Another quasi-survivor with original paint, this 1961 Chevrolet Impala has been hiding out in where else, you guessed it, California. Do you west coasters hog all the nice original cars? It’s currently in Los Angeles and is listed for sale here on eBay, where bidding is currently just over $8,000 but has not yet met the reserve. And note — it only has two doors for all you sedan haters!

Yes, the paint is faded and worn. But somehow this one just looks right. It’s a garage find with 58,709 miles on the odometer, and according to the seller they can document those miles. They even have the scribble paper that the original salesperson figured out offers on!

Here’s where the wear of the paint is most evident. Chrome looks good, though, and panel fit is good. The car has it’s original black plates and dealer plate frames. I like the look. What do you think?

Now here’s where things change from survivor to at least partially restored. The seller has replaced the entire interior with new replica components and to be honest, it looks really nice, but clashes with the outside of the car. Does that mean you need to repaint the car? This is similar to the Oldsmobile Starfire I wrote about the other day.

Here’s the engine, which is the original one according to the seller. However, they tell us that it’s attached to a rebuilt Turbo 350 transmission, which of course can’t be original as they didn’t exist in 1961. That being said, it’s not something that most folks would notice, and it probably improves the driving experience with three speeds versus two. I’m going to ask you the same question that I did in the Starfire post: Would you repaint this original car? Or would you leave it original and just enjoy it? Be sure and tell us all in the comments, and why you’d make that choice!