joeyr

Got article from Edmunds: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=119788

DETROIT — Inside Line has confirmed with supplier sources that production of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo will cease at the end of the 2007 model year. That means the last Monte Carlo will roll off the line sometime this summer.

In recent years, the Monte Carlo has been one of General Motors' biggest successes on the NASCAR stock-car racing circuit. But the two-door companion to the Chevrolet Impala sedan has not resonated with the buying public.

The Monte Carlo nameplate was originally introduced in 1970 to give Chevrolet a rival to the Ford Thunderbird. The Monte Carlo was produced from 1970-'88 and again from 1995-2007. The latest iteration of the front-wheel-drive coupe made its debut at the 2005 Los Angeles Auto Show. The current model has a base 3.5-liter V6 that makes 211 horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque. The Monte Carlo SS is equipped with a 5.3-liter small-block V8 that makes 303 hp and 323 lb-ft of torque. Both engines are mated to a four-speed automatic transmission.

There had been speculation for months that the Monte Carlo was set to be retired from the Chevrolet lineup.

What this means to you: Maybe NASCAR will race the Chevy Impala instead.

joeyr

Maybe to make room ( and cash?) for a camaro

RLSH700

That would be logical since the W-body is about to be discontinued. Since the upcoming Impala will be on the Zeta platform (same as the Camaro), they don't want to have two coupes from the same platform and division competiting against each other. I'm not sure if I'm all in favor of them losing the larger mid-sized FWD models.

Granted the W-body is very outdated and needs replacement, but I think they are going to lose some customers because there are people who love FWD cars despite their torque steer issues. The Eplison cars (Malibu, G6, Aura) are not going to satisfy this crowd.

jdb840

I love my Grand Prix GTP. You can't beat a reliable mid 13 quarter mile daily driver, that still gets 30mph. The TQ steer isn't too bad, but I guess compared to a RWD it would be.

RLSH700

What year Grand Prix do you have? A friend of mine had a 98 GTP and he complained about the torque steer. To be honest, torque steer doesn't bother me personally but I know it turns some people psychotic. My solution is hold on to the steering wheel and keep it steady.

The reason why I hate to see the W-body sized cars disappear is I really miss the LH cars (even though the LH cars are techincally larger than the W-body cars). Don't get me wrong I like the LX cars, but where I live FWD is a needed. I know the LX cars have AWD, but I don't want to lose the good fuel economy either. The Avenger is okay, but I like large cars because I have to move so much junk so often. It is the perfect vehicle.

Since the Bonneville is gone, the only large FWD cars that GM still have are the Lucerne and the DTS, and you won't catch me dead in one of those cars (ICK!). The W-body is the closest thing to what I have and now those are going to disappear. The Eplison cars are too small for my taste. The Five Hundred (excuse me the Taurus) I believe is going to have an updated version of the Duratech V6 engine, and I have had enough of those crappy engines in just two years. My father's Taurus is already having startingproblems .

Anyways back to the Monte Carlo. I suspected they were going to drop it since the most recent update was very mild. They didn't seem as though they were very interested in investing very much into the Monte Carlo. The GTO will take over that category when it is released.

jdb840

I would hate to see the Monte leave for the very same reasons you just mentioned. There isn't too many GM FWD vehicles left that I would drive.

I have a 99 Grand Prix. Maybe I just don't notice it that much being I've had the car for so long and am probably just used to it.

RLSH700

Another reason why I hate to see the W-body go is I know what will happen to the 3800 when the W-body is gone. The 3800 is the only engine that GM has even made that I trust since I have seen so many of those with over 200K on them no matter how badly they were abused. I have had GM cars with the GM 60 degree engine (what the HV is based off of) and there are garbage. The current ones have problems with the harmonic balancers breaking. The HF engine I have heard has some issues; therefore, GM won't have a good V6 for much longer.

The simple fact is I'd like to have the Challenger as a weekend car and a car that has a good compromise between preformance and fuel economy. My Intrepid has fulfilled that roll nicely, but it is ten years old. I can replace it in a couple years with a 04 300M, but after that what will I get? I was thinking about a GP as a possibility until I heard they were going to drop the W-body. Now the only thing left will be the Taurus and quite frankly, I will never own a Taurus until they offer a Yamaha engine in them again. I don't trust any of Ford's current engines (besides the I4 line but that was mostly Mazda's designing anyways).

With the larger mid-sized line gone, they will lose their sales to Nissan, Ford, and possibly Toyota. The Maxima, Taurus, and Avalon are closer to the size of the W-body than the Eplison cars are.

joeyr

I saw a commerical basically confirming the article, It had T.I. and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and a bunch of other chevys, and it showed and announced the nascar impala.

RLSH700

I thought I heard they switch over to the Impala. Thanks for confirming that.