Showroom condition 1981 Camaro Z28? This is the last year of the second generation, and while not terribly collectable, this one deserves mention because it really does appear to have extremely low miles. 17,000 miles to be exact and it appears to be immaculate! Can this Z28 really be this nice? If it is really a low mileage survivor, does $11,000 seem like a reasonable price? And what do you think the new owner would do with it? Would they try to preserve it and keep the miles low or just enjoy driving it? Surely the new owner will keep it stock? It would be interesting to know this Camaro’s complete history. It would appear someone has taken good care of it. You can find it today in Fitchburg, Massachusetts and listed here on craigslist.
Had one like it, last of the 4 speeds but really not that quick. I still love the body style but my 85 Mustang GT was a vastly better car.
No listing,now? I hope that whomever gets this low mileage survivor- that they don’t modify it. But lovingly preserve it. Old cars have two enemies: exposure to the environment and uncaring owners that modify thoughtlessly.
the ad is still up, the link above just doesnt take you to it
https://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/5025471954.html
Even though I’m not a fan of the Camaro after the first generation I like what I saw and yes if it’s that nice I would have just kept it stock but drove it daily in the summer and stored away in the winter. As far a modifiers I’m one and figure it’s mine to do what I want with it, if it bothers someone else what I’m going to do with it offer me a unrealistic profit and I’ll sell it then you do what you want with it. Just my 2 cents.
I think the link is wrong, use the link then search for 1981 Camaro and it comes up. Looks very nice
that works. i was able to find the car. thanks
Looks like a pretty base car to me (vinyl is the base seat material) but it would be the one to get if you are into early ’80s Camaros. I’d think offhand that this would be more like around the $7500 range but I’m no Camaro expert. If it were mine I’d remove the damn steering wheel wrap and look into putting in the funky next gen mid-80s Berlinetta digital dashboard & then drive and enjoy!
ARGH, PLEASE DELETE DUPLICATE POST!! >_< Looks like a pretty base car to me (vinyl is the basic seat material) but it would be the one to get if you are into early '80s Camaros. I'd think offhand that this would be more like around the $7500 range but I'm no Camaro expert. If it were mine I'd remove the damn steering wheel wrap and look into putting in the funky next gen mid-80s Berlinetta digital dashboard & then drive and enjoy!
looks like a reasonable starting price to me. If it is as good as it looks in pictures i would buy it and leave it as is.
it is a manual transmission. did the car came new with blue grease seals on the front end and is that how factory did the exhaust? i would drive this until it needed restored then sell it and move on to something else that is just as nice. great find.
Link to CL ad:
https://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/5025471954.html
This price is about right for this model in the condition described. 81 is not the best F-body, however LOW MILEAGE ORIGINAL examples of Camaro’s and Firebird’s have seen a steady increase in sales prices. If this car is as described, it is certainly at the higher end of the market for this model, but is not overpriced.
As far as the keep it stock versus modify argument, that will never be settled. That is sort of like us expecting peace in the middle east in our life times. Probably not going to happen. Resale prices for time capsules are on the rise. There is a market for these lightly used well cared for unmodified cars. Modified cars are a dime a dozen. No one really wants to pay premium for a previous owner’s ideas of perfection. The more people who seek out a nice stock original and build it into a ground pounding street machine, the more valuable the cars that are unmodified will become.
I know a little bit about these as I own an identical car with the 305 4-speed. Mine in a hardtop and has AC, PS, PB, tilt and rear window defogger. I don’t know anyone who owns one for the power. It’s the looks that most owners love including myself. The 4-speeds are rare today because you could only get a 350 4-speed combo in Canada. Here in the U.S. the 4-speed was only available with a 305. GM threw a 3:42 rear axle ratio to give it a little performance. So back in the day, the first thing people did was yank the 305 and replace it with a 350 engine usually. I don’t see any hood decals on this and have never heard of being able to delete just those decals when ordering, but maybe you could. The weak link in these is a piece of junk ITM (GM supplier that went out of business years ago) 4-speed shifter. Pontiac T/As got the Hurst. The first thing I did was to source a complete factory ’79 T/A Hurst 4-speed shifter assembly. As far as value, I think if you look at the Hagerty valuation guide, you will see these year model 2nd Gens starting to appreciate.
Just a heads up guys…
Check the provenance. Besides lacking a hood decal, as in the earlier 1979 Trans-Am post as far as I know all T/As and Z-28s came with blacked out chrome around the window areas. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.
Probably just around the front and rear windows, as this car appears to have.