The second generation of the Chevy Camaro was at the halfway point in 1976. It continued to be reasonably popular, especially in light of consumer interest in better fuel economy. The Z28 performance model had disappeared from the line-up and a 305 cubic inch V8 was now at the center of the roster. This Firethorn Red example is a one-owner auto with just 44,000 miles. It presents well from snowy Boston, Massachusetts, and is available here on craigslist for $16,900. Thanks to Barn Finder T.J. for turning us on to this survivor.
In 1976, Chevy sold almost as many Camaros as Ford did the Mustang II – 182,959 copies vs. 187,567. Not bad considering that the FOMOCO product was largely a reconstituted Pinto with a 4-cylinder engine in many cases. Changes to the automobile were minimal over 1975, with power brakes now standard, a voltmeter where an idiot light used to be, and revised trim here and there. We’re told this Camaro is a documented, one-owner vehicle with 44,000 miles. Overall, it’s in nice condition, especially if the car has been in New England its whole life.
The 305 V8, which isn’t particularly potent, is said to be numbers-matching which we assume also applies to the automatic transmission. The seller tells us everything works as it should and 15-inch honeycomb-style wheels are being thrown in as a bonus (and a rear spoiler, too!). The paint is original and the body is also solid except for the bottom of the front fenders where there is some rust (aha, the Boston snow prevails!). If this bugs you, the seller has a pair of OEM fenders you can carry away with you.
When you open the doors, it’s the 1970s all over again with two-tone red and white interior pieces. The headliner looks to have a case of the droops starting to set in, but a new headliner is not an expensive item to replace. If these second-gen Camaros are your thing, and you don’t mind toned-down performance, this could be a nice but simple car to park in your garage and roll out on the weekends.
I’d want to see the underside of it,if I were thinking of buying it.
Plus,that 307.
Straight and honest, here is a top tip for the seller: The photos have reflections that make it appear the driver side door has a small ding in the center, and the passenger side door reflection looks like a larger dent….
I’m sure this is a mere reflection, but some improved photos would surely help…
Very nice original Camaro! 👍🤓
I would bet a cold beer that those are dents.
These were nice cars to drive around in back then. But gutless. Oh they rode and handled decently, but not very quickly or fast. A friend who owned a new 1974 Camaro LE, that was loaded with every option he could get, but his last, a fire breathing Z28, helped him loose his license for a while and insurance rates skyrocketed! So his father sold that car and when he got his license back bough him the new one, with a 250 6 cyl automatic! That car was so slow, to get up a hill on The Rocky Mountains of Colorado where we were stationed you needed to floor the gas pedal to maintain 65 mph! Merging on the highway was a practice in Faith, almost like a Mercedes 4 cyl Diesel ! On flat highways you’d be lucky to get over 90 mph in a mile! Especially with 3 big guys cruising around.
I’d have to paint that dash pad black. That red just doesn’t look right.
Looks good at a glance, but it only has a few years left before the rust takes it.
Nice car definitely one to inspect in person and get it on a lift I think the price is a little steep but I’m also stuck on pre pandemic prices
Love the red carpet and matching dash against that white interior, someone at least checked the right boxes on this somewhat bland base model to make it stand out a little. To bad about the rust though.
Would really want to check this one for underside rust……also noticed the heater hoses are disconnected…..bad heater core
The heater core is a pain in the backside to replace on these second generation F- bodies.
Even on those(including this car for sale) without factory a/c?
What about 1st gens without a/c?
I’ve never done a first gen Joe. But I have done a second generation that didn’t have a/c. Leave yourself a good afternoon to get the job done. Being a contortionist to fit under the dashboard would also help!
,44k and heater hoses missing. I am from Long Island. Yes quarter panels back in the day rusted out. But under hood doesn’t look 44k.
I live in the rust belt. It’s not the rust you can see that should concern you. It’s the rust you can’t see. You often can’t bolt on new fenders and be good to go.
It’s not the snow that’s the problem but the doggone salt! I like the looks of a rather plain, simple car like this. As another poster mentioned, hidden rust would be of more concern to me.
The 2nd gen f-bodies have a design flaw in the rear quarter panels i believe where an inside seam allows rain water to get between the panels & sits there & rusts aways the panel. My ’74 bird had 2 rusty quarter panels behimd the rear wheels in ’78!
A lot of ’70s cars rusted where you least expected them to, many times high up in the roof area & top side areas where salt probably does not even reach. It’s best not to get most ’70s car even wet at all, let alone exposed to salt. lol
Rusty, headliner falling down, white interior panels are yellow, heater core.etc. ,not a nice car. And $10k too much.
Pretty blase looking Camaro. The only redeeming features to me are the dashboard cockpit and the console shift. As it’s similar to the Chevelle-Malibu’s of the era.
The Craigslist ad shows underside photos that don’t look bad at all–some surface rust is all. (Of course, they could be very selective photos.) Stil, $16,900 is a bit steep for this car–but when it doesn’t sell on Craigslist, watch for it on Bring a Trailer.
With rust on the fenders like that there will be serious rust issues elsewhere. (front to back, some visible, much hidden) Take into account issues in the engine bay (heater core for one) and interior issues, you have a way overpriced project car. Money sunk into it when done would exceed the value.
I get it. Everyone thinks because they have a classic car from the 70’s that it’s worth a lot of money. It must be, right? After all, they see on TV and YouTube all these valuable cars being pulled from barns, fields and garages after sitting for 30-40 years, so naturally theirs must be valuable too. Not so fast my friend. As the writer mentioned, they made kajillions of these 2nd gen Camaro’s. And because of that, this car and other Camaro’s like it, still don’t demand high dollars. To the sellers credit, this is a nice, original, one owner, super low mileage Camaro, but will get nothing close to $16,500. I’ve owned six of these 2nd gen Camaro’s. Brought one in from Washington state to Boston six years ago. A ’75. One owner, all original, red on black, 83k miles. Sitting in storage since 1983. Interior, paint flawless, one area of rust on lower quarter panel, ran absolutely perfectly like it was a day old. A couple years later, put it on CL and couldn’t get 5K for it. That’s just my personal experience as a seller, so maybe it goes better for this guy, but in my opinion, knowing these Camaro’s as well as I do, I think maybe closer to 8-9k for this car, but maybe 10k because of the super low miles. A really nice survivor as a fellow Bostonian can attest to.
Neat to see one that hasn’t been hee hawed upon….but northeast cars are RUST BUCKETS. Look no further than the fender bottom, the gateway to a plethora of underpinning crust and misery. The first time you heavily apply the brakes the front or the rears will lose a line. The subframe mounts were horrid for corrosion as is the rear body pan behind the rear bumper. It this car really worth nearly 17k? Even with inflation this thing to me is 3500.00 at best and no more.
Chris-
Chris-
Sure it has a few issues, but the low miles speak volumes. He’ll get more than $3,500 for it. My guess is somewhere in the middle. $7-8k.
I had a 1971 that I loved except for the 307. So I basically rebuilt it with performance internals, changed the stroke to essentially become a 327, aluminum intake, 4V Holly 600, and headers with dual glass paks. It dynoed at 385 on the wheels and ran out to 145. Not a good motor, but I got everything it could offer. Ran it two years and it blew the hell up at 7200 rpms RIP