The Story......

2001 Monte Carlo SS Pace Car 711/1300

     Where do I begin.  Well as you hear so many times, when I bought this car I really was not looking for a car.  It was June 2003 and we had stopped with my wife’s Avalanche at the local Chevy dealership.  There I saw a Jeff Gordon version of the Monte Carlo.  It was the first time I really took a look at a newer Monte.  I to this day love the paint job on those and the flames but really didn’t want a car with Jeff Gordon’s name on it (no I am not a Jeff Gordon hater but I had visions of coming out of a store and someone keying “Jeff Gordon sucks” in the car).  Well anyways we left the dealership and drove for an early dinner.  About 3 miles down the road is a Ford dealership and out front sat this 2001 Black Monte Carlo Pace Car.  Saw it and said to myself “nice”, went to dinner and on our way home had to stop.  The original owner had traded the car in on a Mustang Mach 1.  I took her for a test drive and well the next day traded in my firebird and bought her. 

     The great part of the purchase was the dealership really did not know what they had.  The dealer said the owner had put “these decals” on the car referring to the TAZ and the checkered flag.  I chuckled since on the back says limited addition pace car but oh well.   I ended up getting a pretty good deal on her and well the rest is history.  Shortly thereafter I found a 85 SS (might have seen the pic on the member page) which I purchased but I recently moved from Alabama to Virginia (military) and well too many toys and someone offered me the right amount so sorry to those that prefer the older models.

     The car had 22000 miles when I bought her and currently has 33000 miles.  She is number 711 of 1300 made in 2001.  For those that don’t know these cars were made in only one color each year (Red-2000, Black-2001, Yellow-2002, Blue-2003).    This is not really a daily driver, I kind of split time with my other “toy”.  The engine is pretty much stock (except a K&N air filter).  The Monte came with pretty much every option available On Star, heated seats, power sunroof, engine heater, etc.  One of my favorite features is the TAZ decals that came on the car.  Exterior wise, the original owner had put Limo tint on the windows and well as I found out Mr. Police Man did not appreciate this and I was pulled over twice.  Hence I had the tint changed out with the legal limit (still looks dark but I think that is due to the dark interior and color).  I also changed the tires and put on Goodyear Eagle Nascar tires.  I think they look great on the car.  I am one of those people that enjoy washing and detailing the cars (I hope you can tell by the pics).  The car is washed and waxed regularly with Zaino products. 

     For the future, the only thing I am considering is ram air hood for her but I am not sure if I will do that or not.  I thank you for reading the story of my baby.