I’m going to try to get through this without jumping on this great looking 1965 Rambler Classic 770 Cross Country wagon. A lot of us are AMC / Rambler / Nash / Hudson / etc. fans and this looks like a great car to tinker with. This one can be found here on craigslist in Watsonville, California, about 50 miles south of San Jose. The seller is asking – are you ready? – just $2,800! This one will not last long. This could be the bargain of 2020 so far. Thanks to local_sheriff for tracking this one down and sending in the tip!
First of all, of course, this canary yellow isn’t the original color on this Rambler Classic longroof. The original color would have been the classic-Classic “Mystic Gold Poly” and I’d bring that color back for sure. I’m all over yellow cars but only if they originally came that way. Rambler did offer a nice light Solar Yellow, but not this bright yellow. Enough with the paint! This is the first year of the third and last-generation Rambler Classic as AMC dropped the name Classic after the 1966 model year.
$2,800 for this car?! For those of you who say that there are no deals out there anymore, here you go. More about this later, but this car also has a V8 and manual transmission. I know, for $2,800, it’s the very definition of painfully-tempting for me. This car lived in southern California before heading north to the Bay area and it looks great but it isn’t rust-free. They mention that the tailgate has rust – seen here – but they also have a new-old-stock (NOS) tailgate still in the box that goes with the sale! That’s just one of a few extra parts that come with the sale. $2,800… $2,800… Do it, do it! Don’t do it, don’t do it.. ugh.
I’ve driven a lot of six-cylinder three-on-the-tree vehicles but never a V8 version. The interior looks great in this car, at least for this price point. The back seat and front seat, I’m assuming, need help or they wouldn’t be covered up, but that’s ok. And yes, it has the famous/infamous folding seats! Very cool. The rear cargo area is big enough for a surfboard or cross-country skis and poles and related winter goodies, but I’d hate to drive this car on salty roads. Speaking of that, they even included an underside photo (well done, seller!) and it looks solid.
The engine looks dusty and dirty and it appears to be missing the original air cleaner housing but the 198-hp 287 cubic-inch V8 should be reasonably easy to detail and would look good in a few hours. One possible glitch is that it pops out of first gear sometimes at high revs so that’ll need to be looked at. This car has had a lot of maintenance and replacement parts over the last two years but there are still things to do. The horn doesn’t work and the dome light only works with a switch and things like that. The next owner can drive it while they slowly bring it back. We’re building a new garage and I promised not to buy any cars for a few months at least, but this one will be really hard to pass on. Have any of you owned a last-generation Rambler Classic?
Never owned one Scotty, but if Fairyland was closer, count me in. Hard to believe it is still posted! Rust in the tailgate? That is nothing in Wisconsin. And, she’s got 8 cylinders, uses” em all, and an overdrive that just won’t stall. Do it!!!!!!!
Arrrgh… don’t dare me, Mike!
lol!
Just as long as the `Ole Commander keeps his Hot, Rod, Lincoln!!
I owned one of these over 50 years ago as a young man, but it had the 232 six and automatic transmission. Not exactly the stuff of dreams for a young guy living in a world full of GTOs and SS 396s. However, folding down all the seats turned practically the entire interior into a single flat surface. ‘Nuff said! ;-)
Nice write up Scotty! How in the heck did they come up with a new old stock tailgate?
Thanks, Jamie! I know, it must have been a heck of a flea market find.
There’s still some stuff around despite Chrysler having destroyed all the pre-1980 AMC parts and tooling they could get their mitts on when they took over. Some parts in dealer stock were not turned in and wound up in private hands rather than the landfill.
Ahh, the fold down front seats. Those seats and Julie in my ’63 330 made for a great summer of ’76.
OH, and if the thing pops out of gear, I’d check the motor mounts.
That’s a great tip, Rex, thanks! That’s what makes this such a great site.
Just motor mounts? Sounds like a minor repair for the longing of your heart.
Great find. Truth be known, that 3 on the column gets old, and yanking the handle for O/D, I don’t know, an automatic in this car would be much more user friendly. Rambler made good motors, however, I was always leery of a motor with wing nuts on the valve covers. Heaven help you if it needs a clutch, no PS or PB, going to be challenging, when was the last time you drove something without PS, but could be added, I suppose. Just try and find another of these.
About 8 years ago I had a 1977 Plymouth Fury, 3 on the tree & Armstrong steering. I owned the car for years & loved driving it. With that smaller 1970’s steering wheel, parallel parking was a chore, but otherwise no big deal to drive. With this larger 1960’s wheel, should be easier.
Driving a 3 on the tree with manual steering while talking on a cell phone is a treat, but I perfected it lol.
I had a Rambler in the mid 70’s. I’m pretty sure it was a ’65. Paid $70 for it and it lasted a few months until all forward gears went out; I could only drive it in reverse. I was downtown Portland and couldn’t leave it there so I backed it up 22 blocks where I found free parking, backing up against traffic on one way streets the entire way. I didn’t think to write down where I parked it and when I came back a few days later to see if I could sort out the transmission I couldn’t find where it was. I finally figured it out a bit later but by that time it had been towed. Sure liked the car prices in the 70’s. ’63 Catalina convertible for $300, ’65 Bel Air for about the same, ’60 Dodge which was the size of a small apartment for $60, ’64 MB 220SE for $80. And many more. Lot of fun cars.
We were going on Spring Break, 1979, buddy of mine had a 68 Lemans convertible w a 350, and a 2 speed power glide, clean car, we were looking for parking for it in New York, before we all left in my 73 Luxury Lemans, anyway the trani which had been slipping for quite a while, let go rite then and there, he pulled it over, took the AM/FM 8 track out of it, it was one of those Audiovox cheapies, pulled off the plates and left it,cause it was just an old car then
Seems like a good deal for sure. At that price, you can certainly put some money in it and get it sorted. I like the color, even if it’s not original, and you have to admit, it’s a sharp wagon. I’m sure it won’t last long at that price, it looks like a great project to take on.
Man, this is a great deal! I am one of those crazy car guys that really likes wagons. My sister and B-I-L owned a Rambler back in 1970 or so. Not terribly exciting, but smooth and reliable as hell. I hope this goes to a good home.
I owned a 64 Classic. It was Tahiti Turquoise. It had bucket seats and a console. It also had lots of chrome, even on the interior. It also had courtesy lights and a vibra-tone sound system for the AM radio. I bought it from a friend’s Dad for $250 in 1977. The 287 was tired so I got a Rambler 327 from a local junk yard, installed, for $150. THAT was the best engine I have ever owned. It was so quiet that people thought the car stalled at stop lights. It was so smooth you could set a glass of water full to the rim on the air cleaner and not spill a drop. It was also the fasted engine I owned until I did some mild mods to a 5.0 Mustang in the 90’s. Ramblers were great cars.
Deal of the month !
V8 to boot.
Love that color 😁
This would bring attention at Car Meets
We opened for Commander Cody in ’72.
All the guys in that group were stationed
at Chenault AFB near rantoul, Illinois. They were a great group. Too bad they
only had 2 songs that charted that year.
Hi Mike! Made it through the surgery with
only a sore set of ribs. Got released on
Wednesday afternoon and sang at Old
Man Frank’s that night. Did 2 shows today with no real problems except for
being a bit tired. Thanks folks for your
prayers and support. I should be myself
again soon.
You never told me the Commander Cody story Ken. I can’t believe you did 2 sets at Old Man Frank’s. Glad you are done with the surgery! Take care and say hey to the girls, Mike.
My Grandfather had a tannish pink wagon like this and they talked about the reclining seats. This with the 8 and 3 on the tree is perfect…I’d have to make it gold again since the yellow isn’t stock…great car….dash chrome is amazing. It usually turns white. Must not be plastic. You can’t beat that for the price although finding parts scares me…
We had one as a shop car in the early 70’s. Actually it was an ambassador wagon but I believe the same engine, just nicer trim. It had the automatic,power steer, brakes, etc… I used to beat the daylights out of it, and it took it. We were in the Bronx and there was a parking meter in front of the shop that we constantly had to feed, I tried a rope around the meter, hooked it up to the “rambler” and pulled the meter out. The trans did slip from that point on. I just got rid of the meter about 10 years ago,,,but I digress to much. I think this is a cool fun car and as much as 3 on the tree is a pain, I think it would be cool. So many people today would not e ven know what it was! Would be fun to have it around for home depot runs, etc….cool car.
We had a 64 770 cross country with 327 v8 and the 3 speed with overdrive what a Sleeper car won many street races against unsuspecting muscle cars it was a great car super fun in high school ours was pale powder blue with blue tinted windows and aqua cloth interior with folding bucket seats I have never found another with a 327
“…It was so quiet that people thought the car stalled at stop lights. It was so smooth you could set a glass of water full to the rim on the air cleaner and not spill a drop….” U quotin me dude? (My MA owned ’61 American 440 6 cyl ‘vert owned in ’70 as other’s ‘throwaway car’). I’ve written those lines here B4…
I like this as from that pt forward I’ve owned wagons. This 1 duz not have the hump or rise in the roof line of earlier models…still a dwn szed vehicle tho~
@Howard ‘when was the last time you drove a car without PS’.
Well, it was Thursday when I drove my 63 Rambler Ambo with the 327.
In 51 years of driving I’ve owned one car that did have PS and that was a 1970 Silver Shadow we had from 2014/16.
No PS…. It’s what your muscles are for.
If you look at the picture of the front door open you will see the original paint color on the door jamb. GML 01-26-2020
So the plates are from 1996-1998 or so. I wonder where the car came from or is it that someone just gave up the original California black and yellow plates? Judging by the rust I’m thinking it came from out of state.
Very tempting.
“Have any of you owned a last-generation Rambler Classic?” No but I owned its immediate successor. A 1970 Rebel wagon with no options whatsoever, no radio, no power nothing… Purchased from the phone company for $150 in 1980. They had a field full of them and I chose the one with the least body damage. Mine had a 6 and column shift 3 speed but no overdrive. I didn’t even keep it long enough to find out the front seat went down to create a flat floor. The phone company had a cage behind the front seat, and the rear was down so brand new upholstery when I lifted it up to snap into the passenger position.
Yer killin’ me here! … this little Lemon gem checks off several boxes for me
Rambler? CHECK!
Wagon? CHECK!
V8? CHECK!
Adorable? CHECK!
Priced right? CHECK!
If it weren’t on the other side of the country, I’d REALLY be chomping at the bit
What a cool ride that you never see!! I wouldn’t change a thing!! Just drive the tires off it!!!
About 8 years ago I had a 1977 Plymouth Fury, 3 on the tree & Armstrong steering. I owned the car for years & loved driving it. With that smaller 1970’s steering wheel, parallel parking was a chore, but otherwise no big deal to drive. With this larger 1960’s wheel, should be easier.
Driving a 3 on the tree with manual steering while talking on a cell phone is a treat, but I perfected it lol.
Didn’t Joe Dirt’s Dad have this car?
Ugh!!! $2,800.00!!! I just wish I had seen this earlier this week. I’d have been all over it, even if it is on the other coast. I would have found a way. I just do not like yellow cars. But, I could repaint it. Oh,well, it’s gone before I even type this. It is just about what I’ve been looking for. (he says, teary-eyed)