The rear-wheel-drive Chevrolet Nova was nearing the end of the line in 1978. Two years later, it would be replaced by the front-wheel-drive Citation (which was a disappointment, IMO). The seller’s ’78 Nova looks like it was once a grocery getter with four doors, an inline-6 engine, and an automatic transmission. Complete with patina, the car needs some cosmetic care but may otherwise be fine for cheap wheels. Located in Portland, Oregon, this project is available here on craigslist and can be had for $3,200 or a trade.
In 1975, Chevy redesigned the Nova as an RWD for the final time. The sheet metal was new, but the rest of the car felt a lot like 1962, 1966, or 1968, when the cars were reworked. There wasn’t much new in the engineering, with the 250-cubic-inch six-banger powering two-thirds of the cars leaving the assembly line in ‘78. Overall sales were down as the 1978 Nova was the only senior product that hadn’t been downsized (the Impala in 1977, Chevelle in 1978).
The seller describes this car as “excellent,” but that’s an overstatement. The interior looks good, and the car runs well, but the blue paint is faded, and some bodywork is needed on the driver’s-side front quarters. The odometer reflects 57,000 miles, though there is no proof of accuracy. The seller is anxious to trade for another vehicle (what kind?), so he/she leaves the impression of being a dealer or a flipper.
This is an original Chevy except for the aftermarket wheels and exhaust (adds 10 mph, right?). You could restore the Nova, but it gets back to the issue of the number of doors and the current engine. Maybe using it as an everyday beater would be fine, as it doesn’t seem to have any non-mechanical challenges. The seller says that delivery is possible, but with what limitations? Points go to “Curvette” for another vintage tip.
There’s something gross about this car and those wheels…
Looking for a ’76 or ’77 Chevy Concourse. I had a teal (blue green) one in college.
4 door beat up Nova….seller wants $3200, or is that what he will pay for someone to come get it? I maybe could be swayed if it was the 2 door with a hatch, but not this. Too much $$$ for demolition derby ride.
The first photo looks like a reliable vehicle, but then it just goes down the rabbit hole. I also dislike a change in the steering wheel. I prefer original.
I’d rather have the barn it was found in. It starts it runs..Ill give him 400 bucks.
Guys are whaling on this poor car just because it has four doors and six cylinders. Its not sexy, true, but back in the day, this was the bread and butter type of car that everyone went to work in and keep the economy going. Less likely to survive to today than the more glamorous and thus collectible sport coupes and drop tops everyone seems to love. But, having said that, those wheels have to go.
I lived in Portland and had been married for about a year in1978. We had just had our first child and needed something bigger than the ’74 Pinto we had at the time. Really wanted to buy one of these, but ended up with a low mileage used ’76 Volare with a slant six that would die every time you stepped on the accelerator when it was cold. I actually like the body style of this car, for a four door, and if the price was $800 would consider it…
My family had pretty much this same car when I was a kid. Same color and engine, only a ’76. This brings back memories of road trips. Being the youngest of four, getting stuffed into the rear window with a bag of starburst to chew on to keep me from complaining about getting broiled by the sun. This car got handed down through all of us kids. When I started driving it, my friends said it looked like it should be driven by a low level FBI agent in a bad TV show. Seemed pretty near indestructible, and the six sure seemed more peppy than the first hand-me-down family car I got; a
’72 Pinto.
Four door cars don’t get a lot of love, but when I was in high school and college, they made loading you and five of your friends into the car much easier, LOL! This could be a great “sleeper”, after the body and paint issues are addressed. You could ditch the six cylinder mill in favor of a small block V8, or leave it bone stock, your call. If it were a two-door coupe or hatchback, I’d probably upgrade the powertrain, but for a four-door, I’d be inclined to keep it stock. Comments?
Yup! And those 250 Chevy sixes have a lot more pep than a lot of people give them credit for. It would move a Nova around in pretty good order.
Maybe if coupled to a three-pedal transmission, but that “juice drive” transmission saps a fair amount of the engine’s power output. At least by now, the Turbo-Hydramatic transmission was in use, and the two-speed Powerglide was gone from the option list, to help move things along with a bit more alacrity, LOL!
Clifford performance makes a number of “go-fast” goodies for the Chevy six cylinder, including adapter plates for the stock manifold to fit either a two-barrel or four-barrel carburetor, or a new intake manifold to fit either a single or dual two-barrel Weber carb setup, along with headers and a crossover pipe (X-pipe) for a custom dual exhaust setup (see link below).
https://cliffordperformance.net/store/ols/categories/chevy-250292
They’re all “bolt-ons”, so you keep the numbers matching block and the stock intake and exhaust, if a future owner wants to return it to bone stock form.
My father-in-law and I bought 1977 Nova’s brand new. Mine was a 2 door, very stripped. 305 V8, ps, pb, auto, and pop out back windows. His was a 4 door, inline 6, auto, ps, pb, and a/c. His was a lemon. We lived in Iowa, if the temp dropped below zero it would not start. He had it in the shop a few times but it was never fixed. He would get so upset when mine would start right up. He traded in 1979 to a Toyota Corolla. It was a lemon too. He had seemed to know how to pick lemons. My Nova was totaled in 1981. I was broadsides right side and I walked away uninjured
I guess those of you in the hot-rodding group are disappointed with this. Well, someone obviously liked it in 1978. This wasn’t meant to be a stoplight-to-stoplight demon, it was basic transportation (except the TH). By 1978, most if all cars were pretty bad (hence the malaise era). My concern would be locating a new headlight cowling, since the old one is gone. At $3,200, it is a bit high, even for a 2-door with a straight 6. A little paint (okay, a LOT of paint!) and some TLC on the interior, and you have a serviceable car that might even be interesting to see at Cars ‘n Coffee. Chevrolet had zero intention on making any Nova sporty at that point, as they had their minds set on the upcoming and shiny Citation (which Chevrolet should have been issued a citation for putting the bowtie on that monstrosity!). That was a shame, and probably the beginnings of Detroit’s downfall.
We used a Citation for work, to get around muddy job sites picking up concrete test samples. It impressed me how well it got around off the road. It also was great on snowy roads. My first exposure to front wheel drive.
There’s definitely some hate here for this poor car. Yes I believe the price is on the high side but if it’s obo it wouldn’t hurt to throw out a lower (but realistic) offer. My son and I have a 79 Malibu 4dr as our running and daily driver capable. Ours does a have a 350 in it that the previous, long deceased owner put in it. I would not mind this Nova one little bit. 250 straight 6 and all. I’ve had a couple Chevys with that in it. No hot rod but strong enough to do the job. Yes this Nova needs some cosmetic love but at what I’d consider a reasonable price I wouldn’t hesitate at all to buy it if we didn’t have the Malibu already. Making it look nice again would be an enjoyable project for me at our local community college. They have some excellent body and paint classes. I did exactly that with a P71 Crown Vic I used to have. I’m retired and doing that gave me a sense of accomplishment. 1, possibly 2 semesters and the body and paint on this Nova would look as good, maybe better, then when it was brand new.
I don’t mind the 4 doors it would make a nice sleeper if you wanted to drop a small block and a manual transmission in it. But I’d be a little concerned about the driver side of this car between the front fender looking like it’s been hit and the rear quarter looking like it’s been hit I’d take some work to make it right.