1977 Chevy Monte Carlo with 7 (seven) miles.

[mrsilv04]

Just got home from an auction where a 1977 Chevy Monte Carlo with 7 (seven) miles was sold. It brought $14,000.

If I can figure out how to get the pictures off of my Razr, I'll post them.....

The car was Orange, with a tan Landau top, and tan interior. The front seat was a split bench.

The interior was perfect. The exterior wasn't. Two body panels didn't line up well, the passenger side front fender and the passenger door. There were a few spots that had been worked on with touch up paint. The rubber from the body side molding on the passenger door was missing. The original tires were still on the car, but the sidewalls were starting to rot. The window sticker was still in the window, as were the cardboard floor mats. The rubber mats were underneath. The MSRP of the car was $6534.

It had been stored somewhere where moisture was an issue, as the radiator support was all rusty. The underbody looked better than I expected, it looks like someone may have undercoated it before it was stored. The transmission pan was covered with fluid, but the underside of the engine was dry.

They tried to start it before selling it, but the battery had run down due to the interior lights running it down. The auctioneer stated that they had driven it into the sale barn yesterday.

 

[Pablo]

What engine? (I guess in 1977 it didn't matter much

)

 

[Aldaris]

Not quite collectible as a Vega, huh?

 

[JHZR2]

wow... pics please???

Put some nice fresh 15w40 in there, and do an Auto-rx cycle ASAP!!!!

 

[mrsilv04]

There was a 350 V8 with a 4 barrel carb under the hood, and it was listed as an option (so, what would have been the standard engine... a 350 with a 2 barrel carb)?

It also had A/C, which I noted on the window sticker was a $490 option.

The car was being sold by the son of the owner of the Chevy dealership that took delivery of the car in 1977. This was the last car that the dealership took delivery of before closing, so the owner kept it. His son inherited it when he died several years back.

I really wanted to hear it run, and was a little disappointed when it didn't start up.

Here's some pictures from the auctioneer's website.

http://www.jimclingan.com/09.27.08 1977 Monte Carlo.htm

I went to make sure it didn't sell for something insane, like $3000.

 

[paul246]

Base engine was probably a 305 with 2 barrel carb.

Going by the pictures the body panel fitment looks about on par for that era.

Too bad they drove it over, sure hope they changed all the fluids beforehand and went easy on it on the way there.

 

[Aldaris]

I bet the engine is ruined and needs a full rebuild.

 

[mrsilv04]

They took it to the auction barn on a flatbed (no plates or insurance), then drove it inside the building.

I wonder if the car was still on a manufacturer's certificate of origin...and if a title had ever been issued for it. It had probably never been licensed or driven on public roads with just 7 miles on it.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: Aldaris
I bet the engine is ruined and needs a full rebuild.


I don't think the auctioneer would have sold it that way, without disclosing it. He's been in business in the same small town for many years.

I think the car would have brought more money in a better venue, and if the car had been prepped for sale more thoroughly. I'm not talking anything like Barrett-Jackson, but maybe a regional collector car auction in Indianapolis or Chicago.

I wonder what a publication like Hemmings would value a car like this at?

 

[andyd]

Every hose, belt and seal is toast. The cylinder bores are prolly rusty. I wouldn't expect the rings to last very long if the car was put into regular use.

 

[ekpolk]

I'm sorry, was this the hybrid version -- oh wait, that's right... ;P

Now an observation of some value: in 77, I was working my very first job ever, as a produce clerk at the local grocery store. The produce manager bought one of these, new, a silver one, no further details known. I remembered, at age 16, that it sure seemed cool and fast. He was surely proud of it. Haven't seen one of these mastadons on the roads for years.

Wow...

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: andyd
Every hose, belt and seal is toast. The cylinder bores are prolly rusty. I wouldn't expect the rings to last very long if the car was put into regular use.


Big deal... the engine/trans/diff combo is the easiest thing to replace/fix in the car. Parts are available and lots of people know how to do it right. Body and interior work are a different story, and he's got a pretty good specimen with this one...

Based upon my experiences with early 1980s MB diesels used daily, Id bet the rubber seals on the doors and glass are A-OK.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: Aldaris
Not quite collectible as a Vega, huh?


I had a good chuckle at this post, because not only did my dad own a 77 Monte Carlo, but he also bought my mom a Vega around that same time too!

One of my very first memories as a young kid was when my dad picked up his new 77 Monte Carlo. His was baby blue with a darker blue landau roof, and I believe his had the 350 in it.

 

[bretfraz]

$14k is pretty steep, someone must have wanted that one bad.

For comparison, there is a loaded-to-the-max 1977 Chrysler Cordoba for sale on ebay for $7900. Same seller is offering a fabulous 1977 Lincoln Town Car coupe for $10900.

On the flip side someone is selling a restored '73 Pinto station wagon for $19,500. Now, why someone would restore a Pinto wagon is a discussion unto itself, but almost 20G's for one is insane. http://jalopnik.com/5055129/nice-price-o...nearly-20-grand

My parents had a '77 Monte like that one, black with a red velour interior. A really nice car if a barge. My grandfather bought it new and kept it until his death. Our family got it in 1984. Can't recall what happened to it, I think my dad traded it on a new Volvo 760 wagon.

 

[andyd]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: andyd
Every hose, belt and seal is toast. The cylinder bores are prolly rusty. I wouldn't expect the rings to last very long if the car was put into regular use.


Big deal... the engine/trans/diff combo is the easiest thing to replace/fix in the car. Parts are available and lots of people know how to do it right. Body and interior work are a different story, and he's got a pretty good specimen with this one...

Based upon my experiences with early 1980s MB diesels used daily, Id bet the rubber seals on the doors and glass are A-OK.
Ok so add about 4-5K$ to the 14K purchase prices. You're now up to about 3X the sticker price. For a 77 Monte? Wanna buy a bridge ?

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Two body panels didn't line up well...


Wasn't this the norm during the armpit-era/late 1970's American automobiles?

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: andyd

Ok so add about 4-5K$ to the 14K purchase prices. You're now up to about 3X the sticker price. For a 77 Monte? Wanna buy a bridge ?


Still... big deal. If the purchaser wanted to buy a 1977 monte, its irrelevant what the sticker was (care to adjust for inflation or compare to late model purchase prices?), and if it was a car that this person wanted, then it still is no big deal...

Finding a car with no body/paint/interior issues is FAR harder than finding one with no mechanical issues. Simple as that. Engines can be replaced, much body work makes the car never the same again.

So, point is, if this was a car he wanted, he got one as new, which can be renewed in the mechanical arena if needed. That's far better, IMO, than buying a car that needs body work or has sat in the sun and rain.

JMH

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: ToyotaNSaturn
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Two body panels didn't line up well...


Wasn't this the norm during the armpit-era/late 1970's American automobiles?


If they did line up well, you would know it wasn't original.

Smart azzed remark aside, if that's the car he wanted, the price wasn't bad. He could tidy it up a bit and make bundle right now by reselling it at a bigger auction that specialized in collector cars. Unless he drops the value by making it into a daily driver and drives the snot out of it, it's better investment than wall street

Even if he does make it a daily driver, it's not a bad price for a special toy.

 

[Hermann]

What would a Virgin Limited production Cosworth Chevy Vega bring? Things that make you go Hmmmm!

 

[Minou]

My brother had a silver '77 Landau with the 305. He really liked it until a friend totaled it when drunk some months later...