Usually, there has to be something notable about a subject car for me to take an interest. It could be something small and obscure, or something obvious that everyone sees. In the case of the 1969 Dodge Coronet, my interest was piqued simply because it’s a convertible and B-body Mopar convertibles just don’t turn up that often. The reason is simple, there weren’t as many made as there were hardtops, or in comparison to convertible body styles of competing marques. And this Coronet drop-top listing comes with another “opportunity”. It’s located in South Windsor, Connecticut and is available, here on craigslist for $15,000. Thanks to Dennis H. for this nice find!
So just how rare is a 1969 Dodge Coronet 500 convertible? Well, Oldride states that just a bit over 200K total Coronets were assembled that year with 32,100 being of a “500” trim level. From that total, less than 2,000 let the sun fully shine in so we’re talking about 1% of total Coronet production.
Our subject has been parked in a garage for 30 years and is claimed to have had one owner but I have no idea how the entire legacy game plays out so that’s probably a meaningless detail. None of the images are comprehensive. The dark green finish is scratched and faded and there might be some lower fender rust but not much else is revealed. Fortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any notable crash damage present. The seller adds, “Extra parts for the green car are 2 new old stock fenders, convertible top w/ back window, spare convertible locking mechanism, partial green interior fabric, 3 extra rims & tires. This is a car that needs to be restored“. The presence of the NOS fenders probably indicates that the attached ones aren’t in great shape.
Power is provided by a non-original 230 gross HP, 318 CI V8 engine attached to, what else, but a TorqueFlite automatic transmission. The seller claims that the engine block was replaced at 100K miles, and at that same time, the transmission was “gone through“, whatever that means.
The bench seat interior is done up in a complimenting green vinyl upholstery and other than the filthy environment, it actually looks OK, as in no evidence of shreds, rips, rodent damage, weather intrusion, etc. Even the dash pad looks OK and the carpet seems fair.
But wait…there’s more! The seller has another ’69 Coronet for sale but this one’s a hardtop. There’s virtually no usable image, or description included other than one that yields a glimpse of its passenger side and red finish We are advised that it is similarly powered with a 318 CI engine, and “The price for both cars is open for discussion” – so it’s not a BOGO but maybe a package price can be wrangled (this one’s a bit like trying to sell two items on the cheap with one ad listing).
While the red hardtop offers nothing from an enticement perspective, the convertible is certainly of interest. It’s a much less commonly found body style, there is some level of detail surrounding it and it shows as a pretty solid basis for a project. The remaining matter is that of price, and yes, I know it’s a late ’60s Mopar. That said, what do you think, priced right, or not quite?
Pass. I’d take my 15K elsewhere and surely be able to buy a nice convertible with it.
You could buy a pretty nice reasonably new V8 Mustang convert for 15K that would put such a smile on your face. These are going to require a truck load of money to get them even drivable, not even presentable. 15K and that Mustang will look sharp and be ready to go on day one. Cars are to be driven. No one is going to pay big bucks for these and restore them to drive, they will restore to sell. (with some big ass V8 in them that won’t make for much of a road car) I say, forget that crap. get a great car that handles good and hit the road. See the sights. Summer and the mountains are calling my name, they call out to you too boys.
Shame you couldn’t do the same with your comments.
Interesting, as it’s build date is January 1, 1969, New Years Day.
A04 option package consists of Power Brakes and Power Windows.
Could that many workers had a hang over and were napping when she went by?
Of the 318 2 barrels made, 1164, 1134 were auto trans.
The door panel looks like it had crank windows. Hard to tell.
Also, January 1, 1969 and newer built cars were federally mandated head rests. It escaped prison time.
Agree….but it looks like a nice 500 convert – same trim as an R/T and when was the last time you saw a trunk this nice on a convertible ?
Could be a quite handsome and distinctive classic daily driver with the right upgrades, and still not break the bank if you are a do-it-yourselfer.
Agree and these are comments we need.
I like the car and it would be worth bringing back to original. I would even buy the 2 door hard top.
I hope whoever buys this restores it to original condition, wheel covers, milquetoast drivetrain and all. There are enough Mopar tribute cars, clones, and restomods out there.
Some cruiser potential. It would be great to see the 318s retained, original or no. Not every Mopar has to have a bored-over 440 or a 528 hemi.
I worked at a grocery store when I was in high school in the late 70s , and one of the pretty 20 something year old cashiers had a 69 Coronet 500 ragtop , same color and interior as this one – The big difference was it was run to death, it spewed black smoke so much it looked like the back of a diesel bus – ripped top with poor duct tape repairs , trashed interior ,(with a red front seat from another car) and severely rusted quarters that brought in so much water that none of the taillights worked anymore . I remember me telling her she needed to get the lights fixed , and sure enough it ended up getting rear ended one night going home from work and totaled it. The bad part was the other guy got the ticket for following to close , not her – I’m sure he never saw her with no taillights !
$15k Mopar? Seems like a deal these days. I believe this could be cleaned up to a fairly respectable appearance without breaking the bank, that is of course, assuming the engine/trans are ok. Add a set of Magnums and AC and cruise!
Agree and for the east coast it looks like it was mostly a summer car.
The 1969 side reflectors were glued in by a not so great type of clue – a lot were vibrated off from those country roads !
Clue or glue….maybe one or both….