A west coast car with no rust and no bondo, it’s hard to beat the sound of that! This 1975 Chevrolet Vega wagon isn’t perfect but with such a good foundation it has to be one of the most solid ones that we’ve seen in a while. It can be found here on eBay in Lucerne Valley, California with a price of $8,995 listed.
I personally prefer the look of the earlier Vega grille, but they’re pretty hard to find from any year in such rust-free condition. 1975 Vega sales were suffering a bit from previous reports of reliability concerns, and those 5 mph bumpers didn’t do them any favors in the looks department. But, all cars had them and not all 1975 Vegas have lasted as long as this car has in this condition.
There are a few dings and other issues with this car. The bodyside molding is sagging and/or taped into place in spots and it has had one repaint in its original color, so it isn’t strictly all original. It has 124,000 miles on it which seems like a lot of miles for such a small car, one that had its share of troubles. It must have been gone through over the years in order to keep it on the road so maybe every trouble spot has been addressed already.
The interior looks pretty good other than some fading and that fat steering wheel wrap. I hope that the wheel is ok under that thing. The back seat looks great as does the rear cargo area. A 4-speed manual ensures at least somewhat of a fun driving experience. They say that everything works and that’s good news. They have even included a few underside photos and the undersides of the doors.
The engine is GM’s 2.3L, 140 cubic-inch inline-four with 80 hp. They say that there are no leaks, weird noises, and it doesn’t smoke and runs and drives great. Have any of you owned a Vega wagon?
Oooohhh…this one would be a good candidate to backdate its looks for the neato older grille- and to get rid of the Dodge’Em-Car bumper-monstrosities. If this year sports the not-Gruyere-cheese engine block, whoop-de-doo, it’s a winner.
This is not the Dura-Built 140
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Vega#Engine
So how could this troublesome motor not smoke(use oil?) with such high mileage?
Oil /coolant change every 1000 miles/10,000 miles?
A real good motor off the assembly line?
I’m surprised there is no aftermarket quality temp GAGE installed.
With “today’s gen” of drivers, i bet even toyota could not sell even a single TWO door wagon today.
I bet i know why Chevy did not make this a production car …
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15114928/chevrolet-xp-898-concept-archived-feature/
Joe, according to the VIN it’s a “140ci (2.3l) Chevrolet L4 2bbl”.
Steel sleeved cylinders. Had a 74 that had the sleeves. The motor never gave me any trouble. Every other part of the car needed work over the course of my ownership, but not the motor.
Nice looking little car, could be a lot of fun with a 4.3 & 5 speed out of an S10, or even a 2.5 Iron Duke (not real powerful, sounds like a sewing machine, but lb asts forever). Being the original 140 4 popper, a little high on the asking price. Might be worth 1/3 of that, maybe 1/2 if the interior is nice.
While I love the Vega wagon, this one is a stumper. The 76 and 77 would have the “Durabilt” 2.3, which is fine with those miles. They also have the updated galvanized metal in the trouble areas of the early cars. I don’t think I’d do any type of swapping or backdating on any Vega except a 76 or 77. This one is a fun weekend toy, and that’s about it. And that price gets a lot of other toys without the Vega’s limitations.
And I guarantee the steering wheel is gooey and sticky under that wrap. They all are.
A 2 door station wagon is a really nice look!
Asking price is too high
LS time again , 6 speed, real brakes and a new diff as for the bumpers , i have seen what guys have done to the 70&80’s chevelle,malibu aluminium ones and these bumpers could also use a good trimming …now i only need a lot of free time !
Didn’t the late 80s early 90s Camaros and firebirds come with the 3800 v6, and with the option of a manual trans? That’s the transplant I’d put in this. Normally I wouldn’t butcher up an original car, but this is the Vega we’re talking about! I too prefer the looks of 73 and older, but would still park this in my driveway! I do think $9k is a little steep though.
The F-body didn’t get a 3800 until 1996, everything before that was a version of the Chevrolet 60 degree V6. 2.8-3.4 family, excluding the 3.8 turbo in the 20th anniversary Trans Am.
It’s a hybrid 74/75 model where it has the rubber bumper strips of 1974, but has hardware from 1975.
HEI ignition on the distributor which was a change in 75. 74 and older were points.
With the two barrel Holley carb on there, the engine would be rated at 110 hp.
4 speed Saginaw transmission.
Beyond that, it’s all stock. Not a GT model, but dang, it’s in good condition. Too hard to convert to a GT like I would want. That would require different headlight trim, turn signals, dash / instrument panel, wheels, and sway bars front and rear.
Man I hate this car. Here’s why: In ’76, I was 18 and looking to buy my first car. Our neighbor, a retired chemist, had a cherry 1958 Olds 98 coupe, black on black. I loved that car, and he knew it. So, one day he asked me if I would be interested in buying the car, and I flipped my wig at the prospect. How much? $300. I got the funds arranged and a few days later went to buy the car, but he said no dice, because if something went wrong with the 18-year-old car, it might strain relations with he and my parents. I assured him it wouldn’t, but the answer was no. I was so crestfallen. A couple of days later he traded that beautiful one-owner ’58 Olds in for…..you guessed it….a Vega Kammback. Same miserable color, too.
“no rust”? – Didn’t these come pre-rusted from the factory?
Yes they did! My Michigan Vega wagon was a couple years old with 55,000 miles when the tailgate had to be lag bolted shut and the drivers door dropped three inches when opened. Disposable car.
I like the look, but was always able to resist a Vega. There’s a similar wagon around the corner for $1200, looks great on outside, but it has bad rust in the rear floors/hatch area.
Cosworth Vega transplant?
OMdawgs! I want the blue Jeep Scrambler, in the background! WOW!
I wonder how hard it would be to find the necessary panel parts to convert this into the rare “Nomad” version?? :-)
I could be wrong, but I dont think the sedan delivery option was available after 1973 . The sedan deliveries were really stripped too – they only had a drivers seat !
I owned a 72 Panel Express, the passenger seat was an option but was available. I could be wrong but I believe that the Panel was offered in 74, but had few takers. I traded mine even for a 72 Spitfire.
Let it alone. Any true original deserves to be there for the
younger generations to see and know what came before them.
I could be wrong, but I dont think the sedan delivery option was available after 1973 . The sedan deliveries were really stripped too – they only had a drivers seat !
Hey Howard Kerr….you traded a ’72 Vega for ’72 Shi+fire? Out of the frying pan and into the fire! No umbrage intended of course, I’ve done lots of dumb stuff.