This 1992 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon has certainly seen better days. It’s cosmetically-challenged, to say the least, and it shows a healthy 200,000 miles on the odometer. The seller, thankfully, recognizes what it is and deploys a fair amount of humor in the listing, which is always a welcome sign when you’re considering buying a car that is borderline in terms of being donated versus being used as a daily driver. It has the optional 5.7L 350 V8 under the hood, which automatically makes it more interesting. Find it here on craigslist for just $1,900 and thanks to Barn Finds reader Curvette for the tip.
It looks quite bad-ass sitting on the polished hubcaps, which I always associate with a police-spec model. The seller seemingly had some fun with it, too, noting that it was purchased as an epic cruising car with his pals. While it has a ton of miles, it appears to simply be a car that was used, often, for most of its life. That’s not a bad thing, especially in an era where collector vehicles are seemingly used less and less. The tow hitch is an indication that this Caprice has been a workhorse, but thankfully, it doesn’t appear to have much rust. Since it’s in Spokane, Washington, I doubt corrosion will be a concern for the next owner.
The seller estimates he spent about $1,500 in maintenance, which is perhaps the biggest surprise when you consider the asking price. It also suggests that this caretaker, refreshingly, wasn’t overly-concerned with ROI and/or flipping; he simply wanted a cheap ride and to ensure it was reliable. He lists repairs that include a fresh oil change, recent water pump, a new thermostat, and a replacement timing chain. All of these are meaningful repairs that the next owner won’t have to worry about. From the factory, the 5.7L in 1992 was rated at 190 b.h.p. and a healthy 300 lb.-ft. of torque.
The interior is likely the biggest concern for the next owner, as this is the area the car shows a ton of wear. The outside I could live with being rough; the inside would necessitate replacing the front seats at a minimum, and perhaps getting a new carpet kit as well. The back seat doesn’t appear too bad, and these are truly superficial concerns if the rest of the wagon runs and drives well. The suspension may be due for updated components, too, but the seller doesn’t say much about the health of the chassis components. Still, for $1,900, no one should be complaining about owning a legendary wagon like the old-school Caprice.
I would daily drive the hell out of this.
Love the wheel covers. One of the Chevrolet best.
They were a step backwards, the plastic ones on the ’91 were much more stylish but the cops complained they fell off too easy in pursuit.
Instead of these the response should have been to give the ’92 9C1 the top of the line alloy wheels – and an Iron Duke!
Surprised that it hasn’t sold yet,if it’s as good as it sounds.
Winter is coming and people needing wheels are thinking 4wd up there.
I never cared much for the styling of this generation Caprice in sedan form but the wagon looks pretty cool. For $1900 if it runs and drives OK and does not have terminal rust underneath (rust is not likely if it spent its life in its current location) it’s a great deal!
I’ve told this story here before, but whenever one of these shows up it brings good memories.
I had basically this car for a winter beater for a couple years and then gave it to my younger son for his first car. It’s road days ended when I realized the frame was gone in the trans crossmember area. Still runs great, but has been relegated to the back 40.
I bought it from an elderly gentleman whose eyesight was getting bad and his 1940s garage was too narrow. Both sides were well scraped, but it ran perfectly and all of the options worked as intended. Because the bodywork was toast, I didn’t feel bad about cutting the rear wheel wells out as done on the 94 – 96 Caprice sedans. I also put a custom aftermarket rear roll pan in place of the rear bumper. The car looked 1500 pounds lighter! American Racing 200S wheels completed the makeover.
If the listed wagon were 1000 miles closer I’d be very tempted!
Not a fan of privacy glass but this is one that wears it well. Full wheel covers and black sidewalls complete the look. That 350 makes good low end torque to hustle this around as a daily.
Right? I don’t understand it. Unless this is some form of motorhome, I fail to see why this is necessary.
Lovely looking wagon. I remember when this generation Chevy Caprice was intro’d. I remember saying *”It’s about time this was introduced!”*
Sorry GM. Pitiful
Let’s see. It’s a ’92 and things like those little plastic T’s on vacuum lines are getting brittle. So? Replace them! For $1,900 it’s a steal, even with the crinkles in the front fender. $1,900 for the car, another $2,000 to get it brought to me on a truck, and another $3,000 to swap that engine out with a rebuilt 350 and I’d have a car that will be good to go for another twenty years…for just $7,000! The price of tag renewal will be about $28 a year, instead of $400 a year for a 2020. No big computer screen to go out on me, either. Analog all over the place. And to top it off, it’s a WAGON! Is it still available? I’m pretty tempted.
$1900? Will that be considered a bargain nowadays? Everything just seems overly inflated, but this actually seems reasonable given the amount of work that the seller has put into it.
Definitely would make a cool cruiser and a great daily driver!
I have a set of these hub caps at home!