You have to love finding a car like this: kind of desirable, kind of not, well cared for, one or maybe two owner, untouched for years. It’s a blank canvas…there isn’t much damage to contend with, small repairs to make, and a lot of fun to be had if you know what you’re doing. We’re GM B-body fans here, if Brian’s Caprice is any indication, and I like them too, but I like them with two doors instead of four. If you are a Caprice or Impala fan, you could get your coupe fix one of two ways: the 1977-79 “glasshouse” style, with the Aeroback-like rear window, and the notchback styled 1984-87 version. While I personally prefer the glasshouse cars, it really doesn’t matter which one you start out with, because other than some minor trim differences over the years, the cars are basically the same thing underneath: body on frame, wheezing small-block V8 (or 4.3 V6 if your luck is taking a day off) and interior room to spare. The G-body cars are considered the rightful heir of the GM musclecar throne, but the B-body is more true to the old design.
This 1984 coupe is the perfect starting point for something really wild. The seller claims 8,400 miles and frankly, even if that was 108,400 miles, we’re still impressed with how well the car is holding up. The original owner hasn’t been able to drive the car since 2007, and it’s been sitting around for a bit, so you’ll probably have to go through the fuel system and check things like brakes, bearings and so on. Not that big of a deal. The 305 might even cough into life and drive, but we see a monster in the making. $3,500 will snag the Caprice without issue and we suspect that with some slick talking, you might get the price down a bit. Your next move should be to LKQ, or any other pull-a-part yard for a Vortec 8100 V8. Go big…the engine bay can take it. You should be able to make those two purchases work with the $5,000 budget, and you will be on your way in short order to a behemoth of a Chevy that will have the soul of it’s forefathers.
Craigslist Link: 1984 Chevrolet Caprice Landau coupe
$3500 for a 8K mile car! Insane! Surprise car is still on CL. I do know someone in Phoenix but can’t get myself to buy it. If it was only closer.