A Comprehensive Guide To Maintenance Costs, Reliability, And Average Prices

Summary

• The 1967 Chevelle was a reliable and solid car, with many still on the road today, over 50 years later.
• Maintenance and repair costs for the Chevelle are reasonable, with an average cost of $298 for repairs.
• The 1967 Chevelle has a high-reliability rating of 8/10, with most owners praising its sturdiness and lack of major issues.

Chevrolet struck gold with the introduction of the Chevelle back in 1964. The versatile platform could be configured in a four-door sedan, station wagon, or even the coupe utility, El Camino, and was one of the most successful Chevy models of all time.

Of course, the two-coupe was the coolest, and fastest, leading Chevy’s charge into the classic muscle car era. The 1967 Chevelle was the last year for the first-generation model, and came with a new contoured “Coke bottle” body style, replacing the boxier pre-’66 cars. Whether it was equipped with the standard inline-six-cylinder engine or the big-dog 396 V-8 option, it was a solid, reliable car, many of which are still on the road over a half-century later.

This guide provides comprehensive information provided by the manufacturer. Top Speed sourced additional data for maintenance costs (CarEdge, RepairPal), reliability (Carsurvey.org), and average prices (Hagerty Valuation Tool, Classic.com).

Maintenance And Repairs

RepairPal lists a $649 annual maintenance and repair cost for all Chevrolet vehicles for any year, while CarEdge states that a Chevy model will cost $9,625 to maintain in the first 10 years. Neither of these are specific to the 1967 Chevelle, but they give a rough idea of what kind of money it takes to keep them running. YourMechanic reports from its 1,600-plus strong network, that for a Chevelle, from any year, repairs run between $95 and $4496, at an average of $298, which is reasonable.

Most Common Chevrolet Chevelle Problems Reported

• Break shoe replacement
• Control arm assembly replacement
• Wheel bearing replacement
• Exterior door handle replacement
• Door lock actuator replacement

YourMechanic has reported 297 services completed on Chevelles in all years. Most of this seems to be routine maintenance like oil changes, radiator flushes, and general tune-ups. There are no catastrophically expensive repairs reported, like blown engines or transmission rebuilds.

Repairs And Pricing Info

As is the case with all auto repairs, most of the cost is labor, so doing it at home can save a lot of money. Chevrolet made millions of Chevelles, so there is an abundance of parts available, and on old cars like them, most repairs are as simple as bolting on a replacement. As an added bonus, there’s plenty of room under a classic car’s hood, which makes reaching and replacing parts a snap.

Recalls And Safety Investigations

The one and only safety recall for the ’67 Chevelle is the biggest nothing-burger in automotive history, lending credence to the overall quality and reliability of the vehicle. The NHTSA recall was because of some steering shafts, that may have been installed improperly, leading to a slight binding condition that was unnoticeable to the driver.

Reliability, Running Costs, And Expected Mileage

Classic vehicles like the 1967 Chevlle are too old for reliability ratings from sources like J.D. Power and CarEdge, but Carsurvey.org has plenty of owner reviews that give an accurate estimate of how sturdy these cars are. There are no complaints about the quality of the vehicle or for any design flaws, just normal things one would expect from a 57-year-old car, like aging parts that need replacing.

Reliability Rating: 8/10

Two 1967 Chevelle owners provided reliability scores on Carsurvey.org, totaling the average reliability to 8 out of 10:

9/10 was the highest rating and 7/0 was the lowest, but most owners gave the ’67 Chevelle a 9/10 for reliability. One owner listed replacing the head gasket after 30 years of hard running as a fault, but that sounds a lot more a like positive. Just ask any Subaru owner who blew a head gasket within the first ten years of ownership.

Running Costs: 6.5/10

Two 1967 Chevelle owners provided running cost scores on Carsurvey.org, totaling the average reliability to 6.5 out of 10:

There is no way a vehicle with a V-8 engine and a carburetor is going score high marks in running costs because they burn a lot of gas. None of the owners specifically mentioned the cost of feeding their Chevelles, but almost all of them raved about how fast their cars are, which is the same thing as saying they are gas-guzzling street machines. Power and speed come at a cost that most muscle car owners willingly accept.

Highest Miles Reported: 130,000

Two 1967 Chevelle owners provided the highest number of miles reported on Carsurvey.org, totaling an average of 104,000:

The reviews for the ’67 Chevelle have lots of phrases like “ran really strongly,” “gave no trouble,” and “great to go on Sunday drives” because they are well-built and built to last. With routine maintenance, these Chevy classics have hundreds of thousands of miles to give, without any major headaches.

Pricing And Values

Valuation Highlights

These prices are for a 1967 Chevy Chevelle SS 396, but the production numbers are for all vehicles on the Chevelle platform. Non-SS Chevelles can be had for much cheaper, but even cars packing that awesome 386 V-8 have an average retail value of $45,400, according to J.D. Power. Classic.com reports that ’67 Chevelles sold at auction averaging $63,240, with the highest sale at $286,000 and the lowest at $14,100.

What To Look For Before Buying

Before even looking for a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle, some serious soul-searching needs to take place. Project cars can be picked up relatively cheaply, but a top-condition SS 396 is a six-figure car in the same realm as collectible Mustangs and Mopars. Determining a comfortable price point is the essential first step.

First Thing To Look For

Rust is always the first thing that needs to be checked out on any classic car buy, and with the ’67 Chevelle, there is a very specific area to look out for. In what could probably be described as a design flaw, the sheet metal below the rear window allows water to pool, creating corrosion. A lot of times, these areas are covered in Bondo and repainted, so slapping a magnet on will tell if it was restored improperly.

Second Thing To Look For

In what is more of a quirk than a design flaw, first-gen Chevelles can have some issues with frame rust, that could result in cracking. Many restored Chevelles are beautiful on the outside but have serious internal issues. It would be wise to climb under a prospective buy and take a good look at the frame and the suspension.

Third Thing To Look For

The biggest thing to look out for is clone cars, or alleged SS 396s that were made from base-model Malibus. SS cars had external badging, but those can be replicated. Chevy didn’t provide a Super Sport body code in the VINs of 1969-1972 Chevelles but fortunately did for the 1966-1968 models. A real SS car will have star rivets on the VIN tag and the number “13817.”

Is It Worth Buying A 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle?

It’s not worth buying a fully-restored 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 386, except for serious collectors, because 100k+ cars can’t be enjoyed as daily drivers. On the other hand, picking one up as a project car is a great idea, for the simple fact that a little bit of elbow grease can get an affordable, reliable, and, most importantly, awesome ride. Even swapping in a 396 on a base model will turn heads, without the extra expense associated with having an “SS” on the grill.