The venerable Chevrolet Nova, launched in 1962 as the Chevy II, was one of GM’s best sellers. It was redesigned for the fourth and final time in 1975, retaining its rear-wheel-drive platform. More than 334,000 copies were sold in 1976 when economy was the name of the game. Yet a third of them had Chevy’s smallest V8 at the time, 305 cubic inches. That motor resides under the hood of this car, which runs well but is cosmetically challenged. Located in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, this rough coupe is available here on eBay, where the current bid is $865.
There was nothing special about the 1975-79 Novas, which had spawned badge-engineered copies at all the other GM divisions except for Cadillac. But they were reliable, which drove consumer demand. Three body styles represented the choices that buyers had, a 2-door hatchback and 2-and-4-door sedans. 1976 would be the last year that performance would even be a function of the Nova, and the Super Sport was gone after that.
Though V8 power came in the seller’s Nova, it has a “3-on-the-tree” manual transmission that was slowly becoming a thing of the past in U.S.-built automobiles. This Chevy has seen more than 125,000 miles, and it certainly wears the part with sunburnt upholstery, faded paint, and corrosion in a few places. The seller has owned the vehicle for five years, while it resided in Virginia prior to that. New parts include the tires, front brakes, master brake cylinder, and a few more items.
Besides dealing with the Chevy’s cosmetic issues, the seller’s mechanic suggests other work to be done, including replacing the windshield, the axle boots, and its CV joints. But you could do that and simply drive it as-is if looks aren’t important. That’s what the seller would be doing if he had not acquired a Ford Mustang and doesn’t have a need for both vehicles.
Since when did 1976 Novas come with CV joints?
I was wondering the exact same thing!
No c/v joints here and no dual exhaust here. Dual outlets from one muffler.
Is that the “check engine” light lit up on the dashboard in that interior picture? LoL. I think that $865 bid is probably as much as they should expect for this. I honestly don’t know why someone would put a car like this up for auction.
Check engine lights didn’t come into play until the early / mid-eighties and were yellow in color. It looks like it may be the parking brake depressed because I cannot see the pedal. Regardless, a 76 Nova with 3 pedals is pretty rare and cool. The younger me would snatch this up and restore it with a 4 speed and floor shift. Theres not much complexity to these cars and parts are easy to find. I did that with a 69 base 307 Camaro back in 1981, bought it from a lady, it was maroon with a half white vinyl roof and white interior. Stripped the top and all the factory paint, installed rear spoiler, Z hood, blacked out the grille and added the emblems. Dropped a 400 small block, 4 bolt main in the engine compartment and had a pretty fast car. Then primered, blocked sanded and went back with silver paint. Someone rearended it at a stoplight about 6 months later and it was totaled.
Bummer.
If those are the only real issues (outside of cosmetic) that need completed, this seems like a bargain. The underside appears solid, as does most of the body. Fix those things and drive it!
I didn’t know they still had column sticks by 1976. Hmm.
79 was the last year for 3 on the tree.
I had 2 78 novas one was a rs with 4 speed on the floor the other was a 3 on the tree
You bet they had 3 on the tree in the mid 70’s. Wife learned to drive in one, but a 250. Her dad never spent a cent more than he had to.
Amazing how our parents didn’t spend for AC, auto, power windows until the kids were grown.
This rust bucket is worth scrap value, but the bid is over that. Parts value may be slightly higher
Premiering tonight – CSI Nova. That front seat looks horrendous…
I don’t see these bids getting much higher, if at all. Reason for auction is, ” it has to go “. Of all the Nova’s I’ve seen over the years this thing has got to be the most ugliest Nova of them all.
It sure has taken a beating from the sun, looks more like a car that was from out west or New Mexico
I remember when these 75-79 Nova’s were pretty common out in the wild- and half of them dog-legged like they had a twisted frame- I can’t remember what caused it – I’m thinking something made the rearend (bushings maybe?) push the axle out of alignment? Does that sound right?
They used to look funny going down the road a bit sideways. I always thought it was rotting frames where leaf springs were mounted.
worth what the high bid is.
Oh come on. Surely someone will buy it, clean it up and drive it. If it runs, it’s worth more than scrap. Especially with a manual, if you ever decide to do much with it, a floor shift is a breeze.
My buddy would buy these cars in the late 80s and early 90s. Never paid over $750 for one.