Chevrolet entered the 1960s with an unorthodox compact car by Detroit standards of the day. That was the Corvair with its air-cooled, rear-mounted flat-six engine. By the end of the decade, demand had trickled off for a variety of reasons, and just 6,000 copies were built before Chevy threw in the towel in 1969. This Corvair 500 is from that last run of the interesting cars and has just 6,600 miles. Located in Federal Way, Washington, this ‘collectible” is available here on craigslist for $18,000. A tip of the hat to “Curvette” for the tip.
Besides negative press in the mid-1960s from safety advocate Ralph Nader, Chevrolet didn’t do a lot in the second half of the decade to improve the car past the 1965 redesign. So, demand declined, and Chevrolet decided the end was near for the car and made no further changes to the 1969 models. An example of things left off was the new locking steering column ignition switch that all the other Chevies had but this one. Only two models were offered, and only in 2-door hardtops and convertibles: the 500 and Monza.
We’re not sure if we’ve seen this 500 before. This one has less than 7,000 miles, just like the one we saw last year here on Barn Finds. The color is the same, but the wheels and tires are different, and they’re cross-country from one another. The seller is selling this 500 with an automatic transmission because of physical difficulties. The car seems to be in excellent shape, but only three photos are offered, and they cover mostly the same angle.
Without presenting the documentation to back up the sellers claim of low mileage it shouldn’t be taken at face value. By repeating the sellers claim without hesitation is a tacit endorsement. It’s up to the seller to back up their claim in the ad, if they don’t, it should be noted.
Yesterday, there was an ad featured on this site for a basket case 1950 Ford convertible, that seller made a similar mileage claim. Mileage claims are typically used by sellers to justify a higher asking price, they should be treated as as such, a marketing ploy.
Steve R