At $16,000, Will This 1983 Chevy El Camino Make You Feel Like Royalty?
Today’s Nice Price or No Dice El Camino proudly wears a dragon crest on its hood, part of its Royal Knight trim package. Let’s see if that unique and rare aesthetic upgrade makes it worth dragging out one’s wallet.
According to Bob: You Need to Buy a Coupe
Today is the shortest day of the year up here in the Northern Hemisphere, meaning time is of the essence, and we have much to discuss. We have to start with yesterday’s 2003 Subaru Baja. That car has a lot of miles under its belt but has seemingly been well-cared for by its long-time owners. Now, only a $6,500 asking price stands between it and a new home. That shouldn’t prove too high a hurdle, though, as most of you voted in favor of the Baja, earning it a solid 55 percent Nice Price win.
OK, with that out of the way, let’s talk about today’s contender, which is *checks notes* another car/pickup. Wow, it’s like planets aligning or something.
Today’s 1983 Chevy El Camino Royal Knight is, of course, the OG car/pickup. It and the Ford Ranchero defined the form factor in the U.S. for decades. This model, built on GM’s A-body platform, was its last iteration, going out of production in 1987. To be fair, that was four years after the Malibu, upon which it was based, was discontinued in favor of the FWD Celebrity.
The last of the line El Camino wasn’t just a Malibu with a bed in the back, either. The model rides on a unique frame not shared with either the sedan or wagon, featuring standard air-shock rear suspension. It does share the door architecture of the Malibu two-door, albeit with unique glass. It also has the same rear bumper as the wagon but a different tailgate. The wrap-around rear window, so reminiscent of the Ferrari 308 of the time, is an El Camino exclusive.
Something else that could only be had on the El Camino is this car’s Royal Knight tape and trim option. That includes some side stripes, badging, and a crazy dragon decal on the hood. The whole package looks like it belongs on a leather-boothed ’70s steak house where the drinks are boozy and the waiters all chain smoke. Amazingly, Chevy offered this somewhat cheesy trim option for a full six years before discontinuing it following this model year.
This one carries its dragons with pride and seems to be in fairly decent shape for its age. Everything looks original, with some wear and tear evident inside and out. There’s nothing that would keep the car from being enjoyed, however.
According to the original build sheet the seller has procured through GM Heritage and provides in the ad, this Elkie was factory equipped with a Chevy 5.0-liter 4-barrel V8 producing 145 horsepower and a three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic transmission. Other options noted include the SS package, which by this point in time was pretty meaningless in regards to performance, as well as a sport suspension (heavy-duty shocks), A/C, and power windows.
The interior was spec’d with a 55/45 split bench seat in cloth, color coordinated in lurid red with the rest of the cabin. One cool feature that I always like to point out on GM cars of this era is the crotch-cooler vents that lurk at the bottom of the dashboard on either side. Why can’t car companies do stuff like that anymore?
Heck, I’d also like to know why we today can’t have cool cars that are also pickups with hood decals of dragons. We are truly living in unenlightened times. Fortunately, we have time travelers from a more enlightened past like this El Camino to salve our desires. As another plus, this one comes in rust-free condition and rocks both a clean title and current tags. The price tag for the blast from the past is $16,000.
What do you think about this Royal Knight and that $16,000 asking price? Does that seem fair, considering its condition and dragon-displaying exclusivity? Or is that price just a royal pain?
You decide!
Long Beach, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Don R. for the hookup!
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