Sometimes, you just shouldn’t. Maybe that’s the case with this 1983 Chevrolet Caprice Classic brought to us from tipster extraordinaire Mitchell G. It a four-door car that’s been sitting for twenty years and is available now on craigslist. Currently, it resides in the environs of Philly, so at least you can go get a cheese steak when you pick it up. You’ll have pocket money to spare, after all, as the ask on this sedan is just $3350.
Why not do it? Because there’s nothing particularly collectible about an early 1980s Chevy four-door. This one might have the police package, the ad hints, but how much does that add to the value? Then again, if you’re looking for a driver, this offers comfort and relative safety from those who prefer to text over paying attention to the road, because it’s properly built in the way American cars tended to be in its decade. So just looking at this one from a used-car perspective, it might be worth considering. Too bad there’s aren’t more images to let you see what you’d be getting. What’s the car look like under the hood? How bad is that nasty-looking interior? Does the AC work? (Unlikely, if it is even so equipped.)
Even with more images in place, you’d be asking, “Is the Caprice flawless?” Far from it. There are paint issues beyond just the fact that the original blue is badly faded. Portions of the body look like someone has attacked them with a Brillo Pad. Rust seems to be confined to the body surfaces (and be very present there), but has anyone crawled underneath to see what’s there? Could we please see in the trunk? The underside of a car tells you a lot about its long-term viability, especially in an East-Coast machine.
But if you decide that what you see is good enough, what else will you need to do? Replace the tires, probably. Do the brakes, cooling system, and other rubber parts. Take a wheel to the bodywork and see if you can bring up some brilliance in what’s left of the paint. And after that, what will you have? The same $3500 beater you began with. At least you can brag that you didn’t leave this one out in the cold, or warmth, to further fall to the ravages of time. You’ll be the person who rescued this car from the crusher. Is that emotional satisfaction worth a certain dollar figure? That’s up to you to decide.
Don’t recall ever seeing any Chevy police car of that era come across the lot with electrically adjusted seats; no holes in the trans tunnel where a radio stack would’ve bolted with the shotgun rack next to it. Other than the plain wheels it doesn’t really come across as a old police car.
That it started up and ran with so little effort is great, but the rest of the car doesn’t appear to have fared as well.
A better price IMO would be $533!
I concur!
In 1991 I bought a 1989 Caprice 9C1 with 70K miles that had been a North Carolina Highway Patrol Cruiser, had a power front seat, carpet, no holes, and came with the full wheel covers that I replaced with the Dog Dish poverty caps. the LO5 TBI 5.7 Liter was around 200HP, but not bad for 1989. Had Engine Oil/Trans cooler, Cop Shocks, Suspension, loved that car.
My ’89 9C1 was one of the best cars I’ve ever owned, and I’ve owned a few.
Love the square Chevy Cop cars. Impala, Caprice and up here until 82 or 83, the Bel-Air.
Like those box chevys. That one you cant really tell what you are getting. No engine bay pics, trunk or undercarriage. Maybe a taker will be found in that area. Looks like an extensive restoration if the rust is all over it.
I think it would make a great car-truck, like a bigger El Camino. Take out the back seat, cut the roof off at the back and move the back window forward, throw away the trunk lid and slide in a pickup bed. There used to be a company selling kits to do it and there are companies selling kits to do it to other cars, so maybe they are still around.
These were decent demo cars
It could be a police package, ordered with some options for someone special, but more likely just a family car that came with dog-dish hubcaps, or someone put them there. A decent car in it’s day, with an underpowered 305 4bbl. Relatives of mine had an 85 in the same color with the new 4.3 V6 with throttle body injection, that was a good running car, but they aren’t made that well, which is why there’s so few left. This one, even with power windows, seats, and tilt wheel, I doubt if they’ll find a buyer at that price, or any price, considering what it will need. Even if it were a coupe.
Chevrolet’s 9C1 police package was available on the Impala in 1983, not the Caprice.
I dont see 3350 there especially theres no more pics or note of mileage
20 years ago this was a 100.00 dollar car. It seems it still is.
Barn Finds, please remove the flag from Frank Drackman’s post!
The only things that say police to me are the front buckets. And aren’t those Ford caps?
I believe you are correct sir! I think I have seen those caps on Mercury Cougars with beauty rings, and less optioned Ford Torino’s.
This car would be a big hit at Cars and Crappy…
Wait…..looking into the future…I see …yes…22inch wheels a horrendous cake pudding thick purple paint job aannnd, yes orange upholstery with a trunk full of speakers, a billet grille, black tint windows, and twin exhaust with the Chevy emblem type tail pipes. Yes, then I see it in a row at the local pull-a-part.
So true man! Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!
That is a lot of money for a demolition derby candidate but you might be able to get some of your investment back by selling off the glass and other pieces you have to remove.
Another case of … WOW am I missing something? I really just don’t get it. You can post a rusted bolt and say it’s from a 69 Chevelle big block on here and someone will bid $10000 lmao 😅😂.
🔩 Here it is, low mileage, no documentation, not original, but I found it in a barn next to a 69 Chevelle HhhhaaAa
This reserve auction raced up to 9000 but has not been met reserve. Lmao 🤣🤣🤣😂😂