1998 Chevy Monte Carlo Review - Some People REALLY Love It!

[@isaac24]

YEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!! FINALYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY SOMEONE REVIEWED MY CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mine has 92k miles, 1995 model and is in better shape than this one in some places, and worse in others. Mine is rust free completely but has lots of little dings and dents. My least favorite feature is having one cupholder. Also, the one that the crazy guy on the show had was a Z34.

[@tommitchell2055]

Yeah there's barely any videos of this generation on KZbin, but now there's this one

[@isaac24]

Mine's on there as well, under "My First Car: 1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS" (there's not many videos since most people don't care about this generation, and they aren't that common)

[@gregorybock4888]

I had a 99 Z34. Absolutely loved that car.

[@samb378]

Same

[@md2k8]

I am a fan of these Monte Carlo's, both the 1990's and the 2000's.

[@jungle_cs]

I wish more of these existed. Unfortunately they are insanely easy to total in a wreck (at least the 2000-2007 ones are) because of the uniside rear panels that extend from the taillights all the way over the roof down to the hood. I unfortunately know this because I lost a low mileage 2003 pace car after it got t-boned and had bad frame and panel damage. Unfortunately a single rear panel can run for upwards of 4k IF you can manage to find a new example.

[@midnightstoker4_0]

Yeah if u can fucking find one

[@jlang8213]

11:42 when I saw the title, I knew you were going to go there. I remember seeing that show. That guys was nuts...

[@philipksick6810]

I had one and the leather seats were the most comfortable car seats I’ve ever experienced in my life. I loved that car and drive the shit out of it

[@bwofficial1776]

Pre-bankruptcy GM had the best seats. Soft, thickly padded, quality cloth or leather. Then in 2007/2008 they decided that all seats needed to be hard and sporty. Some of the least comfortable cars I've been in were post-2008 GM products.

[@williamshoul8526]

Had a 3.1 Monte Carlo LS 1999 and absolutely loved it

[@Hazus00]

I love these cars. I had two of them. In fact, one of them was also a 1998 this same color. I love all Monte Carlos. Currently own a 1974.

[@wildmusicdude99-es4rj]

My uncle had a purple 1999 monte that he let me borrow while my 2001 saturn L300 was in the shop about 10 years ago. I was fairly impressed on how responsive and well handling it was. His had the split bench seat with column shift. Pretty comfortable as well.

[@matthewwolfe4509]

This car brings back some memories. These and the Lumina where absolutely everywhere here in Michigan where I grew up. Parents had it, friends parents had them, they were everywhere.

[@jasperdilincoln2341]

I was in Highschool back in '98 and one of my Teachers had just bought a brand new one of these. Her's was black. She told us she had a 1991 Chevy Lumina Coupe which she loved but she wanted something newer. Last week of school some of us students help carry things to her car. It was nice. Leather interior with a moonroof.Last era of GM making reliable cars.

[@expeditionjay]

The interior looks like a better put together f-body. Even the center console looks almost the same. This car would probably make a nice little cruiser

[@pianofry1138]

It's not better put together. It's the same quality. You are right about it being a good cruiser though.

[@tommitchell2055]

@@pianofry1138 I think the difference in interior quality on these cars is like comparing the cheapest 1 ply toilet paper to the cheapest 2 ply toilet paper. There's an improvement but the end result still isn't fantastic

[@PpKaka-j2e]

15 got my first car a 1999 Monte Carlo 3.1 Column shift with 127k miles and we replaced the intake manifold gaskets, absolutely love it

[@edcdad1124]

Yes mine was a column shift as well 98 it was green I loved it

[@MrChickenspit]

You have no idea how much i love your car review videos Zack. Your editing, commentary, video work and daily uploads is what i look forward at the end of my work day. Theyre also good to rewatch. This video is a great example. Keep up the good work.

[@969thewhip]

I remember when they came out with the Dale Earnhardt edition Monte Carlo in 2002. I wanted one so bad but with the $32000 price tag, that was a no go. Instead, I ended up in a 11000 mile 97 Tbird for $12000 which I still have today 20 years later.

[@414NashBaby]

Man I miss this year model. My dad owned a purple z34 , my uncle own a navy blue z34 with the yellow Monte Carlo decal on the windshield. Not to mention my older cousin owned a black z34 lumina ( sedan ) old times man.. old times… nostalgia at its finest.

[@rushnerd]

Not a huge fan of the styling, but I actually think the 2000's models that look kind of like a stock car did look quite a bit nicer or at least more unique. That story at the end made me lose it haha

[@Niro.C]

I LOVE the Lumina and the Monte Carlo, the design was great as they came out in the mid 1990's when I was in high school. The front part looks a bit like the Opel Omega (Cadillac Catera in NA) and the tail lights are gorgeous and blend well with the entire rear design of the car.

[@azaz911c]

11:06 I completely agree. American cars are no longer American cars. Plus, we've pretty much lost the archetype American car of the 1980s and 1990s: the family sedan. It's sad really. It's like a reflection on the waning of the American/Canadian dream, unfortunately. Now, we just have a lot of anodyne SUVs.

[@bwofficial1776]

Ford and GM were still selling a decent amount of sedans when they decided to pull out of the market. It wasn't the hottest segment but it was reliable. The Japanese and Koreans are doing just fine filling the vacuum. I wish wagons hadn't died, as much space as an SUV but not overly big and still decent to drive.

[@azaz911c]

@@bwofficial1776 I think it was so strange for Ford to abandon the Focus and especially the Fusion. (The last Focus was problematic with its auto transmission, but the Fusion was pretty good to excellent.) In Europe, there was a Ford Mondeo (Fusion) wagon. If they sold that in North America, I would absolutely buy it over any SUV.

[@666cemetaryslut]

@@bwofficial1776 Even the Asian brands are starting to ditch their sedans (in the US anyway)

[@cub1009]

You would love the GM w-body meets.

[@pianofry1138]

I don't think anyone who never owned one of these cars understand them. No they aren't amazing. They aren't pretty or fast or hold up in salt. Still there is something about it that makes you want to keep them. I've had multiple opportunities to sell my 98 and I just won't. It's comfortable, it's reliable, and it's swift enough to get out of it's own way. It also gets good MPG once you get these things on the highway and it's pretty much prefect for that by its design.

[@Jag-leaper]

Agreed wholeheartedly about that with my 98

[@timyank8433]

After owning an 86 Monte as my first car, I purchased a red 95 Monte as my first new car when I got my first big boy job. Although I only owned it for a couple of years before trading it in on a new Z28, I absolutely loved that car. I always got lots of comments on it. It'll always hold a special place in my heart. I eventually owned a 2000 SS. I really wish Chevy still offered the Monte Carlo but along the lines of what you said, I don't know where GM even is these days.

[@Where_is_Waldo]

1:34 The 3.1L (3100 series) is a bored out 2.8L, the 3400 series (3.4L pushrod 12 valve with aluminum high flow heads) is a stroked 3.1L and the 3.4L DOHC 24 valve with aluminum heads (designed by Lotus) is actually based on the same 60 degree bank block as all of these motors which is why the Lotus DOHC 24 valve version used the normal timing chain to run a balance shaft where the camshaft is in the rest of the motors and another gear attached to that balance shaft is used to run the four cams with a timing belt. Not many motors use a timing chain AND a timing belt. I'm not sure if the pushrod 12 valve 3.4L and the DOHC 24 valve 3.4L are the same bore and stroke but I think they're close.

[@miketybring4700]

I had the same car 1998 with the 3.8 Leather interior.nice car. Traded it for a 2003 Dark blue Monte Carlo SS .Both were great cars

[@BammerD]

I own both a 76 Landau and a 00 LS. Both of them were my grandfather's. He gave me the '76 22 years ago for my high school graduation present. I bought his 00 LS from him in August just a few weeks before he passed away.

[@redneon06]

Great Review! I still see Luminas in Green, blue, burgundy, gray, gold, white, they offered a lot of colors.

[@willyhwang1059]

really appreciate this generation's styling. understated and elegant.

[@JeffreyB1983]

Got a 1994 Oldsmobile Achieva from older sister at age 18. 90s GM cars were quite stylish and comfortable. Only got 150K miles out of mine before it started falling apart

[@nate_d376]

I had one of these. It was that green/blue color. Loved it. Same body style that Nascar used. You didn't show the rear 40/60 rear split pass through in the trunk....

[@414NashBaby]

Kinda wished they made a SS trim for these. Idk why. I just love this model design since a kid. Definitely in my top 3 with the 96 impala SS and the 4th Gen SS AND z28 Camaros

[@doug6191]

They just called it Z34.

[@jmar1973]

My only lament with this model was that there was no SS Option, as I had adored the SS Models of the 1980s as a teenager. Awesome review!

[@dannyc8617]

Can't really point out why, but I like these, the one I got to drive was a Z34 with the 3.8, leather interior, and at least for the time, decent stereo. It was comfortable, punchy in traffic, and smooth enough. You see them now, and, well I question myself.

[@TheCoolOwen]

I had a 1995 Chevrolet Lumina of this same body style. The interior quality of these GMs were so much better. The high quality carpeting provided better sound insulation and audio system quality than the new cars coming out today.

[@ozarkbushman8284]

At 4:24, that "cubby" was to hold cassette tapes.

[@n3lka]

We have a 98 Monte Carlo with a bit over 100K miles on it. Mechanically, it runs like a top. Cosmetically, the sun did a lot of damage to it, the dash is falling apart and the clear coat is flaking, not to mention the idiot that hit the passenger side door. Anyway, it handles well, has plenty of oomph, and I can fit into it and drive comfortably. I'm 6'5" and 295 pounds. We've had it since 2005.

[@maxymax3425]

I rented one back in the day from Enterprise when my car was in the shop for repair and remember how nice the Monte drove on the highway in the snow. In fact, rented it for an extra day after my car was ready. Thanks for posting it.

[@harleymartinez4053]

Sometimes I do see the 1998 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO whenever I'm on the RD or something like that.

[@geraldscott4302]

I don't consider this to be a Monte Carlo at all. I grew up with the first and second generation Monte Carlos. My favorite was the second generation. I'm pretty much a sucker for any 2 door car with opera windows, and of course, a V8 engine and rear wheel drive. Aside from those, I did like the fourth generation, especially the SS. I love '70s model American cars because I am from the '70s. But I still believe that the '70s produced the most beautiful cars ever made. There were a few problems, just look what GM did to the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix in 1978. But overall, I think the '70s were by far the best decade for cars. I own three of them.

[@TheFinnishTanker]

in your opinion

[@shakarussanders9911]

I had a 98 Lumina I loved that car it ran great! I wouldn't mind having another one! Even though I'm a Dodge junkie now this generation of Chevy I liked a lot!

[@aaronerickson7222]

Great detailed review! Saw a Z24 version of this car today and thought to myself, it's been absolutely forever since I've last seen this body style of Monte Carlo. They were good-looking cars, and used to be everywhere.

[@philjimenez4874]

those personal luxury cars were the best Bring them back !!!!!

[@jedidiahsteele7847]

Awesome!!! I was literally just looking at these cars last night LOL

[@nbhenry1647]

Ew, I remember that episode. I felt so bad for the guy's father, he was so supportive. When I see this car, I see a Lumina, not a MC. I owned a 94 Z-26 Berretta, think I'll look back on your channel for that one!

[@bills2north]

95 Lumina was my daily driver for 5 years. It had only one flaw. It had the turning radius of a boat. :)

[@isaac24]

I have a 95 Monte Carlo and I couldn't agree more lol

[@kc5077]

Zack you are clearly an mp3 kid because that cubby is for CDs in their jewel cases. Great video!

[@moonbeamskies3346]

I agree 100% with not loving today's cars as much as cars from the 80s and 90s. It's only going to get worse as we move into the EV era.

[@ajesuale]

Had a lumina of that same vintage with the 3.1 in the late 90s. Was a great first car. Drove it like I stole it till it got hit while parked. No problems and was great to load up with friends, 9 was my most.

[@chriskrueger8225]

I had a 95 Lumina with the 3.4 DOHC. What a pain to work on. When the power steering went out many places wouldn't work on it because it was such a pain. For 210hp the car was a dog. However it was comfortable, and felt like a tank in the snow. Reliability was typical 90's GM.

[@that_renegade_screenwriter]

Definitely one of the better cars from GM in the 90s. The 3.1 was a decent engine if the intake manifold gaskets didn't leak. My 98 Lumina had a small leak but I put in an additive that seemed to work. I modded that car with a racing style muffler, LED lighting upgrades and as a joke, a single white racing stripe. The color of my Lumina was dark green and a blast to drive. When I traded it in, it had a bit over 199,000 miles on it.

[@SuperShannon82]

Yup my moms car did that and so did my sis car did the same thing

[@Where_is_Waldo]

Have you driven the Lumina Z34 or Grand Prix GTP with the 3.4L DOHC or 3.1L turbo? They are hard to find in good condition. My brother had a white '95 GTP 3.4L when I was a kid and it was a blast to ride in. He sold it to his brother in law who drove it for a while then parked it in a barn for a few years before I bought it. The body was still pretty good with only some surface rust at the bottoms of the doors and trunk lid but, last I checked, aluminum replacements are available. I never got around to that level of restoration though, just two many bugs to work out... and mice to remove. Such a shame, it was such a nice car. I love a nice leather interior and let me tell you 👌. A bit of random trivia, while they were developing the 3.4L DOHC (in a FWD Camaro) they used the 3.1L turbo in the production Grand Prix.

[@Where_is_Waldo]

9:04 Well it is a Chevy Grand Prix, should have had a supercharger on the 3.8L though.

[@moonbeamskies3346]

I had a 1998 Monte Carlo with the split bench seat and column mounted shifter.

[@Jag-leaper]

I have a 1998 green/tan bench and column shift...90k love it

[@moonbeamskies3346]

@@Jag-leaper They are rare in that configuration.

[@mromatic17]

6:52 jesus i wonder how those bloodstains got there!

[@dlatsch1556]

I had a red 1999 with the 3800. Best car I ever had and I miss it so much. I would give my telluride to have it back in a second :(

[@bradleypollack5658]

I had a lumina same year and color. Back in 2000.

[@cadwgawn]

that cubby is clearly for your tapes or CDs

[@doug6191]

This 1998 GM had great 1988 interior assembly.

[@betrapvideos]

A 2 door lumina

[@philipksick6810]

No I had one of these and a friend had a lumina. Not the same at all.

[@MandusahRamirez]

@@philipksick6810 It literally is a 2 door Lumina! The 1st Gen Lumina had a Coupe Variant but this Gen Chevy just named it “Monte Carlo” the gen after this was a lot different from the sedans but it was still a 2 door Impala which the Impala was just a Lumina with a name change lol

[@tommitchell2055]

@@philipksick6810 The main difference is the door panel design and the monte has a shorter roof height. Otherwise everything is the same in front of the firewall and behind the rear window. They even had the same tail lights, but the monte got rid of the styling lines in the lens

[@checksandbalences]

Carlo was the sporty version of the Lumina. However, the Lumina had the LTZ option that had the 3.4 liter and quad exhaust. Very rare to see those on the road today. Wish I had one.

[@betrapvideos]

@@philipksick6810 brother....its a 2 door lumina....comparison...the Toyota solara was a 2 door camry

[@bwofficial1776]

It's not bad-looking for a 90s car. The long proportions help. It's a small cruiser more than a V8 bruiser. Those seats look comfortable in the way only an old car's can be.

[@Heavychevy0402]

These seats are fr the shit lol... this cat was so comfy and roomy yet not real big like something like the crown Vic

[@BrendanW0214]

I wanted one of these for my first car when I was about 14 or 15 but couldn’t find one in the condition I wanted one in (basically not beat to death with reasonable miles on it) and ended up settling for a 4 cylinder foxbody Mustang.

[@isaac24]

I wanted a Lumina as my first car, and ended up getting one of these, 1995 model in red in the LS trim. I love it!

[@Jag-leaper]

I'm still in love with my 98...90k green/tan interior...I love its lines and it's handsome , understated design and grand touring ride with incredible lyrics comfortable seats to sink into for the drive home after along day of work....it's also whisper quiet inside

[@jarjarkiller2]

Fantastic Avengers analogy; really interesting way of communicating your opinion of peak GM

[@bricegraham8256]

Looks like a Chevy Lumina. I dont dislike Chevy Luminas but I don't go crazy about then either. Everytime I see one I do think of this old classmate of mine. Kinda reminds me of the last era of the Monte Carlo the 2007 to I'm assuming it in 2010. Cause the front end looks just like an Impala. I drove a 2000 one a few weeks ago. It was in good cosmetic shape but underneath it was in rough shape. Unfortunately the customer couldn't afford the repair cost.

[@KJ5FTC]

I recently acquired a 2005 Monte Carlo LS. It's a very pleasant car, comfortable and smooth even at 180k miles. I'm just trying not to think about the transmission that's probably going to need rebuilt soon.

[@SerpentStar_]

Got a 97 Monte for FREE. Got it with 40k miles, drove for 10 years, EVERYTHING went out. No a/c, windows didn't roll down, fan didn't work, oil leaks, windshield wipers and gas gauge didn't work. It finally died at not even 145K miles. A real turd of a car but had some good memories with it ^_^

[@davinp]

This looks like the coupe version of the Chevy Lumina

[@bricegraham8256]

Lol he says that later in the video. It is a Lumina. It's just a two door version and they rebadged it as a Monte Carlo.

[@Jag-leaper]

Not completely...unique greenhouse Montecarlo heritage side window design..unique front and rear facsicas and door cards not shared with lumina

[@bricegraham8256]

@@Jag-leaper That is true, I'm noticing now that you mention it. It kinda reminds me of the bodies of the Mazda 3 sedan and the Mazda 3 hatch. A lot of people think they share the same headlights, grill, front and rear bumper and taillights but they don't. They have a similar design but they're all different parts.

[@brianbeswick3646]

You should do a review on a first generation Chevrolet Lumina Z34. That would be great.

[@philipp9481]

Great review! Love the little interesting facts - keep it up! 👍😎

[@StevenGilbert88]

Wish I could have had you try my ls4 Monte

[@connormink]

geeeeeez...i never see these around anymore, haven't in years. and i live in detroit where people will drive anything 😂

[@isaac24]

I live in Lansing and am selling mine lol. Only 95k miles, I got it in 2021…ive seen 3 of them 😂

[@Don-ds3dy]

"Some people really love it" LOL, if you watched TLC you'd know why that title makes me laugh.

[@Heavychevy0402]

My first car was the sedan "lumina" 1996 base model with the 3100 and blue ext and int. I totaled it because I was a dumbass 16 year old on my phones gps, only remember putting gas in that thing like 5 times , loved that car. The bench seat was awesome

[@checksandbalences]

Lol, what teenage boy wasn't. Nice man. Did you have the p225 tire option? They do make a difference. Have a 96 Lumina also. She's loosing most of her paint and interior but she runs well still. These cars have a good kick when you full throttle it lol.

[@snakehandler87]

Young peeps appreciating older cars 👍🏻👍🏻

[@PaisanVinnJK]

One of my coworkers had the 99 Monte Carlo. I had bought the 2000 Monte Carlo SS . My coworker didn’t like the new styling and preferred the body style of his car

[@gsprings43]

ome things i hated about this car is the square wheel wells,,,thought they would look better with rounded

[@CB12345]

This is probably the worse Monte Carlo to be honest. It does looks smooth, but Chevy could of added a bit more horsepower and sportiness to this car, but I did like the Pace Car edition of this generation since it did come with some special bits.

[@bwofficial1776]

At least for the next generation they put some good V6s and V8s in. Still front-wheel-drive but it looked Nascar-ish, especially once they ditched the Impala headlights.

[@CB12345]

@@bwofficial1776 I agree, the early to mid 2000s Monte Carlo was great and did have so special editions. At least I liked those in the SS or Supercharged trims, plus they are currently dirt cheap to get in the used car market. It will be some nice cheap fun to drive.

[@414NashBaby]

So hard to find

[@Foxlone]

I love your videos they always capture my thinking and love for vehicles. I watch your videos every time they come out! I dream on making car related content on KZbin myself I already am uploading some.

[@SuperShannon82]

My parents had a 1996 black Monte Carlo I loved that car was a great car but the con is those motors had issues with the intake gasket

[@forza4l833]

My grandpa had one when i was early single digits, my grandpa was driving and hit a dear, it had a 3100 sfi

[@fordenthusiast95]

The official car of being featured on an episode of My Strange Addiction where a guy falls in love with a red Monte Carlo of this vintage

[@mumwifeteacher]

Can you do a history of car keys and why it went from 2 keys to one

[@petere8175]

This is a awesome car! One is for sale in the Netherlands (where I live) for 5k, worth it? Around 120k miles

[@Jag-leaper]

Yes do it!

[@codymcnaryakasketchyinc565]

Much nicer looking than the Fugly Looking Retro Monte Carlo that came out next generation!

[@11.9lsupercharged4]

The 2 door overpriced lumina. I love it!

[@Benjamin06267485]

My mom has the 1995 Monte Carlo Z34 with the 3.4 Engine with only 60,600 miles.

[@RyeitOut]

For some reason, I love this car Z34 with the 3800 Series II

[@checksandbalences]

Yay Lumina and it's brother Monte Carlo !

[@Theonestrongbusleader]

One of the best cars from Chevrolet guys!

[@catsaregovernmentspies]

4:40 "sticker on shifter reminding you to put your foot on the brake to shift out of park". This was new to many cars back then, so we needed to know why the shifter wouldn't go into gear, lol.

[@andrewcampbell-young8426]

Very beautiful and clean car still love these

[@jacobyo99]

I like the LTZ model that had the 3800

[@mikeberthold1593]

I bought my 98 LS Monte Carlo from a dealership in 2000 it had about 36,000 Mi on it I owned it till 2017 unfortunately the transmission went out but the engine ran great still and I'm not kidding with you guys it had over 378,000 Mi on it I changed the oil religiously at every 3000 miles which was once a month it did start to rust where are the rear bumper cover meets the rear quarter panels I hated to see the car go on the back of a flatbed tow truck I donated it to cars for kids😊

[@mohmoudfarah1897]

Great job!

[@imanderdumme8706]

Thanks for the facts

[@Andyface79]

Not I. I appreciate them trying to bring the Monte back but it's just a crappy Lumina. Like all the stuff wrong with the Lumina with terrible space dynamics. GM did have nice engines during this era though. I'm glad you like it though, I get the nostalgia thing. I really like old Fords from the 70s. They got terrible gas mileage, were surprisingly small inside, and had terrible performance and drivability. But they were everywhere when I was little and it makes me really happy when I see them. I remember sitting in the back seat of a LTD brougham with 8 other kids as my babysitter drove us to the park.

[@edcdad1124]

I had a 98 for my first car in high school 2009 lol

[@blesschacko3264]

Could you do Chevy Celebrity video?

[@4yules]

these are very reliable

[@billymercury3897]

Dale Earnhardt

[@harleymartinez4053]

I did not know that Chevrolet made the 1998 Chevrolet MONTE CARLO in the year 1998? Didn't know that kind of Chevrolet was around back then wow 😮 oh wow 😮. I was born in the year 2001 not 1998?