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Spotless Survivor: 1976 Chevrolet Malibu

With 1970s classics really starting to come into their own, cars like this 1976 Chevrolet Malibu are only going to continue to increase in value. This Malibu appears to be in really nice condition throughout, and when you get cars of this vintage in this sort of condition, they are sure to attract the right sort of attention. Located in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, you will find the Malibu listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set the opening bid at $6,000 in what is a No Reserve auction.

Going over the photos supplied by the owner, it’s pretty hard to find anything much to criticize about the Malibu. The Firethorn Red paint looks to be consistent and free of any major damage. The car has a nice depth of shine to it, and the chrome and trim also look to be in good condition. Some people are not great fans of those enormous bumpers, and they do have a heavy look about them. Still, I guess that there will always be a price to pay for improved road safety. The Rally wheels and white-letter tires do manage to give the car a tougher look, and they also fill the wheel arches quite nicely.

The interior of the Malibu also presents really well, with no obvious signs of rips, tears, stains, or cracks in any of the surfaces. One aspect of cars of this era that has always fascinated me is the difficulty that most manufacturers had in achieving color consistency across all of the plastic and vinyl interior trim items. If you compare the color of the dash, door trims, and the vinyl on the seats, you can see a marked difference. This was not a characteristic that was confined to GM vehicles, as all manufacturers spent a number of years trying to achieve consistency, and really only seemed to get a handle on it in the late 1970s. With this particular car, if the interior is completely original and unrestored, it certainly makes the owner’s claim that the car has only covered 68,000 miles seem to be quite plausible.

Under the hood of the Malibu, you get a 350ci V8, a Turbo 350 automatic transmission, along with power steering and power brakes. The car is a numbers-matching vehicle, and the presentation is faultless. You could pick any surface there and eat off it with a lot of confidence. The owner says that the car runs, drives, and shifts perfectly. The owner is so confident about the car’s mechanical state that he says that he would confidently drive it from its current location in Georgia, right through to California.

As the 1980s dawned, manufacturers were focussing far more strongly on reduced vehicle weights and improved economy than at any point in their history. As “econo-boxes” started to proliferate, cars like this Malibu were being off-loaded by their owners for rock bottom prices. Many of these cars then served pretty undistinguished lives as work vehicles and were driven into the ground. They would then find their ways to junkyards and into crushers. Today, nice, original examples of cars from this era are getting harder to find. This particular Malibu is a nice one, and preserving it would serve as a window into an era when the motoring industry began to go through some of the greatest changes in its entire history.

Comments

  1. Avatar KSwheatfarmer

    Guy in town had one just like this,same level of cleanliness,so anal he would pick all the rocks,sand and gravel out of the tire tread before driving it back in the garage every night. This one made me recall seeing him do it.

    Like 14
  2. Avatar Skorzeny

    Ugh. I like the body style but the headlights are grotesque.

    Like 2
  3. Avatar Bakyrdhero

    These cars have always bores me to tears. They are slightly more appealing to me now because we are both getting older I guess. This one looks well taken care of though.

    Like 14
  4. Avatar ChevyTruckGuy

    A great looking cruiser. Won’t bust your budget. I always liked the styling of the GM “Colonnade” A-Body cars. Hope it goes to a good home!

    Like 15
  5. Avatar BRAKTRCR

    I had two 76 wagons in the mid eighties. One was a had the good drive train, the other the good body. Made a great bullit proof vehicle. They have a full frame, so many of these ended up in dirt tracks all over the U.S.
    I don’t know of any combination better, than the 350, with a 350 tranny. I drove the car across the U.S. and back without any incident.
    To be honest, this not my favorite body style, but i like the look better, than when i owned one. This would be a great car for many folks…. just one deal breaker for many of us. No A.C. best of luck to buyer and seller

    Like 10
  6. Avatar Rock On

    Aftermarket air conditioning is available for these vehicles. All electronic controls are even better than the factory original. No a/c should stop anyone from buying a full-size or midsize car anymore.

    Like 10
  7. Avatar Stevieg

    I like this. It takes me back to my “mullet” days lol. I had a 1975 similar to this, but mine had the inline 6. Oil burner, real bad lol. But I painted on some SS stripes, threw some mags on it & cruised the strip in it anyhow. The number 1 cylinder would foul the plug after 35-40 miles, and I had to add a quart of oil every 200 miles, but it got me to the strip & looked good. To a 19 year old kid, that was all I cared about. My older self rolls my eyes at my younger self lol.

    Like 18
  8. Avatar Bakyrdhero

    @StevieG our younger selves did what we could to make them ours right? At 19 our cars were hand me downs that we still owed our parents for, or beaters that we saved every penny to buy. They were usually well worn and battle scarred, just needing some personal touches from the local go fast parts store to make them “feel like our own” hats off to our younger selves!

    Like 10
  9. Avatar J_Paul Member

    I suddenly have the urge to raise a boombox above my head and play Peter Gabriel.

    Like 8
  10. Avatar tom

    I’m a Chevy guy but I never paid much attention to these mid-70’s Chevelles until I saw “Drive” with Ryan Gosling. Now they look badass to me.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY1TLgqfjvw

    Like 5
  11. Avatar Miguel

    I would hold out for a car with at least a few options for the same money.

    Like 3
  12. Avatar W9BAG

    A buddy of mine from high school had one of these. His rich Grandma bought it for him as a graduation present. His was 2 tone; red & white, swivel seats, console, with a 400 (?) Very nice car that we all were envious of.

    Like 4
  13. Avatar MDW66

    I have a Laguna nose for one of these. Out of a wreaking yard 15ish years ago.

    Like 3
  14. Avatar 86_Vette_Convertible

    I had a 74 Malibu Classic, 350 3 on the tree. Brown body with a beige vinyl top and interior. Bought new and boy was that a dog when I got it. Barely run with all the smog crap on it, till the warranty ran out. Putting live vacuum to the distributor and recurving it made a world of difference, then add a little carb magic to it and ran a whole lot better and picked up 7 mpg on it on the highway.
    I expect if there’s any rust it’s behind the wheels, but this one looked pretty good overall.

    Like 4
  15. Avatar Ian C

    Might not be the most desirable GM product ever…. but dang that seems like a bargain for this car!

    I’d roll it.

    Like 4
  16. Avatar Mazoomda

    Beautiful car, cant help but hum the Cake tune…… Stickshifts & Safetybelts. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Zip4QyJyD5g

    Like 0
  17. Avatar Tim Moore

    My very first car was a ’77 Malibu Classic, red with white interior, white landau top. Inline 6, automatic. My dad gave $600 bucks for it. We cleaned it up, got it painted and a new top put on and I drove it for several years. I absolutely loved that car. Got me started on a loooooong road of all thing mechanical!! Lol. Everytime I see one all the great high school memories come back!!!

    Like 1
  18. Avatar Del

    Love this one.

    Price is reasonable

    Like 1
  19. Avatar Gransedan

    Interesting that the wheel opening trim has been removed from this car. The attachment point holes are visible in the photo of the left rear wheel opening. This trim was standard equipment on a Malibu Classic according to the sales brochure.

    Like 0
  20. Avatar Daniel Pio

    The 1973 Malibu was a more impressive find, with the same body yet the tail lights of the 1972 Chevelle. I owned one with swivel buckets and floor console, cool car.

    Like 0

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