The GMC version of Chevy’s popular El Camino, today’s Ni Price or No Dice Caballero, offers a V8 and a stick. It needs some work in the cab, but it appears solid otherwise. Will its price, however, put it on shaky ground?
The used market for sports cars is all over the map. Right now, MGBs have a hard time cracking $15K on a good day. In comparison, the similarly-sized Triumph TR line (with the notable exception of the TR7) can easily command a third more than that. Datsun S30 Z cars are now pulling crazy money after years of being relatively affordable. It’s a similar story surrounding Porsche’s 911. Good luck finding one of those for less than $20K that isn’t suffering bore score and seven years’ worth of deferred maintenance. When it comes to anything wearing a Ferrari badge, $100K feels like the bargain basement. That made the $75,000 price tag on yesterday’s 1990 Ferrari 348ts something worthy of our attention. Unfortunately, that attention didn’t evolve into interest as you all sent the Maranello marvel packing in a narrow 54% ‘No Dice’ loss.
When is an El Camino not an El Camino?
In stark contrast to yesterday’s boutique beauty Ferrari, today’s 1979 GMC Caballero is rough and ready, although it matches the 348 in having a V8 engine paired with a manual gearbox. Come to think of it, they both also share a unique wraparound style rear window, so maybe they would make for happy happenstance driveway mates.
The Caballero is a Chevy El Camino in everything but the name. Both models used the same body-on-frame design, which is unique to the pair despite sharing everything forward of the A-pillar with Chevy’s Malibu. General Motors exerted little effort in differentiating the GMC from the Chevy. The only indicators are the small, almost unnoticeable GMC badge on the grille, a second on the steering wheel center, and a demure Caballero script on the dashboard ahead of the passenger seat.
Aside from those minor detours, it’s all a guided tour of downtown Chevyville here, right down to the Malibu wagon rear bumper that handily houses the tail lamps, leaving the car’s rear flanks and tailgate to meet in a smooth, uninterrupted design. This fifth generation of GM’s car/truck is arguably the best-looking of the bunch, if not the best-proportioned iteration of the form factor ever.
Factory four-speed
More Chevy bits can be found under the hood. That includes a 350CID small-block Chevy V8 backed here by the rare option of a four-speed manual gearbox. According to the ad, that 350 has a new carburetor and intake manifold. Factory add-ons include A/C and a tach next to the wide-sweep speedometer. We’re not going to discuss output here because of the new carb and intake, and because the factory ratings from when this car was new could only serve to depress and frustrate.
It would have been nice if the seller had shown us some under-hood pictures of the engine and its accessories. As it is, we get plenty of exterior shots. Those show the bodywork is straight and the paint is in pretty decent shape. The car rides on aftermarket alloy wheels that someone thought were a good idea at some point. This Caballero would really benefit from a set of proper period-correct Rallye-style steel wheels. Other than the take-it-or-leave-it issue and a broken turn signal indicator lens on the right-front corner, there’s nothing patently wrong here. The seller does note some minimal rust under that amazing rear window, but nothing serious shows up in the pictures.
Showing its age
The interior is a different story. Reportedly, the car only has 83,000 miles on the ticker, but it’s darn-near half a century old. In fairness, 1970s vinyl interiors were never intended to last that long, so this one holding up as well as it is laudable enough.
The major issues are the splitting seams on the bucket seats, a wildly warping center console armrest, abrasion of the dashboard edge from too many knees getting in and out, and the total surrender of the carpet dye on the lower edge of each door.
On the plus side, everything else looks to be in serviceable shape, and the car comes with power windows, a tilt steering wheel, and an aftermarket head unit in the dash. Rubber floor mats add a bit of an industrial flair, but may not be to everyone’s taste. Per the seller, the car “Runs, drives, and stops great,” and as an added bonus, touts that all the lights are in working order.
Muy bueno?
A clean title means this Caballero has kept its nose out of trouble for all those years on the road. The asking price to take on this interestingly optioned and arguably handsome not-an-El Camino is $5,600. The fact that it is branded as a GMC and not a member of the Bow Tie Brigade could be a plus for its uniqueness and rarity, or a bummer, as it could be considered an outlier.
What’s your take on this car/truck at that $5,600 asking? Does that feel like a deal for this Caballero as it’s presented in its ad? Or does the tired cabin make this not the one to pick up?
You decide!
Nice Price or No Dice:
Bend, Oregon, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to theblightofgrey for the hookup!
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