Up for grabs in Oregon is a true Canadian-market 1980 Chevy Camaro Z28, as found here on craigslist. The car is a largely complete example that sports a manual transmission and fixed roof, as it was ordered from the factory with the T-Tops deleted. It was also spec’d out with the A/C system deleted, giving this Camaro the feeling of a bare-bones example with the added rigidity of the solid roof construction. Feels like a race car in the making to me!
Overall, the body of this Z28 looks straight and true. The color-matched wheels are consistent with the exterior paint job, and if the one-family ownership history holds water, this Camaro appears to have been loved. The seller says there’s no rust in any of the places you’d expect, but I don’t know if that guarantees rust won’t appear elsewhere. Front and rear, the original Z28 badges remain in place along with the various aero bits unique to the car. Although it is said to run and drive well, it hasn’t been run in about two years.
The interior looks a bit funky, but I do love seeing the unusual KMH speedo on the dash. The seats need some work and the floors look downright rough, but it is refreshing to see the original steering wheel still in place and that row-it-yourself shifter sticking out of the console. However, it looks like it’s been dank inside that cabin, with plenty of evidence of mildew (and maybe worse) spread across the seats and wheel. Bring some Armor All and a face mask if your mold allergies are strong.
I love this generation of Z28s, and this Canadian-market car looks like a deserving candidate for restoration. Of course, being that it came from up north, you’ll want to perform a thorough exam for any significant rust issues, along with the usual business of making sure the seller’s import paperwork is in order dating back to when it came the U.S. $8,000 isn’t an awful price, but I think the interior condition could be used as a bargaining chip to get the price down a bit lower. What would you offer?
8g? For that? He could have washed the thing if he expects that kind of money which is not going to happen anyway. Nice moldy damp interior. 8g? Come on now….
This was an $800 car not that long ago. Pass.
Wear a mask. That thing is covered with mold.
Forget the Armor-all, bring the Clorox, and a haz-mat suit…
That price is way too strong for that car. It is the 80 with the 350/4 speed which is the one you want but it is probably more like a 3500 car.
“Canadian” sale would have meant a kph speedometer, possibly a French language “unleaded fuel only” decal, and possibly a Canadian emissions calibration.
T-tops were optional, not standard. 4-speed manual trans was standard.
The “soft bumper” cars of this body series are still VERY low in pricing, unlike the ’77-’70 cars, so $8K is WAY too high, for a nice car, much less one that still need some work to be “very good”.
If done right, it’ll make a nice car. Just not really cost effective right now.
I was thinking the same thing. This is a Z-28, not a 928 which had a standard sunroof. Nothing to delete. Still, $15000 worth of work on top of the asking price and someone will have themself a nice $19000 car.
MB,
The speedometer is in Kilometers. You’d have to blow this thing completely apart and get all the mold out of it. That means all new textiles etc. It could be a nice car but you’d be in it way too deep unless you were doing it out of love.
NO SUCH thing as a t-top or a/c delete!!!! Those were options!!!!
Some cars ain’t worth nothin’. Is this one of them?
I sold my Formula Ford several years ago for $6000. It was a competitive car. ( I finished second in my last race against 17 other Fords). But it was not very pretty or original looking, with its much safer side radiators. So the buyer made it look pretty by throwing four times the purchase price at it. Then he had the nerve to tell me that the car was worth nothing when he bought it. I thought it was worth nothing after he made it pretty because his lap times were a couple of seconds slower than mine when the car was ugly.
I suppose that the above is a little off the subject but I am not responsible for EVERYTHING that I write.
We see all sorts of these “projects” which are severely overpriced. The amazing thing is that sometimes somebody buys them.
I kinda like this blue mould lab. ‘course I kinda like Canucks because they know how far a kilometer is and what the temperature is in Celsius. I don’t even know which state or province Celsius is in.
An early ’80’s Z28 sitting outside for who knows how long in the Pacific Northwest. Potential buyers of this would be wise to inspect the rear frame rails…closely. Then offer 1/2 the ask.
Good thing the original owner did not get T-Tops! I worked for a Chevy dealership back then and they were a water leak/wind noise waiting to happen! NIGHTMARE!🙀
No kidding. If that thing had been ordered with t-tops it would probably need all new carpets, upholstery and headliner.