The Coveted Camaro: 1967-1969

When Chevrolet discontinued the Camaro in 2003, it broke the hearts of thousands of fans. (So much so that, as of this writing, GM is considering a re-introduction.) Despite the lack of current examples, or perhaps because of it, clean examples of earlier Camaros have taken off in value, driven by a renewed appreciation of musclecars in general.


Although virtually all variations of the Camaro have their fans, among the most coveted are the first-generation (1967 to 1969) models. Just three years was all it took to put the Camaro on the leading edge of American sports sedan design. But buying a collector car is more difficult than picking out a new model at the showroom, and there are many pitfalls to avoid.

Narrow Your Search
The first question that must be answered is: What do you want to do with your dream Camaro? If your heart is set on massive investment potential, you should only consider mint condition, original specification cars. High-performance models like Z-28s and big-block cars will always sell for more than the most prosaic examples. For maximum value only V-8s will do, and the more original-equipment options the better.


On the other hand, you may not give a whit whether your Camaro is ever worth a small fortune, and you'd rather not spend extra money for a collector-approved example. Things that would cause a purist to turn up his nose may seem like improvements to you, and can save you a bundle.


For instance, Camaros with engine changes will never be worth as much as original examples. In the 1970s and 1980s it was common to replace six cylinder and base-model V-8 engines with hotter engines. With the addition of a 396 engine pirated from a Malibu, a hood with air vents, a set of stronger front springs and a stripe kit, even base-model Camaros could look and run like the SS-396.