When you sell more than one million copies of the same car in a single year, what do you do for an encore? That was the challenge for the 1966 Chevrolet Impala after the same auto found more than a million buyers the year before (a feat that wouldn’t be repeated). Sales dropped by more than 20% in 1966 for the little-changed big Chevies, which still produced a lot of traffic in the Chevy showroom. This ’66 is a one-owner estate sale car that has a bit of rust and hasn’t run in a couple of years, so the seller has listed it as a project. Located near Walnut Creek, California, this family sedan is available here on craigslist for $6,499 or something close.
The seller’s uncle bought this car new 60 years ago, and the mileage might be as high as 173,000. So, Uncle liked this Chevy enough to drive it around – a lot. It’s mostly a family car with four doors, a 283 cubic inch V8 (the seller’s estimate), and a “3-on-the-tree” manual transmission which was falling out of favor on big cars by the mid-1960s. The photos portray a vehicle that doesn’t look like so much of a project, but if it doesn’t run and has corrosion, it would seem to fit.
We’re told the burgundy paint is original, as is most of the interior (perhaps the seat covers were redone). The engine last ran in 2024, with no action seen since. Though the machine is in California now, it was purchased new in Washington, DC, and may have stayed there for a while, hence the rust the seller mentions. There is no interest in parting the car out, nor does the seller want to be bothered with crazy low offers.
All of this adds up to a car that you have to believe is worth $6,000 or more in its current condition. And one that will have to be towed to its next domicile. If this were an Impala Sport Coupe, the odds would increase, but is a 4-door sedan going to find a buyer willing to spend many thousands of dollars to restore it? Thanks for the tip, Tony Primo.
Depending on the amount and location of the rust, the asking price probably isn’t too far out of line.
Steve R