Survivor Corvair wagon

1962 Corvair wagon with 32,000 miles: http://www.classicmotorcarauctions.com/glenmoor12/product.php?id=8237 Neat little car.

My first yard car was that wagon, with a bunch more miles on it. Spent a lot of Saturday's driving on the dirt behind the dealership. I think I still have the brain damage from the rusty heater box / exhaust combination That would explain why I stayed in the car business

Wow, there are a lot of red flags waving for me on that ad.

Just the estimated price is enough for me to throw up a red flag......unless its a yenko, I've never seen a corvair that went for more than 8k....

In reply to yamaha:

I have, but there is so much wrong information on that ad that I'm questioning it's originality to go with that optimistically high estimate (even though it says nothing about being all original).

Are Lakewoods rare? Yes.

Is that one original? Possibly.

You would expect a place called classic motorcar auctions to know what it is. Either they don't, or it's not. It's one or the other.

In reply to Zomby Woof:

From 3 years of experience driving at Mecum, I've driven one corvair claimed to be a 4cyl, one claimed to be a 4sp(it was a 3), a slick MGA with a description of "Great piece of jewelry", and many many more things that didn't make any sense.

The auction companies leave most of the description to the customer, afaik, mecum only checks out the titles

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: In reply to yamaha: I have, but there is so much wrong information on that ad that I'm questioning it's originality to go with that optimistically high estimate (even though it says nothing about being all original). Are Lakewoods rare? Yes. Is that one original? Possibly.

For my benefit, can you elaborate? There's not much information at all in the link, just one paragraph and then some photos. I don't know Corvairs very well, I just thought it was a neat car.

From the link:
This low-production 1962 Chevrolet Corvair 700 Station Wagon amazingly features its original Twilight Blue Poly lacquer finish as well as its original matching blue interior. Not surprisingly, it's done just 31,744 miles from brand-new. Powered by the 110 horsepower, 140 cubic-inch 6 cylinder air-cooled engine with a Powerglide automatic transmission, this wagon has the right look with small hubcaps and black wall tires. Don't miss out on this extremely rare Corvair.

In reply to stuart in mn:

I'm waiting for a reply back from the Corvair Guru himself, but I'm pretty sure the 110 didn't come in the Wagons. I believe the highest hp you could get was the 102 hp motor, but only for the Monza model in '62.

Also, in a car with only a 6 digit odometer, you don't know if that's been flipped once already or not.

Also there is nothing on that ad or the one that's in Hemmings that says there is Documentation to prove that it's original.

In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid:

I disagree with you about the mileage. It's not wrong information to say exactly what is on the odo. It is a rarity that would lead me (as a buyer) to look harder.

I have never seen a '60's vintage car with 131,000 miles on it that didn't have the driver's seat worn out. OK, it might have been re-done. The the door panel vinyl in the vicinity of the door handle and window crank would have the grain worn off it (This would have been fixed in a very well done restoration). The bottom outside of the door handle would be worn (This is almost always overlooked in an restoration, or especially a cheap cover-up). No evidence of any of these issues (and the seller was kind enough to show each of them).

I also disagree about the documentation. There is no claim it is original. It claims it has it's original interior. Why does it need documentation?

I think you are correct about the 102 hp being the largest original engine available, but the ad doesn't say it is the original engine, and there certainly were Corvair 110 engines.

So, while I agree with you that it raises a few questions worth exploring further, , I'd hardly call it a "lot of red flags", and I certainly wouldn't accuse the seller of misrepresenting it.

FWIW, the Lakewood was only in 1961. They dropped that name in 1962 for the "Monza" wagon.

Since the only stupid question is the one that is not asked... Ummm. Where is the shifter?

The auto trans shifter on a Corvair was a little lever on the dashboard. In this picture you can see it just to the left of the radio, with the black handle (this is another car, not the one in the original post.)

Here's a later one:

In reply to SVreX:

Well, put it this way, I'm a Corvair guy, I've been wrenching on them all my life. I know Corvairs, no matter what model, aren't worth what they are asking for that car. It's listed for $12,500 on Hemmings. They are estimating it to get $10k-$15k at Auction. While someone could possibly pay that, its usually going to be someone who has the money, who's parents owned one back in the day and want it for sentimental reasons. That car is probably worth $8-9k a the most, even $10k is possible. Me being who I am, if they want $12.5 for that wagon, I want some documentation to back up their claims. I can't tell you how many people brought their Vairs into the shop for the first time after purchase and we have to tell them that they have the wrong heads or have a 90 instead of a 110 in their Monza.

Yes, maybe "a lot of red flags" was more than I made it out to be, but stuff started sticking out as soon as I saw the pictures.

Also, yes the Lakewood name was dropped for 1962. But it was just known as the Corvair Station Wagon. It had 3 levels of trim, 500, 700, and Monza.

I just call them all Lakewoods, because of the two year run, I don't really get too specific.

I'm really not trying to be a know-it-all, I just get a little crazy about Corvairs sometimes.

Although I understand what you are saying, that car, like all cars, is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. It may be out of the range of value for that car, but if someone forks out the cash (like the example above), then it was obviously worth that much to them. If that person exists, then you can't fault the dealer for asking that much. If they can't sell it, I'm sure they'll drop the price.

In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid:

OK, so you don't think it is worth it because in that price range you'd want an original with documentation. Fine.

But he didn't represent it as an original with documentation. He represented it as a nice car at a juicy price.

Plus, he correctly called it a 700. You called it (potentially) a rare Lakewood (even though there are no 1962 Lakewoods).

With your Corvair experience, it is reasonable to expect that you would not suggest he is misrepresenting the car, when he is not. He is simply asking a healthy price for it.

If I had your knowledge on the subject, I would have simply said, "I think the price is too high, unless it is a documented original". No need to dis the guy.

In reply to SVreX:

I never dissed the guy. And yes he did call it the correct 700 wagon designation. I knowingly call them all Lakewoods like I said.

And honestly, at this point, I think the only thing being misrepresented is the engine horsepower. But for someone who probably doesn't deal with Corvairs, it's an easy mistake to make.

I do agree with you on the last thing you said, sometimes I run my mouth before I think.

I swear that every Corvair wagon I've ever seen has been the same color.

1. the 140 cubic inch engine was 1960 only. in '61 the displacement went up to 145 cubic inches via a 0.030" increase in bore. then in '64 the displacement went up to 164 cubic inches via a 0.340" increase in stroke.

2. the only corvair engines rated 110 hp were 164 cubic inchers from '64 - '69.

those are my only complaints of misinformation with the text of the ad.

Woody wrote: I swear that every Corvair wagon I've ever seen has been the same color.

The light blue green metalic color was very popular in the early and mid sixties. In 65 Chevy had three variations in it's color options.

Wagons are cool, but I don't think the market will support a price like that. Super original maybe, but not like that.

If you pay the right price for a Corvair that is $15,000, you will have a VERY nice car.