Weekend Edition Quick Hit – How about this 1974 Vega Wagon with only 32,000 Original Miles!

The Chevrolet Vega, a car that held so much promise, and was so badly assembled, that it became more or less a joke among auto journalists, enthusiasts, and to the general public. Here was a small, good looking, domestically produced vehicle, that promised economical operation, better road manners than almost any other car, and was equipped with many features unheard of in a compact vehicle. But what a pile of crap it turned out to be… from warped engine blocks, to a myriad of rust and corrosion issues, these cars barely lasted until the payments were up. Which makes this particular Wagon rather interesting… Let’s just get to the listing, shall we?

Yes, 32k original. The previous two owners did not drive it, so it sat many years in a garage. We have not driven it – because it no longer runs. Won’t start. Battery’s been dead about 1 month, so we haven’t tried even cranking it since then. We love this car, but we are giving up on repairing the engine and deciding to cut our losses. It ran great for about 4 weeks when we bought it a couple years ago, and since then has been one small thing after another. We have all the paperwork on what’s been repaired this far, which is quite a bit. The bigger pieces are a rebuilt carb and new alternator. Its going to be something simple to fix, but its just not gonna be us that does it. How I’d score it: Exterior 7/10, some light rust at wheel wells. Aesthetics 10/10. Just a pretty ass car! Interior 8/10. vinyl is near perfect, light fading on floor board carpet. Really a must-see! Motor – 0/10 now, 9/10 when it ran. Will return to that level when its repaired. Shoot me an email and come see this beauty. Btw, you’ll need a tow to get it home. Or if you feel you can fix it immediately, we’d be ok with you fixing it in its place and then driving it away. EDIT: Added some engine pics, shots of the overall and both sides. You can see it has a huge compartment with a tiny engine, which made it easy to work on. I know it is possible to fit a 405 in one, many do go for the hot rod setup, since it is RWD.

Yes it may have only 32,000 miles on the odometer, but it is going to need an expert to get it going… and the asking price is a little steep for a non-runner: $3,000. You have to really be in love with the Vega to attempt to get this one on the road, so take a look at the Austin Craigslist listing here.