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Owned for 43 Years: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro

For some people, selling their first car can be difficult. Imagine selling your first car after owning it for 43-years! That would have to be one tough decision, but it is the one that the owner of this 1969 Chevrolet Camaro has chosen to make. It has been sitting for a number of years, and it will need restoration. But what the Camaro represents is a two-owner original vehicle that is a blank canvas for the third owner. Located in Athens, Ohio, you will find the Camaro listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding is sitting at $5,100, but the reserve hasn’t been met. The BIN option has been set at $10,000 if you are the sort of person who can’t handle the whole auction process.

The owner bought the Camaro from a Chevrolet mechanic in 1976, making him the car’s second owner. He approaches his listing in an interesting way because as well as a few single photos,  he provides a number of “composite” photos that provide a good overview of the vehicle condition. The first thing that they show is a Camaro that is complete and original. They also show that the Camaro is suffering from rust in all of the usual places, such as the lower quarter panels, lower fenders, rockers, and the corners of the doors. The owner doesn’t mention the state of the floors, so we really need to hope for the best there. The windshield has a crack, but the rest of the glass, along with the external trim and chrome, all looks pretty reasonable.

The interior of the Camaro is a pleasant surprise because the condition is largely quite good. The dash pad isn’t cracked, although it is faded. The carpet is in a similar state, while the armrests on the doors and the kick panels are also damaged. The owner says that the car will need a new parcel tray, and it does look like the wheel is cracked and that there is an aftermarket radio/cassette player installed in the dash. However, the seats, door trims, and the headliner, all look really good.

Powering the Camaro is a 250ci 6-cylinder engine, backed by a Powerglide transmission. With 155hp at its disposal, the Camaro was no muscle car, and the Powerglide certainly sapped performance when compared to a 250-engined Camaro with any other transmission. This was most obvious when comparing the acceleration times for this car against one equipped with a 4-speed manual transmission. Where this car would accelerate from 0-60mph in 14 seconds, the 4-speed could do it in 11.6 seconds. A ¼ mile in this car would take a leisurely 20.4 seconds, while the 4-speed would cover the same in 18.5 seconds. This car has been sitting since around 2009, so it may need some work to revive it. One bonus is that it is completely original, so that would make it a pretty good candidate for a full restoration. Of course, the next owner might have a completely different set of plans for the car.

This 1969 Camaro raises an interesting question because while there has been a growth in interest for these base-model Camaros in recent years, their values still aren’t on a par with similar original cars with a V8 under the hood. The gap is closing, but the difference between the two still works out at around 15%. That makes me think that given the amount of work that is required to whip the body of this one into shape, the BIN price might be slightly on the optimistic side if the restoration is going to remain financially viable. Having said that, if the next owner is willing to get their hands dirty by undertaking the dismantling and reassembly tasks themselves, it might make reasonable financial sense.

Comments

  1. Avatar Arthell64

    I like it

    Like 3
  2. Avatar TimM

    Another 6 banger carmaro!!! There coming out of the woodwork now!! Must be all the SS’s and RS’s are all gone!!!

    Like 6
    • Avatar JoeNYWF64

      Don’t forget – u could get a ’69 RS with either 6, but i never seen one! Have you? Seen a couple of ’67s & ’68’s though. ’69 RS with a 6 would not be worth much more than above car & would be worth more if a v8 was transplanted.

      Like 0
  3. Avatar Tony Primo

    Dig the snow tires!

    Like 5
    • Avatar leiniedude Member

      I agree Tony, although with all the dents on this rig the snows must have been bald.

      Like 3
    • Avatar Paul

      Love it….good to see one of these cars that hasn’t been butchered or cloned. I very much like the original 6 cylinder motor!!

      Like 1
  4. Avatar rpol35

    All I see is a rusty old car with limited upside value and a lot of needed metal work.

    It’s great that it is original and I am not suggesting restomoding it but it’s going to be a lot of work to straighten it out without the $$$ return.

    Like 5
  5. Avatar Bob McK

    10K for a rusty 6 cylinder dented Chevy seems like a lot to me. But hopefully someone will think I am crazy and step up.

    Like 7
  6. Avatar Mike1955

    Neat car, but needs most body panels. Bumper jack looks to be wrong? Original had a small bumper hook. Probably worth the current bid if you like body work?

    Like 2
  7. Avatar Jake

    Or pop the dents out, clean the carpet, put regular radial tires on it and drive it for what it is, a cool old car. Patch the floor of it if it desperately needs it, being in the rust belt it probably does. I may be a novice, but it doesn’t look like a complete basket case. It doesn’t have to be a concours car to be cool. Life’s too short to worry about every little detail.

    Like 7
  8. Avatar Del

    This is priced ridiculous and the six makes it lame.

    Not a good buy even at present bid.

    Like 4
    • Avatar Paul

      To me I actually feel this is a fair price for this car….I disagree about the 6 making it lame (they are actually a better handling car in with the 6cyl)….the lighter front end weight with 6cyl gives the car better balance….I have owned, work on and driven many early Camaro’s and early Mustangs with V8’s and with 6 bangers and in both cars the 6 cylinder cars out handle the V8’s. Because of this balance.

      Like 0
      • Avatar ctmphrs

        That would be well and good except the six weighs more than the v8.

        Like 0
      • Avatar JoeNYWF64

        to ctmphrs below – the old stove bolt strait six that was in the 55 chevy & 53 vette IS heavier than a small block chevy v8. But NOT the ’60s-70’s 194,230,250 or 292 strait 6 – completely different motor.

        Like 1
  9. Avatar stillrunners

    What Kieth said…..

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Little_Cars

    I just shake my head at stuff like this. In its present condition, there is NO premium to this being the sellers “first car” or them being just the second owner since 1976. These stories only add a premium to the asking price if the condition of the car demonstrates the care that was given to it by a meticulous owner over 40 years. Not the case here. 250/PG/steel wheels = just a used Chevy II wrapped in a Camaro body. PASS!

    Like 4
  11. Avatar Paul

    Ctmphrs. Umm….Six does NOT way more then the eight! please read up! I own both 6 cylinder and V8 . V8 ways more….Look at the original weight specifications.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar bone

    door trims again ?

    Like 0

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