Old people in massive, slow cars. That was a trope used in all forms and facets of advertising and comedy from the 1950s right up until not that long ago. As the size of cars continues to shrink, this once common sight is less and less or a normal thing to see. That being said, it WAS a thing and this car is proof. This 1972 Impala is the perfect example of what old people bought when Richard Nixon was the president. The car is incredibly well preserved and as the leasing says, it was operated by elderly people.
This 1972 Impala is pretty light on options but it does have AC and a six-way power bench seat. The car is powered by a 2bbl topped 350 engine and backed by a Powerglide. This is the lowest horsepower and lowest performing mechanical setup that you could get in this car circa 1972. It reeks of an old guy haggling on price and options. You can almost hear him saying, “Nahh, nahhh, I don’t need all that…” when it comes to stuff like, ohhh, A THREE SPEED TRANSMISSION.
The car is astonishingly persevered. It has 69,000 original miles on it, little if no rust, the interior looks like no one has ever sat in it before, and we just cannot believe how clean it is. The green paint with the green roof and the green interior is awful but it’s awfully cool because of the 1970s flavor of the whole program.
We’d not have the hear to jack with this car if we bought it. We’d be the people doing 10-under the speed limit with a line of traffic a mile behind us and loving every mile we traveled.
eBay: This 1972 Chevy Impala is the perfect example of what old people bought in ’72
You couldn’t get a powerglide in a fullsize that year. Its more than likely a TH350. I’ve had lots of these cars. Very dependable.
Actually, old people were driving four door BOPs, Caddys and Lincolns. Most two door full sized were bought by 30 and 40 year olds for family cars that the dad transitioned into from his Camaro days. GM sold way more Impalas than Camaros.
Next week it will have 30 inch rims.
Very nice car but, $25,000?! I’d be surprised if he got it.
One of my cousins had one back then 4 dr hardtop. He was maybe 35 at the time. I still remember the car.
It would be nice if an old fat man could buy a full size domestic 2 door with a little sport to it today.
Maybe a no option package 300 hp LS 2 door Impala with a 6 speed manual/overdrive, a/c, power seats and windows, 5 spoke 17″ wheels and 300 watt stereo, light on the technononsense, for $30K.
Hey Chevrolet, are you listening? I had a 2 door V-8 powered manual transmission Impala when I was a kid, why can’t I have one now?
I promise I won’t hold up traffic.
way too pricey for me. that being said, id immediately
vinyl dye the roof & interior black, swap in a nasty
MK-IV 454 and drive the hell outta it, leaving the
paint, hubcaps and tires as is…………
I worked in a Chevrolet dealership turning wrenches in those days. I never saw one with a Powerglide. If my memory isn’t shot the last Powerglides I can remember were in 1969. My bet is it is a TH350. In either case these were turds to driver. Mushy and no power.
Had a 69 Impala Custom, 350,burgundy, white vinyl top, white interior, In 73 traded it for a 71 red Caprice, black vinyl top & black cloth 402(400). Nice family cruisers for my young family back then.
My wife’s uncle bought one identical (exactly like this) in Chattanooga in 1972 to drive to Arizona to visit her mom. They didn’t like the gas mileage and mostly drove their other smaller car. They sold it to my wife’s mom in 1974 and they kept it for a few years (it was never driven very much). I drove it, it was a great car on the road.
Could it have a power glide and not a TH350, TH375 or TH400? Yes.
1972 a Power Glide was an Option, Not standard in an Impala. Standard would have been a TH350 or TH375. So the party that ordered the car spent more for a 2 speed automatic.
Being an Impala (and a Custom trim level) the base engine was a 350. The Inline six 250 was not available in the Caprice or Impala in 1972 unless it was a Hertz rent-a-car COPO. COPO’s later became SPO’s, that’s a story for another day.
1972 had Bel-Air and Biscayne as lower trim in the non-wagons. Those could be had with a 3 speed column shift M/T as standard equipment with a 250 I6.
Now we have to Ask why a PG and not a TH350? With out a Christal ball or time travel we will never know. I could NOT see a build date, yet noticed the seatbelt tag clear as day is date coded 1971 and it has Black shoulder belts and retractor lap belts. Near the end of 1972’s production year was a strike that caused some parts not to be available. A bunch of late 1972 cars across GM have some odd parts not cataloged for them. A few car magazines featured some of this stuff in the mid to late 90’s. This could be a late 72 put together with what inventory GM had, for dealer stock. Or it might be an early 72 where GM didn’t have green belts in for it.
Would I pay 25K for it? never with out inspecting in person, putting on a lift and checking. if the car is 100% never wrecked, never repainted survivor it should go across the block at a premium car auction.