Selling a 1984-1987 Chevrolet El Camino as it sits

What follows is everything federal records hold on these years, which is very little: two GM recalls and two owner complaints.

The final four model years

The fifth-generation El Camino ran from 1978 to 1987. Arlington, Texas, built it through 1984. For 1985 GM moved production to Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, and made a fuel-injected 4.3 V6 the base engine. Production ended quietly in late 1987. A GM Mexico release dates the plant's first car exports to the US, El Caminos, to 1983, so the sources do not agree on when Mexican-built cars began.

EPA rated the 1984 diesel with the three-speed automatic at 18 mpg city and 24 highway; the 5.0 V8 got 14 and 18. A 1987 with the 4.3 and four-speed rates 16 city, 22 highway.

What NHTSA holds

• 84V011, February 1984: on two-door GM cars and light trucks with AR9 or AV5 bucket seats, the seat back locks did not meet federal standard 207 on seat anchorage, so a seat could fold forward in a crash. Dealers inspected each lock and replaced those "that have bent, broken or missing hooks." The campaign counts 76,586 vehicles across those GM models.
• 87V168, October 1987: on cars with the 200-4R automatic, the transmission's manual valve link may have been formed badly. If it separates, the gear can differ from the one selected, and the engine can start in gear. Dealers replaced the detent lever link. Its 11,936 vehicles include other GM cars and wagons.
• Not GM parts: NHTSA also shows two Fram recalls under these years, for replacement fuel filters (06E043) and Racing HP4 and HP8 oil filters (07E088). They concern filters sold for the car, and the counts below leave them out.

Is it worth putting money into?

The 1986 complaint makes the practical point: the owner wrote in 2003 that the dealer no longer carried the retractor. On a car this old, a repair can hinge on finding parts as much as on labor. Price both before you commit, and check whether rust or a seized engine from long storage changes the picture; our guide to a car that has sat for years lists what to check.

Selling the El Camino whole

1. Jot down the VIN, the mileage shown, the engine, and what doesn't work.
2. Ask for an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Describe where it sits, whether in a barn, under a carport or on the street, and whether it rolls.
4. Sell the whole car as it sits. Leave the bed, the trim and the drivetrain on, and say if anything is missing.
5. Find the title before pickup. If it went missing years ago, start with our no-title guide.