Many auto enthusiasts within a decade of my age probably prefer coupes over sedans when it comes to seventies offerings, which is understandable in general, as the styling often features smoother lines plus the fun factor of most 2-door cars typically seems to surpass their 4-door counterparts. However, this 1974 Chevrolet Nova here on Craigslist scores high on the cool scale despite the number of entry points, so if you’ve been in the market for a mid-seventies Chevy sedan this one’s probably worth considering. This Nova is in Liberty Hill, Texas, with the owner hoping for $7,500 cash or perhaps a trade. We want to thank Barn Finds reader Tony Primo for sending us the great tip here!
The seller doesn’t say specifically how long he’s owned this one but does tell us that it’s been garaged and meticulously maintained. The photos appear to show a well-preserved body, and although there’s no word on the age of the paint, the finish presents nicely and uniformly all the way around. If you’re into aftermarket wheels, the oversize rims are an eye-catching custom touch and they’re wearing a brand-new set of tires. The darkly tinted windows provide some privacy and add to the cool outside appearance, as does the custom front grille.
It would have been nice to find a 350 under the hood, but the inline 6 will be attention-getting at car shows and the owner says it’s gotten lots of maintenance recently. Some fresh parts mentioned include new plugs, wires, and fan belts, along with a new radiator and hoses. Another fun factor is the transmission, which is not only of the manual variety, but it’s also column-shifted, so that’ll be a great conversation starter for most passengers!
I may be mistaken, but I don’t recall the standard seats in a base Nova being this plush, so the upholstery may have been upgraded here. Both the front and rear seats are in very good condition and look comfortable, but the dash is showing some cracking, so replacing the pad will be an afternoon well spent. This one’s also got an aftermarket A/C and a column-mounted tach, just to make sure that six-banger isn’t working too hard. Even with the four doors, I think this is a sharp sedan and feel the asking price sounds reasonable. What are your thoughts on this 1974 Chevrolet Nova?
This is one sharp Nova. And I sure wouldnt mind having it in my driveway. Its funny how someone took what once was a regular ordinary run of the mill, 3 others just like it in the Stop N Shop parking lot ( back in the day) and transformed it nicely. I usually dont go for aftermarket rims but they look good. And guys I knew that inherited their parents Nova or Apolo 4 door sedan would ” jack up” the rear and put larger tires and save for rims. This reminds me of that. I like the seats. And I like that they kept the 250 straight six with the 3 on the tree. The seats are very nicely redone. And the car is in great shape. And it seems like theyre realistic on the price.
Wind up the 3 on the tree, and listen to the sweet six 🎶
cool 😎 Chevrolet
Seems like a nice, vintage driver at a reasonable price. All it needs is a $300 dash pad. Upholstery is definitely not original.
Neat to see, and easy to work on, but I’d be bored with that 6 cyl after a while. I hope it finds a good home, where its preserved and enjoyed for what it is.
Nice, the same car my future father in law owned when I was dating my wife. He is the cheapest person I ever met, and this car filled the bill.
I would really enjoy shifting a 3 on the tree again.
I’ve never shifted a “three-on-the-tree”, but I’d like to try it, just to say I’ve done it! It’s like getting a “straight” shave from a barber. Every man should do it at least once in his life, just to see what it feels like, LOL!
A handful of cars had 4 on the tree!
I wonder if any had 2 on the tree.
Grandpa’s pride and joy. Usually gifted to a grandson, who’d jack it up, add Crager’s and RWL tires, cut the muffler off, put in a Kraco stereo, and little else. Then? Drove the snot out of them. These things littered high school parking lots in the late 70’s, early 80’s. I’m amazed this Nova is still in fairly pristine condition.
You nailed it, right down to the “Kraco” stereo! That’s the car stereo we boomers bought because we could afford a Craig stereo. lol!
With Jensen 6″x9″ “Triaxial” speakers in back, and 5-1/4″ “Coaxial” speakers in the front doors, or their off-brand copycat competitors, LOL! Those of us with a good part time job would upgrade to a Clarion, Kenwood or Pioneer radio over the bottom-feeder Craig or Kraco units.
I looked at one of these on a used car lot in 1977. It was also a yellow ’74 Nova four door. The two extra doors made me pause, but then I saw the black, and white checkerboard cloth interior, and thought ‘no way’.
If you’re looking for inexpensive, economical air conditioned transportation, this is a bargain. A person could buy a newer econobox that’ll get better milage, but it won’t be anywhere near the price of this Nova.
Changed the oil 5 times in 250 miles? I’m guessing it was full of sludge and this was the attempt to clean it out.
Is that a factory prototype front grill?!
Premium gas is not req’d at all! not even on a ’74 455 pont v8.
The grille has be replaced and the seats have been redone ; being a base model , they would have been all vinyl . The higher line Novas had a herringbone cloth upholstery – not velour
Ordinarily, I’d consider an engine swap for a V8 as part of a restomod, but this one is too nice to mess with! It’s only original once, so just keep it clean, buy it and drive it! If the six is toast, then you’re on the horns of a dilemma, do I rebuild the stock plant, or swap it out for a V8? Again, my inclination would be to rebuild the six, unless it’s too far gone to rebuild. Then a V8 would definitely part of the plan.
Oh, and one more thing. Lose the big tach next to the steering wheel! The six isn’t going to win any drag races, so shifting by ear is close enough!
Always nice to know what the motor is doing though Bob. 💁♂️
Fair enough, but since these didn’t come with a tach, lots of people drove them without one. Besides, there has to be an aftermarket tach that takes up less room than that big monstrosity! Worst case, Dakota Digital makes an aftermarket instrument panel that fits in the stock holes and includes a tach, along with some other gages that the factory saw fit to omit, like voltmeter, oil pressure and coolant temperature gages.
https://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=1236/category_id=426/mode=prod/prd1236.htm