Tucked away for the better part of 20 years, this 2 door 1950 Dodge Coronet is a solid find that needs to be put back on the road. With little to no rust, and a lot of what could be original paint, this Dodge would be a great project to clean up and enjoy as is. With the possibility to pick this up on the cheap, this interesting mopar is currently $1,000 Dodge is worth keeping an eye on. Take a look at it here on eBay out of Great Falls, Montana.
Covered in dirt and debris, the flat head inline 6 looks like its seen better days, but they say not to judge a book by its cover right? Sadly there is no info on the engine, so at this point it is a gamble as to its condition. The fuel system and brake system are also a gamble, but I would count on doing maintenance either way after 20 years parked.
As the seller has mentioned, there are some very neat Art Deco details inside of this old Dodge. The door handles sit vertically and are mounted to a ribbed panel that certainly shows some Art Deco flair. Although dirty, the interior shows reasonably well considering the car hasn’t been touched in 20 years. The bench is ripped, the arm rests are frayed, and the carpeting is rough. Thankfully the unique deco elements are still in place, and the dash and its components are very reasonable.
Checking out the exterior is a bit difficult from the provided photos, but the seller claims this dodge is rust free, to which I assume to mean rot free. There is some obvious surface rust to be found, but I will say that the rockers and lower door sections look quite pleasing. In fact, I think the worst part of the car is the punched in driver side fender. I would push that fender out as gently as possible to preserve the old paint, and keep on rolling. For the $2,000 buy it now price, this Dodge would be a great affordable first time project for someone, or maybe even a good father/son project? Would you revive this affordable Mopar?
It is highly unfortunate that the expense of auto transport these days is so high that the cost of a car like this, especially as it is a non-runner, can easily double or more unless you live within a couple hundred miles of the car. What a pity, looks like a decent old car.
Dirk, that cost can be cut down considerably by renting a UHaul type car trailer, very little cost there. If you don’t have a truck that can pull it, their trucks certainly can.
Cost of the trailer, cost of the truck, mileage, fuel, one, two, or three overnight motel stays, meals. Many times it’s “cheaper” to have it transported depending on how far away you are. Been there/done it all.
I have found that the best way is to rent a pickup truck from Enterprise TRUCK rental (NOT the car rental). I can usually get a 3/4 ton diesel crew cab with low miles for under $100 per day with unlimited miles. Do a one way on the UHaul and you save tons of money. The best I could do to ship a car from Iowa to New York was $1750. A friend and I took off and did the round trip in 2-1/2 days. Total for truck, fuel, motel, meals, trailer and snacks was $600.
Sure Fred, Yo Haul is a good way to get your prize home, but the expenses are staggering. Fuel costs are an item, but by the time you feed two growing grandsons at 3500 calories per day each, numerous roadside bathroom stops, and a stop at Six Flags, you will have wished that you had hired a carrier.
I still haven’t received an answer on how the tent got run over and wrapped around the truck’s driveshaft.
The experience was priceless.
What a sorry looking car. I might want a new hobby if my dad brought this one home. Even cleaned up a running I’m wondering if I’d want to be seen it…or even get stuck behind it going down the road.
Then it would seem you are not the target market for a car like this.
I like the car and I’d be proud to be seen in it. I wish it were across town, I’d be there in a heartbeat with a fist full of money.
In high school a friend restored a ‘55 nomad. Was such a good looking car. He regretted his choice of cars after a while. Could only enjoy parking it at a show. Sunday drives were full of worry about scratches and where to park.
This puppy, I would drive daily and park anywhere even fully restored. I prefer cars that only draw attention from others that like me love to drive their cars.
Keep in mind, the Deco period in all genre except automobiles was well over about 10 years >>BEFORE<< this car was built. Probably why they were such a yawn when new (behind the times) and everywhere for sale cheap now. Are we sure the door handles are supposed to be vertical? Seems like that could be changed easily just by repositioning it on a pin, post or spline.
It appears that it may have an overdrive transmission in it. That makes the price very attractive.
As most of you know by now from my previous rants that I really like these early 50’s dodges. These are good car to restore and learn on. There no more complex than a lawn tractor to work on. Yes your not going to be able to tear the tire off this car with that flat head l6. But it will pull you down the highway at a comfortable 70 mph. In some ways these engines were ahead of the pack and in others they were behind. Example full pressure oiling system through out the engine. ( 👍 ) low compression valve in engine block. (👎 ) long stroke so good torque at low rpm. ( 👍 ) single bbl carb with poor fuel distribution. (👎 ) engine that just won’t die if maintained properly, for going as far as 1 million miles in taxis (👍 ). These cars must not have been to bad these L head 6’s were in Chryslers cars from 1938 to 1959 and in trucks like the power wagon until the mid 60’s. They continued on in industrial applications ( forklifts, welding rigs, combines to name a few ) all the way up to as late as 2002. Not bad for an oversized lawnmower engine. If I didn’t already have my Canadian Mayfair hard top then I sure wouldn’t mind having this one, so a pass for me. As for road tripping and one waying a u-haul car trailer I think a 3/4 with a camper could work quite well for retreaval. JMO.
I have an F350 diesel with camper and pull a covered car trailer. It has been my choice for retrieving several vehicles. Cost is far less than transport and the vehicle/misc parts all arrive back home without compromise. The best part, the adventure getting there and having a face to face with the seller. Often, our discussion triggers the seller’s memory about a forgotten item that should go with the vehicle or they share a valuable story about the vehicle’s history.