If you like your project cars to show up with much of the greasy work already handled, this 1966 Chevrolet Impala four-door might deserve a closer look. It’s listed on Facebook Marketplace in Clay City, Kentucky, for $7,500. What caught my eye is the list of recent parts the seller mentions, which reads like a to-do list that’s mostly been checked off. According to the ad, the biggest job left is cosmetic. Thanks for the tip, Pnuts!
Per the listing, it has a 350 engine paired with a 350 Turbo transmission. The seller doesn’t say when that combination went in, how many miles are on it, or anything else about its background, so those are fair questions to ask. What we do get is a report that the car runs and drives good, and the seller goes a step further by calling it a good driver. Anyone interested would want to confirm that in person.
The front end has apparently gotten plenty of attention. The seller lists new front disc brakes, new upper and lower A-frames, and new shocks. There’s also a new Flowmaster dual exhaust, along with new tires and wheels. With that many suspension pieces recently replaced, it makes sense that the ad says the car still needs a front-end alignment, one of the few mechanical items the seller calls out.
Structurally, the seller has some encouraging things to say. The frame is described as perfect, while the floors and trunk are described as good. Inside, the seller characterizes the interior as decent, which leaves some room for interpretation, so asking for specifics would be smart. Marketplace also shows the condition as “Used – Good,” though that’s a broad category rather than a detailed report.
Paint is where the seller is most direct. The listing says the old finish needs to be removed and the car needs a fresh coat. That’s not a small job, and it could shape the overall budget more than anything else on the list. On the other hand, it hands the next owner the chance to choose a color and finish of their own.
A few things aren’t covered in the ad at all. There’s no mention of mileage, title status, how long the seller has owned it, or any maintenance records. The listing shows door pickup in Clay City, so plan on traveling to see it and arranging a way to bring it home. Gaps like these are common in short Marketplace posts, but they’re worth nailing down before any money changes hands.
A four-door Impala with this much recent chassis and brake work could make an easygoing cruiser for someone willing to handle the paint prep and refinishing. At $7,500, the real math is whether the new parts balance out the cost of a full repaint. Would you drive it as-is for a while, or head straight to the paint booth?
Drive as is for awhile at least. Nothing wrong with the primer look
A question for the experts: if this car had 2 doors instead of 4, what would the price difference likely be?
ALOT. WELL ATLEAST 3K DIFF
$7,000 to $10,000 difference depending on what a closer inspection reveals.
The TV show Supernatural made 4 door mid sixties Impalas cool, esp in black.
This one’s the wrong year, but it would make a good ‘Baby’ tribute given what has already been done mechanically and it needs a respray. Most fans of the show probably wouldn’t even notice the differences.
It’s also a sedan, not a hardtop, which looks way better. It HAS to be a hardtop in order to be a tribute car.
These classic sedans make a statement with pristine factory fabric interiors. As for price they are chasing the big number
4 door, bench seat, auto on the column. Let’s leave this car for the guys who are still worried in 2026 about the girl friend or wife being upset because they can’t sit close to you. My Dad told me years ago, you want your girl sitting close to you, buy a Corvette.
Lots of new front end parts but no alignment? Too many assumptions from the writer to take a chance on this car.
If it’s half the car he says it is, you just might be able to fly in and drive it home. I would, of course,
pony up for a front end alignment
and an overall check up of the engine and tranny before attempting such a feat. I’d wanna
find out the year of the 350 so that I could carry a small repair kit handy which would consist of
a new distributor cap, rotor, points, and condenser along with
a spare thermostat and gasket along with a basic tool kit just in case you might need to make a roadside repair. And at least a 2 ton hydraulic jack? By all means.
You just never know what could happen out there so the best thing to do is to plan ahead. Change the oil before you leave, and again when you get back to
your house. If it’s doable, then by
all means do it and save yourself
$5K or more to have it shipped to
you. But that’s just me. I’ve done
this a few times with Mom and Dad and for the most part, whatever vehicle we bought always made it home. Both my
parents went do that they could
drive in shifts to get their new prize home on Sunday so they could rest up for work on Monday. And for the life of me, I
can’t figure out why some folks
think they need to spend $10K on
a paint job when a cheaper one will do. Most any local body shop can hook you up with a decent paint job for a lot less. And that’s money in your pocket.
I’ve been fooling around with cars
for over 50 years and all the stuff
I just mentioned has always worked for me. Back then, there were no car shippers to call so you looked for a running/driving car to start with. Then, you did your best Derrick Bieri imitation and drove the car back to your house. Now, would I pay $7,500
for this car? Depends on my ability to haggle, and the seller’s
willingness to accept a reasonable offer. If not, I’d still pay him what he wants as nearly
all the major work to the car has been done. The paint and interior
can wait awhile– at least long enough for you to get into the hobby on the ground floor. And face it folks, we’ve seen stuff on
Facebook marketplace for the same money that’s in worse shape than this sedan. So Mr. Seller, how bout giving us more info about things like mileage, title status, what year is the 350, and so on. You did very well describing your car, but you left out a lot of stuff that buyers wanna know. But all is not lost.
Just update your ad and you’ll be
fine.
You tell ’em Ken!
You sound like you’ve been watching Vise Grip Garage. I agree with you .
I just wonder why after all the front end work that was done they didn’t get it aligned.
You have the start of the basic tool kit sitting on the front seat already. I was planning a comment about that when I saw the pic. Something about staging, or props, I wasn’t sure. Then you gave me the perfect lead in. Thanks.
Thanks, RoadDog. But it just makes sense that a seller, any seller, would include any and ALL
information about the car they’re
selling. From here, it looks like a
good deal, as most all the major
work has been done and what you have here is essentially a turn
key car for the asking price. It would be to our sellers benefit to
disclose everything they know about the car so that a potential
buyer can make a clear and informed decision as to the car in
front of them. And if our seller can’t or won’t do that, then this really nice car is NOT worth the
time and effort to make a trip to
go see it. In short, we ALL lose.
A buyer loses the chance to score
a great deal, and our seller has lost his/her chance for a quick sale. So come on Mr. Seller, lay it
All out in front of us so that we can make up our minds either way. Well, we’re waiting….
“NOT” a muscle car. That term is thrown around by irresponsible so called journalists too often.
As a matter of fact Jim, I do watch him on YouTube now as you can’t get his TV show on those damned streaming things that young people use these days. I find him to be quite knowledgeable about cars and very funny too. I think the only other guy that comes close to him is the guy from Jennings Motorsports in Arkansas. And no
matter what, that guy from Jennings is always cheerful when
you see him. At least these guys
make a Sunday without football 🏈 easier to take as you can’t get
the games on streaming platforms without paying $1600
a season to watch them. And no, I didn’t see the tools on the front seat. Good catch!
It is now showing as “Out of Stock”
Weird thing to say.