Yes you must walk away on this one.
Agree; the price is too high and this heavy boat has terrible gas mileage (pre-catalytic converter). With the next oil price hike you will regret you ever set eyes on it.
You should look at the rear springs to be sure they are straight and not funny looking. The ride height can not be low in the rear or you will be changing the drive shaft every year or so. The old constant velocity (double cardan) u-joint isn’t the easiest one to rebuild. If the 73 has the single u-joint, it will be much less expensive.
U-joints won’t wear out often if they flex because they will get the benefit of the grease in them. Keeping them from flexing will wear them out because the needle bearings will have pressure on only one spot on some of them.
Those cars were easy. If you overfill the transmission, just remove the modulator valve and the excess will splash out. You will love the car. Parts were cheap.
The most highway mileage I got was 17.7. Most got less. It probably isn’t worth the asking price, I wouldn’t mind a slightly beaten one but old and good looking may be good too. New cars will cost a bit more…
One of the best cars I ever owned was a '68 Bel Air. That was in '74.
Having said that, I would agree with the post recomending a Grand Marquis or Crown Vic to meet your criteria. Full frame. Sturdy,smooth ride. Better gas mileage, and parts are easy to find. Plus an airbag.
Unless it is absolutely flawless and has a complete documented service history, it’s way too much. Lots of people equate “old car” with “classic car” – as one of the posters says below, '73 wasn’t exactly a banner year for American cars. And yes a big block or something of that spec would increase the value. But a 73 Caprice is really just an old used car.
I have a 1973 Chevy Caprice Classic that I purchased approx 12 years ago from the original owners and paid $4500.00 I cant recall the mileage, but It wasnt that low. They are VERY DEPENDABLE CARS. Anyone saying that this luxury car is not worth buying obviously hasnt owned one. my baby has stood the test of time and outlived and out drove some newer cars in my life that have come and gone. Rust can be delt with, not a reason not too buy. I have looked into purchasing another one and the prices that I have encountered on e-bay, is usually over 10k. post the add if you are not going too buy it, sounds like the owner has kept it up well. I would buy it in a heart beat. I bet it wont be around long , somebody is going too snatch it up quick.
I don’t agree with the people saying this would be an unreliable car, but since you say you have zero ability to maintain it yourself, that will become a problem. I will say that the price is way too high for a '73 Impala. They are ignored by collectors, and are also quite plentiful. If you do buy it, do yourself a favor and have the ignition upgraded to at least an HEI distributor, or any one of the zillion aftermarket ignitions available for the small block Chevy. You will have no problems finding anything you need for the drivetrain of this model, but body parts are another story. Very little in the way of aftermarket body panels are available for this one, but there are about 7 billion of these cars in the boneyards across America, just waiting to donate whatever you’ll need in the future. As for repairs and maintenance, look into restoration shops instead of regular repair shops. Resto shops work on older cars every day, and most will do routine maintenance in addition to their full resto jobs. I’ll say it again: $6,800 for a '73 Impala is way too high, in any condition.
Sorry . . . I meant Caprice, not Impala. Practically the same car anyway.
I had a 72 which is very similar to the 73. It was a pig then and would still be a pig today. Lousy mileage-12 on the road, wallowed all over the road, pitiful in the snow- worst car I ever had. Oh and the transmission and rear end didn’t make it to 60,000 miles.
If your car was only getting 12 on the road then it had a problem, or problems, and needed someone to set it up correctly.
I’ve owned several older Monte Carlos and generally got around 18-21 MPG on the road with the A/C on.
(different body style but still the same 350 engine w/4 barrel/TH 350 transmission, etc. as the Impalas and Caprices)
If the rear end and trans failed in 60k miles one has to wonder about the reason for that. I never had any rear axle or trans problems even with far greater mileage than that.
Prices on those cars have gone up. Yes, I paid $1,200 for my 1976 Impala and $950 for the 1976 Caprice. The year was 1984 and 1985 but there were lots of those cars made. They’re not as common now but there are still many left. You can’t find many that are in good running condition, but you did. $6,000 or more seems to be the going rate, especially in Ca where they aren’t rusted out as much as in New England.
Non rusty ones cost the most almost anywhere you go. Your big advantage is a lack of smog control stuff on your chosen one. The disadvantage is the fuel economy which will be 16 MPG on the highway. You should use premium fuel if you ever want to turn the engine off.
Don’t let the rear end get low. If the springs are really crooked in the rear, change them. A low rear end will cause the constant velocity U-joint to wear out every year. It is the rear one on the drive shaft. You can change the radiator in 30 minutes and the carburetor in about that time. Parts should be inexpensive.
Make sure the vacuum hoses aren’t cracked on the ends and keep the original air cleaner along with the choke stove pipe. If the pipe is missing, you can use a piece of exhaust pipe with the silver or black tubing that goes on most other cars. If you have specific questions, write back, right here.
Man,I posted three times on this one. So here comes the red flag.