Sometimes, a classic car doesn’t need all the bells and whistles or neck-snapping performance to be appealing. Simplicity, practicality, and affordability can be prime considerations for an enthusiast on a budget, which is where cars like this 1969 Plymouth Belvedere come into their own. It might not be the most desirable car on the planet, but its odometer reading, price, and condition make it worth a close look. Barn Finder Rocco B. deserves a big thank you for spotting a gem that needs nothing. The Plymouth is listed here on Craigslist in Elko, Minnesota. It could be yours for $14,000.
I continue to be amazed that sellers list classic cars with limited information and photos. The approach doesn’t do their pride and joy any favors, which is true with this Belvedere. Although this is the only exterior shot, it paints a generally positive picture. The seller confirms the vehicle has been garage-kept throughout its life, helping to explain how it has remained rust-free. The Sand Pebble Beige paint is in good order, cloaking panels as straight as an arrow. There is no mention or evidence of repairs or restoration, suggesting this classic is as original as the day it rolled off the line. The trim and chrome have minor scratches that might polish out, but the condition is consistent with a driver-grade car. The glass is spotless, and the Plymouth rolls on its original steel wheels with dog dish hubcaps.
If the Belvedere’s exterior makes a positive impression, that is heightened when we open the doors and examine its interior. It is original and unmolested, and the only visible fault is some wrinkles on one top corner of the driver’s door trim. The remaining upholstered surfaces are immaculate, and I question whether anyone ever occupied the back seat. There is no evidence of stains or abuse, and the carpet is especially noteworthy due to its lack of wear and dirty marks. The dash and pad are spotless, and the overall condition is consistent with the claimed odometer reading. This car represents motoring at its most basic, meaning potential buyers shouldn’t expect luxuries like air conditioning or power windows.
My instincts tell me the original owner purchased this Belvedere as an affordable daily driver, and the drivetrain configuration supports that belief. Its engine bay houses a 225ci slant-six that sends 145hp and 215 ft/lbs of torque to the rear wheels via a three-speed manual transmission with a column shifter. That may not sound like an exciting package, but the car should hold its own in heavy city traffic and cruise effortlessly on the open road while returning respectable fuel consumption figures. The engine bay presentation is all you would expect from an unrestored survivor of this vintage, and it is refreshing that nobody has seen fit to go ballistic in the engine bay with those awful detailing sprays. The seller claims this Plymouth has a genuine 19,902 miles on the clock, although they don’t mention supporting evidence. Therefore, we must take the claim at face value. However, the condition of every aspect of this classic makes it seem plausible. This survivor runs and drives well, and the tires are new. Flying in and driving home behind the wheel of this Belvedere seems like a viable approach for the new owner.
I would never insult the intelligence of Barn Finds readers by claiming this 1969 Plymouth Belvedere Sedan will one day be a guaranteed million-dollar classic. It would take extraordinary circumstances for that to occur, although you should never say never in the classic world. This Plymouth offers an affordable entry point into the ownership experience, with the candidate being easy to maintain, practical, and hard to fault in its current form. It won’t suit all tastes, but no car does. Would you consider pursuing this further if it ticks the boxes for you?
$65 to 7500 would be more interesting. Slant 6 is bullet proof and the best thing (IMO) that this has going for it.
That three speed on the column makes a pretty sweet anti theft device.
Perfect base for an Adam-12 build!
No doubt about that Tony! That’s funny, I can almost envision a would- be thief grinding away at those gears, madly thrashing the gear lever up and down and thinking ‘what the hecks wrong with this old clunker? I gotta get outta here’.. and a well said sir goes to Doone as well, those little 225’s will surprise and amaze performance-wise, and they’re super hard to kill… anytime I hear the term ‘slant 6’ I go back to the glory days of my first car, a 76 Dart custom, 4-door with that venerable little mill under the hood.. from a dead stop it would roast that one back tire, and I could literally hide the whole car in a cloud of beautiful white smoke by power braking. One of my buddies in high school said ‘hey Robert, is your car on fire? ‘ after just such a smoke show. And she certainly was, figuratively, for a first time driver!
On closer look here is what I see. Not the original owner since the 30 day temporary tag is sitting on the transmission hump. Seller says 19xxx miles but the odo says 09xxx miles. Me thinks that there is probably a 1 before the 09xxx, after all the odo is only 5 digits. And the air cleaner housing condition does not belie the claimed mileage. Too few pix for all the claims made here and doesn’t justify the asking price.
Sounds to good to be true. So maybe it is.
Where’s that LOL emoji?
I woukd drop a Hemi as replacement for the slant 6
Nice looking car .
If legitimate description, you wouldn’t be long spending 14k putting most of the rust buckets in the shape this car is in. Then do the drive train! Hemi anybody?
I’m still seeing Pete Malloy explaining his police car to Jim Reed. ” this police car has an o.h.v. engine that devellops 335 hp at 4400 rpm. It will go from 0 to 60 in seven seconds and has a top speed of 120 m.p.h. . its your life insurance, you take care of it, it’ll take care of you. And Jim asking ” can i drive ? “. This one wont do the seven second sprint but its a gorgeous plain jane sedan, just wish it had a torqueflite.
I gotta tell ya, except for the air cleaner, I’d say 9,000 miles is possible!
Really have to give it a personal inspection.
From my laptop when I draw up close and personal images of this car, I see nothing here to dissuade me from believing every one of those 9,000 miles are original. A 51 year old car is going to have a mark or two to show it was indeed driven. This air cleaner may have been off 50 times or more; every time it needed to be primed to start, and scuffing it across the work bench, it just may well have gotten this amount of patina.
Look at that seat, dash, and every other element of interior. It appears well in line with garage storage, out of sun exposure, and indeed never driven in inclement weather. I love the fact it has this color, the radio delete, the six, and the manual transmission: they all point to the fact it is a no frills, basic transportation vehicle perfectly suited for an older person who rarely drove.
Imagine having a Hemi or 440 GTX/Road Runner and adding this to your collection. JUST to place it alongside this sweetheart as a comparison of what one could buy in 1969 !
To disrespect this preserved example of a base Plymouth by destroying it’s integrity would be the supreme disservice to the MOPAR community……
Looks like an ex-city motor pool rig to me, the slant 6/3 spd manual are a dead giveaway.
So does the radio delete.
The real value of the 225/3 speed was in the snow. The lighter engine and clutch could get you out of anything with decent snows on the back. As others have said, as a grocery getter it is a good car, but I can find something far less expensive that will do better in Boston area snow and I will not feel bad about driving it in the winter. This car needs to be in someone’s collection for movie props. I don’t really know what else you’d do with it.
For the first few years I owned my old Olds I
stored it in a pole barn in Elko/New Market.
For the price ,I would think they would include pictures of the underside.
Mark from Graveyard Cars had mention that chassis , floor pans and many other parts are interchangeable with a Road Runner.
This one should be left alone. It’s regrettable it didn’t come with the 383 HiPo engine but you cannot fix this now. Leave it be and enjoy. Many big city cop cars came with the Slant, including in Furys.
And nearly every cab that would be pounded to death day in and day out on cobbled and potholed streets….. while in college in LA during the early ’70s I saw a great many of these as Cabs, Police cars, and Water Dept./ meter reader cars. All four doors and if not black and white, were ivory or grey. Cabs were everywhere; if you went to LAX to take a flight (as I often did to go home on a ‘redeye’) there were lines of these waiting for fares. Many I saw had manuals on the column and I am guessing every one of those were slant-sixes.
As a side note, the LAPD had 383 engined MOPAR units, mostly Plymouths but a few were 4 door Coronets. The State Patrols had the larger body ‘C’ models and usually were 440s with torque flites…. always a thrill to have a couple of them with WOT run by in pursuit with their growl letting you know who was gonna save the day
Yup, that’s what I was thinking of. Some of the LAPD Satellites had the Road Runner’s Hi Po 383. That would be majorly cool in this. And yes, I’d bet those cabs all had Slants. As an interesting fact, police and taxi Slants starting in 1969 came with the famous A-727 automatic, just like the RB and Hemis!
I grew up in the 70’s and remember these cars. My father was quite fond of the slant 6. He had a two ’66 Valiants, and one ’70! My Grand Mother had a new ’68 Satellite 318. I miss those days.
109000 miles. Sure. Seller left the zero in the trunk… :-)
You have no clue, do you?
The attached photo showing a 35.000 miles car, 40 years old. ALL original. Even the air cleaner looks like never touched… so far to the 9000 miles ..
Photo..
Belve DARE … LOL :-)
I would lpve to have this car. So very basic. Leave it as is!
One thing I noticed is that it looks like the original bias ply spare. And that trunk mat is in fantastic condition. The trunk alone looks very original and low mileage to me. Another thing I noticed on the one close up of the wheel, is there are no wheel weights on the rim. Also the paint on the rim is in very good original condition. If it were mine, I would leave exactly as it is and have a blast with that slant 6 and 3 speed manual. Even if it has manual steering and manual brakes, it would still be a lot of fun to drive. Another thing I noticed was the condition of the original paint on the fire wall, ver clean, not a fake clean either from how it looks. It just looks original to me.
If the 9K (or 19 K, whatever it is) miles are correct, and all of the small details on this car reflect that and are close to perfect, it’s gonna be a parts car to bring back another 69 road runner or GTX. It’s worth every penny of the negotiated 12 K to bring this one home for that cause.
Your article says 19,000 miles, but the odometer pic in the craigslist ad only shows 9,900 miles???????
It has had the engine power washed that’s why that paint looks like that on air cleaner, I would say it is what they say it is looks good.
And the aluminum air cleaner was not properly prepped for paint.
Interesting cruiser for warm weather days anyone old enough to remember these when they were on the road remembers they take forever to defrost and warm up on cold days
That looks like a screaming deal. Regardless of the mileage it’s in beautiful shape and would be a great starter classic.
I 100% believe the low mileage claim.
Not worth more than the $500 I paid for it’s cousin in 1976! For less than 10 grand you can have more power, more comfort and more safety than this base model year offering. Nothing collectable here.