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1971 Nova With Only 6,745 Miles!

6k Mile Nova

This 1971 Nova may not be the most desirable spec – inline-six and four-door, but it is claimed to have covered less than 7,000 miles in its lifetime! The seller claims to have documentation to prove it, but there are a few questionable events in its past. It spent most of its life in Puerto Rico and just recently returned to the US in 2011. That isn’t all that big of a deal, but it also suffered a respray in the nineties. The engine compartment and interior look spectacular though so the claims of survivor status are easy to believe. Take a look here on eBay and let us know what you think.

Clean Inline Six

There’s the inline-six. Normally that lump wouldn’t excite anybody, but it’s a different story when it’s as clean as this one. The seller claims that the car runs, drives, and stops perfectly! Not that the next owner will drive it much anyway.

Clean Bench Seat

Other than a small tear on the seat, things looks pretty good in here. Some paperwork and a few service manuals are included. The seller also mentions 20 years worth of plate renewals, but I would want to make sure there is something there to prove the mileage.

6745 Miles

Odometers are not always a reliable gauge when determine true mileage. Service records are a much better glimpse into a car’s past, but things can get blurry if there’s a big gap while the car was parked. Vehicles like this take a little sleuthing on the buyers part so this one might not meet reserve this go around. More photos of the car and paperwork would probably help the seller’s cause next time.

Comments

  1. Avatar DJ mcQuaid.

    I have seen this car in person at the St Ignace car show in Michigan. It’s not as nice as it looks in the photos. I would suggest you inspect it in person if interested in purchasing it.

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    • Avatar al leonard Member

      actually it’s better in person!!!

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  2. Avatar Cassidy

    They saved a Nova with a 6 banger and 4 doors?? In one of the Raiders of the Lost Arc movies, the guard told Ford that the other guy who died chose unwisely, but he could have been talking to this guy. I think I’d rather have a low mileage station wagon than this Nova, but it does beat a number of cars featured on here from rust belt states regarding rust damage!

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  3. Avatar randy

    Good question, and a wagon would be much more desirable to me as well.

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    • Avatar al leonard Member

      jealous…………………

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  4. Avatar Rick

    Yawn!

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  5. Avatar Leon

    Would love to have that license plate for my collection. Those plates were made with Louisiana dies at Angola penitentiary

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    • Avatar al leonard Member

      buy the car!!You get BOTH plates!!!

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      • Avatar al leonard Member

        back plate could be yours too!!

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  6. Avatar Luke Fitzgerald

    You would think that they would pull the damn thing out to shoot it – somebody loved It

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  7. Avatar JW454

    It would appear this seller believes he has the elusive blue diamond (or in this case green diamond). I like the car but it’s abut a 4k to 4.5k car IMO.

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    • Avatar al leonard Member

      what do you have????

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      • Avatar randy

        1965 F100 SWB, Al, don’t fret, but this car (no va) is not all that desirable.

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      • Avatar al leonard Member

        ????? ARE you JW454 in disguise??? I was asking him!!!

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  8. Avatar BH

    (1) They didn’t make a wagon in this era of Nova
    (2) Sometimes the cars that are survivors and have low miles don’t because they were loved and preserved — but because they were boring and weren’t driven a lot. So, yeah, that’s why you often see cars from the 70s with low miles that were in funky colors and had the base engine. A lot of times too, you have older people who purchased a car and did not drive as much or passed away.
    (3) The tear on the front seat is a bit of a red flag — but otherwise, the car does look to be in like new condition

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  9. Avatar mike

    This is not too far of a stretch to believe. Be nice to have concrete documentation though. But think about it, pr is roughly 3k Sq miles. Not to mention smaller islands. How far do you need to go? They literally could have drove this once a week or so to the store deal.

    Being a tropical climate, sun fade is kinda expected. So respray would make sense there too.

    Just surprised it doesn’t have a rotary engine. I thought that it was mandatory to put a rotary in every car in pr :)

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    • Avatar al leonard Member

      best documentation there is..Florida DMV issued it!!

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  10. Avatar another Bob

    New paint everywhere and a ripped seat?

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    • Avatar al leonard Member

      chit happens!!!

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  11. Avatar Birdman

    I call bogus!

    It’s been resprayed…in less than 7k miles?
    If it was a true survivor, it wouldn’t be THAT clean…unless it’s a survivor of a temp. controlled, washed and waxed everyday museum somewhere…

    Too much going against it to be a real survivor…. I even question the mileage…

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    • Avatar al leonard Member

      we have the FLORIDA title when it returned in 5/3/11..Normally a car of this age is MILEAGE EXEMPT…this shows “6,634 miles 05/03/2011 ACTUAL”..so unless you’ve been in a high humidity, tropical area you wouldn’t understand the repaint…it was owned for 20 yrs until owners death in 1992..then stored for 20 yrs….he lived in the middle of P.R…no need to drive alot of miles..hence the LOW number..

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  12. Avatar al leonard Member

    here’s the title from 5-3-11..

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  13. Avatar al leonard Member

    believe it!!!!

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  14. Avatar Mark 'cuda man

    Well it went to $4650.00 which is more than I would go. Too many questionables for me….repaint….no paper trail miles….not much documentation….and I quote, “…there were only 29,037 6cyl 4dr Chevrolet Nova’s built in 1971″….are you kidding? Like that’s a LOW number??????

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    • Avatar al leonard Member

      Another expert from afar…20 yrs in the tropics then a repaint-check….Florida DMV documenting 6634 miles…check…..less than 30,000 6 cyl 4 dr Nova’s built in ’71 out of 1,830,319 vehicles Chevrolet made that year…rare…check..Are you kidding me???

      Like 0
  15. Avatar Brakeservo

    The Florida title doesn’t mean or prove a thing, it’s literally possible to get a motor vehicle title for a washing machine in Florida! Last car I brought into the state the DMV clerk simply looked at the odometer and never even asked if it was actual miles or if it was on it’s second time around – the car could have had a million miles or more! I’ve learned even people you assume are honorable can and will say anything if dollars are involved – integrity is priced pretty low if a car sale is involved. If the seller’s only “proof” is a Florida DMV Title he may be in the swamp land business or might also try to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge!

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  16. Avatar randy

    Ouch

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  17. Avatar JMB#7

    I had a ’72 2-door blue Nova with the 250 straight 6 single barrel carburetor & 3-speed manual column shift. It was handed down from my parents which made me the second owner. I drove it from about 1980 thru 1986. If tuned properly the 250 CID six could be a pretty responsive engine. Key elements were ignition timing & messing with the metering rods, and zero lash setting the hydraulic lifters for less valve float at high rpm. Seriously that thing would get the jump on many cars, and it needed to because after 2nd gear ran out, most V-8 would be closing in on you unless you got lucky and they backed out after getting spanked on the launch. Now regarding a 4 door automatic in green, well that is better off in someone else’s garage, not mine. Chevrolet put the paint on these very thin so the repaint does not surprise me a bit. The odometer numbers are really well aligned so if it was messed with then it was very professional. That tear in the seat would have happened even if no one ever sat in it just from age.

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  18. Avatar Darren

    Seriously guys?? Arguing over 4door straight six Nova authenticity ?? Nice little car and all but it’s not a big block Yenco car or even a small block SS . Who cares if its had a respray?

    Like 0
    • Avatar al leonard Member

      amen Darren…

      Like 0
  19. Avatar Jason

    The seller (al leonard) needs to be banned from this site.

    Like 0

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