1997 Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS 3.1 review from North America

The (+) battery cable went bad, causing the car to have a mind of its own, causing spinning gauges and warning lights coming on -- my ABS TRAC and BRAKE lights were all on and there was nothing wrong with the braking system whatsoever.

Power window master switch went bad on the rainiest, windiest day of the year, causing the window to be stuck in the down position.

Intake Manifold Gasket is leaking -- do not have the money to repair, so I'm just adding coolant as needed, as the leak is small and external presently.

The car has rather good performance.

The gas mileage could be improved, I average about 19 in the city. Highway is about 30, so I try to drive highway as much as I can.

Very bad cupholder design. The one that folds out of the armrest (I have the stripped down bench seat model) squeaks horribly. The other below the radio is difficult to fit anything in as I have an aftermarket radio.

It is essentially a Lumina Coupe. I have a friend who drives a Lumina and they are exactly the same--just one's 2 doors and the other's 4.

That car left me stranded once, which turned out to be the battery cable, nothing major. I was around the corner from my home so I was able to walk home and have it towed out of the parking lot later.

Allover, it seems to be a pretty decent car. Beside from the GM manifold gasket defect, there's nothing else majorly wrong with the car.

I've seen many Monte Carlos and Luminas from this generation making it to 150,000k, at least.