- Seller: David D
- Location: Spring Lake, New Jersey
- Mileage: 41,000 Shown
- Chassis #: 166675J244666
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: 327/300hp V8
- Transmission: 4-Speed
UPDATE – The seller has lowered their asking price!
There is no feeling like slipping behind the wheel of a classic Convertible on a sunny day to experience all Mother Nature has to offer. Those feelings are accentuated when the vehicle combines style, comfort, charisma, performance, and a genuine presence. That experience awaits somebody when they drive away in this 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS Convertible. The owner feels it is a turnkey proposition ready for a new home. Therefore, he has listed it with us at Barn Finds.
Chevrolet’s Fourth Generation Impala range hit showroom floors for the 1965 model year, and our feature car rolled off the line during the first production year. The company offered body styles to suit every taste, with this car’s first owner selecting a Convertible finished in Madeira Maroon. It is a classy shade, an impression emphasized by the Black power top. The paint shines extremely well for its age, the panels are straight, and the top fits as tight as a drum. Scrolling through the image gallery reveals a few isolated rust issues, but these seem to be the type that could be eliminated with patches rather than panel replacement. The chrome and bright trim sparkles nicely for its age, and the genuine SS spinner hubcaps look excellent.
There is no disguising the fact that at 3,864 lbs, this ’65 Impala SS Convertible is a fairly heavy beast. However, with its 327ci V8 sending 300hp and 360 ft/lbs of torque to a 12-bolt rear end via a four-speed manual transmission, it is an energetic performer that should sound purposeful as it exhales through its dual exhaust. Driving shouldn’t be a chore, courtesy of the first owner’s decision to power-assist the steering and brakes. There is plenty of good news for potential buyers who may have been wavering to this point because this classic is in excellent mechanical health. It runs and drives perfectly, making it a turnkey proposition for the winning bidder. The 41,000 miles showing on the odometer are believed to be original, with only around 3,000 of those accumulated since 2008.
Life aboard this Impala is guaranteed to be enjoyable, with the car featuring Black vinyl trim, bucket seats, and a console. The carpet has faded slightly, and some painted surfaces will benefit from a refresh. However, the upholstered surfaces are free from wear and physical damage, the gauges feature clear lenses and crisp markings, and there are no issues with the pad or console. A Sun Super Tach II supplements the console-mounted clock and dash-mounted vacuum gauge, while the factory radio has made way for a Pioneer CD player with a USB input. I have identified a few flaws, but hasten to add that this interior is comfortably serviceable, and the winning bidder could leave it untouched to preserve the Impala’s survivor credentials.
Modern cars are a marvel of engineering, offering technology that would have seemed like something from science fiction in 1965. However, many are cold and clinical, failing to evoke an emotional response from their owners. They are merely transport designed to ferry occupants from Point A to Point B. This 1965 Impala SS Convertible doesn’t suffer from those shortcomings and is a classic that will encourage its new owner to slip behind the wheel at every opportunity. It is also a car that will almost certainly be an appreciating asset with every passing year. Those are all good reasons why you should become this classic’s next owner.
For 12 k what else do want?
The truth and nothing but the truth….
Up on a lift, and no photos? That is a bondoed up crispy critter I bet!
Stick shift convertibles rule. 😎 Plenty of useable power here for the streets. 🏁
$12,000 is a decent price, pretty rough, but room to spend on a cosmetic refresh. I have one currently, but not a convertible, 327/300, 4 speed, positraction, matching numbers, white/white, Coker red stripe tires. My first car was a ’65 Impala SS, 327/250, Powerglide, with the manifold vacuum gauge. My current one has a factory tach in that location. I never figured out why some had one, over the other.
I had a ’65 SS coup, I loved that car.
So did my Uncle. It was a fastback, two door hardtop SS in dark blue. It was a cool car at the time, especially in a town of 7000 people.
I had a ’65 SS years ago. 4 spd, 327/300. Performed well, not a terror though. But I was able to scare a 383 Roadrunner.
Are those all the starting keys lying on the driver’s side floor board?
Nice car for the dinero.
How did they manage to avoid showing photos of the whole car?
Sam, there are 24 photos in the ad. I kinda thought that we might have a link to another listing but because it is listed on BF’s, this is what we get.
My point exactly. 24 photos and none of the whole car…
Could be it’s in pieces…?
reasonable at 8k
Could be it’s in pieces…? I take that back. The first picture of it on the lift shows the left side is in one piece. If that’s any constellation.
Have fun ya’all. I’m waiting for a guy to come pick up my Lincoln MKVII LSC.
Yeeppeee!
Yep….it’s not a virgin at 144,000 miles……someone’s be playing with it …..power brake set up and tach…..
You don’t think it had a mishap with a Union Pacific sometime in its colorful past, do ya?
Since lift is available, how about some undercarriage pictures? Seller could ad a link to photobucket or similar websites with additional photos.
I can’t see that motor lasting 144k miles I had one just like this and other ones around this year and you were lucky to get 100k on them!
Ooh E Ooh AH Ah Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang
I’m kind of surprised at some of the negative comments, but then everyone is entitled to an opinion. I happen to like this car. Hard to beat a ’65 SS Impala convertible with a 4speed. I have had a couple of 300 horse 327s, and they are by far my favorite mid-level performance motor. I think that this a fairly good buy at the asking price. Should make somebody pretty happy.
I would like to see pictures of the undercarriage, with some of the body rust I would like to know how much rust is underneath before I make an offer.
I would buy it right now if I could be sure the floors are not rusted out. Happens a lot with convertibles.
A family friend had a hard top same color very popular for the time but it still looked like a pig and preformed so. It was a mechanical mess and a rust hotel. Lot’s of luck 🤞
I had one of these, but it was a hardtop. Nice car, give it a cosmetic refresh and it should treat someone well. That is, if there’s no meaningful rust…seller needs to focus on that subject and also provide photos.