1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu With 35k Miles!

I’ve always had a soft spot for the 1970 Malibu because it was one of the first cars I drove when I took high school driver’s ed over the summer that year. It was even the same color, just sans the vinyl top this one has. The second-generation Chevelle’s (1968-72) were widely popular and perhaps the pinnacle years for the mid-size Chevy. This one has spent much of its life in climate-controlled storage, which is the way to go to preserve any car. With only 35,000 miles, it’s located in Atlanta, Georgia, and available here on craigslist for $31,900. Thanks, Pat L. for another cool find!

This automobile always stayed close to home, having been purchased in the same city it’s in today. A close friend of the seller acquired the car from the original owner when it was 26 years old and put it away with the rest of his collection where it stayed in weather comfort until recently. His friend only averaged 100 miles a year since he bought it. We don’t know if the seller recently acquired the car or is simply brokering its sales for his friend.

The car was repainted about 40 years ago after getting caught by acid rain which messed up the finish. It was redone by Chevrolet, so you would assume it’s as close to original as you could get. We’re told the matching vinyl top has held up well, though some streaks appear in one of the photos (it may simply be the lighting). Due to a constant dry temperature all these years, it appears that rust has never been an issue.

Inside the car resides an original interior which appears to look perfect or just about. Things like the steering wheel and dash pad have never been restored. It comes with power steering and brakes along with a tachometer which must be aftermarket. The Malibu is powered by a 307 small-block V8, Chevy’s basic eight-cylinder in those days. Dual exhaust has been added as it likely didn’t come that way from the factory. It wears wider Rally wheels that look like they may have come off a Corvette and I had a set on my ’70 Nova and the trim rings were narrower.

These cars sold well in 1970. Chevrolet built nearly 634,000 Chevelle’s that year, with 289,600 being Malibu sport coupes with some form of the V8 motor. It comes with a lot of original documentation, even the car’s original Protecto-Plate. The seller may be a tad optimistic on his asking price as NADA says one of these non-SS Malibu models is worth in the $28,000 neighborhood. If the seller will negotiate, this survivor might be a nice addition for someone looking for a collector car of this vintage. But please don’t hire it out for Driver’s Ed – we were hard on those cars!