We feature a lot of 1970 Chevrolets, of all different models on Barn Finds. There’s a lot of station wagon coverage too but 1970 Chevrolet full-size station wagons are another matter entirely. I could find only one other and that was a wood-grained Kingswood Estate featured by my colleague Adam Clarke and reported back in October. That being the case, I thought I’d add to the count with this ’70 Kingswood that is located in Riverside, California. It is available, here on craigslist for $11,500.
Marketed as a “Kingswood” means that this Chevy is really an Impala, it’s just in station wagon form. The Kingswood Estate lined up with the Caprice while the Townsman and Brookwood were wagon versions of the Bel Air and Biscayne, respectively.
The seller states, “Solid California Car, Still Has It’s Original Paint Not Repainted” and that’s pretty amazing as GM’s “Magic Mirror” lacquer finishes were tough, but not a half-century tough. Being a California car, with lots of sunshine, would leave one to believe that this example has likely been garaged – it still looks pretty reasonable even though the driver’s side quarter panel’s finish doesn’t match the rest of the car very well. And best of all, the fender legs appear to be free of rust and that’s testament to this car’s California upbringing. This model year’s fenders, and those of its very similar ’69 predecessor, would turn to rust at just the suggestion of the word. The seller adds, “This Wagon is a Rare Find Especially In This All Original Condition!” I would concur with that thought – these were not rare cars originally, but today, 52 years later they seem to seldomly turn up. Older versions from the mid-sixties are more common-place finds.
Inside, the listing tells us that its interior is original and shows its age. Also stated is, “Rare Factory Third Row Seat! Now I can tell you, that is not a rare feature at all. I know from experience, since I owned a ’69 Kingswood that was very similar to this one, the vinyl upholstery wears like iron. You can shove firewood, Christmas trees, whatever, into the back seat with no residual problem. The one noted item is the front seat’s backrest – the upholstery buttons are missing and they don’t look like they fell off. I’d say that it’s a safe bet the front seat has had a redo. Nevertheless, the environment shows well and probably requires no attention.
Power is provided by the standard V8 engine which is a 250 gross HP, 350 CI motor working through a Turbo-Hydramatic three-speed automatic transmission – it’s an adequate performer for a car of this girth. It “runs great!” according to the seller.
So this Chevy seems to have been well cared for, has documentation, was maintained properly and not abused. The 97K miles of use means this car is worn but far from worn out and still will be capable of providing the new owner some motoring adventure. For a complete picture, I wish the seller had included an image of the back of this wagon – not a big deal, however. The price? Not sure about that. What do you think, priced right or not quite?
Classic wagons have been or a study rise in the market; this example is not too overpriced, and I’ll bet cash would do quite a bit of talking.
Front seat has been recovered – a teriffic match that could pass for original. It may be a shade or two off in person looks great here.
A/C and tilt a big plus. A non-tilt column has a good driving position; just tough on the knees on entry and exit.
If you think the price is too high from this seller, I would guarantee that a dealer in classic rides would have this priced at $19,995 (and it wouldn’t sell, either), and brag about it’s originality…
You are right. Dealers’ pricing and the true value are usually two completely different things. The same goes for the term ‘classic’.
Oh, and I bet the dealer would tell you the left quarter paint would “buff out”, and they “left it alone”, to keep it original. Let the next owner do ‘want they want to it’. Yeah…
Yes, this is original and appears to be mostly original, but for less than half the money, I’d rather take the Hornet wagon recently posted for $4900, and it doesn’t have any dents or rust, and to me, a whole lot more rarer than this.
Brings back memories of my grandparents car. Theirs was a 70 but in green. They had it well into the 90’s. I remember the “tangle” of belts on the front seat after North Carolina passed their seat belt law in 86 and grandma was terrified of a ticket. Lol before that every belt in the car was neatly under the seat and you got scoffed at if you mentioned seat belts. They had it but rarely drove it after they got their 1990 oldsmobile. Loys of memories
My wife had a 70 Impala 4 door when we met, Later we ended up with a 70 Impala 2 Door Custom Sure would love to add this one to the collection.
I grew up in the back seat of a 69 Kingswood estate it was red with the wood grain stickers on it. It had a 350 4 bbl and a turbo 350 trans. I remember it being the first car our family ever owned with power steering, power brakes and power windows. Pretty fancy for for our family.
At half that price, I might consider it.
Many years ago I was forced off the road into the back of a parked one of these. It destroyed and totaled my 1963 Chevy truck with little damage to it. The featured car could have been the one I ran into. Same color same state.
“Solid California Car, Still Has It’s Original Paint Not Repainted”
So why is the back fender a different color?
Would that be considered ‘dealer clickbait’?
My Sister and family had one of these back in the mid 70’s and she was an early day soccer Mom. She always said how much she enjoyed driving her big Chevy wagon. This listed car is not a born CA car with the paperwork showing the original buyer in W. Va. Odd the seller did not show a front or rear pic of the car, tells me he won’t show the current license. If it has been in Ca for most of its life it should be wearing the Blue with gold letter plates that came out in 1970 and were available for the next 4 years, after that a white plate version came in to replace the blue.
If you look at the picture (in the craigslist posting),
there’s a current California registration card.Not sure if it’s
the seller’s,or the party they bought it from.
I’m surprised that they’d show it,with the name & –
address on it.
Based on the original paperwork, I believe this is not a California car but a West Virginia car.
Looks a bit crusty to me on those quarters. GM cars all rotted there, California or no California. Too much money for a 52 year old.
The left rear quarter has had paint work, the front seat has been reupholstered, and the seller claims it is all original. Makes ya wonder what else he is lying about.
Both quarter panels have been side swipe. And the left rear HAS BEEN REPAINED, Looks like with a RATTLE CAN. How else do you cover up bare metal from a wreck. I replaced both quarter panels on a 70 two door custom and at 96″ long that’s a lot of metal. I’d take a magnet with me, Bet you fine some bondo under that WAL MART Spray Paint.
All nit picking aside, here’s a classic you could really use. Why spend $80-100K for
a new pickup or SUV when you can have this. Not to mention the fact you won’t be on a 6-12 month wait list to take delivery of
a ’22 vehicle. Just fly in and drive it home
and enjoy it.
I had one just like this when I was raising my family. The only car I hated worse was the ’67 Ford wagon I had before it. After owning great cars (Chevy’s with bigger engines) I felt like I was triving a school bus.
A friend of Dad had a white ‘68 Caprice wagon w/the so called bright blue interior & 327-300 hp. He bought it in the mid to late eighties & it was nearly perfect. Needless to say it would really move! When he found a mint ‘68 Impala sport sedan, he gave the wagon to his grandson & that the last I saw of it. Sure wish I could’ve bought it.