2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS from North America - Comments

A/C doesn't work well. Mechanic can't fix it, just doesn't blow cold.

Seat belt buckle stopped coming back up when you remove the seat belt, so I have to click it again with my hand.

Radio controls already showing signs of wear after only 1 1/2 years of age.

Brakes needed replaced after 20k miles

CD player is moody and sticks sometimes, won't allow a CD to be placed in.

Car handles horribly- can you say oversteer?, acceleration is very weak and hesitant, not fun on windy road. I thought it would drive slightly better than the 05 Impala, but no, exact same. If you want a "sporty" car with no backseat then get a Mustang or a Cobalt (if you want to stay in the GM family).

Interior is designed poorly- getting to the backseat is an armbreaker & not fit for much more than grocery space, windows allow snow/water to poor directly onto the seats when opened.

Exterior- For whatever reason I think I got the only 05 Monte w/o a sidestrip. So Murphy's law took over and within a month of having the car someone slammed their car door into it leaving a silver dollar sized swirl. I love the nascar inspired spoiler (too bad its not RWD that needs a spoiler).

Trunk- there's a trunk? yeah... it will hold your spare, a first aid kit and two bags of groceries.

Moon roof- I love this part of the car, very smooth controls and perfect for cool summer days, not too noisy.

Gas Mileage- The 3.8 liter gets better gas mileage than this 3.4. I don't care what the EPA says. My parents have a 05 Impala with the 3.8 and they get around 28 mpg. I get 22-23 with this car. I think the smaller engine has to work harder to get this relatively large car moving. So don't let fuel mileage be a determining factor with this vehicle.

Bottom line: Hate FWD, wish I had 4-doors if the cars going to handle like this, needs ice cold A/C, gas mileage sucks for such a dinky engine. Styling is awesome.

*Disclaimer: I am very biased towards RWD vehicles, I personally have not liked any FWD car I have ever driven and I used to test drive cars for a living. Which goes back to the disappointing handling. There is a reason every racecar in the world is RWD. I also prefer manual trans and a V-8 but hey, I bought the car for my wife and it somehow ended up mine.

Wow you bought the wrong car. You can get an 8 in the Monty. A FWD with an over-steer problem. Hummmm. The trunk is small. Man they must ship us in Canada a totally different car here. The Impala and Monty Carlo handle the same, Well they are built on the same platform. That might be it eh...

Lol, I totally agree with your theory on the gas mileage, those smaller engines never produce the EPA mileage they claim. Too bad your wife made you take the front wheel drive car. I have the SS 2005 Monte and I feel almost the same way you do (especially about the oversteer). I should have got a Mustang GT, which is the same price as my SS. All the small stuff like the cd player and seat belt went bad on my car as well. My brakes lasted longer than 20k, but not much more. Overall, good review and I like the humor you take with it. Oh, but ALL racecars are not RWD, rally cars are AWD :)

I have a 2005 Monte carlo and,other than having the radio seek button on the steering wheel replaced, have had no problems whatsoever. I've had this car for a year, and drive it 100 miles a day to work and back 6 days a week, plus whatever other driving I do, and it now has 50150 miles on it. Air is still cold, no brake problems. I recently went on a trip to tennessee, over 500 miles away, and averaged 31mpg. The factory estimate for highway driving with the LS 3.4 was 32mpg. Close enough. I replaced the factory tires with better ones, and handling was vastly improved, although there is a bit of bounce over bumps and dips. Still, not a big problem. You guys musta got a lemon, because my car has performed, and continues to perform, flawlessly.

Wow, oversteer on a FWD car is not possible unless tuned for drifting. Which of course a Monte Carlo or any other FWD car from the factory is not. Oversteer is when the back slides out and can only occur on RWD cars. Learn your terms.

Also you recommend a Cobalt or a Mustang to stay in the GM family. Mustang is made by Ford not GM.

One more thing, the trunk is HUGE. So I have no idea what your talking about.

My boyfriend has a 2005 Monte Carlo LE and I have driven it numerous times. I think that it's a very nice car, but I do agree with the original poster's review about engine performance.

I have a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am with a 3.4L engine, which is the same size as my boyfriend's. I can feel the difference in pep between the two cars. But there is also a bit of difference in the size and weight of the two cars.

I never had a problem with the handling, but I know that the air conditioning is not as cold as the AC on my current Pontiac or previous Pontiac Sunbird.

The trunk is huge in my opinion, and we get very good gas mileage from the car.

You can't get over steer in rear-wheel drive.

I haven't been in a new car that has ice-cold A/C. Not since the 80's cars. It is a limitation of the refrigerant R134 vs the more efficient, but ozone eating R12.