[mcfly1883]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-Chevrolet-Nova-Deluxe-Trim/184014978613

1966 Nova, four door, 37k original (claimed) miles, very clean. I will echo recent thoughts on prices of four doors and say this seems high at 12999.00. I'm gonna sound old, but gotta say the typical "just a few years ago" you could find these for less than 4k...well, may more than a few years, but within the last 10 at least.

Nonetheless, a great looking car!

Is this the current market for a clean four door?

 

[2chevy2s]

If I was looking for a 66 4 door, I would be looking into this car. looks pretty nice. You really do not know until you see it. I AM INTERESTED IN THE PEDAL TRACTOR AND OLD BIKE IN THE PICTURES.

 

[Redrider66SS]

for an all original 66 thats a keeper for sure. i don't think you could restore a 4-dr. for that price. as the body work an paint is a huge cost. if i only had a 3 car garage, as that would look good parked next to my 2-dr 66.

 

[Clean 65]

Wow, what a ride!

Looks great! :yes:

 

[Rusty63]

nice piece!

however, not liking the spray bomb action in the trunk to cover what would probably be light surface rust spots. personally, rather see the rust in those spots for sake of originality.

under the hood appears resprayed, new hood insulation, too.

also assuming the body respray is a good one, up close. didn't mask off the trunk latching mechanism so just wondering.

it is a nice car, but for that price to say it is a time capsule with nothing done to it may be a bit misleading...more like "well-maintained" smells more fitting:yes:

-Rusty

 

[AllyMcReal]

Yeah, you gotta look. There are cars with 32K original miles that look rough around the edges, so owners clean them up a bit and respray here and there. Again, the value in the car would be both the originality and the way it runs; if you find some rust that's been buttered over or it smokes or leaks like a sieve, then you could be into the car for more money, or be buying what should go for $4-$6K all day long. Takes a look in person.

 

[CdnL79 Registry]

It's very seldom you find a 50+ year old car that can be claimed as '100% original', and this isn't one, either. It's also said to be numbers matching and unmolested.

First, the front and rear seat covers look to be non original and not even factory correct reproductions. The air cleaner says it's a 230 CID engine, but there don't appear to be '230' emblems on the front fenders. Have the fenders been replaced or just a '230' air cleaner on a 194 CID engine (no fender emblems with the 194)? As already mentioned, the engine has undergone a substantial refinishing and detailing. Also as mentioned, the effort to cover up trunk wear is amateurish. There are also auxiliary gauges under the dash which were not original.

To be fair, the car was owned by the sellers late father. It appears there might have been things done to this car by dad that the seller is not aware of and only SNS Chevy II gurus would notice. In any event, it's not a good idea to list a car as '100% original, numbers matching and unmolested' unless you know for sure it's true. Having stated all this, it still appears to be a great car and, after an inspection and getting questions answered, could result in a fair deal being negotiated.

Bob

 

[Rusty63]

Noticed the seats and gauges...the air cleaner was a great catch!

All being said, seeing what we can...

Would the gurus care to throw out an honest price you would be willing to open negotiations at? Us less knowledgeable enthusiasts really appreciate opportunities for mock pricing help. Sure, folks can say "it's worth what someone is willing to pay," but that helps little to get a feel for what real world pricing is from knowledgeable individuals we (or at least I) have come to trust on this site.

It also adds a layer of what the Hagerty, etc., list prices are versus what real people are truly willing to offer.

Thanks for any input!

-Rusty

 

[mcfly1883]

Yes, I noticed the seats, hood insulation, gauges, and touch-up paint in the trunk as well. Definitely not "100%" original, but they seldom are.

As Rusty63 mentioned, I, too, am interested in what the gurus would price this one at. I understand it would take an in-person inspection, but assuming the pictures are accurate, is there a known price level for this car?

 

[CdnL79 Registry]

Based on the ad, this car doesn't seem to be 'as advertised'. Before price is even considered, I'd want an explanation of the engine/fender emblem discrepancy and an inspection to determine if there are other things that aren't as advertised. As for price, if it was 'as advertised', it might be worth the asking price. I'd be taking off money for each untruth after that.

Bob

 

[AllyMcReal]

This one really has to be seen in person. It's not a 5 figures car, in my opinion.

Big questions:

-how well does it run and drive, does it leak or smoke, or need any mechanical attention
-RUST
-body filler under the repaint

If the car inspects out at the low end of all three, say that it needs mechanical work, it's rusty under butter in the quarters or in the cowl, and the size of the garage opening got too narrow for the car a couple of times, a lot of the value goes out of it. If all three items come up bad, then I wouldn't consider it. If all three come up good, i.e., NO rust, NO bondo, runs and drives well with no issues, then it's worth something, but not the asking at all, in my opinion.

We have recently seen first generation very original 4-doors, with original paint and in good running condition go for $8-10K here recently.

 

[Rusty63]

Thanks for some honest advice, with actual numbers for us.

Then it appears that this car would then be at or possibly below 8K, depending.

Off to look at a '62 2-door sedan tomorrow that was rusty with bent/missing trim and grille and didn't run when looked at 8 years ago. Rusty in all typical areas, bondo, etc. But Novas in this area kind of rare.

However, guy is asking 4K. Therefore, wanted to pose the question: at what point can we be offended by the asking price ? Not sure how the parts are, but remember you have to take the time to disassemble, time=$. But I remember how greatly offended the guy that people were offering him 1K back then. He claimed low production of sedans made it highly valuable.

Sorry to derail the topic a bit, but felt it's related.

-Rusty

 

[vanovafan]

Thanks for some honest advice, with actual numbers for us.

Then it appears that this car would then be at or possibly below 8K, depending.

Off to look at a '62 2-door sedan tomorrow that was rusty with bent/missing trim and grille and didn't run when looked at 8 years ago. Rusty in all typical areas, bondo, etc. But Novas in this area kind of rare.

However, guy is asking 4K. Therefore, wanted to pose the question: at what point can we be offended by the asking price ? Not sure how the parts are, but remember you have to take the time to disassemble, time=$. But I remember how greatly offended the guy that people were offering him 1K back then. He claimed low production of sedans made it highly valuable.

Sorry to derail the topic a bit, but felt it's related.

-Rusty

Seller claims "low Production". There is a reason. No body wanted them. Also make sure you understand that 62' front suspensions are totally unique to 62' and that there are some other oddball issues with 62's that don't convey to the 63-65's

Bill

 

[CdnL79 Registry]

Agree with Bill. I'm somewhat amazed there are still sellers out there who somehow believe low production makes a valuable car. Using this sellers logic, the 1966 six cylinder Nova super sport (4675 built) should be more valuable than the V/8 SS (16,311 built).

Bob

 

[Rusty63]

Hmm, did not think about the uniqueness of some '62 pieces--which, again, may play into his valuation of the car, in his mind. His repeated catch phrase was "rare car."

Truly at last look it was about a $500-800 car in my estimation, and it only got rustier. His take is the value only went up, though if memory serves "4K would take it" back then. BTW, he got it from a retired teacher for ~$500 15 yrs ago.

Can take some photos if anyone is interested (new thread, suppose), and maybe it would help for some of us cutting our teeth to practice valuation. Problem for me is the blind love for these cars, and the basically free '65 low mileage engine waiting to go into another Nova to clean out pop's garage!

 

[AllyMcReal]

Rust is a killer, at least in my experience. And rust isn't rare, even if the car is a Ferrari. I don't quite agree on the sedans, because they did sell them to cost-conscious buyers, but not as desirable as coupes, to be sure.

If the '62 grille and trim are banged up, that makes it even harder to deal with, as the trim is one year only. If it's a sedan with side trim, sure, that could be a 300 series so yes, it's rare. But as others have said, not necessarily in demand, especially when losing the rust wars.

There are some differences in '62 front ends, but not 'completely different'. If we're talking the suspension and steering, upper and lower control arms and springs are the same, parts are available; are the steering knuckles with '63. Idler, tie rod ends and drag link are different, but easily replaceable with '63-'67 Chevy II parts which are readily available, and are a bolt on. If you're talking about the front clip or trim, well, each year '62-'67 is different, technically.

 

[SouthBay2s]

Can take some photos if anyone is interested (new thread, suppose), and maybe it would help for some of us cutting our teeth to practice valuation.

You should do that. A lot of us are always interested to see what is out there and the crazy prices people are asking for things. No rusty `needs everything` L6 sedan of this description is worth $4k. Especially not a 1962!

2-door sedans are #2 on my list, just above convertibles, of Novas to stay away from unless you have the resources and pockets to tackle the project. Sedan doors, quarter window guts, window trim, interior accents, etc. are all becoming hard to find and top dollar items. How are the seats? Not sedan only, but they love to rust and are in high demand for the coupes.

Then you get into all the 62 `only` stuff like people have brought up. I will add a few - wiring, instrument cluster, park lamps, dash pad and a ton of other little things one would not figure out until they are knee deep into the project.

I 100% agree the `made less of` here factor is not a good thing. All that turns into is money out of pocket that does not tangibly increase the value of the vehicle.

 

[CdnL79 Registry]

The bottom line is.....low production numbers do not necessarily equate to desirability or higher value. They built over 44,000 two door sedans in 1962. They built fewer in both 1963 and 1964, so if he had a rusty one of those he'd be asking even more.

Bob

 

[Rusty63]

It poured all day Thursday; therefore, skipped looking at car. No surprise, car is still available. Got scolded by my brother (the man with nine dogs) for wanting a second Nova. Ha! But will still check out the car soon.

-Rusty

 

[mcfly1883]

Nice to read I am not the only one who thinks the 4-door was over priced at 13k. Of course, maybe someone will pay that much, but not me. I was thinking in the 7-8.5k range, would be a good buy, obviously the less the better since it is a 4-door (don't get me wrong, I like them, but let's be real). I remember a few years ago, sns' resident trim-restorer-expert sold a super nice 4-door for somewhere around 8.5k, completely sorted. I didn't think the market increased that much in such a short time.