This 1970 Plymouth Satellite would have been a classy car the day it rolled off the showroom floor. Its paint and vinyl top combination screamed class, while the V8 engine provided enough power and performance to satisfy most owners. It has fallen on hard times and needs a new owner to drag it back from the brink of extinction. If you think you are that person, you will find the Satellite listed here on eBay in San Francisco, California. Bidding has passed the reserve to sit at a mere $1,524.
The seller has been this classic’s custodian for twenty-two years, and I usually place great store in a long-term ownership history. However, this old girl has spent her life on the street, with this Blog from 2016 graphically illustrating the deterioration resulting from such a life. Time has not been kind to this Satellite, but we can still get glimpses of its former glory in its faded Alpine White paint and shredded Black vinyl top. The car is missing its badges, leading the seller to conclude its previous owner may have planned to create a Road Runner tribute. That is still possible, although the new owner faces a long list of rust repairs before contemplating such a build. Both lower rear quarter panels are badly rusted, as is the trunk pan. The filler between the back window and trunk has suffered the same fate, while there is also significant rust in the passenger-side lower front windshield pillar. Most of those issues are an inconvenience that will take time and patience to address. The front pillar issue is in a different league and will require professional attention. Because this is the primary roof support on that side, its repair needs to be perfect if safety isn’t to be compromised. The bubbling under the vinyl indicates major rust problems, but how extensive they are will only be revealed once the vinyl is peeled away. The condition of the floors and rails is unclear, but apart from the exterior rust, numerous dents and marks require attention. Some trim pieces are damaged, and the windshield is cracked. Phew, that’s quite a list!
Powering this Satellite is the entry-level 318ci V8 producing 230hp. The car also features a three-speed TorqueFlite transmission, power steering, and power brakes. Although not a genuine muscle car, the Satellite’s ability to cover the ¼-mile in 16.6 seconds would have satisfied most owners. There is a mix of good and bad news because the seller recently took this classic on a forty-five-minute drive with no problems. They replaced the radiator two years ago, and it shows no signs of leaks. However, moisture may have taken a toll on the electrical system because it can be stubborn, and there’s a long list of faults requiring attention. The car was fully serviced in 2022, and the seller says that while the tires are okay, their age means they should be replaced soon.
Assessing the Plymouth’s interior needs is simple. If I write the word “everything,” that about covers it. The upholstered surfaces are pretty tired, the dash pad has succumbed to the Californian sun, and the headliner is gone. It requires a complete retrim, which won’t be a cheap undertaking. If the new owner isn’t in a hurry, locating NOS or good secondhand parts via the usual online auction sites might slice a considerable sum from the build. That would be the path I’d choose before sinking thousands into a trim kit.
Returning this 1970 Plymouth Satellite to its former glory will be a significant undertaking, and it won’t be for the faint-hearted. The seller is candid about its needs, and the shopping list for parts will be extensive. However, if the bidding stays within the current figure, it is a cheap project car. But is it cheap enough for you to pursue it further?
Just imagine if a classic car dealer had this, and what the price would be for this Mopar. ‘$X,X95.00 or even $XX,995.00 … ‘Hurry! Won’t last long!’ Indeed…
If it was a GTX or Road Runner, that’d exactly be the case! It’d sell for over 10k I bet.
They must have hired a basketball player to take these pictures. The possible low price might make it worth buying as a parts car.
Wonder if this car was brought in from another state or lived by the ocean.My buddy at a dealer I worked at moved from the rust belt to AZ and once in a great while at the dealer he transferred to they’d get a rusty northern midwest car and he told me the techs there were like wtf when trying to work on one removing rusted components while swearing .They were spoiled with rust free 20 year plus old cars you could take apart with hand tools.He’d laugh and tell them this is what I used to put up with every day. Glwts.Too much rust for me but maybe not for someone else at the right price.
And correctly parked for San Francisco. Nice job.
I guess this is as good a time as any to ruffle some feathers in the Mopar corral. 68-70 Dodges and Plymouths were some nice looking cars. Trouble was, the bodies turned to tin. The previous years, namely 64-67, with that beautiful roofline, which went away in 68, were much better built cars, and the 67 Plymouth Belvedere/Satellite/GTX was it. So there ya go, my opinion
For maybe $5k as a buying price, it’d be a good project for the enthusiastic MoPar fan that can weld and knows something of the restoration art that’s looking for a textbook price leader in its time. It’ll take some lovin’, money and a lot of time but park it next to the myriad of phony GTX clones and it’ll shine in its own light with the right presentation.
Me? Superbird clone, but that’s just me.
Um, no, I’m sorry, but the Satellite was never intended to be a “classy” car, fact is, I believe it was the bottom of the line, and why they were the basis of the RoadRunner. With all the hoopla with muscle cars from this era, seems the only way to go here is to do a complete makeover, with your fancy pants hemi, to get any recognition today. Good cars, but nothing fancy about them.
Actually, I think the Road Runner sat at the bottom, as far as trim level, the Satellite and Sport Satellite were on top, with the Belvedere and GTX somewhere in the middle. But I’ve been wrong before
Actually, Howard, in this generation of B-bodies (1968-70) the Satellite was Plymouth’s mid-level model, with the Belvedere as the base model and the Sport Satellite the premium model. The Road Runner slotted in between the Belvedere and Satellite, as it used the Belvedere’s interior trim as its standard trim and the Satellite’s interior trim as an optional, upgraded interior trim offering. The Sport Satellite shared its interior trim with the GTX.
Yes, Belvederes were taxis during those years. And a two door hardtop Sport Satellite was basically a GTX without the big block.
Actually, yes, it was. The Belvedere was the bottom of barrel model , this was the high line car, with the exception of the Sport Satellite being more “classy” The GTX would be basically a Satellite muscle car ;the Roadrunner a Belvedere muscle car .
Sad to say , its too far gone to be anything more then a parts car , and even at that, with over 50 years on the road , most parts are just worn out.
Maybe bottom of the barrel in 68-69, but not earlier, my dad bought a new 67 Belvedere II, it was no plain jane.
Over $3,000 with 4 days to go, some people are desperate for a classic. I’d have tried to buy it for less than a grand if it were local to me and drive it as a beater until there was nothing left then sell the remains but that’s before seeing the results of this auction, it’d be on eBay in a flash.
Lose the steering wheel…
Shame shame, I had similar car in 1980. I loved the curve of the back glass, rusted out heap but it was a mopar with dual Thrush pipes. Traded it for a mustang. Id love to go back to 1980 id buy cars and stash em for 62yo me.
Make a great movie car. It has personality.
What movie, “Last House on the Left “?
O. M. G.
It’s the CrustMobile!
Why do people let a nice car.. get so bad?
Is there a panel on that car that ISN’T rusted?
This is what cars looked like in CT. by the early 1980s !