I’ve got to admit that sometimes when a seller uses words such as flawless, magnificent, or time capsule when describing their 50+ year automobile, it triggers my spidey senses to look even closer than I ordinarily would as opposed to when someone admits their ride needs a total restoration. But the owner of this 1969 Cadillac DeVille here on eBay throws out all three here, and after checking it out I tend to agree and might even add the term grandiose ’cause this one’s a true beauty. The Caddy is located in Newton, Pennsylvania, where bidding has already reached $16,350, but there’s also an opportunity to own it today for $22,500 if you hit the buy-it-now button.
I also tend to get overly judgmental whenever an extremely low-mileage claim is suggested, in this case 13,879 which is only slightly more than 250 per year if my math skills serve me correctly, so I’m gonna want a good story to back this up. We get it here, as the seller states that the first owner passed away after only driving the Cadillac 8,000 miles, followed by a subsequent storage of about 16 years by his widow as she didn’t possess a driver’s license. During that time, her nephew periodically started the engine and eventually took ownership and drove it an additional 5,000 miles before the current caretaker’s acquisition.
Something else convincing involves the interior, which appears splendid overall but the seats in particular seem to add credibility here, as they still retained the plastic covering up until recently. We get to see a photo of the owner wearing protective gloves in the process of taking off the clear wrapping on the front bench, then another after it’s been completely removed, and other than a bit of waviness on the armrest it’s a lot like traveling back to the assembly line 1969.
The seller doesn’t specifically say whether or not the finish is completely original or not, but if any of it’s ever had any respraying it must have been a primo job as I’m not really spotting any evidence of paint flaws around the trim, and the areas where the vinyl top meets the body are about as nice as one would expect for a car with this much age on it. The one exterior flaw mentioned is a negligible scratch on the trunk lid, but fortunately, it only measures about two and a half inches long.
Under the hood, the engine bay seems to be in fine order, with one welcomed upgrade being an A/C compressor that uses modern freon and it’s actually blowing cold air. The Cadillac is said to be running smoothly and quietly, with the seller confident that his car is roadworthy enough to get right in and drive cross-country if the buyer doesn’t live near The Keystone State. I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody goes ahead and snaps this one up clicking the immediate gratification button at $22,500, which seems like a fairly reasonable price to pay for a full-size luxury mobile of this caliber that’s been shown so much love. What do you think?
Some writers use superlatives all the time, and they’re not even the guy selling the car!
Nice write-up, Mike.
What a beautiful example. I have a limo and a convertible. For me its 59 and 60 then 69 and 70. These are absolutely great cars. This one however is too nice to drive. A definite show queen copy here….love it.
A car that sat that long needs a thorough inspection. Are are made to be driven, not stored.
Grandpa had this as a convertible which he babied. It had over 200,000 miles. It ran okay, but those springs had seen better days. It shuddered when it went over a bump.
Gee, I know what you mean, I’m almost 80, feel like I have more than 200k miles under the belt, not much spring left and definitely shudder when I go over a bump.
Awesome addendum-& many of us echo your sentiments! 😆
Why is there a california license plate in one of the ebay pics? Otherwise a beautiful car.
Don’t they have cars in California?
Very nice. I think I’d leave the plastic slipcovers, just for nostalgia reasons. Nice riding car with plenty of power, and very little wear and tear, I hope a collector finds it and gives it a good home.
This might be a scam. Bidder beware. With the same photos, sold last month for $12,500 on Bring A Trailer.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1969-cadillac-deville-16/
The BaT buyer and the Ebay seller have the same username. So, not a scam, just a guy trying to make a quick 10K.
the owner in the listing says his Maybach isn’t as smooth as the land yacht. solution: sell the Maybach.
Here in good ol’ Germany I proudly drive a beautiful ’63 Series 62. 67.000 miles, a fourdoor in Benton Blue. I’d love to have a set of plastic slipcovers for protection but can’t find them anywhere. Anybody with a tip for me out there? Thanx folks!
Preserved for the next owner.
It’s weird.
Sold on BaT for $22,500 almost exactly a year ago.
Then sold this past October on BaT for $12,500.
That third buyer now shooting for the $22,500. Wonder what happened to the first guy, who lost $10K on it.
Sale looks legit, with the traceable transaction line.