The seller claims that this 1968 Plymouth Satellite has 41,000 miles on the clock and believes that figure is genuine. In the absence of documentary evidence, the claim must be taken at face value. Certainly, the car’s overall condition makes the figure plausible. It presents well as a driver-grade classic, with scope for the buyer to improve its appearance. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Curvette for spotting the Plymouth listed here on eBay in Havre de Grace, Maryland. The seller set their BIN at $14,995, and the listing indicates they are fielding one active offer.
Plymouth introduced its Second Generation Satellite in 1968, and this first-year Sedan looks like a gem. The seller confirms a prior repaint in the car’s original Ivy Green, and the lack of deterioration suggests both a high-quality refresh and that the Satellite has been protected from the elements since the work ended. It has spent its life in Upstate New York, but its owners have only ever used it as a “summer” driver. Apart from a couple of spots of surface corrosion, the underside shots confirm that it is rust-free. The paint has a warm shine, and not only are the panels straight, but the seller also states there is no evidence of prior accident damage. The trim is in good condition, and the glass is clear.
Some readers will be disappointed to learn that lifting this Satellite’s hood won’t reveal a V8. However, the 225ci slant-six was still a handy weapon in 1968, delivering 145hp and 215 ft/lbs of torque. This car features a three-speed TorqueFlite transmission, but no power assistance for the steering and brakes. As previously stated, the mileage claim is unverified, and many potential buyers will ignore it and assess this classic on its merits. The seller indicates that they upgraded the ignition to electronic, and recently fitted new tires, shocks, an exhaust system, plugs, wires, a fuel pump, and a filter. The Plymouth runs and drives well, ready for action with its new owner behind the wheel.
If this Satellite has a weakness, its interior probably scores that dubious honor. It isn’t horrendous, but it is one area where this classic shows its age. The front seatcover is splitting in various locations, but the remaining upholstered surfaces look quite respectable. The buyer could invest some hard-earned cash in a replacement seatcover, but a slipcover would hide the problems for considerably less. The carpet also shows age and wear, but as with the seat, disguising the issue with mats is a viable option. I’m not sold on the wheel and would probably replace it. Other recent additions include a new dashpad, a retro-style Bluetooth stereo, and Vintage Air air conditioning that blows ice-cold.
If we ignore the mileage claim and focus purely on the overall condition, this 1968 Plymouth Satellite passes muster as a driver-grade classic. The new owner could splash their cash on new seatcovers. However, investing in a set of high-quality slipcovers would hide the problem, protect the car’s originality, and prevent further deterioration. I acknowledge that some readers will believe that it has too many doors, but the Satellite could be ideal for enthusiasts seeking practicality. With one offer already on the table, it may not take long for it to find a new home. Are you tempted to approach the owner, hoping to take this classic home?
That interior says “This car has 140k miles”..Probably well-maintained miles though. Too bad the Satellite became a bargain basement name by then. It once was a top of the line Belvedere hardtop with fancy badging and usually, bucket seats and a V8. This is a nice enough car, but doubtful that it’s worth the asking price.
BIN is very optimistic. Maybe very, very optimistic
BIN is very optimistic. Maybe very, very optimistic
In case anyone missed it the first time
I gave it two thumbs up
Me too lol!!!
SOLD – someone didn’t agree with you.
Well, it does say, Best Offer Accepted. So maybe the high BIN was a tease.
Mom had a 68 Satellite wagon. Great car, 318/2bbl and was competent, but needed a 4bbl.
It never ceases to amaze me, and why I’m such a fan of the site, comment snafus aside, but how can we go from the most awesome car,( Mustang 428 GT)to the most mundane, from the same year. It only shows how varied the buying public was then, unlike the “cookie cutter” offerings of today. This was the car for folks that knew nothing about cars, but needed one for the Sunday go to meetin’s every week. For a spell, the church parking lot was a haven for classic cars, none ever for sale unfortunately. It’s difficult to find anything new today that compares, even the most basic cars today are still these complicated wonders of electronic wizardry, but this was about as opposite you can get, and certainly opposite that Mustang, that passed cars like this in 1st gear. I just don’t see the people that would be attracted to this car, paying 5 figures for this. Still, a great find and a portal into the past on how we got around. No info screen? How did we ever know what the price of tea was in China? Newsflash, we didn’t care!
Good point Howard. All I would add is, the only way I’d pay 5 figures is if there’s a decimal point in there!!!. It’s a nice car, but with the interior issues and that dinky little steering wheel with the manual steering, it needs a few issues to be addressed. Or a lower price. A Slant six is bullet proof though for sure and the body looks great. For the right price you could really have something here.
OMG, could you imagine parking it into a tight space in a busy mall parking lot? Hahahahaha
I don’t know if its the angle of the photo or not, but that steering wheel looks itty bitty. With no power steering, I wouldn’t want to park that.
I was going to say the same thing. With manual steering, you WANT a larger diameter steering wheel for leverage. I’d be asking for the original wheel back.
Bad enough the stock steering wheel is gone but why is the replacement upside down?
that steering wheel does not help it at all. i would take the factory1 out of the trunk and put it back on. looks clean. the price is stiff. the BFG tires really don’t fit the look. needs w/w tires. 7500.00 area is fair.
I have to wonder if at some point a teenager inherited this and “fixed it up”. BFG white letters, sport steering wheel, cherry bomb muffler and engine dress up but didn’t fix the interior? You’d almost expect lift springs or lengthened shackles for that muscle car rake. That car would have been right at home in any high school parking lot in the 70’s.
I doubt that a teenager would have interest or even what to do with this car. That steering wheel, those white letters and air conditioning are all a product of some knuckle headed boomer with more imagination than budget. Once they got to hustle it around a few parking lots it was time to move on. Over all it’s a pretty good looking car that can be made better with relative ease.
41,000 miles? I’d look long and hard at this. Ghetto steering wheel add on ac. I bought a 55,000 miles 68 Satellite two door hardtop from original old lady owner in 1979. Paid $600. The lower quarters were already rusting, door handle was very hard to operate. Other than that, a very good car, 318 two barrel, always had to use premium gas as it pinged horribly until I replace the worn out distributor.
Something about this car seems strange to me it would be good to know the history wrong a/c compressor , steering wheel and looks like a repaint at a close up look
Paint the fenders, trunk lid and hood black, the doors and roof white, and it could turn into another “Adam-12” clone, LOL! Reed and Malloy drove one of these in the first season of the show, but theirs was a 383 V8.
The patrol cars in the series were: a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere 383 V8 (pilot), 1968 Plymouth Belvedere 383 V8 (season one), 1969 Plymouth Belvedere 383 V8 (seasons two and three), 1971 Plymouth Satellite 383 V8 (season four), and 1972 AMC Matador 401 V8 (starting in season five).
Pete Malloy: You know what this is?
Jim Reed: Yes sir, it’s a police car.
Pete Malloy: This black and white patrol car has an overhead valve V8 engine. It develops 325 horsepower at 4800 RPM’s. It accelerates from 0 to 60 in seven seconds; it has a top speed of 120 miles an hour. It’s equipped with a multi-channeled DFE radio and an electronic siren capable of emitting three variables: wail, yelp, and alert. It also serves as an outside radio speaker and public address system. The automobile has two shotgun racks: one attached to the bottom portion of the front seat, one in the vehicle trunk. Attached to the middle of the dash, illuminated by a single bulb is a hot sheet desk, fastened to which you will always make sure is the latest one off the teletype before you ever roll.
Jim Reed: Yes sir.
Pete Malloy: It’s your life insurance and mine. You take care of it and it’ll take care of you.
Jim Reed: Yes sir. You want me to drive?
Training Officer Peter Malloy, instructing new recruit, probationary officer James A. Reed on Reed’s first shift out of the academy, as Reed’s first partner in Season 1, Episode 1, “Log 1: The Impossible Mission”, in Jack Webb’s inimitable style!
BTW, the E-Bay ad is gone, so it must have sold!
Too fancy for that. This is a Satellite, the LAPD bought Belvederes.
It’s also equipped with a windshield, which the show’s cars lacked because of glare issues pointing a camera at the actors along the hood. They did absolutely nothing to mitigate the wipers ending up halfway up the dashboard due to that.
“in Jack Webb’s inimitable style”…. likely the most accurate, descriptive term I will read today.
Just what the world needs, another clone tribute car. 🙄
In 1975, I drove with a girlfriend in one of these from Chicago to Sarasota FL. No A/C, no cruise, but did have an AM radio and the 318 v8 was very reliable. We had a flat tire in the mountains of Tennessee, no spare, but found a place to get it fixed for $5.
Don’t recall what became of the car, but when I see a similar vehicle, I’ll always remember that L-O-N-G, H-O-T late summer road trip!
I think it’s a lovely looking car. I’ve always loved original survivor cars. If I bought it, I’d keep what works original while also upgrading what needs to be upgraded. The only problem I have is the asking price. The most I’d be willing to pay for a car like this would be close to $10k. I’d still have enough money on hand for maintenance and fuel.
Uncle Henry died in 1977. RIP. His wife, Aunt Dodie didn’t drive, and they needed to do something with his car, a 68 Satellite sedan in blue. “Harry likes cars! We’ll give it to him.” Well, Harry had a Bugeye driver because he was racing an HP Sprite, a two year old Chevy pickup to tow the racer, the 67 Healey for pure pleasure driving, the girlfriends 57 VW, and a couple of parts Bugeyes, so of course what he needed was a 9-10 year old 4 door sedan to park in front of the house. I’m Harry, and the first thing I did was loan the car to a friend who was struggling with a new baby and house payments and a broken wife’s car. He kept it for a year or so and brought it back with a full tank of gas and a wash job. It sat for a month or two because I simply couldn’t use it, and no one I knew wanted it. One afternoon, I charged the battery and drove it to the car wash to prep it to sell. On the way back, at a stop light, it coughed once and died. When it wouldn’t start, I walked the three blocks home and called my racer buddy Bud who had a wrecker at his shop. The last time I saw “old blue” was on the back of the wrecker when Bud stopped by the house to get the title on his way to the junk yard. I think it was a good car, but I can’t really say for sure. I know that Bud got $85, twice what he would have made for the wrecker call.
A childhood friend was gifted one of these, by his aunt. I was not a MOPAR guy, but was still jealous. I knew the value of the “little old lady’s” car. He destroyed it. The idiot.
Nice clean, basic transportation. Probably gets good gas milage. The only thing in my book that would make it better would be a either a 3 on the tree or a 4 or 5 spd on the floor. And a stock steering wheel so you can parallel park it.
Back in the 80’s a friend gave me ‘67 Belvedere wagon with that six and a 3 on the floor. He said ‘It’s yours if you want it’. Which meant traveling upstate in the dead of winter to drive it back to the city. Great car, big, easy on gas and fun to drive with that 3spd. Easiest starter swap ever!
It’s the fuzzy dice ! Works every time . Sold !
Our family had three Chrysler products from 1965 through thru the early 80’s. The first was a 65 Dodge Dart wagon with the slant six and 3 speed manual column shift. It was a base model. My brother bought it from my dad in the early 70’s and had the engine rebuilt by the local NAPA machine shop. He ran that for a few years. We then located a used 68 Plymouth Satellite in1970-71 with the 318 and automatic. Color was also green, but darker than this one. We had power steering and brakes, but no A/C. I drove that in 1972 to see Chicago (Transit Authority) in Philadelphia at the Spectrum. I had 3 friends along from high school. (Gawd, am I dating myself!) Interior build quality was terrible on that car. We had the front bench seat in cloth that gave no support. Arm rests cracked open with exposed foam. The car ran well and handled ok for what it was. Would I pay $15K for a version with the slant six? I don’t think so. Dad was never great on basic maintenance. I have no idea how long he went between oil changes. Needless to say, the last year or two he owned that car, the timing chain was so badly worn it jumped time and would not start reliably. My mom had a mid 70’s Plymouth Scamp for a few years. I didn’t drive that car much. I was married and had my own vehicles to maintain by that time.