales job steering people away from the Monte Carlo toward Chrysler's cheap imitation, CORRRRRRDOBA. Although, in my opinion, it was just that--a cheap imitation and I thought the tires looked dinky riding on such a large frame. And in spite of the Corinthian leather, the Monte's interior was far more comfortable
I have more memories of the second generation as well but I'm gonna call it a tie with the first generation. Both had their good points the first had better engine options not a ton of power with the second.
