A one-year-only top-trim-level car for $3,500? Yes, please. This rare 1962 Rambler Classic Custom 2-Door Club Sedan is listed here on Facebook Marketplace in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and they’re asking $3,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to NW Iowa Kevin for the tip! Hopefully, I can be strong enough to make it through without somehow buying this car. Fingers crossed.
Despite only being about 15 minutes away, this car is $3,500 away from me, given a recent major tax beatdown. It drained my accounts and left me with no “extra” fun money for cheap cars. It’ll be a very long year trying to get back on track again, but I would love to at least take a look at this car. I’ve wanted one since writing about one back in 2017 here on Barn Finds. I believe this color is Algiers Rose Copper.
You can see that this isn’t just any ol’ one-year-only two-door Rambler Classic, it’s a Custom, the top trim level. The only way it could be any better is if it had a factory V8, power steering, and power brakes. Of course, this example has none of those things. The V8 went away after 1961, and power steering and power brakes were options that the original owner didn’t want, or didn’t want to pay for. As has been mentioned many times, American Motors customers were sometimes leery of paying for such “luxuries,” so the cars were often pretty bare-bones equipped. Some of the trim is pretty dinged up, but the seller shows a receipt for $800 worth of NOS trim, very nice!
The first-generation Rambler Classic was made for 1961 and 1962, and they were decidedly outdated compared to the redesigned 1963 cars. You’ll have to check underneath this car and give it a good test drive on bumpy roads and around corners to see if the new-for-’62 ball joint front suspension is up to snuff. It also has a torque tube, and the seller says it vibrates above 40 MPH, so that needs to be checked, too. I’m assuming the seats are in tough shape as they’re covered, both front and rear. There appears to be a third pedal, but that’s the world’s longest brake pedal, as this car has an optional BorgWarner Flash-O-Matic automatic with a push-button selector on the left side of the dash. Here is a 1962 Rambler Classic brochure. You can see the unique Custom trim level steering wheel above, with the two hand grips in white.
Appearing to be wearing a replacement carburetor, this engine should be AMC’s 195.6-cu.in. OHV inline-six with 138 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque. Power rolls through the three-speed automatic and torque tube to the rear wheels. Speaking of that, this car has new tires. It also has a transmission leak, so prepare for that work and expense, plus sorting out the torque tube, and getting a new lock for the trunk lid. The seller reportedly restored the gas tank and put in new spark plugs and wires. Have any of you seen a two-door Rambler Classic?
Darn nice Rambler. Bet you wouldn’t find another one at a car show…
Pretty cool. Good buy too. Hope it doesn’t need parts!
I owned one and sold it and then bought it back. It was one of the best cars I have ever owned. It started every time, it drove comfortably, great gas milage too. I loved it!
Very nice! The vibration could be a lot of things, but the universal joint would be a prime suspect which unfortunately means pulling back the torque tube and rear axle. (Been there!) At least this car will have a single standard type joint rather than the unobtainium CV joint used in later V8 Ramblers.
Ball joints were adopted on the lower control arms but the uppers still had “Satan’s idea of ball joints” (trunnions). Those would be my main concern in the front suspension.
Mr Gilbertson
Do you really think it’s part of your job to inject politics into barnfinds? The Elon Musk pays no taxes is a myth spread by angry libs. I hope you’re not one of those.
There’s a place for everything and everything in its place.
Point well taken, sir. Although I didn’t inject politics at all, you did. I just mentioned Elon Musk not paying taxes, whereas we had to pay more than ever before on an income that was 30% less than normal. I chose Mr. Musk only because, you know, he’s worth $800 billion and reportedly paid no taxes last year (“Based on reports from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and finance news sources, Elon Musk’s company, Tesla, reported zero federal income tax on $5.7 billion in U.S. income for 2025.”). He has paid billions in taxes previously, of course. That’s 100% the only reason, not for any perceived political affiliation or any other sinister reason. But, the term “angry libs” is certainly political and inferring that I’m an “angry lib” is uncalled for. That being said, I’ll watch that in the future and I deleted that part. I guess I’ll have to try to think several levels deeper for hidden meanings from now on.
“angry libs” . . . now what could they possibly be angry about?
(Rhetorical question, does not require an answer)
My apologies for that harsh reply, Stever, and everyone.
If you’re not angry you’re part of the problem.
I have to wonder if AMC lost money on this one year wonder. Same with the ’63 American hardtop.
Actually, I read under George Romney, this was his baby. He convinced the company compact cars were the thing, and Rambler actually did quite well in 1962. It was the Car of the Year in 1963, but did little for sales. Roy Abernathy took over in ’63, and tried to keep Romneys vision, but was ousted in 1967 for having old ideas. I’m from Milwaukee, and Rambler/AMC was the PREMIERE place to work, often several generations. You could tell who worked at Rambler, they always drove a new Rambler.
I was referring specifically to the 2-door sedan, newly tooled for the final year of a 7-year run, and whether they sold enough to their customer base who tended to favor practical 4-doors and wagons anyway.
That’s true, many did go for the wagon, one site said about 27,000 were 2 doors, but I read, total AMC production for 1962 was almost 433,000 cars. The ’62 Classic sold almost 56,000 more in the 1st 6 months than all of ’61. It wasn’t the million cars the Big 3 sold, but life was good in Beer City in the 60s.
Actually Abernathy wanted to shed the Romney image from the company and started selling big cars again. This caused the biggest fiscal loss in 1967 which in turn caused him to get the boot.
My grandfather( not the Packard one, obviously) had a Rambler like this, only a ’61, 4 door. That was the car that had like 40K miles, and in spotless condition, couldn’t hear it run,,,but alas, twas’ the bullet that laid it to rest, the trunnions rusted and nobody would fix it. Very common with Ramblers, and many were junked for that very reason. I believe this was the aluminum block with steel liners, that didn’t like overheating. It’s a great find, and I happen to know, regardless of what transpired, this guy has wanted a Rambler as long as I’ve known him and would take up a collection, but he realizes, there are folks that are more deserving and a long line. Maybe some day, pal
This Rambler looks terrific on the outside. And 4 new tires as well. I’d think that l
Price is very reasonable. Its a great color, the door cards look good from what we can see. Maybe you could recreate the seat patern? We knew a nurse in the later 1970s that “Inherited” a blue Ramber similar to this but with a 3 speed on the column. The original owner went blind. It was a creampuff, she daily drive it for quite some time too. Thanks Scotty, and NW Iowa Kevin for the nice find.
I am surprised to see that the OVERHEAD VALVE 195.6 engine is in this Classic, the same small engine that was in the smaller Rambler American convertible and maybe the “pricier” other Americans. It was about 50 years ago when I had several Americans a 59, and a 62 or 63. They had the FLATHEAD 195.6, good little economical engines. Rambler made do with what they had. This one looks to require some labor but not too much money for parts.
Our 57 Nash Rambler American Cross Country station wagon had the same engine if I’m remembering correctly. Bought new in Wyandotte, Michigan while we were traveling to California. I was 6 years old and it was just like a jet plane. It had a three tone paint job. Black, red and white with the luggage rack on top. This Classic is like that original series with a few improvements. Ours had vertical front clear parking light lenses outside of the headlights. Also, the starter switch was built into the shifter and was lit through a big plastic knob so night time starting was enhanced. Like the Classic, ours had front seats that went back all the way and were supported with brackets that locked into the rear seats with the rear seats able to be folded forward to create a flat surface to the rear tailgate door that also had a crankable window… Going through the desert we bought a water bag that hung in front of the radiator that helped with the cooling. The old car made 6 cross country trips in the 5 years we owned it. It made numerous trips up and down the coast of California, too. Tough and always dependable. Sold it in Virginia in 1961. Best car ever in my childhood. My brother has a few pictures of it somewhere but I can still see it in my mind. It was known to us as a The Jet.
Like seeing a long lost friend! I got mine in a title for title trade for my gas hungry ’73 Ford LTD with a coworker who wanted a more reliable car to move to California in ’81. Gee, I wonder how that worked out for her. Mine was pretty much a basic roller (radio delete, heater, and auto tranny) but I dolled it up over
time by adding a Kraco AM/FM
cassette deck with Jensen 6X9
three way speakers for the package tray with smaller units mounted in the doors and in the
factory spot in the dash. And when I was through, I had a 5 speaker sound system that beat
anything Detroit was offering back then. The car itself was in
very good condition for an Illinois
car with very little rust. The only
real problem I had with it was getting the reverse gear repaired
by my friends Johnny and Jerry at Misstate Transmission for $273 in 1982 money. A small fortune at the time but well worth it. My car was painted some kind
of tan, but my future wife called it
titty pink. She was dull when I got her, but with a good wash and some elbow grease, the paint came back just fine. We drove and enjoyed that old car for almost 3 years before the driveshaft U-joints went and I had
Jerry and Johnny start working on it before I had my first heart
attack in ’84. Had to sell it on to
pay for my hospital bill. I think
you’re gonna see a lot of these cheap sales in Minnesota and California as these states have all
but outlawed the possession and
ownership of classic cars within their borders. From what I’ve read and seen online, a police officer can pull you over and confiscate your car ON THE SPOT! Take your pride and joy out for a spin, and you’ll take an
Uber home– guaranteed! Violates unreasonable search and seizure? You bet it does! I hope these dumbasses know that you gotta have a warrant before you can seize anything without due process or are they so full of themselves that they’ve
forgotten about the very Constitution that they swore to
uphold and protect. And with the
mid terms coming up, it just might behoove you to ask your local candidates how they stand
when it comes to possession and
ownership of classic cars by private individuals. If you don’t, you may get a knock at your door
by a policeman with orders to seize your car WITHOUT DUE PROCESS under the 4th amendment. Me, I don’t have to worry about that just yet as I live
in Florida where they don’t pass
stupid stuff like that. Sorry for the politics, but I had to put it out
there.
Ken, I’m an old codger for saying the following of course, but when I lived in Northern California in the early 70’s it was totally different than now. We all know about the cost-of-living increase since then, but this is crazy. I lived in Mendocino County 130 miles north of SF, 30 miles from the coast. In the valley the work was mostly sheep or apple ranches before the vineyards were producing much. Redwood logging was big still. I worked at a ranch with what were then termed “disturbed children”, before other labels were placed such as “autism”. My rent was commonly just $35 per month for a cabin with wood stove, or $75 for a really nice room with shared kitchen and living room. It was affordable even with my low salary. Now people living there cannot afford rents that have gone sky high. The rents remain high though the wine industry has plummeted, partly due to cost per bottle and no more free samples. There are a lot more homeless people. I know from past visits and subscription to the local paper. Watch out if driving your old car too, as you say. In the news also is the abundant grass growth with half as much snow in the mountains, a big fire watch this year for CA.
Glad you got your wife all cleaned up and shiny.;
I’m in Cali and can’t imagine what you’re talking about.
You didn’t have the same experience then, but that may be a good thing or not.
Third car i like….and the price…..of this listing. Wow
i like these and this is a 2dr. growing up in the 70s a guy down the street from me had about 20 different rambler’s sedans and wagons in various conditions. i was all fascinated by them and he showed me a lot of different tricks to working on them. everybody said he was crazy, but he was crazy like a fox.
I had a ’62 Ambassador and it had a V-8, so there’s that. Also had to change the u-joint. Wasn’t as bad a job as I thought it would be. It was a nice car and rode like a dream.
I have seen ramblers sag some in the middle causing drive shaft problems. They had a weak unibody
Attention Rambler folks.There is a 61′ on Phoenix FB Marketplace for 10 k. Granddaughter is selling her grandpops a Iowa car that was brought to Gold Canyon AZ.
Did someone pour sour milk on you guys’ Corn Flakes? 🥣 🥛 I thought this was Barnfinds, nor Barfights.
The rules re: The 3 Ps are there for a reason. If I want to read arguments I can go on Facebook.
As for the Rambler- remember it?- it’s a 2 door in a pretty color. I owned three assorted ’64 AMCs. That was 2 too many. Peace.
My father was x-Amish and thought Ramblers were somewhat more worthy because they were sticking it in the face of the big three. We had a bunch of them while I was growing up. Each one seemed worse than the previous one. Dating in a 4 door, 6 cylinder with the Jerky hydro-matic required resolve, and humility.
This 2 door Classic causes a wry love/hate attraction. I’d be afraid to road trip it home, one of our Ramblers let go of the drive shaft and tore up the underside of the car. Major repairs, broken bell housing, etc..
That said, I’d love to have this one.