This incredible survivor 1979 Chevrolet Chevette 4-door hatchback, sometimes called a 5-door by folks with more polish than I have, can be found here on craigslist in beautiful Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. That’s the one Canadian province I’ve never been to. How is that even remotely possible? The seller is asking $6,250 ($4,402 U.S. dollars), and here is the original listing. Thanks to Curvette for the tip!
I know, not another Chevette?! And a 4-door on top of everything else?! COME ON, Gilby, what are you thinking? You should know by now that I’d take a Chevette, Pinto, Pacer, or almost any unusual small car over almost any muscle car from the 60s or 70s. American muscle cars from the 1960s and 1970s are infinitely more popular here, both for comments and probably income, or however that part works. Not having a website, I don’t have a clue about clicks and all that stuff. I just know that I like Chevettes.
The seller is sadly very, very slim on photos, but they do take the time to pop the hood and show us potential buyers the engine, as you can see in the only photo showing the entire car: the first photo. But, they don’t pop the hatchback, and there are only two interior photos, one showing the gauges and one showing the back seat. That usually means there is an issue with the unshown parts, but I’m guessing it’s just an oversight, as this whole car looks like it just snuck off of the Motorcade GM dealership showroom floor in Abbotsford, where it was bought new by their 103-year-old aunt. Not when she was 103, but you know what I mean. She would have been around 56 years old in 1979, give or take.
“Go ahead. All four of you. Sit tall and handsome. That’s what the inside of a Chevette is all about.” Or so says page 4 of this 1979 Chevette brochure. There’s the perfect-looking houndstooth fabric back seat. It doesn’t get much better than that in my world. Any interesting fabric is so much better than single-tone leather, at least for me. Chevrolet referred to this interior fabric as “Black Sport Cloth,” and it was an option. The seller says this car has 109,380 kilometers on it, which equates to 67,966 miles. Chevy referred to this color as “Blue, Bright (Metallic),” which I’m assuming means Bright Blue Metallic in real life…
I admit to preferring the 1978 and earlier Chevettes with round headlights and a wrap-down hood, but I’d never kick a 1979 flat-hood with rectangular headlights Chevette out of the garage. This dusty engine is Chevy’s 1.6-liter OHC inline-four, with around 70 horsepower and 82 lb-ft of torque when new. A new-for-1979 two-barrel Holley carburetor would have been fitted from the factory, and they say a new carb was added years ago. Passing through a three-speed automatic, power is sent to the rear wheels, and the seller says their 103-year-old (103 Canadian years is just 38 U.S. years!) (kidding) aunt recently stopped driving, and yes, she did drive this Chevette to church. They’re hoping it stays in Canada, where it’s been since new. Any thoughts on this ’79 Chevette 4-door hatchback? I like it.
The Chevette is a very unfairly disparaged vehicle. They were solid, tough little cars that just kept going. Yes, they were bare bones transportation, but that is, after all, the purpose of a car.
I agree that I prefer the earlier noses with the round headlights, but seems like by the late 70s everything was getting saddled with square lights. Who knows why?
With that mileage, this car is certainly worth the ask.
I think everyone was just excited to play with the first new shape and size of headlights in the twenty years since quad lights hit the roads.
And they sold like gangbusters. In 1980, the Chevette’s best year, they sold almost 450k of them, on Top of the nearly 811,000 Citations they also sold that model year. To put that into perspective, Chevrolet sold 1.7 million vehicles in total in 2024, including light trucks and crossovers. Times have changed!
Your going to have to pull the trigger on one of these Scotty.
I’m not sure what Scotty is Jonesing for more these days. A Chevette, or mid 60’s Dodge pickup.( Just kidding Scotty, we know you want both!!!). The automatic may have helped to save this one all these years. I just can’t get over the condition of this one. I really like that shade of blue too. I like the interior as well, wish we could’ve seen the front seats. This one is definitely a more upscale model for sure. Auntie definitely went heavy with the order sheet here. I completely agree with what JDC stated above. These cars deserve more respect. I’d definitely consider buying one ( although I really want one with a stick). I also strongly believe in getting back to the basics with cars these days. Thank you Curvette for the Chevette find ( hey….. It rhymes!!!) And of course Scotty for the write up. I also liked the other one you wrote up too ( I like the round headlights better as well.)
“Chevy Chevette .. it will drive you happy “. GM jingle..
I dated a girl in the 80s whose dad used to tease her would buy her a Vette .. aka Chevette
Me…I am happy the owner drove it to 103 years of age. Easy on the heart ❤️ with two minutes slow climb to get to 55 mph.😂
Seriously these were strong vehicles that delivered for Yule with the US post office.
Good luck with the sale!
It’s been sitting for three years and only started once a year and driven around the block for who knows how many years prior to that. It will likely need tires and at a minimum and other components checked out to make sure the car is going to be reliable.
It may be a rare sight nowadays, but there is a reason for that. My dad had a 2dr 4spd in the late-1970’s, they weren’t particularly good cars, luckily they were easy to work on. It was the most unreliable car he ever owned.
Steve R
I knew several people that owned one, including my aunt. They were dependable little cars that seldom broke. Your father must just have been unlucky.
They were actually enjoyable to drive as well, even if their acceleration was lacking. Great basic transportation. Something we could use today.
You are right, great basic transportation, enjoyable to drive, not so much.
Steve R
Fun to drive? I don’t know what that means. These were economical dailies or get around cars. Not meant for thrills. I had to participate in the commuter slog yesterday in a brand new car. Other than air conditioning and a better radio I didn’t find it to be enjoyable either.
Agreed. My family owned one. We dared not turn the A/C on going uphill. I would consider the Chevette these days to be dangerously underpowered.
Well from the odometer picture it translates to about 67k miles I still think the price is to high but who knows someone will probably think its a good deal
BC is a beautiful spot. Alot like Washington state and Oregon. Some real nice islands too.
Rented a 4-door w/ auto in ’80. Picked up ‘n drove to Key West from Miami (MIA). Comfortable and HUGE compared to the small FIATs at home. Rode nicely but handling on the same tires my little cars had, 155/80R13, iffy at best. Learned that the hard way when some doofus in a tan Fairmont wagon pulled across in front of me on Marathon Island as we were driving back to MIA on a Sunday morning. Time slowed down as I swerved behind him (left) then back (right) to clear the Mercury which had been following doofus and who, fortunately, headed for the shoulder. All the while I’m thinking, “Whoa! This is NOT anywhere near as responsive to its helm as are my little Pasta-mobiles!”
Bottom line, too much car for too little tire. Other than that, an “okay” machine.
Would have been real impressive if auntie was driving a manual that long!
My mother just turned 103. Stopped driving 2 years ago after her 2nd fender bender in a year. She did have a heavy right foot. When I told her to drive faster she said she didn’t drive fast, just confident.
Quit due to insurance going up. Has been going downhill ever since.
Sold her Buick Rendezvous with 56k to a grand niece at a bargain price, and she sold it fairly quick for a profit!
If that backseat could talk!
Mine was a 1978 2 door manual with no air and red plaid cloth seats. My first car at age 20. Drove it for 10 years. It got me through college and a start in a decent career, where everyone else drove Toyota camrays and Honda accords. They all made fun of my Chevette, but my other car was a 1970 (cor)vette. I miss that car and I’m still looking for another one.
Mine had a clutch CABLE which of course broke. I guess a hydraulic clutch was too exotic. Absolute dog from hell. Just seeing the picture gives me tremors.
I would consider owning this one, if it were not all the way across the continent from me, as far west as one can get (shy of Alaska), while I am in northeastern New York. I love cars driven by elderly folks for limited miles: they generally make for reliable transportation (if, in this case, a bit cramped). And I love that this lady went for “the options”, and did not do things “bare bones”. A man in his nineties who lives near me drives a light blue 1955 Ford Mainline with small hubcaps, no clock, no radio, 6 cylinders, three-on-the-tree, black rubber on the floor, very plain upholstery, blackwall tyres: strictly utility. Not for me.
Hate to be the negative nabob but these Chevettes were the epitome of appliance like automobiles. I had one as a company car in the mid-eighties. Terrible brakes, snail like acceleration and weirdly enough, the steering column was at a rightward angle to the driver. After a few years with the Sh**vette; I got upgraded to a Dodge Omni. And the Omni was truly an upgrade compared to the Chevy. Kudos to the elderly owner for keeping this one so well preserved. GLWTS.
Been quite a while since I moved anything across the northern USA boarder, last was a ex-military 108 series land rover, which went rather smooth using ups logistics!
Depending on model year and I guess, where it is going, it could be a pain.
Customs people, in general, seem to enjoy making life hell for the average joe.
I hated the car but I have to admit it got me from Dallas to Los Angeles pulling a trailer. I don’t know what I was thinking.
In a way, I thought they were a cool little car – you definitely did not expect performance from it, given the 70hp it delivered! I never got over the issue that I had experienced when I got one as a loaner when my ’82 Camaro Berlinetta (I also learned to NEVER buy first year cars, especially the first ones off the line unless you really wanted to see the shop manager every two weeks!). I was on the freeway, and the hood kept coming loose, which I had to pull over several ties to secure it! I think at that time, Chevrolet kind of was just pumping out cars to keep their numbers up. I did not buy another Chevrolet until I bought a ’96 Impala SS used in 1999.
The city where I grew up , Monterey Park CA an LA suburb, bought a bunch of these after the 2nd oil embargo for its employees (city inspectors, code enforcement, etc), thinking they’d be easy on gas. The city auditors discovered that the cars were only getting 10-12 mpg. It turned out that employees were leaving the cars running with the AC on all day, even when on calls and during lunch. My race partner was a city mechanic at the time.
Who would ever have guessed that these would be collectible.
They aren’t. There are those that sing their praises, few of them are willing to open their wallets for one.
Steve R
I have a pretty nice 78 Chevette. It has nice blue paint with small inconspicuous silver strip along the side top fender to the rear wrapping around the rear side windows. Engine has been replaced with a 4.3L engine out of an early 90s Chevy S10, and it has a Chevy S10 rear end. The interior has been redone with a grey finish on most everything inside with matching grey seat covers on front and rear seats. Engine bay was redone in black. The underside has been resprayed in black. It has nice chrome sport mirrors on both sides. It now sports fender flares on the rear to cover the edge of the wheels that protrude. The front valence has been reworked with sporty circular air intakes. The hood also sports air induction. The headlight bezels and grill have been nicely redone. The rear side window seals have been replaced. Rear wheels are rally with 225/50/15 tires and the front wheels are stock with the dog dishes.
It starts up pretty good, choke, 4-barrel Edelbrock carburetor, slight rumble from the exhaust port before the rear tire, mild cam, stock 4.3L fan and additional radiator fan that goes on when operating temperature is reached.
The car gets up and goes pretty good. TH350 shifts good and immediately goes forward when shifted into drive or reverse. So, it will peel out very easily. I wouldn’t call this a daily driver. This SS Chevette is still keeping an authentic look though.
It’s my second Chevette. The first being a 76 that I got with about 30k original miles, and I drove it for six years as a daily until I traded it. I like both of them because the first one got me from point A to B, and the second for the craftsmanship of the guy who built it. I also like the early Chevettes with the round headlights and wrap around hoods.
Good luck B. Stallmann on your endeavor for another one.
Actually, the tires on my SS Chevette are Toyo 235/50/15. I was going off the top of my head when I wrote it up before.
Here is a cool looking drag racing 72 Pinto for your amusement: https://www.craigslist.org/view/d/albuquerque-ford-pinto-drag-car-second/fkGJ5s2xbqyqMEW5faJK7t
Actually, the tires on my SS Chevette are Toyo 235/50/15. I was going off the top of my head when I wrote it up before.
Here is a cool looking drag racing 72 Pinto for your amusement: https://www.craigslist.org/view/d/albuquerque-ford-pinto-drag-car-second/fkGJ5s2xbqyqMEW5faJK7t