Here's a shot of the SS in 1991 - the first time around
The saga really begins in a small town in North Jersey way back in November of 1991. I was an 18 year old kid and hated the car I was driving; a 1987 Dodge Shadow ES Turbo. I sold it for the same price I paid for it eight months earlier and took my cash to the bank.
I found a good vehicle several weeks later while scanning the classified ads. "1985 Chevy Monte Carlo SS. Well maintained, high miles." It was close by, so I went with my dad to check the car out. The paint was lifting off the hood and the passenger side fender because of an earlier accident and a bad repair. There were some small oil and trans fluid leaks but nothing major; besides, what would you expect for 99,600 miles? Good points: the body was rust-free and the interior was in great condition. It was never smoked in, and the seller was the original owner and only person to drive the car. He was losing his license for a year and didn't have much choice but to sell the car, so I made him an offer and drove it home that night. I registered it on Christmas eve of 1991. Merry Christmas to me!!
I decided to take the car for a few long road trips anyway, even with the car being new to me and not knowing its repair history. The first was to my uncle's house near Philadelphia, which blew the pump and front seal on the trans. The trans was overhauled with 99,800 miles showing on the odometer. A week later, I turned the 100,000 mile mark cruising at 100 mph on Rt. 80. The Monte was my only car for the next two years, in rain, snow, and sunshine.
Even though she needed a lot of mechanical repairs we were never stranded anywhere. After the trans blew, I discovered the Monte needed new shocks. Then I found out the front brakes were cooked. I actually went through two sets of pads in 10,000 miles (oops!). It was my fault, because I was the tailgating king in my younger days. I also had to replace the tires, exhaust, alternator, wires, starter, radiator, belts, hoses, water pump; basically everything mechanical but the motor!
In December of 1993, we started a long series of violent snowstorms here in New Jersey. I was going to start commuting to college in January and with the way my finances were I couldn't afford to keep my Monte and buy a winter beater. I also knew I would never be able to make it through the hills of Wayne to good old William Paterson College in the snow, so I had no choice but to sell my SS. It was one of the saddest days of my life. It had just over 121,000 miles when I sold it.
The kid that bought my SS lived a few towns over and I used to see it cruising around. Eventually he had the car stripped and repainted in the original white and he picked up a set of aluminum rims from an '86 Monte Carlo SS. Then he put on a full set of new stripes and decals. It disappeared around the summer of 1996, so I figured it was either sold again or he moved and took the car with him.
Well, one fine day in May of 1997 (over 3 years after I sold it) I came home to an interesting message on my answering machine. It went something like this; "I saw a car I think you may want to buy." I was in the market for a Chevelle or other older GM car to turn into a nice street car and figured they saw a good deal on one. I later found out my old Monte was actually the car For Sale.
The Story Continues...