2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Reviews - Page 5 of 5

Forward air dam broke off twice.

Check Engine light at 32000 miles. Dealer said it was a recall issue and that the computer needed to be re-programmed. Funny how they never contacted me.

Front brake rotors warped at 32000 miles. I had to have both front rotors turned to even them out. Note: this is NOT covered under warranty!

Check Engine light at 35000 miles. Dealer said it was the fuel system and upon getting the car back, they said it was that the fuel cap was not seated.

Intermediate steering arm clicking at 35000 miles. Lube kit installed at dealer. Took care of it.

Check Engine light at 36020 miles. Called the dealer, they said it may be a leak somewhere in the fuel system.

The center console seems to be 'painted' black. After only having the car a couple of months, the black 'paint' started peeling off around the opening of the console.

The car handles extremely well in corners when it is dry.

Good, comfortable, low center of gravity for 'in control' feel when cornering or changing lanes.

Interior (leather) is very luxurious, makes me feel like I am in a very expensive car. (oh wait, I am)

Not really too expensive. Good quality.

Excellent braking system.

Use 3rd gear for highway driving, better response in traffic.

Absolutely nothing has gone wrong with this car in over 11 thousand miles.

Standard oil changes at 1000 miles, and then ever 3000.

This is a tremendous car. The styling is unmatched by any other manufacturer. The curved trunk is my favorite part.

There is tons of rear seat room, even though the car is only a 2 door.

The trunk is spacious and can fit plenty when hauling tons of junk.

The car rides great at high speed, and you still have plenty of power left at 80 miles per hour.

The transmission is geared perfectly. Normally, I like manual transmissions, but this one will shift better than you ever could. It holds the power gear that you need, and gives your the torque you want coming off the turns.

Highly recommended car.

Terrible faulty transmission. Dealer serviced it 4 times without actually fixing the problem.

Poor quality gimmick of a car. SS is just a badge, the car does not live up to it in any sort of way.

A cavalier in disguise.

GM JUNK!

Not nearly as good as the original and the original one sucked too.

No real problems until 30,000 reached.

Then repetitive misfiring of engine, especially at idle resulted in dealer replacing 3 plugs and wires. Plugs are platinum tipped and supposed to last 100,000 KM.

This reoccured within 5000K with same three cylinders being affected.

Most annoying problem is recurring engine light: saying check engine.

Then fuel injector on number 1 cylinder replaced once at 38000 and replaced again approx 9000 KM later. A 2nd cylinder/injector was affected and later replaced.

Fuel economy not as good as when new, but still averages 18-19MPG.

Drivers side door power window mechanism failed and replaced.

Cigarette lighter blew fuses and was replaced.

All above was covered under warranty. If you plan to keep this model past factory warranty I recommend extending it.

All maintenance was performed at proper intervals.

Always used synthetic oil. Seems to run smoother.

Add K & N performance air filter/cleaner. Gives noticeable improvement in performance.

Performance is very good for V-6. Car beats many other models, even though curb weight is relatively high.

On-board computer adapts well to Premium pump gas and Octane boost. This eliminates a flat spot in performance in rev range during 2nd gear acceleration.

Speed tricks: (most discovered by accident).

Turn traction control off for maximum speed when starting from line quickly in dry weather. Turn back on for wet starts.

Speed Shifting: Put gear selector in 1, under full acceleration, computer will upshift automatically to protect engine into gear 2 just before redline. This is noticably quicker than shifting up transmission by hand.

Using 3rd gear for most highway cruising, will provide better acceleration and pickup than waiting for transmission to downshift from D if you need to pass.

Using 2nd gear for street/city cruising will provide responsive acceleration when required, again without waiting for down-shifting to occur.

Ultimately the car could really use a manual transmission as an option.

Exceeding speed limiter: the engine is physically limited by the computer at 105 MPH, this can be avoided as follows:

Accelerate in 3rd gear until speed/rev limiter is just about to kick in... then move shift selector to D, (timing is crucial), the car will briefly be between gears at speed limiter and will then enter 4th gear (D) correctly and continue to pull away very strongly.

Caution do this on a clear road and avoid exceeding the tire rating (or upgrade the tires to Z rated). Also do not apply brakes too quickly: car will dive or may pull to one side at this speed.

As you can tell I love exploring the performance side of this car... and find it a great car for day to day driving as well as more spirited driving when the mood suits.

Car is a looker, perhaps because not too many are around, and unusual styling in rear section, people seem to always be trying to figure out what it is.

The ride is extremely smooth, yet corners well when required.

I would recommend the car as long as you are prepared to purchase an extended warranty or baby it.