I know the inner workings of the Chevrolet Biscayne well because I used to borrow my grandfather’s pea-soup green 1962 example (very similar to the six-cylinder 12,000-mile car posted here recently). I once experienced a no-brakes situation in it at 60 mph, but that’s another story. What’s offered here is an honest 1958 Chevrolet Biscayne base car in Fairdale, Kentucky, with $7,500 being sought.
The car has the six-cylinder and automatic setup. The owner appears to have prioritized mechanical soundness over appearance. The car runs and drives very well, the owner says, and can be taken anywhere. Everything works, including the AM radio. The frame is good, and the floors have been patched (but need carpets). The gas tank and exhaust are new.
That’s the good stuff. The interior is, well, “all there,” but the seats have the blanket treatment, and the browned headliner has big holes in it.
But who can deny that this is a “cool old cruiser.” The chrome looks surprisingly good, and all the trim is in place. The torque thrust wheels are making a statement that the six can’t back up.
An argument could be made for keeping the extensive patina on this car and maybe clear-coating it. It would definitely be a conversation piece around town. Every mile is etched into what’s left of the two-tone blue-and-white paint. On the other hand, the Biscayne would look pretty sharp cleaned up, reupholstered, and repainted.
There’s nothing missing here that would be hard to find, and the mechanicals are simple and plentiful. This was the era when GM car design changed radically every single year, and everyone showed up at the dealerships to see the new models arrive. The ’58 looks nothing like the ‘59 or ’60. The ’58 was longer and wider than the ’55-’57 models that preceded it, and was also five inches lower.
In 1958, the Biscayne and the Bel Air were upstaged by the introduction of the snazzy, chrome-laden Impala, available as a convertible or sports coupe with a 280-horsepower 348. Fuel injection was available, too. That year, the Impala was just a trim level of the Bel Air, though it was so popular it got its own model line in 1959.
The Impalas are definitely the cooler of the full-sized ‘58s, and they’re priced accordingly. These Biscaynes were bread-and-butter transportation, especially in four-door form. Still, as the man said, it’s a “cool old cruiser.” Classic.com puts a 1958 Biscayne at $25,550, but that’s mostly based on fully restored examples. Do you think this battered beauty is worth $7,500?
’58’s are oddball but I like them! Would go great with my Cameo. Then a Vette would be next
Overall, it’s rough. Not $7500.
The father of a man I used to work with bought one of these brand new, straight six with a manual column stick. They also had dealer-installed air conditioning, which was a luxury in rural Alabama in those days. He said it was turquoise inside and out. Their first new car.
Has duels on it, split manifold, probably sounds good.
Even though the six banger has d-u-a-l-s it would lose out in duels with V8s. ;)
No.
About 2,000 to 2,500 would be more accurate. It’s a ‘more-door’, a basic six, and although it appears to have at least been saved, a suggested clear coat on the patina is just a firm ‘no’ for me.
Headliner shows vermin had once inhabited within, there are areas of rust around the bottom. And those scuzzy appearing floormats should have been binned before photos were taken…. A good looksee under the carpet would reveal the truth.
Hard pass from me and I even own 4 door originals, original patina, and low mileage granny cars, so harbor no ill will. It just is not worth that asking price.
JM2C
what floor mats, there are none
if you go to the original listing site, there are photos posted which are not present on this forum….. just click the highlighted words and it should come up
I agree , this old boiler should be around $3000 range ,,,,, She’s a bit rough !!
Love that license plate!
100% it’s worth buying just for the license plate – total restoration & slap an extra 20k premium on top & advertise it on Lesbian Forums-theyd get in a bidding war to own that big ol car – find a vintage airstream medium sized trailer or 50s vintage camper cuz they LOVE camping 🏕 and theyd GO WILD.
This ‘58 Chevy is not a complete rust bucket but the tin worm has definitely established a foot hold in some of the lower extremities. A close inspection underneath will probably reveal some more. So many of this model year succumbed to rust and headed for the junkyard even before the Nixon administration that the attrition rate was higher than the tri-fives. Inside the headliner has to go and wearing a respirator or at least a mask is advisable. But I don’t want to denigrate the vehicle because it does look like a fun project. Also I have a soft spot for 1958 Chevies. I bet the seller would negotiate as long as they aren’t completely lowballed. And in my opinion they will need to. Assuming the mechanicals are in good order this car could be a fun starting point for an amateur restoration. I’ve seen a whole lot worse with a much higher asking price. And a lot of us are fine with four door sedans like this one. GLWTS.
on the rear is a trailer hitch…. that also gives me pause. Lets hope it was meant to tow an aluminum 12 fishing boat and not something heavier, because that old six may just have been pushed too far and the Powerglide given a real workout.
In high school my first car was a 348 Impala with converted turboglide (to PG which happened often as the turboglide was simply troublesome). It was an honest 78,000 mile 4 bbl with all original interior and one repaint. Once owned by an elderly school teacher, I drove that car sparingly but cared for it for decades before selling it to a friend and fellow car collector, whose wife owns it still. It was tropical turquoise with matching interior. I sold it only to buy land and reluctantly did so, even at what then was the height of insanity for Impalas of this year. He added a continental kit which hung in the garage of the second owner and came on my ’58 originally. I really wish I had it all back again, as I had bought it well and sold it well; bought with my own hard earned money selling hogs and working for neighbors and family during the harvests. Sold it well 30 years later to buy land which ended up getting threatened by Federal Domain for flood control projects. (man, the stories these old cars could speak of if given the chance)
Yea ….License plate worth 100 bucks !
Seems a tad high in price for this bruiser. I’ll bet we could spend a day talking about, ‘no brakes’ stories. My highlight was coming over the Whitestone Bridge, in a overloaded, 26 foot straight truck, heading towards the toll booths doing 60 mph… Weeeeee
My friend’s ’58 4 door that he restored.
Very sharp!