This 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu is a one-owner vehicle that is being offered for sale complete with its original Build Sheet and Title. It is an original car that is in very nice condition, and I have to thank Barn Finder local_sheriff for referring the Malibu through to us. Located in Oregon City, Oregon, the Malibu is listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has now reached $5,100, and with the reserve having been met, it would seem that someone is about to become the new owner of a very nice car.
The Malibu is finished in very attractive Light Green Metallic with a Green vinyl top. The owner says that the car has never received any accident damage, and the panels and paint do look good. There are no signs of any rust issues, which is no bad thing. The vinyl top is starting to look a bit tired and matte, but I suspect that this might be able to be restored without having to replace it. I have actually seen good results with the application of the type of polish that is used to treat fiberglass boats, so this might be an option. The external trim and chrome look really good, and the owner ticked the boxes next to some nice options when he ordered the car. This includes tinted glass, bumper guards, body-side moldings, and wheel-arch moldings.
The interior of the Malibu is probably even more impressive than the exterior. There is a small amount of stretching in the vinyl section of the front seat, but this is really insignificant. The Green cloth inserts look to be in exceptional condition, while the remaining trim and the dash are in virtually as-new condition. Under those front mats, the original carpet looks to be perfect, while the Malibu comes equipped with air conditioning, a tilt wheel, and an AM radio with the optional rear speaker.
The engine bay of the Malibu looks quite tidy for an original car of this age. Powering the vehicle is the 350ci V8, producing 145hp. Shifting duties are performed by a 3-speed Turbo Hydramatic transmission, while the owner also ticked the boxes beside power steering and power brakes. The owner says that the car runs and drives well, and also claims that it has an original 54,600 miles on the clock. He doesn’t mention whether he has any documentary evidence to verify this, but given how well the car appears to have been cared for, I wouldn’t be surprised if he retains service records that would be of some help.
This 1973 Malibu is a clean and tidy car, and the person who eventually does buy it looks like they will be the proud owner of a car that is destined to be a real future classic. This fact is borne out by price trends, which have seen values for the 1973 Malibu increase consistently over the past 3-years. I wouldn’t mind parking this one in my driveway. How about you?
I really can’t believe these will/are classic collectibles. IMO these are the ugliest Malibu’s ever produced. What a change from the 72 and before models.
Maybe they are ugly for a Malibu, but they are not an ugly car. I think the lines flow nicely.
Bottom line: there’s no accounting for taste.
I agree and I owned one. This same green. HATED it. The only positive was that I purchased it as a bank repo in 1974 and drove it for two years. I got exactly the amount I paid for it when I traded it. I traded it in 1976 for a brand new Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham. I LOVED that car!
Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.
I too, don’t find this car particularly attractive but I’ve seen worse. It is clean and solid and would make anyone’s entry into an older car very affordable and at the same time be a decent driver.
At this price point, no one will lose money on this car over time.
I agree, Art.An early 70s V8,rear wheel drive 2 door. A great start to an affordable muscle car. Heads, cam,carb and exhaust mods would pull an easy 100+more horses out of that 350.A shift kit and some 3:73 gears and you’ll be barking tires in no time!
I Had one Just a Beater ! Spare parts Engine. Got Torched. Remember This Girl from High School got the one with the 454. I was a little Jealous even though I had my 69′ 12-sec SS396 Chevelle So ! What did this Sell For ????? 5/6-years later. LoloL
And you won’t see another one of these at your local cruise-in!
Wow. Green on green. Gimme.
Nice car. It may not have had any accident damage. However, some unfortunate event has deformed the rear bumper.
I grew up around these cars when I was a teenager . So when I found a laguna in this year back 1979 , I bought it . Was a one owner with factory buckets , 350 four bolt main , dual exhaust and a console .Even in 79 there were very few cars either a malibu or laguna . May not be the most wanted but I think they have good lines but parts are another issue maybe one day these cars will be collectors
Nice example of a colonnade car. They were roomy and fun to drive. Very comfortable in stock form but can easily be made to corner flat and stop on a dime and give you 9 cents change. These are really not appreciated for what they are and what they can be.
I’m not a big fan of the Colonnades. My father bought a used ’74 Malibu in 1977. with 50k miles. It was a sporty coupe with swivel bucket seats and a console. But it always ran poorly, being a bear to start, getting the usual poor gas mileage and barely being able to get out of its own way. Despite all this they were great sellers in their time. And I don’t think they were roomy at all, it was a pretty tight fit for a couple of guys, a pizza and a case of beer!
The after markat has ignored the beautiful Colonnade cars. I have owned a 76 Monte Carlo with swivel buckets and a 77 Grand Prix SJ with 35 factory options. Miss them both. While I believe the 73 Cutlass and Regal were far better looking, I’d take a 73 Malibu SS with 454 and 4 sp any day over a 72 Chevelle.
I like the round tail lights on these. My dad bought one in ’81 and soon the 350 threw a rod so he went to the junk yard and asked if they had any small block that ran. The owner said “no but I just got in a totaled pick up with a 396 that should fit for $150, brackets and all.” It had chrome valve covers with yellow sealer poking out of the edges! Dad bought it because he needed it to drive to work. After driving it for a week or so, the sealer started turning brown! It was a freshly rebuilt 396! He raced a 67 SS Chevelle that a pilot owned where he worked on the taxi way and smoked him! Good memories, thanks Barn Finds!
Sold for $5,600.
I got one of these for an enduro car back in 1985 ,gold with a black top and gut. That car was indestructible ! I ran it for four years, roughly over 3000 laps and other than a couple of flat tires and a trans soleniod , it finished every race. When I foolishly moved up a division, I retired the car and ended up pulling the motor and sold it for $ 300 – not bad for a free car !
This is the exact same car (and color!) that I bought right after I was hired as a teacher in 1974. The first new car I ever bought. The list price was $3900 and I got it for $2900.
Great memories and I had it for 8 years.
The 73 thru 77 GM “A” body vehicles won more NASCAR races than any other “Production platform” car.
Chevy, Olds, Buicks, etc…
ALL the big names raced and won with em…
Study their NASCAR history….(Way before “Winston Cup” and custom alloy/cha$$ie tube frame rails/ cage$
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder? (& skin deep).