If you've been waiting for the 1983-'88 Monte Carlo SS to skyrocket in value, or at least creep to a comfortable place past its original MSRP, the bad news is you've got some more waiting to do.
Value trend based on ''average'' 1986 Monte Carlo SS values from popular pricing guides.
The good news is, if you're looking for an inexpensive older American almost-muscle car to drive, or just an appropriate venue in which to air out all of your old Def Leppard cassettes, you simply cannot beat the MC SS: Its stock dual-exhaust system is appropriately throaty; its variable-ratio steering box and sport suspension still offer a fun driving experience; and its looks...well, if you were a fan of Dale Earnhardt in the 1980s, there's something very comforting about seeing that "aero" front-end treatment again.
At the end of the 1980s, as Chevrolet misstepped into production of front-wheel-drive V-6 passenger cars and rear-drive family machines seemed doomed forever, the Monte SS--in particular, the limited-production 1986 and 1987 NASCAR-inspired Aerocoupes--looked like prime candidates for appreciation. But it has yet to happen.
Among GM's underappreciated G-Bodies from the 1980s, the Buick Regal Grand National has emerged as the price leader, due to its superior track record for performance against Ford's 5-liter Mustangs. The GN's mean, all-business looks never hurt it either.
The MC SS was a sales success in the 1980s. It was never intended to be the fastest car in Chevrolet's stable, outgunned as it was by the IROC-Z and the Corvette, but it attracted buyers looking for a comfortable ride with a back seat, trunk space and the ability to chirp the tires between shifts of its automatic transmission. This car filled the gap left by the departure of the Chevelle SS or, of course, the 1970-'71 Monte Carlo SS (which always seems to have been overshadowed by the Chevelle), and the obvious NASCAR tie-in only helped seal the deal. The Monte Carlo SS might hold the distinction of being the last of the true "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" Chevrolets. This was no Car of Tomorrow--the Monte Carlo on the showroom floor was fundamentally the same car that was being wheeled around superspeedways by the likes of Sunday heroes named Earnhardt, Waltrip, Bodine, Richmond, LaBonte and others. The production car had rear-wheel drive, a carbureted V-8 engine and a body shape shared by the race car. When Bill Elliott's slippery Ford Thunderbird dominated the 1985 NASCAR season, posting 200-plus-MPH speed records that may never be broken, Chevrolet fans rallied behind the introduction of the Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe. It was a real-deal hom*ologation special built to strike back for the Bowtie!
Dozens and dozens of Monte Carlo SS's have been stashed away for posterity as collectibles, and far more have been modified, driven hard and trashed by cheap-thrill seekers. The rarest Monte Carlo SS of all is the 1986 Aerocoupe, with just 200 built to satisfy NASCAR requirements. If ever one of these cars could be valuable, it should be this one. In 2003 at Barrett-Jackson's Palm Beach auction, a 1986 Aerocoupe with 2,569 original miles sold for $14,580; at Mecum's Indianapolis sale in 2010, a 1986 Aerocoupe sold for $9,500; and in January, at Mecum's Kissimmee auction, an Aerocoupe sold for $18,250 (this car included a newly installed Chevrolet Ram Jet 350 engine, as well as the stock engine). When you consider that these cars carried an MSRP of around $15,000, it's hard to view them as investment grade today. Especially when, adjusted for inflation, $15,000 in 1986 equates to about $30,000 in today's dollars.
