I want a Chevelle but unfortunatly do not know anything about cars. I just fell in love with the Chevelle. What should I be looking for when buying one. I see that the price range is from 5k-100k which means I need to be looking for something. Some are very nice with a 454 new paint and interior for 8000. And a similar looking one will be 30,000. I can't tell a difference though. Please let me know what I need to be asking or looking for. Thanks!
Which Chevelle to choose?
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142 Posts
Bring someone with you that knows these cars so you don't get boned!:yes:
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4,703 Posts
Hello and welcome Sam. There is no clear cut answer without knowing more of what your intentions are.
Do you want to own a numbers matching car?
What year do you want?
Do you intend on keeping it for along time?
Do you want something that is 100% complete?
Do you like the stock appearance or modified?
The list goes on.
As stated above, you may want to find someone knowledgeable about chevelles. Maybe join a local chevelle club.
Do you want to own a numbers matching car?
What year do you want?
Do you intend on keeping it for along time?
Do you want something that is 100% complete?
Do you like the stock appearance or modified?
The list goes on.
As stated above, you may want to find someone knowledgeable about chevelles. Maybe join a local chevelle club.
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5,516 Posts
Class... this is SAM... everyone welcome Sam to TEAM CHEVELLE UNIVERSITY!! :hurray:
First things first my friend.. and usually that means.. what is in your budget?? Be Honest.. what are you truly willing to spend on a Chevelle.. nevermind the condition or options or year...
Then it's a baby steps and asking lots of questions and never ever buying one without asking your fellow students first if you are making a good purchase!
Mike Crown
First things first my friend.. and usually that means.. what is in your budget?? Be Honest.. what are you truly willing to spend on a Chevelle.. nevermind the condition or options or year...
Then it's a baby steps and asking lots of questions and never ever buying one without asking your fellow students first if you are making a good purchase!
Mike Crown
he most important decision is as Mike and Tim have stated....Be honest with yourself as to what you want to spend initially and during ownership.
Then it is hours of research. Look at all the different years and determine which one you like the most and how to buy the most car within your budget.
Consider that we are probably half way thru the peak of this driving season. As this economy continues to collapse patience to wait until late fall early winter will pay dividends. The last 18 months have certainly produced a slow down in this market and who knows what the next 12 will bring.
Then it is hours of research. Look at all the different years and determine which one you like the most and how to buy the most car within your budget.
Consider that we are probably half way thru the peak of this driving season. As this economy continues to collapse patience to wait until late fall early winter will pay dividends. The last 18 months have certainly produced a slow down in this market and who knows what the next 12 will bring.
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1,334 Posts
Welcome, Sam. Mike really hit it on the head. Budget is first and foremost and in your case it's even more important. You said you don't know anything about cars. By that do you mean that you aren't mechanical and don't know anything about working on them or is it simply that you aren't familiar with the ins-and-outs of Chevelles? We're typically talking about cars that are at least 35 years old, so if you're unable to do any of your own work it's going to be a "pay me now or pay me later" scenario. You'll pay a lot now for a car that's "done" or you'll get a project and have to pay someone else a lot down the road in order to repair/maintain/restore it.
Good luck in your search, whatever you choose.
Good luck in your search, whatever you choose.
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3,799 Posts
Hi Sam,
Welcome to Team Chevelle. If you have any questions, this is the place to ask them. There is a wealth of information on this site and many knowledgeable people that will give you the answers to make an intelligent decision.
No matter what year Chevelle you decide to purchase, I would purchase one that is as complete as possible with as little rust as possible.
Check back often and keep us updated. Good Luck.
Welcome to Team Chevelle. If you have any questions, this is the place to ask them. There is a wealth of information on this site and many knowledgeable people that will give you the answers to make an intelligent decision.
No matter what year Chevelle you decide to purchase, I would purchase one that is as complete as possible with as little rust as possible.
Check back often and keep us updated. Good Luck.
If you know nothing about cars, I would HIGHLY recommend hiring someone to locate a car for you - once you've figured out which year you're looking for and what your HONEST budget is. And I would highly recommend that you buy a "done" version of whichever year you select.
You also need to decide whether you want something that's original vs having been cloned into something different than it was when it left the factory. If it's original it needs documentation and someone to validate the documents and car components, particularly if you're new to all of this. There are lots of thieves and con artists in our hobby. That's a fact. Things are regularity misrepresented. Fraud is always lurking. Given the money involved, it is critical to get an expert working for you, IMO.
We have a number of experts here. Model year specific experts. Mike Crown probably forgot more about 66's than most ever knew. Rick Nelson knows '70's. Personally I hired Rick to find my '70. Don Lightfoot knows '69's.
Orginality = $$ - but, as a general rule, is a better long term investment - if that's your motivation.
You can buy one done alot cheaper than you can have others do it for you. Trust me. I know!!
You also need to decide whether you want something that's original vs having been cloned into something different than it was when it left the factory. If it's original it needs documentation and someone to validate the documents and car components, particularly if you're new to all of this. There are lots of thieves and con artists in our hobby. That's a fact. Things are regularity misrepresented. Fraud is always lurking. Given the money involved, it is critical to get an expert working for you, IMO.
We have a number of experts here. Model year specific experts. Mike Crown probably forgot more about 66's than most ever knew. Rick Nelson knows '70's. Personally I hired Rick to find my '70. Don Lightfoot knows '69's.
Orginality = $$ - but, as a general rule, is a better long term investment - if that's your motivation.
You can buy one done alot cheaper than you can have others do it for you. Trust me. I know!!
Thanks so much guys for the response. I meant I do not know anything mechanically and I guess much about cars in general. My budget I hope is under 10k. Anyways these are the cars I looked at
http://www.collectorcarsforsale.com/classic-cars-for-sale/l2226.html
http://www.collectorcarsforsale.com/classic-cars-for-sale/l2372.html
http://www.collectorcarsforsale.com/classic-cars-for-sale/l2357.html
The last one is my favorite. So I need to find out what is not original on the car because the less original the less it's worth right.
http://www.collectorcarsforsale.com/classic-cars-for-sale/l2226.html
http://www.collectorcarsforsale.com/classic-cars-for-sale/l2372.html
http://www.collectorcarsforsale.com/classic-cars-for-sale/l2357.html
The last one is my favorite. So I need to find out what is not original on the car because the less original the less it's worth right.
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757 Posts
I hate to break it to you but there is no doubt in my mind those are scams. There is no way you could buy any of those cars based on the pictures provided for under $10,000. Realistically those chevelles would probably be in the range of $30,000+. Please beware of scams. Their are alot of them out there. Don't give anyone any money before seeing the car in person.
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386 Posts
Please, don't buy the first chevelle you look at thats for sale. Spend one week for every thousand your willing to spend doing research. Network through the members of this site to help you find the most car for the money. These guy's Know the best deals out there. There always shopping chevelle's. Know what you want. That's the most important. If the car you want is in another state find a member in that state to look at it. This will save you time and money. These guy's are willing to help. Good luck.
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386 Posts
I think 15k will really put you in the ballpark. Ten thousand will buy a project car, 15k will buy a driver that needs work. Around 20k will buy a nice car that may not need much. Keep in mind these cars will always need work.
Again that depends on your definition of "nice". The difference in a nice driver and a nice show car can mean ten thousand dollars alone. I would imagine that for $10,000 you would be able to get into a decent Chevelle. It might need patches, quarters, etc down the road but who says you can't drive it and enjoy it for another 10 years?
8 years ago I paid $2000 for mine. When I took it home it had bad bodywork, 3 paint jobs & a ragged out 350. 8 years later it still needs bodywork (cuz I have since pulled all the filler out of it) 1 cheap paint job (to keep it from rusting away) and a nasty little 402 (cuz that 350 went tits up).
Now, it's far from perfect but I love it cuz it's mine and there's nothing else in the whole wide world that compares to mashing that pedal.
Try to buy local if you can, and always bring a second set of eyes. The second person will see things that you don't because you'll be so excited about buying a Chevelle.
A quick search of Craigslist - Atlanta came up with these:
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/710942983.html
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/708718770.html
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/706622909.html
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/705838829.html
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/701878011.html
A quick search of Craigslist - Atlanta came up with these:
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/710942983.html
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/708718770.html
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/706622909.html
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/705838829.html
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/701878011.html
Hey thanks for the craigslist info. What about this car as a fixer upper
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/690465026.html
Is it necessary to check for matching number?
What prices am I looking for to fix the engine or other major repairs. Thanks again for the help guys
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/690465026.html
Is it necessary to check for matching number?
What prices am I looking for to fix the engine or other major repairs. Thanks again for the help guys
Your best bet is to spend a bunch of time researching before spending your money. If you dont know anything about cars in general in the first place then your going to have to pay professionals to repair certain things when they go wrong. First thing you can do is spend time researching team chevelle for things one should know before buying a classic car. One thing for sure, dont let your heart run away with cars you find in person right away. It might even be best to get to know things about Chevelles and 40 year old cars before even trying to search any classifieds.
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2,089 Posts
I think that hit the nail on the head. I paid $4500 for my car, but wish I had just saved another $5k or so to put toward one. Check the body over, and try to find something with the least amount of work needed. Interior is not as important. You can redo the entire interior yourself for $2k or so, but the bodywork will eat up your bank account fast. The little things also add up fast if you need to replace them. Simple things like weatherstripping, any trim pieces. Even things like ball joints and bushings.
Look at all of the little things, to see if you can live with their condition, because it will add up fast, and try to do most of the needed work yourself
Oh, you can try CraigsHelper, you can just put in the area of the country you want to search, and your keyword (Chevelle)
Depends on what needs to be fixed and how much you can do yourself. As others have said, I highly recommend buying a complete running car.
Then you can make the changes to it that you want while it's driveable. You don't want this new found excitement to have a Chevelle to turn sour, by having a Chevelle that doesn't run sitting in your garage.
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