This is the sort of vehicle that most people dream about finding, sans two extra doors. Being a four-door sedan, most people will pass right on by, and that’s fine, not everyone likes everything, that’s what makes the world go ’round. How boring of a planet would it be if we all liked the same vehicles, zzzzz… This 1969 Dodge Coronet 440 is listed on eBay with just one day left to get your bids in. It’s located in Lakewood, California; a place that no doubt helped to preserve it over these last few decades. There is no reserve on this auction and it’s currently sitting at around $3,400!
Dodge made a few different Coronet lines, or models using Coronet name, including “the base Coronet, Coronet Deluxe, Coronet 440, Coronet 500 and Coronet R/T.” This is the middle of the pack, just fancy enough but not too fancy. Pretty much the very definition of Dodge itself. This car sure looks solid, and it is. It’s a one-family-owned car from California, so there is no rust and it has had just one repaint in almost 50 years. The seller has provided an underside photo and it looks much more solid than some of our vehicles do that are much newer.
Here’s where you cringe, thinking, what happened to the absolutely perfect car from the last two photos?! If that trim on the LR door and wheel arch was still there there would be no cringing, other than from the usual four-door hating crowd. Thankfully, that crowd seems to be shrinking as time goes by and more people appreciate that these were actually the cars that people drove. Not many memories were made in Hemi ‘Cudas and fuel-injected ’57 Chevys compared to these “boring” four-door sedans. Most people drove four-door sedans and most of us remember our lives back then riding around in cars like this one. And, who doesn’t want their own door when it’s time to either get in or get out of a car?! I know that I do, but I have control issues…
The interior looks good, perhaps very good, overall. There are a few issues, however, maybe due to the California sun and probably just from general wear over the last 48 years. The front seats look pretty nice with that fancy-for-a-Dodge pattern, but there are quite a few rips so the next owner will have to track down some OEM fabric. Vinyl seat replacements are available but I’d want an exact match to the original fabric. The rear seating area looks fantastic other than the tops of the rear seat back being disintegrated, probably again from the hot sun. The dash isn’t perfect, but it isn’t horrible. This car also has AC but I’m assuming that it “needs charged”, as they say in 2017, for some reason. The trunk looks good, but as always, the hot, hot sun wreaks havoc on any soft materials, especially rubber seals.
The model of this car is a 440 but that has nothing to do with the engine, of course. There were quite a few engine options for the Coronet in 1969 and this car has a 318 V8 that would have had about 230 hp and 340 ft-lb of torque; more than enough to do a nice little burnout with. Ha, as if any of us would have done that with a four-door sedan.. cough.. My dad had a 1969 Plymouth Fury III four-door sedan and he did some legendary burnouts with that car. The Coronet 440, oddly, couldn’t be had with a 440 V8 from the factory, the biggest, baddest choice would have been a 383 four-barrel. Would you track down that missing trim and redo the seats to turn this one into a rolling, original-spec restoration, or would you turn it into something meaner than a sedate four-door everyday sedan?
Just the right number of doors. Looks great, and a pretty good price too.
Good car if you can get it at the right price.
Drive it around until you find a 2 door, then use it as a parts car. (JK)
Steve R
70s Dart hubcaps. Actually look good on here
I am the proud owner of a 2-Door Hardtop of this same year and model. I am fortunate in that mine is 383-2 equipped. This is a beautiful example of a 4-Door. They have become less common as many were used as donor cars. Someone loved this car, and it shows. Drive and enjoy it. I will watch this to see the final price. Nice find.
Nice car. I hope who ever gets it does the few fixes it needs and drives it. If I wasn’t up to my neck in my 65 chevelle ss resto I’d go after it myself.
This was the cop car on so many tv shows in the sixties I cant begin to count. Something in my basal ganglia whatever that is sees Kimo on Hawaii Five O driving this very same color Coronet
http://www.imcdb.org/movie_62568-Hawaii-Five-O.html
Yeah….Adam 12 – Dragnet
Not Dragnet. Sargent Friday drove a Ford Fairlane.
Get the engine breathing better with Magnum heads, dual exhaust, cam, and a 4 barrel carb. Add Firm Feel steering and make the suspension handle so you can run good radial tires. Finally, get rid of that old aftermarket air conditioning pump in favor of the newer style circular pump. That all should make this car a fun one to drive after you fit a good sound system.
I took drivers ed in one of these.
I use to make a Super Bee clone. A little structural and roof magic and you have a fine muscle car.
Sorry….
A very clean looking vintage Mopar sedan. The bidding on it has topped $4000 and there’s still 10 hours left before the hammer drops.
When you paint a car a different color, it’s not that much more work to paint the door jams too.
I’m not a four door guy but, it is a nice car for somebody.
I didn’t grow up in the backseat of a 4-door My Father owned 2 convertibles at a time in Northeast Ohio. I was 49 years old until I bought a 4 door and that was my Wife’s business car purchased as a ex-rental.
Life is too short to drive around in a no-sale green middle of the pack 4 door. The body shop wasn’t interested enough to look up the color code before repainting. “Buddy, you asked for green and you got green, and no, we don’t have that piece of trim, it was gone when you brought it in.”
My friend’s brother spent hours looking through color code books for British Racing green for his old Jaguar. The body shop returned in pickle green, very similar to this old Dodge.
When colours were handed out to the countries that actually raced cars Italy was given RED, France BLUE, Germany WHITE and Britain was given GREEN, any colour green as long as it was green. The green eventually used by the racing teams was a dark green, since known as British Racing Green.
I love these late 60s Coronet sedans. When I was two (in PA) my grandparents bought the Gold on Gold ’69 and immediately embarked on an epic trip “Out West.” It lasted a while and was one of the earliest cars I remember. I’ve thought about owning one, but mine would have to be gold. I did own a ’66 Coronet 440 sedan in the 90s (and got to drive my Grandfather in – a real “Circle of Life” moment) but I like the ’69s better.
It’s only a four door from the out side. When you’re driving , all you see is the hood.
I wonder what the percentage of American cars painted metaliic green was in 1969?
We had a ’69 two door same color when I was a kid. Love that color.
Wow, just wow. That interior is unbelievable.
I’d ditch those ’70s wheelcovers for some proper dog dishes.
The best thing to do with this car is wrap it to look like a police car and have fun with it.
The wrap can always be removed to bring it back to stock.
I guess you could make it a taxi, but then you wouldn’t have fun playing with the emergency lights.
To Many doors, not enough engine. I’d fall asleep driving it, such a boring version of an exciting car.
I’ve seen some cool 4 doors…
Winning bid:US $4,050.99
[ 30 bids ]
Brought my one son home from the hospital in one just like this. Did not have long. Noisy interior and floating suspension. Nice soft ride though.
318. One of my favorite engines. Had one in a 89 Dodge Ram half ton van. This would be the perfect cruiser. Good price.
AC installed by some hooligan never have seen Freon lines running through the driver’s side firewall
Besides the 1966 and 67 Coronet model, I also like the 1969 and 70 Coronet.