The Dodge Charger 500 was a fancier trim edition of the car in 1970 and 1971. But in 1969, it was a limited-edition car with styling adjustments to be more aerodynamic for NASCAR purposes. Only 392 were built in 1969, while 59% of 1970 Charger production was the 500, returning to the same styling as the rest of the line. Located in Persia, Iowa, this 1970 Charger 500 is very rough and incomplete, yet it retains its build sheet and fender tag. Perhaps that’s why a reserve has been set for this automobile, with the bidding currently at $1,211 here on eBay.
To perform better on the race track, the 1969 Charger 500 had a flush grille and a rear window treatment like that of the Coronet (no tunnelback). Whether the car’s name was a nod to the Daytona 500 or the number intended for public consumption, the number built never reached 400 units. Apparently, Dodge didn’t get the results it wanted in competition, so the 500 became a regular Charger with a snappier trim package in 1970.
This woeful Charger’s VIN decodes as a 500 that came with a 318 cubic inch V8 when it left the factory (long gone now). It was one of more than 27,000 copies assembled, so it wasn’t anything special. If you are interested in the car for its fender tag or build sheet, you won’t find much rare here, either. The car once wore green metallic paint, but it appears to have been sitting so long in a field that there’s not a lot left of it. And many of its pieces have already been liberated.
Dodge’s Charger 500 was only a three-year effort, including the limited run in 1969. It carried over when the B-bodies were redesigned in 1971 but was no longer in the mix when the 1972 models were released. In 1970, most Charger 500s came with a V8 engine, yet 182 left the factory with a Slant-Six (why?). If you were to meet the seller’s reserve and take this Charger home, what would you do with it?
Looks like this rusty mess has already been used as a parts car. Unfortunately it’s not surprising to see a reserve on the auction.
This will be a repeat of nearly every other 68-70 Charger featured on this site. There will be a lot of screaching about greed and the inevitable collapse of the car hobby while the car will either sell or get bid to a surprisingly high price.
Steve R
Spot on comment.
Bidding is up to $3050 and Reserve Not Met yet.
Take that bid and run 🏃♂️ 💰
Lol. I’m not screeching, but the 68-70 Charger (except Daytona) and the DeLorean are two cars I wouldn’t touch right now. Both are absurdly overvalued.
That not screeching. I these Chargers, like most muscle cars are too expensive, there are plenty of options that are reasonably priced built within the last 50+ years, I’d search out one of them. The screeching is about tying expensive or overpriced cars into a broader narrative, when it’s more often tied to someone being mad the can’t get what they want and not being flexible enough to choose what’s available at a price they can afford.
Steve R
Good luck to the next owner! I think it’s too far gone and would rather let it sit, unfortunately.
That gapping Flintstone style hole right below the brake peddle is a nice touch.
$250 max for a 318 car and that’s it.
You’ll be underwater in $$$$$$$ TRYING to restore.
Beyond a parts car now!!!
In reply to the headline question: None of the above. Next stop, the crusher.
It was an a/c car, so…are we bidding on the glass, the a/c parts or the title?
Rear seat (which are more valuable than people think until they need one), floorshift steering column, window regulators and hardware (F & R), 8 3/4 rear end and rear bumper. Plus some small parts that someone building a Charger would be aware of. None of that is terribly valuable, but should easily surpass $1,000, it’s hard to justify the hassle of picking up the car and costs involved, but to dismiss it a something that is only worth crushing is shortsighted.
Steve R
Steve’s right that the parts add up, and here is the line that actually decides project vs. parts car on a ’68-70 B-body: the frame rails and the torsion bar crossmember. Those are the car. The hole under the pedal is a floor pan, and a floor is a Saturday with a welder. The rails above the rear axle, the rear spring mounts and the front stub frame are not, and on these they rot from the inside out behind the wheels where nobody looks. If the crossmember and the rails are solid, it’s a rough project; if they’re lace, the missing drivetrain is the least of it. On the build sheet and fender tag, though: this is one of 27,000 318 Charger 500s, so the paper proves the car is common, it doesn’t make it rare. Paper carries value where the car is scarce. Here it just tells you what color it used to be. So the reserve is priced on the document, not on the metal.
Question… The bid is reverse, right? That’s how much they’re going to pay someone to haul it to the scrap yard, right?
This would be a great challenge for ‘my mechanics’ on Facebook. He’s got all the restoration know-how.
basket case but if you have pockets with no bottoms and this is what you want more power to you. i see a pile of scrap metal.
I can hear Mark Worman laughing as if he’s sitting right next to me! “)
Barn yard car whats left of it
Step right up folks and get your very own bankruptcy starter kit !!! Yes for less than the price of a new Kia you can be right on your way to total ruin with this decision…….brought to you by Deep pockets inc. !!
I thought the 500s had a flat (not inset) rear window?
That was only in 1969 only.
Steve R
Is every 68 to 70 Charger like this pile? In the 90s, this thing would have been crushed. Yet with all the hysteria over these cars, I NEVER see one on the highway. Guess after dumping $100,000 to restore one, the risk of getting T boned by a soccer mom on her 7th cup of coffee in a new Kia is likely. Can’t blame the Charger owner, but what’s the point if you cannot drive it. Sold my Corvette due to today’s terrible drivers.
I’m truly sorry for your loss. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a 68 to 70 Charger on the road, either. I think the new Kia would suffer much more in an accident than the Charger would, though. It also could be due to the astronomical gas prices, and the inefficiency of the Charger (8.1 MPG, if I remember right) that they appear to be rarely seen on the road.
George Mattar…
Sold it!? Sad, but understandable.
Mr. Mustang…
Likely the inordinate amount of $$
Good luck ! This one is a candidate for Graveyard Cars
Ya this one is rough. But all the sheet metal is available from AMD. The rebody will run between 8K and 11k There will be some parts that you can pick up at swap meets like the ones at Carlisle and the Moparty in Bowling Green. And then there’s always eBay. You’ll have 25k (if you do the work yourself) invested plus the cost of the car, but if done right it will be worth between 50 and 75K And I know this because I just finished one and sold it for 68K. Mopar’s, especially Chargers are one of the hottest cars on the market.
And here we go again with a rusted out Mopar barely a parts car. YIKES!
And, guaranteed to get at least 30 comments.
The auction ended on 9/27/2026 with a high bid of $5,500, RNM. There were 15 bids from 10 bidders.
The seller had relisted the car.
Steve R