For those of us who love their classic cars, it’s great to know that there are still low-mileage survivors that will appear on the market regularly. This 1969 Dodge Charger proves that point. It is claimed to be an original and unmolested black-plate survivor that is in fantastic condition. With a genuine 39,000 miles showing on its odometer, it appears to be something special. It is also a classic that has recently been listed for sale here on eBay. It is located in Lodi, California, and the bidding has been nothing short of frantic. There have been 78 bids submitted at the time of writing. This has pushed the price along to $50,100 in a No Reserve auction.
There’s a lot to take in with this Charger, so let’s get one thing out of the way first. The vehicle has received a repaint, but it isn’t clear when this occurred. However, the Fender Tag confirms that it was completed in its original color, preserving the car’s authenticity. A Black vinyl top complements the Silver paint, and both aspects of the Charger look close to flawless. The paint shines beautifully, while the appearance of the vinyl seems crisp and consistent. The panels are laser straight, with no evidence of dings, dents, or prior accident damage. The grille features the distinctive covered headlamps. The doors for these do operate, but the driver’s side looks a bit slow. It might need some tweaking and lubrication to get them both working correctly. The remaining trim and chrome appear to be flawless, and the same seems to be true of the glass.
If there is one thing that these Chargers are renowned for, it’s rust. This can have a nasty tendency of consuming floors, frame rails, and the area around the back window. It appears that this one has spent its life in California, which is never a bad thing when it comes to the preservation of classic metal. The floors are as spotless as you could hope to find, while the rear frame rails and spring shackle mounts are perfect. The same is true of the trunk pan, while above decks, all of the lower extremities and the back window region look perfect. Pack away the grinder and welder because you won’t be needing them for this car.
The Charger is a numbers-matching classic that features an H-Code 383ci V8 and a 3-speed TorqueFlite transmission. You can also add power steering and power brakes to the list of optional extras. That 383 is quite an engine and should be pumping out 330hp. That is enough to fire the Charger through the ¼ mile in 14.9 seconds before it ultimately winds its way to 129mph. The owner claims that the Charger has a genuine 39,000 miles on the clock, but he doesn’t indicate whether he holds evidence to back this. How does it run and drive? Pretty good, actually. The engine sounds crisp and clean, the transmission shifts smoothly, and the Charger rolls down the road without so much as a squeak or a rattle. Still, please don’t take my word for it. I’ve included a short video at the bottom of this article. It provides a walk-around as well as a chance to hear the car running and driving. You will find things to be pretty impressive.,
You will notice an aftermarket CD player mounted under the dash. That represents the sole aftermarket addition to this Charger’s interior. If I look long and hard, I can spot some fading of the carpet on the transmission tunnel. Beyond that, there isn’t a lot to be critical of. The dash looks perfect, and the Black upholstery on the door trims is just as impressive. The dash pad shows no evidence of deterioration, and there is no wear on the wheel. The original radio remains in place, while the Rallye gauges feature a functioning Tick-Tock-Tach. Life inside the Charger would already be pretty comfortable, but the fact that the original owner ordered the vehicle with ice-cold air conditioning should take that comfort up a notch or two.
Apart from the CD player, there has been one other change to the interior. The bucket seats wear new covers, and these look spot-on. They match the rear seat perfectly. The back seat looks like it has never been used, and the headliner is as spotless as the rest of the interior. No-one has messed with this interior, and even the seatbelts wear their correct identification and date codes.
There’s a lot to like about this 1969 Charger, and it’s easy to see why the bidding has been so intense. This is a classic that needs nothing but a new owner who will continue to appreciate it. That is only a matter of days away, and the No Reserve listing makes this a virtual certainty. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see what this one finally sells for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGlumPFjuPA&feature=youtu.be
The oil pressure gage seems not to work…or even worse, the pressure is deadly low in the engine. The seller doesn’t menture anything about that. I hope, the slightly rattling engine noise in the movie doesn’t confirm my fear.
Worth looking into fo sho.
I hope the winning bidder looked into it before shelling out the $57,400 this thing cost. Holy mackerel.
….mention….not menture
Something is not right with the trim around the rear window. Either it is missing or has been painted black (?), it should be chrome, just like the front. No mention of this discrepancy is made by the seller. Otherwise, this looks like a good buy for anyone wanting this model. GLWTA!! :-)
This generation Charger always looked ‘bargain basement’ with the bench & column shift. Save that for a Coronet! These should have had buckets/console standard!
It DOES have bucket seats, but it has the fold-down armrest instead of a console. Big deal! It’s a Torqueflite, not a 4 spd, so it’s not like you’re going to be rowing the stick all the time. I had a 69 Charger SE which had the same arrangement. I never missed not having a console, and the armrest was good to have for driver comfort, altho’ I suppose someone skinny could’ve sat there in a ‘pinch’!
As stated previously GOT TO HAVE bucket seats and a console for this ride. It is interesting how the one muffler got crushed , The video shows some CRUSH ACTION on the bottom of the oil pan, The cheap manual adjust driver side rearview mirror does not cut it on this vehicle either, The driver side side marker reflector is missing. interesting to note, for a vehicle with 39,000 original miles why was it repainted and why were the seat covers replaced? Explanation needed
That exhaust collapse is bothering me. It doesn’t look hit.
I never saw underneath of one of these and they have quite a potential to be a rotten mess, but this one is amazing.
With the oil pressure, my 70 Roadrunner did the same thing and I installed a after market oil gauge and it had 35+PSI. Pretty common. Great car.
It’s always refreshing to see a Charger on Barn Finds that isn’t just a pile of rust shavings and speculative hope. Lovely car, and I’m curious what the final price will be.
Nothing wrong with the mufflers, just the result of running up and down the streets of San Francisco looking for Mustangs to harass. Actually between the oil pan and crushed exhaust, makes me wonder if this is the result of some over eager driving on someones part.
Would have been wise to invest the money to replace damaged parts prior to sale though. This seems to be an obvious flip car. Requires an intense in person inspection for this kind of money.
Looking at the video provided for a second time it appears that the dash board heat gauge is not working or the thermostat is not opening fully. The gas tank looks like it has seen some scrape action as well. “BOTH” mufflers show some kind of crush action looks like it happened while backing up the vehicle. More detail is required from the seller.
I wonder if the exhaust was damaged due to a back fire, maybe when it ran out of gas.
That is one seriously nice Charger.
The bidders seem to agree, it sold for $57,400.
Steve R
I had a 1969 Charger SE same color ext. with a white interior. 383 magnum and posi traction. I could not keep rear tires on it. Traded it even for a1970 Challenger RT 440 4 speed. Those were the days.
A nice 35K car.
For 50k and only 39k miles, I’d expect the engine bay to present a bit better than it is.