Three days from now, you could be the owner of a 1987 Chevy Camaro Z28, currently up for bid here on ebay and going for under $2,000. In fact, it’s at $1600, with thirty bids having been registered. Why such a bargain? Because you’re going to have to put in some sweat equity to make it presentable and drivable. But if you win, prepare a trailer to get to Orange County, California and make the pickup. You’ll find a bit of a faded angel awaiting you, but a California car, apparently, and thus a rust-free gem.
The engine runs, but it doesn’t start without external juice, as the fuel pump is out. But the good news is that the motivating power comes from a 5.0-liter V8. As was so common in this era, it’s shifted by an automatic. How serviceable is this combo? Well, the odo reads 1486, but without the “hundred thousands” digit, so call it 101,486, at least, especially given the condition of the interior. With some love, this could be coaxed to 150,000 miles, depending upon how it’s been treated by its former handlers.
The ad is clear that there’s no guarantee that this car is going to pass smog, so you might be in for a bit of an ordeal depending on your state’s regulations. There is a bit of a further mystery with this car, in that the license plate (California 6L) comes from somewhere like 2008, not 1987. Was this car off the road for a while and then re-tagged around then? Did someone get it up to scratch a decade or so again and then give up and store it once more? Maybe none of this matters as much as the potential it has. The body looks original, and the paint might be brought back with some expert work with a buffing wheel. No promises, though, and you’re still going to be in this one for some interior refurbishment.
Is the 1980s GM Camaro/Firebird offering the next big collectible? This generation of Camaro, the third, was offered from 1982-92 and is now old enough to have been the first love of collectors in their 50s. Remember, the prior Trans Am, the “screaming chicken” car of the 1970s, was a joke ten years ago. Now everyone has to have one. These 80s cars, handsome as they are, are also easy to drive. Not super-fast, they still represent a moment that bridges the monster muscle of the 60s and the capable, technologically sophisticated cars of today. Too bad GM has chosen to discontinue the Camaro with the sixth generation, offered from 2016-24.
Decent gamble. But I’ll be the first to say that my brother had an 88 Camaro with the 2.6, which was no slouch as far as that goes.
Used to wheel around in my buddys 5sp. 2.8 V6 camaro. Had alot of fun in that car.
Description says ‘clean title’,, but also says title not on-hand. Might be a real pain if you don’t have a California residence.
Pretty good looking Zee. Hopefully someone can get it back to serviceable condition. Scrub the interior and have a decent car on the cheap.
As Jon said “A decent gamble” and that is exactly right, with a car in this condition you just don’t know, what you might have to deal with. It is easy to become very optimistic and start finding out you weren’t realistic. How do I know that? I just did it!
And how did the numbers pencil out on that project?
SOLD for $4,350.
Personally, I can’t get beyond that color – very unattractive for a Z/28 (to me).