Classic Classified: 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS 396
From: Hemmings Motor News
Date: March 1989
Price then: $17,500 (33,700 adjusted for inflation – about the cost of a new 2015 Chevrolet Impala today)
Price now: $23,500 – $74,500
Approximate dollar difference: $41,000 (assuming No. 1 condition)
Approximate annual rate of return: 3%
IMPALA: 1965, L-78, 396/425 hp, 4-spd, posi, mirrior finish red on arrow straight rust-free California body, mint black interior, matching numbers with all correct date codes & casting numbers, documentation back to original owners, look back 2 years of Hemmings, you’ll only see 2 others for sale, very rare car, $17,500.
A very rare car indeed, only offered for one year, the 425-horsepower, 396-cid big-block came in to fill the gap between the aged 409 (still available for ’65) and the 427, which was slated to be introduced in 1966. Although this car is rare, when you’re talking muscle cars, enthusiasts tend to measure desirability in cubic inches first and production numbers second. A 1966 Impala with a 427 producing the same horsepower goes for nearly $20,000 more on the high end. Since 1989, the 1965 Impala has enjoyed moderate appreciation and was as much of a sound buy then as it is now.
