138 SS tags,does he mean vin and cowl? 20k to restore, then 5k for a 396, plus 10k. Looks to be a fake SS for $35K. Mitch had a much better 327 Malibu for sale in the past. Looks to be a 5-6k car to me.
I think the seller is being straight up that this is a Malibu and not an SS car. His comment about having a 138 tag is a little strange that I think he's offering it up if someone wanted to retag the car, which I don't think is legal.
In my opinion, the days of $5-6K Chevelles are long gone, especially for one that's complete like this one. I agree $10K is too much, but I would think no lower than $8K in today's market. Just my two cents.
__________________
Stan S.-Twin Cities 'South Metro'
1972 Malibu Convertible 2nd time around
2001 Mustang GT Convertible
Forum influenced terms: 'Link Paste', 'Stanitized', & 'Revolving garage door...'
I've seen the tags offered before, usually on ebay or some craig's-list for $3k-$5K, there are ways to tell if its a fake such as the frame vin. If there was minor body work that might be a different story. Could be a fun driver. For a guy like Mitch, maybe? He did give up on his 66 malibu just about a year ago and I think he was offering or sold in the the $8K range with a 327, 4 sp, buckets, (L79 build maybe). Car has been for sale a couple of time before. Here is I think a real SS with NOM I think will bring in the $40K + range.
The Malibu I had was very solid, but basically a basket case, needing assembly. It was a 327 powerglide with factory buckets and console. Would have been a super restoration. It sold for $7,000.
This one is a driver as is, but the 6 cylinder isn't appealing to many. If it truly is a minimal rust AZ car, I would be tempted to buy it at $7,000 and replace the 6 with a small block, or heaven forbid, this is a prime candidate for the popular LS update.
Advertising 138 tags and title to go with isn't a crime in itself, as they may be just "collector" pieces, but we all know the intent behind the offer, which IS illegal to swap.