We see a fair number of posts these days for some variation on the classic GM estate wagon, split seemingly equally between Roadmasters and Caprices. There are obvious reasons for this, largely based in the fact that you can buy them cheaply and flip them for a modest profit, and because enthusiasts love them for their utility, comfort, and LT1 power. This example is said to have been part of a private collection owned by a local barber, and was recently purchased from his estate. It has an unusual two-tone interior that is most likely a custom job, but the seller thinks it may have been a special order (doubtful). Find it here on eBay with bidding at $3,650 and no reserve.
As you can see, the Caprice clearly came with a standard gray interior, which is a sharp look with the maroon paint and gray lower painted trim. The rear-facing bench is a nice feature to have, especially if you need the space to ferry passengers but don’t want to be seen driving yet another generic SUV. The bodywork presents well, but the seller does note there are dings and blemishes that are typical of a car this age that’s been used. No rust is noted and the seller claims there is no evidence of prior bodywork, and mileage is noted as being 86,900. Tires are said to be “…like new.”
Here’s the interior the seller is referencing as potentially being a special order. Now, I get the temptation is to assume that there’s some wizardry at work where the factory allowed a high-profile buyer to specify this custom interior, but I don’t see it. I’m happy to be proven wrong, but I don’t see Chevrolet letting the rear bench seat remain the original color material and only upgrading the front and middle rows of seats. Now, the upper door panel is what casts some doubt into my assumption, as that’s a higher level of detail than I’d expect most casual owners to worry about.
The seller doesn’t offer any juicy details about the Caprice’s maintenance history or recent fixes, simply noting that it runs, drives, and stops as it should, and that the ABS light is currently illuminated on the dash. These are fairly robust engines that don’t require much in the way of expensive upkeep, and if it belonged to a collector, one would hope addressed the most basic of factory scheduled maintenance. Regardless, it’s selling cheaply enough at the moment that you could roll the dice on this Caprice having some immediate needs, but none of them will likely break the bank. What’s the verdict on the interior – special order or custom job by a local upholstery shop?
I love a Roadmaster wagon, I like a Caprice wagon, I’ve hardly ever seen the Olds, and I kind of wish I never saw this interior…
Looks like a dealer installed or aftermarket leather on a car that was originally grey cloth.
That is hideous. There is no way the factory would have done that. As you said, they would probably do the third seat and dash pad in red too for a more complete theme. And even then it would still be ugly. The saving grace here is the LT1.
Negative, ghost rider. Pretty sure the seats and door panels are from an Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser of the same era. The original gray stuff should be easy enough to find.
@Ken: I agree. The upholstery pattern isn’t correct for a Caprice.
I believe the upper door panel is upholstered, which means that they could potentially be separated from the hard plastic lower panel in mix-and-match fashion. (Well, in this case, it’s more mix than match.) Alternatively, the upper panels could be dyed red. Either way, I resepct the guy for making the effort, regardless of the outcome.
On the SPID sticker, I noticed 14C and 14I which is grey cloth interior. Nothing special.
Awesome looking car. I’ve always loved station wagons. And this generation Chevy Caprice is a particular favourite of mine. I hope this goes to a good owner, someone who will enjoy it and care for it.
Love the rear facing seat, memories of the Brady bunch.
Not that it’s the same thing, but I bought a ’99 Z/28 that came from the factory with white seats. Everything else was gray. Looked okay with the red exterior. The dealer said that it was a special order on a group of cars, and somehow he ended up with one.
I got a great deal on it and didn’t mind the seats.
SOLD for $4,300.
“These are fairly robust engines that don’t require much in the way of expensive upkeep…” Not so fast. I had a 1996 Buick Roadmaster “Special Edition” with the LT1. Great motor–until the OptiSpark distributor goes at about 100K miles. You’ll get intermittent, unpredictable stall-outs (always fun to pilot that behemoth to the curb unexpectedly, without benefit of power steering or brakes). Most places these days won’t diagnose the problem properly the first time, so you’ll likely wind up paying for a fuel pump (located atop the gas tank no less–check out that labor cost on that) and other bits before they get it right. $1000 in labor alone to change the OptiSpark because it is impossible to get to. And since they have to pull the water pump to get to it, you might as well replace that while it’s off (no use re-installing a 100K-mile water pump, right?). So now you’re all in for $1800-$2200 if they diagnosed it right, more if they didn’t get it right the first time. Stick to the squared-off 1977-1988 GM wagons with the Olds 305 or Chevy 350. (Yes, I had one of those, too: a 1985 Buick Electra Estate wagon. Still the best car I ever owned!)
A) I think saying that a repair needed at 100k miles disqualifies a motor from being “robust” or “low maintenance” is a bit of a stretch
B) Buying a 25yr old vehicle and being unable to diagnose/repair a pretty simple ignition issue is probably not a recipe for success
C) Buying a 25 yr old vehicle and considering a $1-2k repair bill after 100k miles as an expensive repair is also proabbly not a recipe for success.
I think by your standards only a slant-six when purchased new would be considered a “robust engine(s) that do(es)n’t require much in the way of expensive upkeep”. But even then it proabbly needed points adjusted regularly which might cost a few bucks, so maybe not.
Have a friend who’s mother in law worked at Fisher Body Collinwood plant in Cleveland.She sewed upholstery for interiors for Cadillac and possibly other divisions.Several times she was picked for special interior projects.One Caddy was being done for Sammy Davis Jr.She was involved in several of these specials.Special orders apparently could be done ,at least at Cadillac.I have also seen several various GM wagons with bucket seats and consoles.Not in cataloge but were available on request.