§ V.01What a 1959–1987 Chevrolet El Camino is worth
A 1959–1987 Chevrolet El Camino sold for a median of $24,614 across 581 completed auctions from January 2016 to October 2026 (BidBetter, as of 3 November 2026).
The middle half of those 581 sales fell between $17,600 and $35,500 (the typical range), and the full range after cleaning was $2,100 to $237,000.
Data as of 3 November 2026 · 581 sales · January 2016 to 23 October 2026 · auction results only
§ V.02What moves a car within the band
Within that band, pickup cars are the most frequently traded body style in this set (400 of 581 sales), and automatic cars account for 306 of them. Condition, originality and documented history move a car further than any single specification, which is why the middle half of the range is wide.
The spread by variant, printed in full above, is usually wider than the spread by year: a pickup at $25,300 and a truck at $23,750 are not the same market, and a single median that mixes them describes neither.
§ V.03Recent sales
| Car | Sold for | Date | Mileage | Sold by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26-Years-Owned, 350-Powered 1978 Chevrolet El Camino | $6,200 | 23 October 2026 | 30,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| L98-Powered 1987 Chevrolet El Camino | $9,400 | 13 October 2026 | 32,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| One-Family-Owned 1982 Chevrolet El Camino | $13,000 | 13 October 2026 | 25,600 mi | Hagerty |
| 350-Powered 1978 Chevrolet El Camino Conquista | $6,930 | 7 October 2026 | 15,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1966 Chevrolet El Camino | $19,250 | 2 October 2026 | 25,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1982 Chevrolet El Camino Royal Knight | $8,800 | 2 October 2026 | 99,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1959 Chevrolet El Camino | $38,000 | 24 September 2026 | 22,400 mi | Hagerty |
| 1972 Chevrolet El Camino SS 454 | $30,500 | 22 September 2026 | 63,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1969 Chevrolet El Camino SS | $42,000 | 21 September 2026 | 67,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 21-Years-Owned 1987 Chevrolet El Camino Project | $2,100 | 16 September 2026 | 25,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| One-Family-Owned 1978 Chevrolet El Camino 350 | $15,250 | 12 September 2026 | 35,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1959 CHEVROLET EL CAMINO CUSTOM PICKUP | $47,300 | 12 September 2026 | — | Barrett-Jackson |
| 1967 CHEVROLET EL CAMINO CUSTOM PICKUP | $24,200 | 11 September 2026 | — | Barrett-Jackson |
| 1965 CHEVROLET EL CAMINO CUSTOM PICKUP | $26,400 | 11 September 2026 | — | Barrett-Jackson |
| 1986 Chevrolet El Camino Project | $5,200 | 10 September 2026 | 89,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
§ V.04Price by model year
| Model year | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | $59,100 | 28 |
| 1960 | $46,750 | 24 |
| 1964 | $20,564 | 29 |
| 1965 | $26,075 | 26 |
| 1966 | $26,225 | 42 |
| 1967 | $25,500 | 49 |
| 1968 | $26,500 | 29 |
| 1969 | $26,750 | 49 |
| 1970 | $31,900 | 71 |
| 1971 | $26,000 | 41 |
| 1972 | $29,150 | 56 |
| 1973 | $18,001 | 5 |
| 1974 | $15,400 | 3 |
| 1975 | $13,125 | 4 |
| 1976 | $26,355 | 3 |
| 1978 | $10,885 | 13 |
| 1979 | $18,450 | 15 |
| 1980 | $15,650 | 6 |
| 1981 | $18,000 | 3 |
| 1982 | $11,700 | 6 |
| 1983 | $10,500 | 4 |
| 1984 | $11,375 | 16 |
| 1985 | $15,025 | 14 |
| 1986 | $12,500 | 19 |
| 1987 | $16,964 | 24 |
§ V.05Price by body style and transmission
| Variant | Type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickup | Body style | $25,300 | 400 |
| Truck | Body style | $23,750 | 116 |
| Automatic | Transmission | $21,835 | 306 |
| Manual | Transmission | $30,800 | 201 |
§ V.06Questions
What is a 1959–1987 Chevrolet El Camino worth?
A 1959–1987 Chevrolet El Camino sold for a median of $24,614 across 581 completed auctions from January 2016 to October 2026 (BidBetter, as of 3 November 2026).
The middle half of those 581 sales fell between $17,600 and $35,500 (the typical range), and the full range after cleaning was $2,100 to $237,000.
What affects the price of a 1959–1987 Chevrolet El Camino?
Model year: by year, medians run from $10,500 for 1983 (4 sales) to $59,100 for 1959 (28 sales).
Body style: a pickup holds a median of $25,300 on 400 sales, against $23,750 on 116 for a truck.
Transmission: Manuals hold a median of $30,800 on 201 sales, against $21,835 on 306 for automatics.
Condition, originality and documented history move a car further than any single specification, which is why the middle half of sales spans $17,600 to $35,500.
Is the Chevrolet El Camino 1959-1987 going up or down in value?
Up. The 124 sales in the 12 months to 3 November 2026 had a median of $27,250, against $24,200 on 81 sales in the 12 months before, a rise of 12.6%. That compares whichever cars came to auction in each year, not the same cars sold twice, so read it as the direction of the market rather than a rate of appreciation.
How many Chevrolet El Camino sales is that based on?
581 completed auction sales, from January 2016 to 23 October 2026. The table above lists the 15 most recent, each linked to its auction record. The figures were last rebuilt on 3 November 2026.
What is the difference between the typical range and the full range?
The typical range is $17,600 to $35,500: half of all 581 sales fell inside it. The full range is $2,100 to $237,000, the cheapest and dearest sale that survived cleaning. The full range is set by outliers, so it is a boundary rather than a guide to what most cars bring.
Which body style holds its value best?
On this set, pickup is the most frequently sold at 400 sales with a median of $25,300. The highest median among body styles is pickup at $25,300, though it rests on fewer sales. Each variant's median and count are in the table above.
Do manual or automatic cars sell for more?
In this set, automatic cars account for 306 of 581 sales. Manuals hold a median of $30,800 on 201 sales, against $21,835 on 306 for automatics.
Does mileage change the value?
Mileage is recorded for part of this set, not all of it, so it is not used to adjust the median. It is shown in the sales table wherever the auction record carries it, and you can see the effect directly by comparing rows.
How current is this figure?
Data as of . The figures are rebuilt from completed sales on a schedule, and the date above is the date of the last rebuild, not the date this page was loaded.
§ V.07Method and sources
What these figures are. Every number on this page is computed from completed auction sales of Chevrolet El Camino cars built between 1959 and 1987. The median is the 50th percentile of the sale prices; the typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile; the full range is the lowest and highest sale that survived cleaning. Percentiles are linearly interpolated on the sorted prices.
What is excluded. Asking prices, reserve-not-met results, withdrawn lots and unsold cars are not prices and are not counted. Parts, memorabilia, literature, scale models and other non-vehicle lots are excluded. Sales not made in US dollars are excluded, so these figures describe the dollar market. Duplicate records are removed. Sales below a plausibility floor (5% of the median) and above a ceiling (10× the median) are set aside, because a $22 "911" is a data error rather than a cheap car.
What was set aside. The highest recorded sale in this set is $275,000 (1970 CHEVROLET EL CAMINO SS LS6, 28 January 2023), and 1 sale above $248,070 are held out of the median and the ranges: at that price the lot is a different asset, and including it would pull the headline figure away from what a typical car brings.
What it is not. This is not an appraisal or an inspection, and it does not predict what any particular car will bring. Two cars built the same year can differ by more than the whole typical range on condition, originality, documentation and provenance.
The set. 581 sales from January 2016 to 23 October 2026, drawn from 11 auction sources, principally Bring a Trailer (271), Barrett-Jackson (221), Mecum (26), Hemmings (23), Hagerty (18), Acc (8), RM Sotheby's (7), Cars & Bids (4), Bonhams (1), Broad Arrow (1), Collecting Cars (1). Data as of .
See the disclaimer for the limits of a valuation of this kind.
§ V.08Compare with
- Chevrolet Camaro fourth generation 1993-2002 — $18,850 median · 549 sales · as of 3 November 2026
- Chevrolet Camaro fifth generation 2010-2015 — $36,790 median · 523 sales · as of 3 November 2026
- Chevrolet Impala 1958-1964 — $52,800 median · 644 sales · as of 3 November 2026
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