“See the USA in Your Chevrolet” was an advertising slogan and song belted out by Dinah Shore beginning in the 1950s. And it was still true in 1969 when the company built 14,415 full-size convertibles, all of them Impalas. The seller has a pair of them in “fair condition,” but the reality is they look to have been left in the woods for Mother Nature to do her thing. They both come with titles and are far from complete. But at $10,000 for the pair, could you make one viable car out of two? The rusty duoe is in Palmetto, Florida, and is available here on craigslist. Thanks for the tip, Rex Kahrs.
While the design of the 1969 full-size Chevrolets dated to 1965, the styling was new with “slab-sided” bodywork. The front bumper and grille were now one unit, and the same was true in the rea,r with the taillights now integrated with the bumper. All Chevies (except the Corvair) got a locking ignition switch now mated with the steering column, a feature that would remain for years to come. The Impala remained the top seller in the big Chevy line-up, with the high-end Caprice and lower-end Bel Air and Biscayne still on the roster.
We know very little about this pair of forlorn drop tops. The green one (we think) appears to be the most complete, although shrubbery appears to be growing out of the engine compartment. That would signal a lack of an engine, which could have been one of many V8s. Since the top is down or gone, the interior (or what’s left of it) has been exposed to the elements for who knows how long. And since the pair is situated in humid Florida, there’s no telling how much rust is present.
The second unit is a red convertible, and its front clip is gone altogether. Whether or not it qualifies as a parts car is up for discussion. Could you use it to help make the other Impala whole again? And would you pay five figures for the luxury of hauling both of them away? If you opted to strip them both for parts, could you recover the seller’s purchase price?
That’s too much for a pair of parts cars. Better off saving your money and waiting for something nicer to come along. Deals can be found and they usually go to buyers that are patient and persistent.
Steve R
Let them continue to communal with the earth like a rust garden as they’re toast.
Fyi: even at 2000 one is under water…
LOL ironically both those Chevys were under sea water in Hurricane Milton.
The green one gives off vibes of “I’m gonna restore that one someday,” and someday never coming, while refusing all offers from people who would’ve genuinely put it back on the road.
Unfortunately, there are tragedies like this all over the country. I can remember as a young teen with a 12-gauge full choke Savage shotgun, the owner of the adjacent farm from my dad had a 57 2 door Belair that had caught fire and burnt all the wiring and charred everything pretty good under the hood, a 54 Ford wagon which had been parked since 1967, per the license plate and an old red 2 door Renault. He told my friends and me we could use them all for target practice. I am sure we all have similar experiences and stories of good, restorable vehicles left outside to rot.
Can’t believe what a good deal, two convertibles sitting outside in the elements rotting away from neglect. I’ll have Santa drop by with cash.
You will see Paul Lynde JUNIOR first, before id pay 10k for that.
“Senior” was stitch.
Dixon 1st one of 2026 📞 dial
1-800-the-hook 🛻🪝
$10,000….Mmmkay…for what, exactly?
That’s a crying shame.
I remember reading a magazine back in the day that said the trunk of the 69 Impala is so big that you could put the hood from a ’57 Chevy in there and close the lid.
I don’t know how true that is but it’s a tidbit that I’ve always been curious about.
What a shame, after sitting outside for years, a light bulb lit up in the owners head and said gee maybe I should try and sell them, somebody might pay me good money for them. sad
Hate to see what the seller thinks “poor” condition is.
Oh well, at least they’re not 65-67’s. Then I’d really be mad.
Checks in the mail !Definitely I’m going to get the restoration going on them! Yeah right ! The mechanic who used to work with my dad back in the early 80s had a ’69 ss Impala that same dark green white rag top , dog dishes and a vicious 427 4spd , 12 bolt posi with 4:11s .I can’t even imagine what it would be worth today ! It was so nice. 10k for a set of rally wheels cool
Suddenly I’m humming “Dust in the wind” by Kansas….
He’s going to need a gun at that price
Wow!!! 10K for what I don’t even believe are parts cars. Only thing that I can figure out is that the seller must have been taking a stroll around the property with a bottle of Jack Daniels and a friend and when they stumbled across these two relics the friend said “buddy, you’ve got a gold mine here, these old classics are bringing big bucks”. They must have set down, drank 1/2 that bottle, and come up with this price.
Both these cars, particularly the red one, were probably stunning when they were new. So sad to see the decades of neglect that they’ve had to endure. May they continue to rust in peace.
“No low ballers, I don’t know what I got”!!!
Why would anyone park a convertible in a field with the top down and walk away from it? Even a power top can be manually pulled up and latched.
The world is filled with imbeciles
Stephen: I only see 2 rally wheels. Maybe you can talk him down to $5K.
I think you could call them apart cars . And it’s only 1.58 of 2 cars ? Little more than half is left of the red one and we’re gonna new some freshing up of the interiors. It’s an empty palate.
I think your definitely right KC ,maybe you get a couple of refurbished cinders blocks to bolt on the other side ?For sure .
this seller is wacked out on scooby snacks.10k he got some big a** b***s. there is not 500.00 worth of parts between the 2. total shame to see this. to see this kind of stuff really makes me mad. oh well onward and upward
Heck, they ran when I parked them!
A ’69 Impala convertible is the kind of car that can stir feelings even in as sad a state as these. Kind of like that girl who’s no longer how you remember her from years ago. But you will go home and think about both.
It’s highly possible these were stolen. Stripped of many parts and parked in the woods. Underbrush grows rapidly in Florida and these were both hidden until the seller cut away all the greenery.
If he gave them to (delivered)
Maybe…
WOW 10 grand for two partial/rusted parts cars!!!!!!
Pay me 5K to clean up your yard and I will remove them
Even if you remove a 0 from the price, as the old adage goes, you are paying way too much.
This is a case where the owner needs to pay to have these removed, not the other way around.