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Little Red Wagon: 1957 Chevrolet 210

One of the reasons we like the idea of owning a one owner classic is that it is easier to track down the car’s history and knowing where it came from, where it was stored and how it was maintained gives us extra confidence in what exactly we are buying. But let’s face it, a lot can happen in 50 or 60 years. Thankfully there are people like this seller that even though their classic has had a number of owners, many of which they can’t track down, they have gone to great lengths to do as much research as possible and provide tons of details about the car’s condition. It isn’t perfect, but this is one nice 210 Wagon and would be a fun project if you ask me! You can find it here on eBay in Pickerington, Ohio with a starting bid of $8,950.

The seller was able to figure out where the car was sold from originally and whom the first owner was. They were able to track down information about a few past owners as well and why they sold it. It’s been worked on over the years, but has been parked since 2011 and is needing work again.

Like most cars of this vintage, there are some rust issues. The seller states that there are only 2 rust spots that need attention, one in the tailgate and one in the driver’s side floor. Both are out of sight areas that could be repaired without paint work. I would want to check the rest of the underside for any other issues though. That’s some pretty serious looking decay in the floor, but it looks great from the outside.

There is one other area of issue for me and that’s the engine, which has been upgraded to a 350. Thankfully it comes with a period correct 283, but some crucial parts are missing. I would get it running and driving again with the 350 and then as I have the time and money, I’d rebuild the 283 and swap it out with the 350.

Yes, this car has some issues and it clearly isn’t all original, but the seller seems to be upfront about its issues, which makes me more comfortable bidding on it. I’d still want to take a closer look at it to make sure there isn’t more rust starting to develop or hiding out of sight, it’s in the rust belt after all. So would you be proud to own this Chevy wagon?

Comments

  1. Avatar jcs

    Actually, from looking at the pics provided, it appears that the rust in the rear of the car is in the floor of the cargo area, not the tailgate. Great news. The floor is much easier to repair and hide than the tailgate.

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  2. Avatar JW454

    My father had two of these 210 ’57 wagons. In 1964 driving the first one, he took the whole “TRIBE” from Huntington, West Virginia to Miami, Florida to visit my grandmother for two weeks. I was 7 years old at the time. That was the only vacation we ever went on as a family.
    Then, in 1969, he moved the whole family from Huntington, WVa. to Dayton, Ohio in the second one. Both were good cars for him overall but, the second one dropped a valve ruining the cylinder. He and I had to install a junk yard 283 from a ’64 Impala when I was 12. Some postings here bring back the memories.

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  3. Avatar flmikey

    …I’m torn on this one…this car had to have been re-worked at least once, so who knows what’s under that paint…but the pictures look good…plus, if it could be had at where the current bid is, or a little higher, it might be a worthwhile project…

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  4. Avatar Rustytech Member

    Seems like a reasonably solid and complete tri five. With the popularity of these right now I would not be surprised to see this going over $15k before the auctions over, even with all the work needed.

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  5. Avatar Gear Head Engineer

    I know we hear this a lot, but starting bid seems high. I had a ’57 210 four door wagon with full Bel Air trim for 4-5 years. It was a beautiful car in turn key condition. Sold it for something around $16,500 in 2007 – before the recession hit hard. My car had a late model crate 350, 700R4 trans, front discs, power windows and door locks, cruise control, A/C, and I added a tuned port EFI. Probably some other creature comforts I’m forgetting. It was an older show car out of CA, with a lot of $ invested at some point. You could drive it anywhere with no worries, and I did. The Sierra Gold and Adobe beige still looked great and it had no rust anywhere. I listed the car on ebay with lots of detailed pics and it didn’t go above $15k. I finally sold it after the auction ended.

    My point is that if you bought this car for the starting bid, it would cost more than $8k to bring it to the level of my old wagon. I know for many of us it’s the journey more than the destination, so maybe this is a good starting point. But if you want something to drive soon, you can probably do better for just a bit more money.

    I don’t think this is a stock ’57 color, so I’d look carefully under the paint for hidden rust. The tailgates are a common problem area. They rust from the inside out due to water leaking inside.

    – John

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  6. Avatar leiniedude Member

    Winning bid of $8,950.00. Strange, that was the opening bid, but the only bidder bid that amount 3 different times. They had 0 buys or sells so maybe some rookie mistake? Not sure what a shill or shrill bidder is, would this be one?

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