Features ElCamino's....Are prices heading skyward for these? Primarily the 1959 thru 1972 years.

Yep, new gold standard, absofrickintutely! Right along with 62 Novas I've discovered.

 

I have had a 65-66-67 el Caminos rust free projects for sale on Craigslist over the last year. I thought I could get $3,500 each real easy after looking at going prices on Craigslist. Took months to sell them for $1,500 each. Lots of phone calls but no one ever came to look. I'm staying away from el caminos now.

 

I like them and have had several, but they are generally worth about 60-70 percent of a comparable chevelle. Lots of time a lot less. I Really want a '59 and have for years. I doubt if I'll ever spend the money to get one but I'd probably buy a shitbox one if it was cheap.
I may jump back in to comment on some that I've had.


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I had a 70 custom with a pro 4 inch chopped top, custom paint ,great daily driver that I had in shows. I tried to sell it for $12,500 with no luck,ended up giving it up for $8,500. Around here Denver ,not a good place to try sell muscle cars. Several of my friends also had hard time selling theirs. Seems its easy these days if you want a muscle car ya just go finance a (new ) hot rod like a challenger or a hot camaro with loud pipes and go smoke the tires . I dig old muscle cars but times are changing. I will keep my 26 T coupe and my 34 Airflow custom not for sale.

 

Bought a 66 camino from a customer around ten years ago who used it for knocking down the weeds in his property.It had it's original 396 big block,automatic in it and ran really fast. I liked it but my wife said it looked like a stoner car, she wouldn't ride in it. Only paid $1000 and sold it for only 2500. Oh yeah- not one body panel was free of needing some body or rust repair. Exterminator

 

I was looking for an El Camino about a decade ago. All of the older ones around here seemed to be overpriced for the amount of work they needed. A 1987 came up at an estate auction that belonged to an elderly fellow that didn't drive it much and the price was right so I ended up buying it. My daughter calls it a redneck hillbilly ride but I tell her that's what her dad is. My son wanted to drive it all the time when he lived at home. I wish I would have bought that 1959 that was sitting in a field close to my girlfriend’s house 40 years ago but hindsight is 20/20.

 

So here's a '64. The last year appropriate here. Damn nice trad hot rod support vehicles. The lack of sail panels on the early "A" body Els was simple and clean. Too bad these aren't to common.


A '59. Glamour on wheels, why wouldn't the value go up? JMHO
Finally, the '60. Subdued fins, milder grille. The jet planes on the quarters were nifty. BTW it's full wheel cover day. Gman could be right, it's a niche market. Plus the ''mullet'' stigma is hard to shake. But they are fun to drive! Like in a 'Vette, you drive with your head up in a canopy with the rear window right behind you. One of the 3 years pictured here would do it for me!

 

photo 1967 Our 65 El Camino photo taken in 1967.
Hello,

My wife and I had wonderful memories of driving all over California and Mexico in our 1965 red El Camino. Being 20 somethings, we could go anywhere at the drop of a hat and spend time at those odd ball places. The interior of the red 65 was roomy for both of us and the only drawback was the suitcases had to be strapped down and covered in the bed of the El Camino. Surfboards, motorcycles, etc, all fit in the huge bed.

Otherwise, it was a great cruiser and got 15-18 mpg back then. Our other El Camino is not HAMB friendly and only got 8-9 mpg with the factory stuff blocking all performance breathing and running. It looked nice, but it was a toad. Looks are everything…

So to my surprise, she mentioned the other day that it might be fun to get another one for our daily uses. Mostly to the garden shop or nursery…no, the ones that sell plants and trees. In looking all over for prices and quality builds, here are some that I felt we could buy and have lots of memories along with lots of fun.

From low to high:
1. The least expensive one that ran well, but needed a full restoration was a 1965 for 9k in Georgia.
2. There was a red one in Utah for 12k and was nice and needed some work. It was a low mileage car.
3. A black one in Texas for 27k that was a little nicer in the set up.
A possibility…
4. Then there was the red one in Michigan that needed very little other than new wheels, etc. for 31k.

Comparing the prices to a 2017 new car purchase: for 31k it is a new Prius. Wow, a Prius, those little guys that zip by at 80+ mph on the freeway or the taxi squad at the San Diego Airport. Nothing wrong with a new Prius, but we already have other daily drivers. This El Camino would supplement those other non-HAMB friendly cars.

So, the 1965 El Camino “for sale” prices vary as to the quality of the construction and parts in the restoration. There are plenty of them all over the USA and if you have the time and energy, there are plenty of rusty ones around, too. But for those that like driving around, there are plenty of daily drivers in all stages of builds. Plus, we need one for hauling plants, bags, and trees for our yard. Let alone a hauling vehicle when the kid (GrK) moves out.

Jnaki

My wife was pleased with some of the ones we saw online. She actually liked the red one in Michigan for 31k, but it had to have different wheels…a bargaining chip for a lower cost. Plus, it had to have A/C, that was mandatory. Prices vary just like opinions…

Here is one from Jalopy Joker in Nor Cal: Thanks, JJ…



Better yet, here is one from the HAMB Classified section by Waterhorse: $16.5k very nice...
Located in Santa Maria, CA...no less...

 

Over the weekend Barrett-Jackson sold a beautiful 70 black ElCamino, 4 speed, papers, documents back to day 1 and the Uber rare solid lifter LS 6 engine.
Hold on to your hats.... $104,000. Now any ElCamino worth $20,000 grand will be selling for $50,000.
Glad I bought my 70 when I did and even back then I thought I overpaid.


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Man, I think the 65's have some of the best lines of all the 60's models, I bought one in 1973.
It didn't have many feel good options like p.s. p.b. or a/c but it was an original 327 four speed car, with a 12 bolt and factory air shocks, those were the kind of things that made it so much fun to drive, it had a good ride and could haul a pretty fair load when needed.
After I put the canopy on it, it made a pretty nice camping rig too.
I know this is supposed to be one of those dollar focused threads but I won't even begin throwing numbers around because I've been awol from the game for quite a few years.
Besides, I never found myself on the money making end of ANY car I've ever been involved with, it wasn't about chasing the money, it was purely about the journey, the build, the process of making it better than when you bought it. Most times they were sold to fund the next one but it wasn't because they were a "cash cow" as some people view the car game.
I gotta say that it's one that I wish I had kept.

 

Hey D,
I did not know you had once owned a 1965 El Camino. My, how the world gets smaller each day. Great looking El Camino... Ours was an automatic, but only had one belt without a/c, p/s, p/b, too. Those air shocks were the best as any load in the back was even keeled with more air.

I installed one of these under the shelf, below the air inlet valve.
From an old HAMB thread:
"We were relying on the inaccurate gas station air hoses to figure out how much air to put in the shocks that made us try to find a better solution.

I purchased this air gauge with a “T” fitting on the back that would fit under the shelf and the air valve/cap was still attached through the shelf with its silver cap. Now, the gauge below the shelf read the exact amount of air being put into the shocks. No more guessing. No, back then we did not carry around one of those pen air gauges.

When I sold the El Camino with 125k on it to buy the 2nd 40 Ford Sedan Delivery, the new owner did not want that gauge. So, I have kept that gauge in my tool drawer for 51 years, waiting for some future use. I almost installed it on an older air compressor that did not have a gauge in the garage.

In 1966, I was going to put on a similar camper shell (painted a matching red) for those surf trips south of the border. But, then the weekly, desert racing with the Greeves motorcycle would not work out during our 65-68 racing days. So, it was sleeping with the stars for us, even in the cold desert overnights.

Jnaki
Great times for all of those years owning and driving around in that red 65 El Camino. Sometimes, I used to see our old, El Camino cruising around in So. Orange County, as the guy I sold it to lived by the beach in Dana Point. But I haven't seen it in years.

Thanks for stirring up those memory cells again...

 

I have owned a half dozen of them and pulled race cars thousands of miles with them . I would buy another one tomorrow if I could find one.

 

I miss both of my old 59 and 60 El Caminos that I had. The 59 was nicer and I did a lot more work to it, sold and it went to Sweden. The 60 was more of a beater, it sold and went to New Zealand. Would like to have another 59 or 60 someday, although the 64-67 are kind of creating an itch also.

Not sure if the prices are higher due to just being older, or some other factor. But any decent 60's car that is not a total project seems to be more cost than I am used to.

 

I got a nice 67 ElCamino for Sale. Originally from California. 327 with turbo 350. Vintage Air. Marina Blue. Complete drivetrain rebuild. Asking $22K. Got receipts for $20K. Call me @ 361-275-1193 in Texas. Too much to list here. One of a kind. Factory paint. No bondo. No patch panels. Solid floors. Will send pics upon request. Wanna build another traditional Ford hot rod. Thanks.


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I hear ya. Regretfully Sold mine in 2005 for 10k. Wish I could get the Lavender 59 for sale on here now.

 

FYI...a buddy of mine has a rust free frame for a '67 he wants to sell. Call me for any info. Gene 410-982-4042

 

Oh great! Just what I wanted to hear. I sold my 19K original untouched '70 and a rust free '67 from Montana a few years ago. I liked the '67 better than the '70 by a long shot, even though the '70 was like a brand new vehicle. Both were V8 automatics; I would have kept the '67 if it had been a 4 speed.

 

They call the El Camino the Mullet of the automotive world.


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Here is my 1985 at the end of a rainbow!


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Always liked ElCamino's. Had a 64, 66, 70, 72 and even a couple in the 80's. Unfortunately they did not make one for one of the years I really liked so I designed and made my own Custom 56 Chevy ElCamino.

 

El caminos are great!
Kinda niche market though.
People who want a truck, want a truck and do not get an elcamino
People who want a car, want a car and do not get an elcamino.
People who want an elcamino, want an elcamino and there's only so many to go around.
I had a 81 Royal knight SS, a 66, and an 85 SS. Loved every one of them

 

Not my thread but can we keep this thread (at least pictures) HAMB friendly?

And yes prices seem to be going up, especially for 59s and 60s.

Believe it or not, the red one is currently being resurrected.