Some people say you should never look back. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Caprice proves that adage wrong and lets you go forwards backward owing to its rear-facing third-row seat. Just what might you pay to get in arrears?
If you compare the nose of yesterday’s 1974 Lotus Europa with that of its later-generation successor, the first-of-its-name Elise, you will discover a pleasing family resemblance. We won’t compare booties, however, since nothing can quite stack up to the Europa’s unique aft cabin. At $25,000, that restored Twin-Cam car stacked up pretty well overall, earning a respectable 60 percent Nice Price win even if that price was near the top end for the model.
There are certain celebrities who never seem to age. Hell, there’s a whole meme factory surrounding Keanu Reeves’ apparent immortality. Back when I was a kid I used to watch reruns of a show that used protracted aging as its main plot device. Naturally called, The Immortal, it was a short-lived series from the ‘70s about a long-lived movie stunt man who was on the run from an aged and evil millionaire seeking to use his blood as a sort of fountain of youth.
This 1984 Chevy Caprice Classic totally reminds me of that show. It’s not just that it’s a big-ass three-row wagon that is a leftover of a bygone era, but that it’s also an amazingly—perhaps even impossibly—clean example of that long-gone body style.
Let’s get this out of the way first—this is a really big car. It rides on a generous 116-inch wheelbase and in wagon attire stretches over 17 feet long. Of course, you’ve got to be big to pack in all the great stuff a car like this Caprice carries.
What is all that, you might ask? Well, first off there’s that front bench. Without the constraints of airbags, it’s possible to seat three abreast in its old-school acrage. The same goes for the back seat which also offers NBA-level legroom, but that’s not all. Behind the folding rear bench is a two-seat third row that faces backward and folds into the floor what that hindsight isn’t warranted. That makes this an easy 8-seater which you just won’t find on any modern-day wagon.
Accessing either the rear-most seat or the landing deck-sized load area when everything is folded is made easy by the Caprice’s clever two-way tailgate. That opens both to the left and straight down and features an electrically-operated rear window in case you enjoy exhaust fumes.
Not only does this Caprice have all that going on, but it looks amazing while doing so. I mean, how could this car actually be this clean? Was it hermetically sealed in a bag its entire life? Or, was it perhaps the unfortunate loser in the world’s longest game of freeze-tag?
Whatever the cause, it sure looks great. The car doesn’t sport fake wood trim on its flanks, but the Chevrolet White paint looks to be in great shape and sports both brightwork trim down below and a jaunty double pinstripe at the beltline. There are no obvious issues with the body, right down to the amazingly old school stamped steel full-wheel covers prettying up each of the car’s corners. Those are matched with what look to be newish blackwall tires. Whitewalls, of course, would be preferred.
The interior is a glorious sea of color-coded blue velour and plastics with just enough fake wood trim to make you forget its absence on the exterior. Instrumentation is sparse, but you do get factory air and an analog AM/FM stereo. Everything in here, save for the carpet, looks almost as-new. That rug does show some staining in the footwells and around the third row, but it’s nothing you couldn’t live with.
Power is provided by a four-barrel-fed 305 CID V8. In ’84 that made * checks notes * 150 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque. Behind that sits a 4L60 four-speed automatic with column shift. No, this isn’t going to be a quick car, but being leisurely gives passers-by more time to admire it.
Mileage on the Caprice is a remarkably low 111,000 and the car comes with a clean title. The ad claims that everything works as it should and attributes its laudable condition to a life of easy garage living.
You are unlikely to find many other big-old wagons in as nice of condition. The last-man-standing rule means that its unique nature should command something of a premium for its purchase. The asking price is $8,500 and it’s now incumbent on you to say whether that’s an acceptable premium or not.
What do you think, is this Caprice worth that kind of cash? Or, is this a Classic that priced to be in a class it isn’t?
You decide!
San Diego, CA Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to FauxShizzle for the hookup!
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