This 1978 Chevrolet Camaro LT has spent the vast majority of its life in the possession of the same family, and during that time, it has managed to accumulate a claimed 50,000 genuine miles on its odometer. It presents quite nicely, and would potentially make either a great first buy for someone looking to dip their toe into the world of classic car ownership or the basis for a really cool restomod project. The Camaro is located in Boulder City, Nevada, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set a BIN of $12,978 for the Camaro, but the option is available to make an offer.
The seller of the Camaro is the car’s second owner, and he claims that the Red paint that the car wears is all original. It has recently been treated to a cut and polish, and it now has a nice shine for a vehicle of this age. The only really noticeable defects in the paint are visible in the lower front bumper/valance area, which has a few chips and scratches. The rest of the car appears to be free of significant dings or marks, while the color-matched wheels appear to be in good condition. It isn’t clear whether the Camaro has spent its entire life in Nevada, but if it has, then that would certainly help to explain the lack of obvious rust problems with the car. There are no clear photos provided of the Camaro’s underside, but what can be seen looks quite encouraging. The external trim all appears to be present, and like the glass, it all seems to be in good condition.
The red theme continues when we open the door and take a look around inside the Camaro. The upholstered surfaces actually look remarkable good, with no signs of any significant marks or splits. The dash and pad are also in good order, as is the headliner. The only real issues of note are some fading of the carpet, and the lid cover for the console is also cracked. Still, a carpet set usually sells for around $170, while a replacement cover for the console can be sourced for about another $80. That means that the interior could be made to present extremely well for around $250, which sounds okay to me. The interior of the Camaro isn’t loaded with luxury features, although the next owner does get an AM radio and air conditioning.
Getting the Camaro up and moving is the job of a 305ci V8, backed by a 3-speed automatic transmission. This combination produces 145hp, meaning that the Camaro is capable of covering the ¼ mile in a rather leisurely 18.8 seconds. It was those figures that were behind my earlier suggestion that the car might be a great candidate for a restomod. A more modern V8 with fuel-injection, backed by a more modern transmission, could really transform this vehicle. Of course, with a claimed 50,000 miles on the clock, the next owner might be inclined to leave the Camaro original. Having said that, the owner doesn’t indicate whether he holds any evidence to verify this mileage claim. The engine bay looks pretty clean, although someone has made liberal use of the detailing spray. I also noticed that the pipe is missing for the cold-air intake, and this would further hurt power output figures. The owner says that the Chevy has been meticulously maintained, but somewhat disappointingly, he doesn’t indicate how well the car runs and drives.
It would seem that this ’78 Camaro LT is a clean and tidy vehicle with no major issues to address. It would also appear to be a low-mileage survivor, so would you leave it largely untouched, or would an updated drivetrain be on the agenda if you bought it?
Sharp Camaro.
Not much to do and personally, I would leave the original carpet in place as the replacements today are of very low quality. The replacement auto carpet business consolidated with one or two companies buying out the others and the result is really thin, low pile, low density carpets. Comparing my 1970 GTO original carpets to the most expensive replacements I could find was dismal.
Just plain cheap quality, thinner padding, cut short, but I had no choice as my carpet was worn through in places. Looks okay at 3 or 4 feet away.
Faded but no holes? Keep it original and toss in nice floor mats in red.
Are they made in China?
Nope, made in good ole’ US of A. Sad stuff. The carpet mill is in North Carolina. Had a long discussion with them.
Why are the bottoms of the rear quarters black?
It would appear that someone thought that the black trim beneath the door should extend to the rear quarters as well. Bad decision, as it looks goofy from the side and three quarter view.
That’s not original.
It probably had some paint chips hes trying to hide with the black
700R4 conversion is all this car needs
This car is probably equipped with 2:41 or 2:56 rear gears. The 700R4 would probably help it off the line, but how much slower do you want to turn it on the highway? If you do the trans swap, you probably want to put a stiffer gear in it.
With those gears i would like to see what the quarter mile times are in this heavy gen camaro with the 250 strait 6 & tiny 1 barrel carb & a/c on. lol
With a white interior, you get black kickpanels, console, steering wheel, carpet & dash. Not sure if there were such variations with a red interior – a bit too much red here, if you ask me.
Unlike firebird, the linkage from the floor shifter all the way up to the shift quadrant on the dash by the steering wheel must be insane!
The latch pin for the driver’s door suggests the car has previously been repainted.
Nice color. Period.
Some cars just beg for a serious V-8, including almost anything made in 1978.
This thing looks really wimpy sitting on 14 inch wheels. Put some factory 15 inch wheels on it and paint the bottom of the quarter panels red again.
It probably had some paint chips hes trying to hide with the black
I had an 81 red just like this one it also had a small factory wing on the back it had 15″ wheels and a 3.8 liter V6 one of quietest nicest driving car I have ever owned. Not even close to fast but just a plain beautiful vehicle!
I had the same car, in black. Bought it brand new and if this was my car, I would buy it right away.
I searched for it via CarFax (’81 is the first year with a VIN that you can do that), and the trail ends in ’92.
Everyone loved the look of that car, with the spoiler and the rally wheels, but yes, SLOW is a great description.
I had a buddy of mine, had a 78 Z28,Burgandy on burgandy, pretty car, had a 350 in it, low miles, he passed away and the family offered me the car, it really wasn’t worth what they thought it was worth, and it needed paint cause it was a re spray already from a front end hit in 79, so the clear was cracking, I felt bad, but Camaros of that generation were slugs.
Too nice to restomod, to slow to own, No Sale
Last year for the curved dash from 1970. The mold was wearing out so Chevy had to redesign it for 1979. Last year for Type LT as well – Berlinetta replaced it.
Why all the fuss? A smooth quiet driver. I find this wonderful. Believe it or not children, in 1978 we all loved this and most other cars too. Remember, almost non of us bought performance cars even when they were available a decade earlier. Too much to purchase, too much to run and insure, far too prone to break down, not to mention mostly pretty dangerous in general. If we longed for anything in these years, it wasn’t for performance, it was for a little better running. The pollution and gas mileage standards were in their infancy, had yet to mature and in many cases caused some rough idling, acceleration up to highway speeds. Stuff like that, but once there, look out, great cars.
Very true. When I went to order my ’81, I wanted a small V8, I think they even had a 260 available that year. The Sales Manager told me that if I wanted a V8, he would give me a great deal on the Camaros he had on the lot – he had a bunch of them with V8s that he couldn’t sell because gas prices were on the rise, so he talked me into the V6. He said that the only Camaros he sells with a V8 are Z/28s.
I wasn’t disappointed with my choice because back then, I wasn’t concerned about speed. Turned out to be a very reliable car and I should have never have sold it.
That red really pops!, that motor really sucks!