15th Jun 2014, 03:44
Interesting review.
I had a neighbor who had a pea-green Biscayne 2-door pillar sedan (not hardtop). This car went 300,000 miles on the 235 inline-six and Powerglide powertrain. That was not a common occurrence in 1975. Mind you, it consumed a quart of oil every 50 miles, and ran on 5 cylinders until they drove it to the junkyard. Not fast or all that great on gas (cut it a break - 2-speed automatics were not paragons of efficiency) but it took a licking and kept on ticking - not to mention that styling :)
15th Jun 2014, 16:24
To the first commenter: man you brought back memories. My first was an '81 4-door Cutlass with the dumb back windows, and one of the smokers vents would fall out on the road occasionally and we'd have to turn around and get it from the middle of traffic. Mine was even more gutless as it had the 3.8 which threw a rod as I attempted to race a V8 Grand Cherokee. Memories.. Please do a full review! Mine's on here somewhere.
Sorry for drifting off topic Biscayne lovers. I'll echo what everyone else is saying, it's a bygone car from a bygone era and you cannot expect it to compete with anything on the road today. I had a variant of that straight 6 in my '79 G-series cargo van and it was a bulletproof torque monster. Cinderblock is correct if you're describing maintenance and reliability... Just keep the gas and oil full and it'll go forever!
15th Jun 2014, 18:03
I paid more for a 44 year old car than my new Silverado pick up. Worth every penny. Then over a grand to ship. I can have ice cream on the ice cream and strawberry festival car cruise nights.
15th Jun 2014, 23:55
The '59 Impala, Bel-Air, and Biscayne were the most beautiful full-size Chevrolets in my opinion.
16th Jun 2014, 06:30
"You do realize that, you are complaining about a car that would now be 55 years old, right?"
Uh, you do realize that the reviewer bought the car new and kept it to 1968 right?
16th Jun 2014, 17:23
Add me to the list also; we had an '81 Cutlass in our family. The odometer quit at around 230,000 miles and it was kept for about 3 years after that, so who knows what the actual mileage was.
That car also had the Buick 3.8, along with my first car, which was an '84 Grand Prix and was 11 years old at the time. I drove the hell out of that car for 6 years after that, and the motor started to show some fatigue at 210,000 miles.
Back to the '59 Biscayne; that car, along with every other GM full-size from 1959, was flat out awesome looking.
17th Jun 2014, 03:03
Well as said before, this review will come in handy whenever someone is considering a '59 Biscayne.
17th Jun 2014, 11:27
Every review, every model and year comes in handy buying a car after reading Car Survey!
17th Jun 2014, 11:31
I saw a 409 dual quad 4 speed, early 60s at a car show. It drew intense interest, understated, bare optioned. 2 doors of course. Very cool.
17th Jun 2014, 12:44
Uh, yeah, I was trying to decide between a '59 Chevy or a '62 Ford -- after reading this review consisting of somebody's memories from a half-century ago, I am going for the Galaxie.
17th Jun 2014, 12:48
It would be nice if more retro look cars were available on new platforms, to appease the new car dealer customers. The Challenger is my favorite. You won't find a 59 Chevrolet at a new car dealer. Nowadays you drive the new car through the McDonald's for ice cream in a cup. Such fun that is. I would like 59 Chevrolet Convertible with teardrop tail lights as my choice.
18th Jun 2014, 14:18
Look forward to reading your Galaxie review on here. I like the big block models, and saw quite a few at a local all Ford only show held at Sheehy Ford every year. Great special interest cars. Good luck with your purchase!
19th Jun 2014, 10:55
Sheridan Ford, a new car dealer in Wilmington De, has a great annual car show with quite a few early Galaxies with the great Thunderbolt engines and 4 speeds. An all Ford only show.
I agree, I would buy one of these great track cars, but bring your wallet. This model in this review doesn't come close as a comparison. The car show is mostly Mustangs, sponsored by the First State Mustang Club.
If you are comparing a 62 up Galaxie, why not consider a 409 62 Impala SS 4 speed? And then play your Beach Boys 409 song.
23rd Jun 2014, 00:12
There is a T-bird song; put the top down and have "fun, fun, fun" till daddy takes it away.
23rd Jun 2014, 12:45
Talk about obscure. It must be an extreme rarity to research a 1959 Chevrolet, and research further into a 1962 Galaxie for an actual purchase. The 58 Chevrolet was overlooked for a very long time, but gained some popularity as a one year design. But a 59 Chevrolet to a 62 Galaxie stretches the imagination.
I loved the 62 Chevrolet Impala; beautiful body, searched heavily for a SS and ended up buying a 63 coupe and 64 SS (boxy), but a power top convertible 4 speed.
25th Jun 2014, 12:25
Wow, just because a reader changed his mind to buy a 1962 Galaxie, we have the hit parade.
26th Jun 2014, 12:34
I believe Andy Griffith drove an early Galaxie on his show. Not fond of its styling, but everyone can see and compare.
26th Jun 2014, 17:27
Oh there is one... Galaxie by Blind Melon on their Soup album (a great album IMHO).
28th Jun 2014, 12:54
Make mine a fuel injected Corvette. Or go the Beach Boy route with a 4 speed dual quad positraction 409, but not in 59. I don't like many 1959 models except those from Pontiac through the early 60s. Even the interiors were pieces of art. An average guy could afford some outstanding cars in that era through the very early 70s. I graduated high school in 1972. The parking lot was filled with muscle cars (used) ranging from 500-3000 dollars. We ran Super Shell and Sunoco 260 at 36 cents a gallon. Insurance was more a worry than paying cash for great cars and fueling them. You didn't need mom or dad to buy a car then. I have bought cars the past couple decades again and wish I had a crystal ball back in the day. The best part is I haven't lost the passion for them. It's not the monetary aspect, it's more owning a rare piece of automotive history. If you like a song about a certain car, great. I have a CD I haven't changed in one of my cars for months. In my daily driver, I switch CDs every day; doesn't have the same feeling driving it.
14th Jun 2014, 15:44
I'll keep all of that in mind the next time I get the urge to head down to my local Chevy dealership to check out a 1959 Biscayne. I was thinking about doing just that very thing today, but instead I went to the soda fountain at the drug store with the other members of the Pep Club.