This 1979 Camaro Z28 has been part of the same family since new. All good things must come to an end, so after 40-years, the family has decided to part with their beloved Z28. It is an original survivor that is showing its age a bit but can still be driven and enjoyed as it currently stands. If a Z28 is on your classic car radar, then you will find this one located in Louisa, Kentucky, and listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has reached $7,700, but the reserve hasn’t been reached.
The thing that struck me about this Camaro when I first saw it was its originality. The Medium Green Metallic paint has deteriorated, but not to a horrendous level. There is nothing that needs addressing urgently, and it carries the look of a survivor quite well. There are a few scrapes and marks, but once again, there is nothing severe to be seen. As far as rust issues are concerned, this isn’t a problem. In that respect, there is a light dusting of surface corrosion in a couple of spots underneath the car, but that’s about it. The external trim and chrome look good, and even the stripes and decals have held up well. As a project car, this looks like a good one, and for someone who is searching for a project car to treat to a repaint in a home workshop, this has plenty of potential.
The good news with the Z28 continues when we move to the interior. The Deluxe Green cloth trim is in remarkable condition for a vehicle of this age. There isn’t a rip, tear, or stain to be seen anywhere, while the vast majority of the plastic trim also presents nicely. The headliner, dash, and pad look great, and if I’m going to pick any faults, they are very minor in nature. The plastic kick panels are showing some deterioration, while the sun visors are also starting to show some sagging of their vinyl. An aftermarket radio/cassette player has been fitted to the dash, but otherwise, the interior is as original as the rest of the car. I am a bit surprised because it doesn’t look like the Z28 is fitted with air conditioning. However, it does score with power windows and cruise control.
Given the overall condition of the Camaro, I am not surprised to learn that it is a numbers-matching vehicle. For their money, the next owner will get for themselves a 350ci V8 engine, 3-speed automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. At 3,582lbs, the Z28 is not a massively heavy car, but that is still a reasonable amount of weight to be moved by an engine producing 175hp. Performance could best be described as adequate, but not in the same league as previous editions of the Z28. Still, a few minor tuning tweaks should be capable of unleashing a few extra horses without compromising the originality of the vehicle. When it comes to performance, the owner says that the Camaro runs and drives really well.
It is amazing to think that by the mid-1970s, GM was seriously considering axing its pony car lines, as they believed that the Camaro and Firebird had passed their “use-by” date. The Camaro proved that there was some life left in the old dog, with 1979 proving to be the most successful sales year in Camaro history. That year, 282,571 people decided that a Camaro was the right car for them, and even though a 1979 Camaro Z28 is not a performance car, the model still has a strong following today. That makes me think that depending on where the reserve has been set on this car, there is a good chance that it is going to find itself headed off to a new home fairly soon.
The green is a nice change of pace, but it seems as though the carpet has been replaced, as it doesn’t come close to matching anything else in the interior. It also has a rear defogger as well! Fix or replace headliner & sun visors, treat door bottom edge corrosion and enjoy! GLWTS!! :-)
Floor carpet does not match the color of carpet on the lower doors!
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/gawAAOSwJoBd7ATr/s-l1600.jpg
Does anyone even MAKE the proper color carpet today?
Those type sunvisors on 2nd gens are a pain in the neck – not supported at both ends!!
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Zu8AAOSw6l1d7ATy/s-l1600.jpg
Surprised there is no air pump on the motor – not sure if it had one originally.
Dome lite may be holding up the pesky headliner – not uncommon.
Wow, never knew they were available in this color, nor saw one back in the day (owned a 77, then a 79 T/A – both in Goldenrod Yellow). Given how popular shades of avocado green was in the 70s, especially for large kitchen appliances, its a bit surprising I never saw a Z28 in this color in metro Detroit.
Merry Christmas to all!
Probably no air ordered due to lack of ponies already 😉
It’s different with green colors and thats the real cool factor 😎👍
For a rust free western car the door bottom looks pretty crunchy.
You need to check the map again if you think that Louisa, Kentucky is Western!!
There is a Washington license plate in the trunk.
Steve R
Read the Ebay ad. Seller’s description clearly states “RUST FREE WESTERN CAR”. Seller’s current location doesn’t mean that’s where the car has been for the last 40 years.
Repaint? Leave paint! I’ve never seen these colors on one before- it’s different and different is good.
Not being petty, but the color of green on the rims looks off to me.
Nice car, they handled pretty well I think. I agree, it wouldn’t take too much to awaken another 50 hp out of the 350, and that would make it a lot more fun. Merry Christmas everyone
Score with power windows? Odd how everyone (but me) is gung ho with the Fitness centers which are now all OVER the place today with lot of “cars” in their parking lots. But these same people are too lazy to ROLL down a manual crank window??! (whose mechanism i have yet to see break after 50 yrs in my friend’s car!)
Maybe they are all pooped out from excercising? lol
I have not enjoyed the “reliability” of old GM power windows!
On 1 used car i bought, 1 gave up after just a couple weeks of ownership.
A nice clean car but I can’t get past those wheels. Those are a really unattractive color. The odd carpet color really clashes with the rest of the interior, too. The exterior color is unusual but looks good with the coordinating stripes. For the guys who like these cars, I can see the appeal with this one. The lack of A/C is disappointing, though.
I saw the horsepower rating & the weight, and I decided to google the weight & horsepower of my daily driver, a 2018 Elantra Value edition. It weighs 2,811 pounds and the engine produces 147 horsepower. So it and this Camaro should be pretty even in a straight line. I wonder if the Camaro will give me 42 MPG in return (rated @ 37, but I can beat that on a regular basis).
No secret I don’t like green cars either. This green in particular, does nothing for me. So I bet you all are thinking I feel the car sucks lol. Nope! In spite of the color, the dismal performance & the lousy gas mileage, would love to own this car. I never seen these colors on a Z28 (saw them on a berlinetta before) but I actually like it. I hope whoever buys it keeps it original!
Better yet, compare your Hyundai’s 132 lb-ft of torque to the Camaros 265 lb-ft.
1972 called, they want their appliance paint back.
With no air and speedo in KPH it was probably a car delivered in Canada.
Good call, badge shows Wheaton Chevrolet in Alberta.
I prefer the first gen Camaros and my son prefers these. Think the green suits this one.
Car was for sale recently in Michigan. Being flipped again.
I remember seeing a local z28 this color. At the time I thought it was a horrible color but now I would buy it for the oddity.
This is officially the second rarest 1979 Camaro color. 3,900 out of 282,600 cars.
http://nastyz28.com/camaro/camaro79.html
Unfortunately there’s no break down is to the Z28 in particular but it would be around 1,200 applying the percentage. Probably only a few survive. I don’t know if that makes it more valuable but it’s rare that’s for sure.
I had a 78 Rally Sport with a 350 4 bbl the car had just under 100k when I bought it I would guess it was making less than 150 HP by then. I overhauled the engine and the cam barely had any lines left it was so worn. I bored it to a 355 and put in a mild cam and intake with a 650 Holly then put a posi 10 bolt in it and rebuild the trans with a better converter in it. It was a nice car very comfortable driving car. Rust was very minimal but needed constant attention!
Dang. I had this exact color combo Z/28, back in October 1980. Same color interior, but in vinyl. Car got totalled in a head on collision, on a two lane highway, by a senior citizen, who turned left in front of me without signalling in a 1974 Mercury Comet 4 door, only 6 months after I bought it.
Rare color interior / exterior. I think I read on a Camaro website, only about 144 cars were made with that color combo, in all models, not just the Z/28.
Miss the car. The color eventually grew on me.
And Wheaton GM is in Edmonton Alberta, I believe. So yes, no need for A/C up there.
Summers in Western Canada are hot. A/C is mandatory.
i’ve compared a/c & non a/c 2nd gen f-bodies. They are indeed super cold inside with R12. However on nice days that you don’t need a/c, a lot of heat is generated under the dash with the a/c off! Not so at all with f-body cars that do not have factory air. The latter also give you true astroventilation – separately controllable upper & lower vents bringing in fresh air DIRECLY from the outside.
2 Control knobs are seen here at either end under the outboard vents
http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/fogAAOSwNlld7ATz/s-l1600.jpg
A/C cars with VENT position selected only bring in warm stale air & only thru upper vents – no lower outboard vents!
Plus if you want, with non a/c cars you can have warm or hot air on your feet & cool air on your face! Impossible on any a/c car to this day – i think. lol
On the other hand, i have a 30 yr old mitz who’s a/c of course does not work, but does not have issues like above with heat generated under the dash with a/c off.
In the northeast i can get by w/o a/c because the car is parked in a garage, i can always find a shady spot to park – the places i go, plus i have a 12 volt auxilary fan in the car & drive on the hottest days with driver & passenger window open partially & aux fan on. & a bottle of water. lol
Love these cars, but lack of A/C in this one does suck. Canadian origins bear some explanation for no air, but many folks don’t know that Canadian citizens were taxed 400 dollars per year in that era if their cars were equipped with A/C. Not sure if that tax is still in effect now. This would make a great winter car here in California.
No A/C no sale, deep green rugs, absolutely no sale
Let’s compare a1979 Chevy to a 2018 Hyundai! I’ve owned a number of Camaros and Hyundai’s and I can say without a doubt that the Hyundai is more difficult to make repairs on (everything is hard to get to) and once they start giving trouble they are a money pit! I currently own a Hyundai Tiburon and it will be my last Hyundai!
My point was that my Hyundai is every bit as usable as the camaro on a daily basis & gets way better gas mileage, but I would still rather have something like this Camaro. I wasn’t at all stating the Hyundai is superior lol. It is merely an appliance. I agree, the Camaro is way easier to work on. I won’t go as far as to say this is my last Hyundai, but I would prefer to drive the Camaro.
When someone starts comparing a 40 year old car to anything newer it’s pretty much a waste of my reading time and your typing. Always the same silly comments about performance, horsepower, mpg of your newer vehicle and how superior it is to a much older car. I do think it’s perfectly fine if you want to compare it to other newer vehicles, but that’s never the case. Just stop.
Ya know what DeX, if I want to compare my car to this Camaro, I will. Don’t tell me what to type. If you don’t want to read what I say, then don’t.
I love vintage cars. I found the comparison fascinating & I thought I would share it with others. I wasn’t knocking the Camaro. I stated multiple times I would rather have the Camaro. But by telling me what to do with my time on this public forum, that is a waste of time typing. Stop lol!
I kinda wish there were a way to flip people off here lol.
It’s a 1979 Camaro Z28, and those that were around then all remember the performance of those years. Not great, but that’s what you got. I do have to agree w Dex though. Sorry Stevie, not a fascinating comparison. But please, by all means, keep typing!
Not to pick on anybody but there’s a certain segment which hates anything newer than the 1970s.
I remember when I used to subscribe to Hemmings’ Muscle Car magazine. They started featuring cars from the 1980s and I loved it. But most of the readers howled in outrage so they stopped. I ended up canceling my subscription because they stopped. I can only read about 1969 Camaros and Chevelles for so long, sorry. I’m sure I wasn’t missed, but I had to make the statement.
Anyway, some of us poor schleps can only afford one car. At the prices these things are getting, I think it’s fair to look at them against all other options.
I disagree.
Think of it this way. The performance is similar. I see people compare the neat old cars like this Camaro to newer cars on this site all the time. I read about how the new economy cars will “blow the doors” off a muscle car. I made the comparison on paper. The performance, when you look @ weight & horsepower, should be very close. The big difference is fuel economy.
The Camaro is 40 years (well, 39…whatever) older than the Hyundai. So you have a rolling appliance, a reliable one, but an extremely boring one which, as someone pointed out earlier, is not an easy car to repair if & when needed. It has the personality of a mop. Or you have this Camaro. It has personality.
Frankly, I would think that after 40 years, the newer car should be more exciting, get way better fuel mileage, do something to excell. It doesn’t. That is why I would rather have the Camaro.
I am fascinated by the lack of accomplishment by the manufacturers. Sure, my Hyundai gets better mileage, but it was as boring to buy as socks. If I were to buy this Camaro, it would be an event. It would be exciting.
Maybe I have a strange sense of fascination, but whatever. To me the lack of progress is fascinating. Sorry for wasting everyone’s time.
I live on Puget sound. I could live with no A/C on this car. I even like the greenness of this car. But there’s no 4spd. Its just so unfair ! Later…………………………..JIMMY
Relisted, and then sold for $10,200.