Hi Scotty I need your advice. I found a 1977 Chevy Monza Mirage in a junkyard. Part of me wants to save it because its 1 of 4000 made. But part of me says move on because its from the late 70s hell era. Should I bring it back to life or are they an absolute waste of time and money?
Could be an interesting show car, though you might expect its appeal to be, ahem, selective.
@toyotagrl is right that the restoration will cost more than the restored car is worth. Restoration would be for fun, not investment.
The main problem I see is parts. You can get aftermarket parts easily for the popular classics - mustangs, vettes, chevelles, tri-5’s - but a monza? You might look into that before you pull the trigger. Might also inquire with a monza club, if there is one.
Any old car can be restored if you throw a ton of $$$ at it. You'll be more into it than the car is worth, so unless you really love the Monza I'd pass.
project cars
I had a girlfriend back in the day who had a "regular" Monza, and it wasn't at all a bad car - for that era. But getting parts for anything other than the engine? Wow, that would be hard/expensive.
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2018/07/rare-rides-a-1977-chevrolet-monza-the-malaise-mirage/
Oh, yeah, I think the V8 version made like 140 HP - they didn't call it the "Malaise" era for nothing.
Depends on what landed it in the junkyard and whether the body, glass, and interior are in decent shape. Mechanical parts probably won't be a problem but the rest can be an expensive challenge, and if it's rusty just forget it.
Some years back I "rescued" an AMC Eagle wagon from a junkyard. All it really needed was a complete brake job and new exhaust system, plus a good tuneup. Body was solid, with some dings and warts to be sure, but presentable. Even the air conditioning was working. Paid $500 and the yard let me pick parts off of any others they had that I thought I'd need, and dropped the car off at the house for me. So after a few hundred dollars more in parts plus sweat equity I ran that car for 10 years.
So it is possible to do a junkyard rescue but you have to be careful and selective.
Is that anything like the Buick Skyhawk? Had one of those. sharp looking car but zero traction in the snow!
Same basic car. Both were derivatives of the Chevrolet Vega platform. A bit of trivia is that the Monza was designed to be General Motors' first car with a Wankel rotary engine. (GM's Wankel project was cancelled at the last minute due to problems with emissions and fuel efficiency.)
just looked at the pics.
YOU CAN"T BE SERIOUS
Since it's in a junkyard, all I'm seeing are very large dollar signs required to bring it back to life.
Personally speaking, you could probably search for an example that has already been restored for a lot less money than you would put into the junkyard example your looking at.
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2018/07/rare-rides-a-1977-chevrolet-monza-the-malaise-mirage/
It looks like they should be paying you to haul that scrap away.
Is that anything like the Buick Skyhawk? Had one of those. sharp looking car but zero traction in the snow!
This is it. What y'all think?