The owner of this 1974 Chevrolet Vega Estate Wagon is a collector and has decided that the time has come to downsize his collection. The first car that he has chosen to part with is this 1974 Chevrolet Vega Wagon. It is in impressive condition for its age and would suit the person hunting for a practical classic. If that person is you, then you will find the Vega located in Naples, Florida, and listed for sale here on eBay. The BIN for this little wagon has been set at $15,995, but the option is available to make an offer. It seems that our ever-vigilant Barn Finder Ikey H has had his radar working because he is the person who spotted this one for us. Thank you so much for that Ikey.
The owner states that the Estate is original, right down to the Dark Carmine paint. The paint is generally in very good condition for a vehicle of this age, but the owner does note that it does have a few very minor chips. Of course, this is a 46-year-old car, so some chips should be expected. The woodgrain looks really good, and even the extremely vulnerable edge trim appears to be intact. That alone is something that makes this Vega stand out because that trim can suffer from some pretty horrendous levels of deterioration. The other impressive feature of the Estate is its lack of rust. There is none visible on the outside of the vehicle, and the underside is said to actually be clean and shiny. Try finding another ’74 Vega that can live up to that claim! The alloy wheels look to be in first-class condition and wear a fresh new set of tires. With no issues to note with either the external trim or the glass, this is a Vega that shows a lot of promise.
The impressive presentation continues inside the Estate. Light-colored interior trim can begin to look tired very easily, particularly when it is as old as this. The Vega has managed to avoid these problems, with the interior being close to perfect. The owner uses that much-abused term ‘time capsule” to describe the vehicle, but in this case, it would seem to be justified. It is pretty hard to find anything much to be critical of. For me, the single most impressive aspect of the interior is the condition of the cargo area. With light carpet and pale trim, that is a recipe for things to get ugly pretty quickly. it isn’t perfect, but it isn’t that far off it either. Even though he is a collector who has seen plenty of cars throughout his life, the owner is impressed by how well equipped the Estate is. Apart from a sports wheel, rear defroster, full carpet, and an AM/FM stereo radio, the Vega even manages to score air conditioning. That is one feature which is a little unusual to find, so it rates as a nice score in this car.
One aspect of the Vega which is oft-criticized is the engine. This 140ci 4-cylinder engine was prone to some pretty woeful reliability issues during early production, but by 1974, the majority of these problems had been eliminated. These included issues with noise, harshness, but most importantly, overheating. Of course, there were still some inherent problems that were not eliminated until a later redesign that appeared in around 1976, but things were definitely on the improve by 1974. If you have your doubts, just look at it this way: Any Vega that has lasted this long and is still numbers-matching must be a good one. That seems to be the case with this car. Backing the engine in the Estate is a 3-speed Hydramatic transmission. The owner hs performed a fair amount of general maintenance on the Estate, including a full fluid flush, and all of the general servicing tasks that you would expect to maintain a car in good mechanical health. So, is it in good health? The answer seems to be a resounding yes. This car doesn’t remain locked away in a garage or barn. it starts and runs well, and is said to drive like new. It is taken out for a drive a couple of times per month, and during its 46-years of active service, it is claimed that it has only managed to accrue a genuine 34,700 miles. The owner doesn’t mention whether he holds any evidence to back this claim, but he sounds like he might be the sort of individual who would keep things pretty thoroughly documented.
I know that a 1974 Vega Estate is not going to be everyone’s idea of a true classic, but every classic has to start somewhere. Cars like the Edsel and Corvair have been much-maligned in the past, but look at how collectible they have become today. This may or may not be the case with the Vega in the future, but think back and try to remember the last time that you saw a Vega Estate on the road in your travels. Even more importantly, try to remember the last time that you saw one that was as nice as this one is. For the majority of you, the answer will end with the word “years.” Maybe that alone is enough for cars like this to start to be taken seriously as classics.
WOW! Barn Finds, you’re just KILLING me with all of these desirable “quirky” cars!! This one is really sharp! GLWTA! :-)
appears to have Minilites from a Cosworth on it?
interesting choice on a woodgrain wagon but look sharp!
16k is a bit steep for a Vega, Corvairs had more successful engineering and style and don’t see too many at that price range.
Give me a Corvair any day over this faux wall paper siding that won’t match up to the angle of the front corners. But, RARE it is indeed
Always good to see a cheap economy car from the 70’s which has survived, and in this case, thrived. An attractive and well-equipped Vega. I too wonder about the price, but we’ve seen similar-condition Pinto wagons fetch into the five figures.
I want to see the “Estate” this sturdy little unit was associated with.
Its a well preserved and well equipped Vega wagon, take that 1 off the price and it would be reasonable at $5995.
If it were a GT Kammback, I’d be interested, but not at that price!
Single barrel Rochester carburator, so this car’s HP is going to be under 90 hp, and with AC, drop it another 10-15 hp. This 2.3L inline four can be tweaked though, and drop in a two barrel Holley for a boost up to 110-120.
It’s had some major engine work or something. Engine compartment is supposed to be body colored, not black. It’s especially shown around the fender bolts and the top of the firewall which should definitely be all body color. Someone has gone in with a rattle can of black and that wouldn’t be done unless you had the engine out for some reason. These aren’t areas that rust, so no need to paint the firewall or inner fender wells.
I’ve had 26 of these cars through the mid 80’s and know those beasties quite well. I do miss them.
26? Why? Fatal attraction?
$4500 at best. It isn’t a Zo6. To the seller. Drop the price. It’ll go the same day.
Could be another of those “But, honey, I TRIED to sell it!” situations.
This car sold six months ago for $6,000. I know because I was just a little too late trying to buy it.
markt39
This one has been kicking around the Vega world for a while, and yes, it’s overpriced. The “all-original” claim is suspect. The wood grain looks too light to my eyes, and the wood surround on the tailgate is definitely not right. It should dip around the license plate holder, and even on their worst day in1974, GM wouldn’t use mismatched stick on moldings. Still a really nice $5000.00 car if mileage can be verified.
If the engine is as sound as the seller says it is , then I’d have to say it’s been reworked, I’ve had a few of these with low miles back in day, and at 35-40k, you’d be pulling into the service station saying, “fill er up with oil, and check the gas please!” Nice little wagon, but like everyone else, $5k, tops!
$16K for a Vega wagon? This is a direct result of legalized marijuana coupled with barret jackson fever. I like Vega cars but for $16k I can buy something fun to drive. Just sayin.
Like a Corvair turbo
Imagine having an estate. Imagine having a Vega.
The Cosworth wheels were added at some point later, but I extremely doubt this Kammback with Custom interior option and A/C was built new with the one-barrel carb.
I have read on the leading Vega FB page that black engine compartment meant Ste. Therese, Quebec assembly.
Well, It is would be the perfect first car to get rid of if you have a car collection…lol
I had almost the identical unit as a youngster and fixed the engine at least twice then opted for an iron duke four popper to bring resolve to the engine issues…
IMO there was not much of value with these cars then or now so for 15k this should require a mental evaluation of the buyer or interested party.
My dad always said these cars were way worse cars than a corvair…one of GM weakest moments
Except for their modern 6,7 and 9 speed automatic transmission problems they refuse to recall.
may as well drive a station wagon ford focus ,at least it has performance ,better handling and cheaper to buy than this overpriced heap…
Or a Ford Escort. They were good cars as long as you changed the timing belt on time
Or a Buick, Olds. Pontiac or Chevy Celebrity Wagon with faux wall paper. Iron Duke 4 or 2.8 v6
Or a Buick, Olds. Pontiac or Chevy Celebrity Wagon with faux wall paper. Iron Duke 4 or 2.8 v6
If only it were more affordable, I would love to buy this. It would be fun to drive it to California, on the PCH, where I could jump out while I watch it sail off a cliff into the Pacific. If only…
Or a YUGO!!!