Used- ★ Cheapest
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500 C Fishing Reel Date 84-1
$50.00delivered
$50.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$50.00
Good buy
Date-coded 1984, $50 with free shipping. Not described as tested.
ringoandwyatt
99.9% positive
The Vintage Reel Index · Catalog № 6500C★ What to buy, and why ★
Abu Garcia · Baitcasting reel · Cat. № 6500C
The one they call “High-speed 6000”
Ambassadeur 6500C
Used price$55–$90
The 6500C is the high-speed version of the 6000C: the same larger Ambassadeur frame and spool, geared at nearly 5-to-1 for a faster retrieve.
Gear ratio4.7:1
Line capacity—
Bearings—
Years1970s
FamilyAmbassadeur 6000 series, high speed
Failure mode · verify before bidding
Hard use
The 6500C is a working reel first, and most have spent years on catfish and striper rods, so wear on the drag, gears and level wind matters more than cosmetics.
Check first!
- Dragtighten the star and pull line; it should slip smoothly at every setting, not stick and jump.
- Gear feelturn the handle slowly under light load and feel for rough or tight spots in the high-speed gears.
- Brake blocksconfirm the centrifugal brake blocks are present and move freely.
- Generationcheck the side plate and foot markings to confirm a classic Swedish reel rather than a later model in similar colours.
Price range is INFERRED from completed eBay listings; verify against current sold comps before bidding.
Buying guide
Which one to buy
From Oct 1, 2026 listings
18 6500Cs are listed, none for parts, and complete reels cluster at $55–90 delivered. This is a catfish, striper and pike reel, so many have been fished hard, and a seller test matters more than cosmetics; none of the reels left in this snapshot is described as tested. The price spread comes from completeness (box, oiler and wrench at $99.50), finish (a gunmetal reel at $174) and nothing at all (a plain reel at $143.59). The best buy sits just under the band: a 1984-dated reel at $50 with free shipping. Collectors should take the boxed set, which costs barely more than a loose reel.
- Listed now
- 18
- For parts
- 0
- Typical ask
- $55–$90
- Full range
- $40–$165
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 1, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ — eBay shows your exact total before you buy.
- ★ Cheapest$50.00deliveredView on eBay ⟶
$50 with free shipping on Buy It Now for a reel date-coded 1984, from a 99.9% seller: the lowest total on a complete 6500C and below the $55–90 band, with a known year. It isn't described as tested, so ask whether the clicker works and the brake blocks are intact, since a tired 6500C can crank fine but overrun on the cast.
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500 C Fishing Reel Date 84-1
★ Best value$72.86est. deliveredView on eBay ⟶A Swedish 6500C at $72.86 delivered with Best Offer open, mid-band, from a 99.9% seller. It's about $23 more than the cheapest reel with no test claim of its own, so make an offer and ask whether the drag is smooth and the level wind tracks.
Vintage Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500c, Sweden
★ Easiest to get working$86.50est. deliveredView on eBay ⟶Includes the exploded-view parts diagram, which makes the first clean and re-grease a straightforward job, at $86.50 delivered with Best Offer. It isn't described as serviced or tested, so "easiest" here means easiest to service yourself; offer closer to $70.
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500C Baitcasting Reel with exploded view manual
★ Collector's pick$99.50est. deliveredView on eBay ⟶Original box with oiler and wrench, right-hand, Swedish, $99.50 delivered on Buy It Now from a 100% seller: only about $10 over the top of the band for a complete set. Check that the box matches the model and the wrench is the Abu original.
VINTAGE ABU GARCIA AMBASSADEUR 6500 C REEL in BOX with Oiler/Wrench, RH, Sweden
Live from the water
Live on eBay right now
6 of 18 listed
Snapshot captured — listings may have ended
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 1, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ — eBay shows your exact total before you buy.
UsedUsed- ★ Best value
Vintage Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500c, Sweden
$72.86est. delivered
$64.99 + $7.87 shipping
Buy It Now$64.99
Offers accepted
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Swedish 6500C at $72.86 delivered, mid-band, with Best Offer open but no test claim.
bountyhunter
99.9% positive from 9.7K ratings
Used- ★ Easiest to get working
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500C Baitcasting Reel with exploded view manual
$86.50est. delivered
$79.00 + $7.50 shipping
Buy It Now$79.00
Offers accepted
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
The exploded-view manual helps if you service it yourself, but the reel isn't described as serviced.
beefrugal
100% positive from 915 ratings
Used- ★ Collector's pick
VINTAGE ABU GARCIA AMBASSADEUR 6500 C REEL in BOX with Oiler/Wrench, RH, Sweden
$99.50est. delivered
$87.50 + $12.00 shipping
Buy It Now$87.50
Good buy
Boxed with oiler and wrench for $99.50 delivered: complete for little more than a loose reel.
bobs_lures
100% positive from 5.5K ratings
Used- ⚠ Priced high
Vintage Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500C Bait Casting Fishing Reel Sweden
$143.59est. delivered
$130.00 + $13.59 shipping
Buy It Now$130.00
Heads-up: priced high
Standard 6500C at $143.59 delivered, well above the band with no box, service or variant to justify it.
treasures-from-the-attic
100% positive from 1.2K ratings
Used- ⚠ Priced high
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500C Fishing Reel. Gunmetal Finish. Made in Sweden.
$174.00est. delivered
$165.00 + $9.00 shipping
Buy It Now$165.00
Heads-up: priced high
The gunmetal finish is scarce, but $174 delivered is about double the band for a reel bought to fish.
ercmons77
99.9% positive from 13.5K ratings
Prices and availability change daily. The full, current search on eBay shows every matching listing, including new ones since Oct 1, 2026.
See all current listings on eBay ⟶From the catalog
What the 6500C is
4.7:1
The 6500C is the high-speed version of the 6000C: the same larger Ambassadeur frame and spool, geared at nearly 5-to-1 for a faster retrieve. It arrived in the mid-1970s, after the 5500C had shown there was demand for faster Ambassadeurs, and it became a widely used, standard choice for catfish, stripers, pike and light saltwater.
The name lives on in modern versions, so be clear which one you are buying: a classic Swedish 6500C, a later Abu Garcia version and today's C3 and other models are different reels to a collector even when they look alike. Our latest snapshot found about 18 Swedish-made 6500Cs, most at $55 to $90 delivered.
Many have been fished hard, so prefer listings that say tested. Boxed reels with the original oiler and wrench are the collector buys, and special finishes such as gunmetal sell at a premium.
Same drawer
Related references
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