This top-of-the-line 500 trim Dodge Coronet has traveled just over 100k miles and is fresh from a decade-long storage. It has been owned by one family since new and is in overall very good preserved condition. Enough work has been completed to get it driving reliably, but now it’s ready to be passed along to a new family. It’s currently for sale here on eBay in Los Angeles, CA. There is no reserve, and bidding has already reached $12,000 with 6 days left in the auction.
This Coronet has a documented history with lots of maintenance receipts and stories of being driven by the original family. From the seller: “The owner drove it as the family car until passing it down to his son in the 1980s. The owner’s son shared his memories throughout the years in [this video, such as] traveling to Guatemala in it with their 2-year-old son in the back seat in the late 80s/90s. It was finally parked in the garage over a decade ago.” Now, it’s out of storage, cleaned up, and ready for family #2!
After spending its whole life in California (apparently, it was sold new just 20 miles from where it now resides), there is very little rust to speak of. The seller says part of the trunk has a patch, but the frame and floor are in great condition. The paint is a bit faded, but I’m certain that after a couple of hours with a buffer and some polish, that paint would be glossy again. Other than a few smaller dents on the front and rear corners, the body doesn’t appear to have any major damage, and all the glass and trim look good. Unfortunately, the top of the vinyl roof is starting to peel. It doesn’t seem that any significant corrosion has happened yet, although it’s always wise to really investigate to ensure no rust is lurking beneath.
The engine is a 383 cubic inch V8 with the original (rebuilt) 2-barrel carburetor, paired with a 3-speed automatic transmission. According to the listing, there is a new gas tank and starter, and after a bit of tinkering, it is now running, driving, and stopping. Unfortunately, no specific word on if the factory A/C is working.
The interior is a classic black/white combo and it looks to be in fantastic shape. The driver seat cover is apparently new, but it’s hard to keep a white interior looking good after 55 years, so this car has really been cared for. There are a few minor details that could be addressed, like some drooping piping on the rear seat and some chipped paint on the door panel trim, but nothing that would prevent this car from being driven and enjoyed as-is. So, who is ready to add this Dodge to their garage?
Very nice, basically a Charger without the Charger name plate. The 383 in this was economical as far as big V8s go too.
This is one of the various Chrysler models that is good looking IMO. With a 2bbl carb it may not be the fastest one out there but I’m betting it’s fun to drive.
Buff paint. Wax. Change all fluids. Drive. Cars this nice getting hard to find. Love the 67 roof on these beauties. Why buy a $55,000 computer on wheels when you can have this? This car will sell for more than 20K. I have room in my garage here in P.A., but wife says Corvette has to go first.
Oh boy, where to start? 55K computer on wheels? What are you buying? You can get a new car with a pretty fast little turbo engine for way less than half of that, brand spanking new. What you get for the price of this, is a 5 year warranty, working air, brand new (not 55 year old) metal. Quadruple the MPG. Reliability. Better info and entertainment systems. Don’t get me wrong, I owned a few cars of this vintage, and they were great in their day, but time rolls on. I loved these cars, but if I am going to spend new car money for what sounds like a daily driver, I am going to buy new.
Electronics, especially microprocessor-based devices, tend to not survive the test of time very well. I’ve had to say sayonara to several high-end Japanese ham rigs due to this.
For a daily driver, you’re correct. But I can’t see the electronics functioning in a 50 year old 2021 Challenger.
Then, why are you even here?
This is a beautiful, solid car, but it has all the earmarks of an older driver that parked by feel -Most of its minor, but both front fenders are bent, hood bent , rear quarter extension and rear bumper bent and who knows what else. If I had the kind of money that this is worth, I would have to get the damage issues taken car of and have a quality paint job, and then I could enjoy it !
Awesome looking car! I think it’s great when one family has the same car for this long. My favourite years for the Dodge Coronet and Coronet 500 are 1965-67. This looks like an original daily driver. And with careful driving and strict maintenance, I imagine it can continue to be an awesome daily driver for decades to come.
I had one of these, with 318 and 727. The engine soon through a rod, so I replaced it with a junk yard 318, then the transmission went so replaced with 904 which required a replacement driveshaft. It was probably the worst car I ever owned.
Wow – in the same family for 54 years, now they’re selling it? I could never do that. It’s my opinion, but since we have a car that’s been in the family for 45 years, it would be very difficult to imagine selling something like that under those circumstances. I would keep a car like that until I die. You can’t replace those memories, and you’ll certainly never get the car back. This is a nice color combination too – inside and out!
My step grandfather bought one of these with the 426 Hemi in it, he died a year later and I had custody of the car for a few months, a real rocket but grossly overpowered for the rear end weight of this car. BUt for a kid at the time, a hoot to drive. He was a mild mannered quiet individual, very out of character for him to buy one of these rockets, but it created some good memories for me. lol.
Nice ride as far as not being a rust bucket, But this has got a lot of WHISKEY DENTS. Looks like a small pole went from fender to fender across the headlights. The hood looks like a baseball bat, The drivers side quarter panel is pushed out from the inside, Instead of CURB FINDERS, Who ever owned this needed FENDER FINDERS. Leave it the way it is and put a CRATE HEMI in it and just raise H&LL In a straight line because these boats don’t handle worth a ……….