The Chevrolet Nova was still going strong by its 10th model year, 1971. 4-door sedans sold in the minority at just 27% of total production. And if you factored in a 6-cylinder vs. V8 engine, the number was likely smaller. The seller’s rather basic Nova (no longer called Chevy II) was sitting in a junkyard for 30 years but off limits to the poachers. The seller has gotten it to run well enough and it’s available in Spokane, Washington, and here on eBay. The current bid is $4,050 with no reserve.
Chevrolet made few changes to the Nova in 1971, so only minor things set them apart from the 1970s. Sales were 195,000 total units, but off 36% from the year before. We think there was a labor strike that year as sales bounced back for the still little-changed Novas of 1972. Options were few on this ’71 Nova, equipped with a 250 cubic inch I-6 and (likely) a Powerglide 2-speed automatic transmission. No power steering or brakes seem to have been ordered.
The seller rescued this car from an eventual trip to the crusher as it hadn’t seen action in three decades. He/she set to work getting the old Chevy functional again and would have taken things further, but another Nova came up for sale that has more interest. New parts include the radiator, fuel pump, valve cover gasket, starter, and a full tune-up. The factory carburetor also got redone. Even the wheel covers are new and correct for the model year. A few things like brakes are still needed to be a daily driver.
Patina covers all parts of the exterior and old blue paint. There is a bit of rust, but nothing desperate. There is a leak in the trunk that a new weatherstrip may cure. We don’t know what the interior looks like, but sitting alongside a junkyard for 30 years doesn’t spell perfection. It might not take much to get this Chevy to Cars & Coffee status as long as bumps and bruises are okay for cruising.
I had a 74 Nova in college, 250 w/powerglide. Honestly, it was just about the perfect car.
I see 2 nova caps and 2 Pontiac caps.
These along with the slant 6 and ford inline 6 are just about indestructible. The bodies and interiors wear out long before the drive trains. Had a 73 Nova with the six and power glide. Even with 100k miles, We drove it towing a Datsun pickup from Delaware to California in July through the desert with no prep and no problems. Was running perfectly when I traded it in for an 87 Monte SS. Wish I still had it. The 4 doors are so much more practical. Cheap on gas, easy to work on, rear wheel drive, anvil like durability, what’s not to love?
Boy, am I tempted!
My mom had this same year Nova bought new at Chevy Chase Chevrolet in Bethesda, MD. Our was Marina blue, with a white top. Same exact blue interior. Ours had a 307 V8 and the Turbohydramatic 3 speed automatic transmission. That car went through motor mounts like they were made of paper. I love this 250 6 cyl PG combo! Really nice car! My brother and I drove the piss out our mom’s car! I traded it with 100,000 miles on a new 1978 Malibu base 4 door.
This one looks like it’s well worth it. I could sport it around with some improvements.
Be interesting to see the final bid.
Sold on 1/25/2025 with a high bid of $4,050.
Steve R
When I met my future bride in 1972 she owned a ’68 Nova sedan with the six automatic. It was her daily driver until 1982 when the tranny started giving trouble and kept leaking flued. I babied it along until the driver’s window dropped into the bottom of the door. My friend’s son wanted a car for school and said he would fix what was needed to keep it going so I sold it for $1, told him I wanted it back. It died on him one day and he and his friends kicked in the dash and collapsed the roof. It sat in my friend’s row of parts cars for about a dozen years but I had converted the engine to synthetic oil (Amsoil) in the mid ’70s and it was still free and we pulled it and got it running. My wife bought a new Chevette in 1983 and it was still going strong when we sold it in 2016. GM built some great cars back in the day.
The four-door is the ultimate sleeper, they don’t get the love the coupes get. I’d be torn between just clear coating it to protect the “patina” and a full restoration/respray. Ditto leaving the original powertrain versus an upgrade to a V8, either of the small-block or big-block variety. Thoughts? It’s too bad there’s no pictures of the interior, though. I’m guessing it has a bench seat, slathered in the finest Naugahyde GM’s chemists could produce, LOL!
Perfect ‘lil daily driver! Love it. Basic maintenance and they’ll run a long time.