I don’t think I am alone when I say one of my dream cars is a Chevy Chevelle. Alas, the model I want (1970 454 SS, duh), has skyrocketed in value over the past 10 years, making this 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu more akin to the size of my pocketbook. If you’re willing to settle for a couple more doors and a few less cylinders, than this old rig might be right for you too. Let’s take a peek at this four door Chevelle for sale, found on Craigslist in Aberdeen, South Dakota for a penny pinching $1,850.
Introduced for 1964, the Chevrolet Chevelle was the only all new American car for the model year. With Pontiac unleashing the GTO shortly thereafter, the Chevelle marked Chevy’s entrance into the emerging muscle car market when the marketing department slapped a Super Sport package on it. While many Chevelles built between 1964 and 1972 received big V8s and four speeds, most, such as this example, did not.
This 1972 Chevelle has a kind face, but behind the grille is a lowly 250 cubic inch six cylinder. Hey, at least it runs, sort of. You could always slap some SS badges on the fenders and keep the hood closed at the cruise night. Oh, wait, you couldn’t really pull that off as you have to answer to some knocks on the back doors.
I get it. Two door versions of any car are always going to be more desirable than their four door counterparts. That doesn’t mean we should neglect these family work horses! Those doors come in handy when you’re cruising with your pals or hauling the kids around. I suppose I don’t have much of an argument, do I? Oh! You don’t have to move to let people out. That’s something.
Inside this Malibu Chevelle for sale we’ve got some classic seat covers. The interior definitely needs help, but it appears mostly there, from what can be seen. A nice bench seat always makes heading to make out point a little more enjoyable. See, another benefit of this car! Hey, now that I think of it, maybe those back doors make getting in the back seat a bit easier… The pros list is filling up.
The real trouble with this, ahem, Chevelle isn’t the mismatched wheels, but the rust. There’s a lot of it. There’s so much rust in the rear fenders that by the time you cut it out, you might actually have a two door coupe. Now we’re really getting somewhere! They mention the frame is solid but the floors are squishy and the trunk pan appears alright, though it’s probably hanging by a thread. There’s no doubt the metal work on this car will be extensive, if you’re trying to clean it up at all. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’ll get the royal treatment.
While I think all cars deserve a second chance, this Chevelle for sale is likely to end up in the parts bin. It’s got plenty of nice pieces on it, but those pieces are stuck to a four door sedan. If it were up to me, I’d buy it, go through it mechanically, and drive it as it! However, with nearly 300,000 Malibus produced in 1972, there’s probably one that could serve that purpose without so much work. But, for $1,850, the doors, all four of them, are wide open.
