Is it an insult to refer to arguably the most rugged-looking pickup truck ever designed as a “cream puff?” With a hair over 7,000 original miles and two-tone white and blue paint that glistens like snow against a cold northern New York winter sky, I can’t think of a better way to describe this ’72 W200 tow and plow truck. It’s available for sale here on Craigslist in Carthage, New York for a dealer-like asking price of $29,995. According to the seller, you can deduct $4,999 if you’re not interested in taking home the Meyer snow plow. That seems like a lot of money for an old plow and I wonder if he meant to include the tow crane in that price as well?
The back story on this one owner truck is that it’s been in the hands of a small 100-year-old Chrysler dealership who’ve meticulously cared for it since it was new. Curiously it is being advertised by a private seller who is quick to point out that the truck is the only thing for sale in the ad, therefore, potential buyers should contain any interest generated by the collection of vintage signs seen in the background. The seller claims the truck is fitted with a 1930’s Weaver Power Wrecking Crane which is a fairly unique piece of vintage equipment in and of itself. Go here to read more about cranes manufactured by Weaver Garage Equipment courtesy of The Castle Equipment Company who hosts an online a museum dedicated to preserving their history. According to the information posted, the Power Crane is operated by a 2 hp gas engine and features a 3.5-ton towing capacity.
The seller reveals that most of the paint is original with the exception of some touch-up work. The photos of the body don’t reveal any blemishes or cosmetic flaws whatsoever. Even the bed looks brand new. All of the chrome trim looks perfect as do the bumpers, however, the front bumper appears a bit out of alignment perhaps due to the plow lights mounted behind it. Only a couple of tightly cropped photos are provided of the interior and from what can be seen things look equally pristine on the inside as well. The view of the underside of the truck is a bit of a different story, however. Photos of the frame reveal a surprising degree of rust scale along with leaf spring shackles that appear to be in a moderate state of deterioration. No mention is made by the seller of any rust concerns but a closer inspection is definitely needed to determine if any significant issues exist.
Looking factory-fresh even after 46 years, one could eat off the impeccably clean automatic 318 V-8. No mention is made of any known issues and the seller doesn’t bother to describe how well the truck runs and drives so we can only assume things are just as flawless from a mechanical standpoint as well. One would be hard pressed to find an early 1970’s Power Wagon in such amazing condition and with such low mileage. The Weaver crane is certainly unique and adds value but at almost $30,000 this rugged classic (with some rust underneath) might be priced a bit too high for even the most devout Dodge collector. What would you value this truck at?
C’mon, do we talk about $30 thousand dollars like it’s chump change today? Apparently so. The tow rig is ridiculously out of date, I wouldn’t even use a sling on any car or truck today, and you really going to plow snow with a classic like this? A $500 Blazer with no body can do that. Can’t argue the condition, it is remarkable, but someone clearly tuned into Barrett-Jackson over the weekend,,,.
I agree Howard, while this is a very nice truck it’s a lot of money for garage art. I bought a 79 dodge 3/4 ton rust free retired fire truck for 1/10 of the price of this and my better half can use for her gardening endeavors & I don’t think twice about it. Oh and she enjoys the attention. Happy wife, happy life……👍
The farm I lived on in Wis. had a Dodge pickup just like this. It was so severely rusted, it was downright unsafe( yet the doofus continued to drive it,,,ON THE ROAD!!) It looked more like this.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/417030975_5e8b1cf7df.jpg?v=0
Yes, I got a low mile rust free 2004 GMC for five grand. Not a classic, but it does what a truck is supposed to do. I guess this truck at this price is not supposed to do that stuff anymore. Ever drive a Power wagon guys? The gearing is so low it is unpleasant to say the least. Good for around town or out in the field to work, but on the highway, forget it. I would be leery of that 7k mileage number. 7000 miles means no highway, maybe just plowing out the dealership, That would explain the no NY salt demon attacks on this truck too, never left the lot. May be low miles but those are hard miles. I would much rather have 70K miles that were easy highway miles. It truly is a beautiful truck though. Brings back my youthful years, but at the price, my warm fuzzy memories are good enough.
I just got called petty for not considering 15 grand petty cash so I think so. Today’s 30 grand is yesterday’s $5,000 to the one percenters, LOL!
But for those you inclined to blow it, why not I guess? You can at least plow all the driveways on your block in this, and on the eternal appreciation of the plebs.
Howard that is exactly what my FIL power wagon looked like when he gave it to me for plowing my long circle farm driveway because it would not pass inspection. It never went out on the road.
We don’t have inspections in Wisconsin, and some of those rust-buckets are still on the road. Be advised driving in the Badger. ( a drunk with rusty brake lines is not uncommon)
It’s a cool truck. I could see a collector of dealership memorabilia being interested in it, but maybe not at this price.
Steve R
It is a very nicely preserved time-capsule of sorts. I’m presuming the plow, & wrecker attachments were added for show, as obviously this truck was never used in any commercial capacity. It would make a great showpiece for a Chrysler dealer specializing in trucks. $30k seems a bit overpriced
With 7000 miles on it, it’s obvious the truck was not used a lot. But could have been used, the ad states that the boom is out of the 1930’s.
In 1972 cars had trucks had real bumpers.
Wreckers with slings were common place and rollbacks were rare.
I know where there is a 1974 Power Wagon with the “Sno-Fighter” package is heated garage kept. 21,000 original miles. The widow of the original owner still has it. The factory original bias tires on split rims are still stacked in there also. In the 90’s he switched to radials.
Yes I still use it to plow for her.
It is not for sale.
And must be washed before I leave for the day.
Oh h@ll nawwwwwww, these old mopars are junk (in good condition or not)! I’d give $1,500.00 for it then use it at a junk yard to move trashed cars around.
Lol,$30,000
Find another one. The vintage hook has little value in my opinion. But as nice and original as it is, I don’t see it as much more than a $12,000 truck. Plus you’d be faced with the dilemma of having a super low milage, mint vehicle that you’d hate to drive.
These old Dodge trucks were indestructible from a mechanical standpoint but the rest of the components did not hold up well at all. I would be scared to use it at all because the entire interior will start falling apart once someone started driving it much. It wouldn’t be because it was 40+ years old, it would be because that’s what they did after about 30-40k miles. Horrible build quality during this gen body style.
“The view of the underside of the truck is a bit of a different story, however. Photos of the frame reveal a surprising degree of rust scale along with leaf spring shackles that appear to be in a moderate state of deterioration.”
If there were originally photos of the undercarriage, they have been removed now, or I cannot view them for some reason.
I had the same problem only the full truck view and engine photos came up on my PC.
If you go to the Craigslist link you can see all the photos.
That is a nice looking truck, but I like to drive my old cars.
Ehhh… show truck. but yeah the salt cancer demons from the underbelly need exorcised.
In Oregon and Washington we don’t have that issue. Just go to CL for Portland and type in Power Wagon and a slough of ads from a guy up near Centralia, WA will pop up…
He’s got piles of old Mopars from Polaras to WC’s to a nice huge red flatbed to M-63’s sitting around… many are restorable for sitting outside forever. I’m unsure on prices though. I’ve heard both sides on that, but the oggling is free.
But regard to cool collectables, I’d like to have my dad’s ’42 WC15 Carryall back. He sold it to a prospector 25 years ago and it hasn’t been seen in over a decade.
It has a unique 1961 light green and yellow brushed on paint job with a red stripe around the beltline, and the fenders were closed in. My dad then swapped in a 5 speed Clark gearbox and added a second 6 volt battery.
Cool rare truck for sure… with lots of fun memories.
I was driving thru Carthage NY last week and got stopped in traffic right in front of this Dodge dealer , what a time warp , this truck looks as show room new as could be . Real head turner .
As the owner of this truck i realize it’s not for everyone at that price. The truck is quite solid but it was used to plow and tow with for 10 years so that is why you see the corrosion on the undercarriage. Truck has some flaws and has had some minor body and paint work. This truck was ordered by our dealership thru the dealership service vehicle identification program only available to chrysler/plymouth/dodge dealers. The custom two-tone paint procedure was only available thru this program. Chrysler dealer trucks were blue and white while dodge dealers were red and white. They came with the decals on the doors along with the meyers plow direct from the factory. Very few of these were built thru this program. As for the weaver power crane my grandfather bought it brand new in march 1930. Hope that clears things up for you all so stop by and see it in our showroom. It’s pretty cool and the only one on the planet equipped as it is. Thanks for the post it was neat to see it on your site.
The sling needs to be turned 180 degrees!! Way cool truck that could be saved easily.