We all know what’s happened to classic car prices of late, so it’s encouraging to say that here’s what looks like an inexpensive California car ready to recommission into a driver. It’s a 1974 AMC Javelin coupe, and it comes to our attention via expert tipster TJ. If you’ve been hunting for a car that could serve as a regular driver, this might be for you, and the best note is the price, certainly right at $5K or best offer. It’s available here on craigslist for pickup in the San Jose, CA, area.
Five grand looks like a perfectly reasonable number, so it’s a bit of a question why the ad says “reduced, priced to sell.” What was the number before? If under ten grand, then why was the car passed by? The car, painted orange and with an interior that shows needs but not mass destruction, is certainly of iconic design. The Javelin was offered in two generations, 1968-70 and 1971-74. The engine choices over the years ranged from a 232-CID inline six to a mighty 401-CID V8. (Oh, the good old days.) This car is listed as having a V8, but no indication of displacement or originality is given. You eagle-eyes can fill us in on what it is in the comments after having a look at the micro-image offered by the seller. The car has 53K showing on the odometer, but it is listed as rolled over. So unless someone’s done a rebuild, you’ll be putting that on top of your list of items to tend to.
The body looks good in pictures, with some discoloration around the hood and possible rust on the deck lid. What you don’t see is any imaging of the inside of the trunk or the underneath. The interior is in need of a re-do, but think how you’ll feel when you sit behind that wrap-around dash and look out over those fenders as you dust off anyone in your path. The rear seat, it is worth noting, falls into the “It don’t look like anybody’s ever sat there” territory, which is a good thing.
Just because the car is currently in California does not make it a California car, and the original license plates, blue and gold, are not present as an indicator of the car’s provenance. Nor is there any claim made as to whether the Javelin runs or drives. But for this price, do you think the risk is worth it? It would seem to be, if you only knew why prior buyers had passed it up at a higher price.
Looks familiar, posted on barnfinds in the middle of November. I would like to have it but it’s just too far away.
Love the front fenders. All hail Dick Teague!
Probably the 304 in it, my friend took a 72 and flared it up really nice, added a Pontiac 455 and then gave it a 6 inch lift why I don’t know, he ended up junking it
Well, I like it, but then again, I’m partial to the brand. The V8s had callouts on the front fender, so either a repaint or was a 6cylinder. I’ll tell you why it’s been overlooked, because it’s a Rambler. I know, I have a certain anxiety about that, but you tell me. I lived with that stigma most of my growing up years, and was mighty real. Mustangs, Cudas, Chevelles, is all you see, never a Javelin. A/C tells me it was always a southern car, nobody in Wisconsin, the only place one saw these in any numbers, had A/C, and a better example to fix up, I doubt you’ll find, and the last rendition of the car that shook the world, um, well, midwest from the most unlikely of car companies, and that, to me, is worth a lot.
For the love of all things HOLY, please remove those ghastly bumper bars!
Looking for a 73………