Disclosure: This site may receive compensation when you click on some links and make purchases.

26k Original Miles: 1968 Chevrolet Camaro

Cars like this 1968 Chevrolet Camaro leave potential buyers with a decision to make. Should they treat it to the restoration that it would seem to deserve, or should they drive it proudly as an original survivor? I have faced that one myself, and it is a surprisingly tough call to make. Not only is this an original and unmolested survivor, but it has a mere 26,000 genuine miles showing on its odometer. The Camaro needs a new home, so the owner has listed it for sale here on eBay. It is located in Stevens, Pennsylvania, and the bidding has reached $21,000. The reserve has been met, so a new home is getting close for this classic.

One of the most interesting aspects of this Camaro’s listing is that the seller has included a photo of the original Order Form. This shows that the original owner knew precisely what he wanted when he ordered this car. He chose to have the car finished in Palomino Ivory, with wheel discs and white wall tires. He didn’t choose a vinyl top or tinted glass, although it does appear that the car now sports a tinted windshield. The Ivory paint shows its age, but that seems fair in an original classic of this age. A refresh wouldn’t go astray, but this isn’t something that would need to be undertaken urgently, if at all. The owner says that the Camaro has hardly any rust, and what can be seen externally seems to be mainly surface corrosion that is peeking through paint chips. We don’t get a look at the floors, but the glimpses that we get of the trunk pan look quite promising. The trim and chrome seem acceptable for a driver-quality car, while there are no glass issues.

The popular choice amongst Camaro buyers in 1968 was the base coupe equipped with the 327ci V8. An amazing 167,251 buyers chose this combination, which was more than three times the number that chose the coupe with a six under the hood. A 2-speed Powerglide transmission backs the 327 in this car, and while that doesn’t make it the most powerful beast on the block, it should still tackle the ¼ mile in 16.6 seconds. The brakes on this car don’t feature power assistance, but the Camaro does come with power steering. The owner claims that the vehicle has a genuine 26,000 miles on the clock. It is easy to look at such claims cynically, but I believe that he might hold the documentation that verifies this. As well as the Order Form, the car comes complete with the Owner’s Manual, Protect-O-Plate, and a binder full of receipts for servicing, oil changes, and other repairs. It sounds like this documentation might be comprehensive enough to verify the claim.

For me, the interior of the Camaro is like a breath of fresh air. By the 1980s, it was quite common to see cars like this sporting aftermarket steering wheels, a brace of gauges, and stereos that would serve effectively at an AC/DC concert. This one is entirely original, right down to the AM radio that the original owner ordered. That doesn’t mean that it’s perfect because it is showing some deterioration. However, it is serviceable as-is if the buyer wants to drive the car as an original survivor. If they wanted to return it to its former glory, a new carpet set, new armrests, along with new covers and foam for the seats, would go a long way towards achieving this. The dash, console, and remaining trim are all pretty decent, so I don’t believe that a full trim kit would be justified.

If you decided to make a bid to own this 1968 Camaro, you would have a choice to make. The obvious ones would be to either restore it or drive it as a survivor. The third option would be to transform it into a cool custom or a restomod, preserving its best attributes while improving its performance and comfort. I’m sure that you each know what path you would potentially follow, but will we have any readers who will turn the dream into reality by bidding on this classic?

Comments

  1. Avatar Will Fox

    This `68 gets the homeliest base-model award. Uglier than a mud fence. Pus tan with almost no trim. Surprised it’s 327; I full expected a six.Not much visual appeal here at all.

    Like 16
    • Avatar Little_Cars

      “Old man tan”

      Like 5
    • Avatar JoeNYWF64

      Will, if it had hubcaps & no extra cost chrome/stainless trim around the side windows & a bench seat & 3 on the tree & no radio, it would be even better. lol
      & it even has special extra cost tan paint under the hood for your viewing pleasure! lol
      The driver’s seat is split but no cracks in the steering wheel. hmmh.
      Some of the side vinyl trim is a richer shade of gold than the other side trim. & not sure if that dash pad color is correct.

      Like 2
      • Avatar Chris Ferraro

        Yes the dash pad color is correct. I purchased a 68 rally sport from the original owner back in 1987 with deluxe gold green interior and the dash pad was a dark green.
        The rest of the interior was the lighter green here.
        And my kick panels faded the exact same way.

        Like 0
  2. Avatar DanaPointJohn

    This Camaro is borrrring! Even Avis would have sent it back to Chevrolet and demanded a sexier car. But as a restomod, it is perfect!

    Like 5
    • Avatar William

      I don’t understand all the negative comments, I think this is great. This is the way the majority were delivered to the dealer and drove.

      Like 33
      • Avatar TimS

        Nonsense. Everyone knows 97% of first-gen Camaros were red with big blocks and four-speeds. You need to watch more auction shows like real educated car guys do.

        Like 6
      • Avatar Jost

        And, tan, beige, etc.. we’re popular colors. It was not old man tan.. tan was cool.

        Like 7
  3. Avatar Dave in Arlington, TX

    Is that paint overspray all over the engine compartment? What a shame if it is. What’s going with the top front of the passenger side door where it meets the front fender? Otherwise, this thing is fantastic.

    Like 3
    • Avatar Steve R

      The engine compartment looks like it was sprayed with some sort of rust prohibitor.

      Steve R

      Like 4
  4. Avatar oakweb

    restomod on interior in simple black colors, keep the paint… wear a leather jacket driving it with torn jeans

    I’m seeing a rebel lawyer in a TV series driving it

    Like 3
  5. Avatar Roger Hackney

    What’s up with the piece of metal above the heater box ?
    Appears things didn’t ” survive ” too well under the hood.
    Has SS or Z28 clone written all over it.

    Like 3
  6. Avatar Jeff Stanley

    Would love to have itI didn’t 67 1968 1969 great body styles

    Like 2
  7. Avatar i8afish

    I love it! Throw on some bell bottoms, tune in Wolfman Jack and go!

    Like 7
  8. Avatar Tracy

    That was the hardest 26k I have ever seen on a car. Either Chevrolet sucks or the owner abused the hell out of this car.

    Like 11
  9. Avatar Ron

    Looks like 126000 miles.

    Like 5
  10. Avatar 3Deuces

    Look more like 126,000 original miles … jusy saying.

    Like 13
  11. Avatar JMB#7

    I would come up with the extra money and buy the other Camaro that was featured today. Just my opinion, I prefer period modifications over full stock. Please, let’s not start the period correct discussion again.

    Like 3
  12. Avatar Erik

    To all of the above comments that cannot believe this car only has 26k on the clock…Do you forget or were you not alive back when people did not put 10k/15k/20k miles a year on their car the way we do today commuting to the workplace, travelling often, making constant runs to Walmart or big box stores, etc? Back then people bought a car, hope it lasted to 50k and only drove a few miles to work, stopped at the store once a week to stock up for the week, and maybe took a family trip once a year if lucky at that. This car is an example of how the owner would have just used it in that they wanted something a litlle more sporty than a sedan but did not want the flash of a muscle car and for that reason bought this car and it is showing 50+ years of age now because the owner never treated it like some priceless gem that 50+ years later somebody will pay a premium to snap it up to restomod the hell out of it into $100k car rather than preserving it as is and as the way many cars were back then and just as they are now…simple transportation. Want to build your restomod using your fat wallet…go buy a Dynacorn body shell for $13k and take it away from there to your heart’s and wallet’s content. But leave this one the way it is as a true classic car enthusiast is a “preserver of history” not a “hacker of history”.

    Like 15
    • Avatar Craiger

      Erik,
      I agree 110% with your comments! You know, Patina is earned… Years of weathering build character which become pricess “story tellers” of the cars’ past and previous travels. I personally, as a real car enthusiast, see resto-mods, and new, non-factory original wheels or wheel covers as a sort of crime for destroying originality. I for one, see the “value” in an item’s originality, flaws and all. Thank you Erik, your comments are excellent! Cheers

      Like 5
      • Avatar Erik

        “Its only original or stock once…and original or stock never goes out of style”. How many of us recall seeing these cars in the 1970’s or 1980’s wearing wild repaints with geodesic stripes and such plug air shocks and traction bars and sometimes tubbed rear ends? By all means there are now those who collect those “first customization” examples as “time capsules” of what people did back then when there was a multitude of cars like these still on every street block across the country so doing that to one of these cars “back in the day” could maybe be excused. But when these “original” and “stock” cars that survived come available for the next owner then they need to be…LEFT ALONE or if restored then restored as STOCK.

        Like 3
    • Avatar Little_Cars

      Agree wholeheartedly with your comments, Erik. Stream of consciousness. Next time, use punctuation like a period every once in a while! That was a hard read…had to double clutch a couple times to get further along. LOL

      Like 3
      • Avatar Erik

        Yeah…just noticed my major run-on sentence in that comment. Sorry! But appreciated your LOL letting me know it was more of a “friendly” suggestion! Well noted!

        Like 3
  13. Avatar Keith

    Pa car could have some serious underbody issues with rust. Cars that were driven on salty roads then sat for weeks can be a mess underneath.

    Like 2
  14. Avatar glen kay

    i dont think people no the real value of these cars i think they just shute for the moon and hope they get it

    Like 0
  15. Avatar Pete in PA

    Being a lifelong PA resident and inspection mechanic I can say with confidence that careful underbody scrutiny is a must for this car. As evidenced by the cooked trim at the top of the driver’s door panel and the outboard edge of the seatback, this car was not garaged. Might have spent its life under a carport but I didn’t see any pics of the passenger side interior. I have seen many, many low miles cars that were driven infrequently and parked outside. Chassis parts are often rusty, crusty disasters on such cars.

    Like 1
  16. Avatar PRA4SNW

    That high bid of 21K must have been retracted or revoked because it now stands at 10.5K.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Steve Clinton

      I wondered why Barnfinds quoted the high bid at $21,000 and the high bid on ebay stands at 10,500. (with the reserve not met)

      Like 0
      • Avatar Little_Cars

        Well, it certainly wasn’t preserved enough to warrant that $21k bid and someone most likely retracted it. The car is ALMOST worth $10,500 in it’s current condition. But, as others have said a Pennsylvania winter can make tin worm bait out of the floors, frame and internal structure this many years later. I bought a Skylark in Pittsburg with low miles that looked good from 20 ft away. The bottom was so rusty the rear bumper had nothing to attach to and it’s trunk was swiss cheese.

        Like 2
  17. Avatar RFD960

    I really hope the wraparound Oakleys sunglasses and Best Of Classic Rock CDs crowd doesn’t get to this one and ruin it but odds are it’ll happen.

    Like 4
  18. Avatar Keith

    I used to go to Pa. and buy cars that did not pass inspection because of mostly rust damage and brought them back to Ohio and made some money on them. Would buy at least 4 and sometimes up to 10 cars at at time paying no more then $500 for each one. Some did not make it back because of other issues but still made good money for a college kid and my crazy partner.Towing company was right behind my lot and I was really glad they were there and good friends. LoL

    Like 2
    • Avatar JMB#7

      I hope you are not the guy that brought back the yellow Gremlin that my college buddy thought I could weld back together for him. Ohio had enough rusty cars without the overflow from Pennsylvania. I hope you repented and stopped doing that. LOL

      Like 4
    • Avatar Kenton Briscoe

      My dad and I did the same thing in the 70’s and 80’s. We brought cars from Pa. to Ga. He had a car carrier that would haul six cars. We wouldn’t have more than a couple thousand in the whole load. We went to the Harrisburg area. We bought dealership trade ins and went to auctions too. Lots of great memories.

      Like 0
  19. Avatar Keith

    I lived in Youngstown,Ohio during that time and mostly dealt with New car dealers in the Pittsburgh area. Pa had a pretty stiff rust thru inspection and the people just did not won’t to repair them so traded them in.No yellow Gremlin made it to our lot that I remember. I did it for four years and then sold my half to another guy and moved to Arizona in 1981. Got a job with Gates LearJet.

    Like 1
  20. Avatar Ron

    That’s a very rough car for 26k miles. Mileage claims aren’t worth anything if the car doesn’t present in a manner that would back up the claimed mileage. I have a Jeep with 160k miles on it that is in so much better condition that it’s ridiculous.

    Like 1
  21. Avatar Keith

    Most salt prone areas that have low milage cars is because they would not move in the snow so they sat around with salt on them till the snow melted and they could move again. The perfect storm for rust to start its way deep into the metal of cars or really anything metal. Bridges needed checked every year.Live in Florida now and glad winter is not in my future ever again.

    Like 1
  22. Avatar Kenn

    I lived in Florida for 20 years and couldn’t wait to get back to Michigan. I’ll take cold (space-age fabrics handle that just fine.), snow and salty roads over fire ants, cockroaches the size of 57 Buicks, alligators, months and months of 90+ degree temps and 100% humidity 10 mos out of the year any day. Plus I now have seasons again.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Keith

      Kenn you are not a car guy. In Florida you have from November to May to enjoy Florida at its finest. No storing a nice car for six or seven months to keep it nice like the north.

      Like 0
    • Avatar JoeNYWF64

      What about the Carolinas or even better yet, Southern California(if you can afford to live there)? Do they have such big bugs there too? lol No snow/salt either of those places. & unless you are a snowaholic, why put up with extreme cold especially during the day? Has anyone noticed that the spring & fall have seemed to get shorter & shorter in the northeast in the last decade or so? I remember some recent years it was very cold throughout “spring” & then boom – 90 degrees. Ridiculous. Look at the temps last week in NYC – & it was not winter yet! & how bout 4 FEET! of snow upstate NY!

      Like 0

Leave a Reply to PRA4SNW Cancel reply

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

Get new comment updates via email. Or subscribe without commenting.