Plymouth joined the compact car market in 1960 with the Valiant. It was an awkward-looking car during its first generation (1960-62), but it became more mainstream in 1963 (resulting in higher sales). The seller has a 1965 Valiant convertible, one of just 2,759 built that year. It looks solid with a rebuilt Slant-Six engine. Located in Golden, Colorado, this Mopar ragtop is available here on craigslist for $12,000 OBO, and is another tip brought our way by Mike F.
At the heart of the seller’s little drop-top is Chrysler’s venerable 225 cubic inch “Slant-Six”. While the car itself has 95,000 miles, the motor has just over 3,000, thanks to a rebuild. It’s paired with a TorqueFlite automatic transmission with a column shifter instead of the push buttons used by Chrysler through 1964. There is no mention of rust, and we suspect the red paint is a redo since we see some overspray under the hood.
The seller refers to this little car as a “solid running machine” and a daily driver. So, it’s far from a showpiece that you have to fret over every possible nick or ding. Recent repairs include new brakes and an upgrade to the master cylinder. The convertible top is not power-assisted, so you’ll have to put it up yourself.
Inside the passenger compartment, everything is from 1965, and there are a couple of patches on the front bench seat that are certainly passable. An aftermarket stereo has been installed to make the cruising even more enjoyable. If you show up with cash, the seller will even throw in a car cover (the budget kind).
….my first car in 65 was a ’63 one of these.. slant, pushbutton… These are very pleasant cars… friendly, easy to fix… perfect for low intensity car shows, or as an ”island” car…
The 170/6 remained standard through `69, with the 225/6 becoming optional mid-year `61.
The 170/6 was replaced by the 198/6 in `70.
The 273 V8 became optional mid-year `64.
The 318 V8 became optional in `68, and was included in the Scamp Package by `74.
Scamp had started in `71 with the 198/6.
`72 was Valiant’s best year with 330,373 built.
In `76 it’s final year, a 360 V8 was optional with the Police Package.
What a great looking car. Relatively low miles and maybe just me, a bit high on price but for the right person to go back in time, worth it. A nice cruiser, and with the ‘leaning tower of power’, a sweet ride.
The “risk off” price is about $3000, if you find someone who wants it.
Not sure what a “risk off” price is, but unless it refers to pointing a pistol at the seller during negotiations, you’re way low…
Bunky – it’s kind of a Wall Street term, but is has a lot of meaning in this business, too.
Referring to the old cars market, the “risk off” price is the maximum price that an astute buyer will pay because he wants to sell it in 2 years rather quickly at or near the price he pays.
In other words, he can own it for a while with minimal financial risk and get out rather whole.
It’s what smart buyers do, if they have patience, good sense, and cash. A lot of times, they are the only offer.
There may be other buyers who will pay a lot more, dreaming that the market will uphold their own fantasies regarding the value.
The seller has to find them and these days, they are few and far between. The entire buyer-side of this hobby is becoming “risk off” very quickly. There’s far too much product for sale that can be had for the “risk off” price.
This car is drivable, but it’s not a muscle car, it’s very well worn in all aspects, and pre-1965 stuff is the edge of “only grandpa cares” territory, and those guys aren’t buying cars anymore.
The next owner of this car will get it dirt cheap and wants it because its unique and has some fun factor left in it. And they’ll want to find someone else in a couple years who feels the same.
That’s why $3000 is the risk-off price, if the seller wants to move it off their driveway.
@Bluesman Then there are buyers who just want the car to use and enjoy. They frequently will keep it for decades (even until they pass away) without even considering whether they can make money on it.
Thinking this is a $3,000 is out of date by at least a decade.
Steve R
Steve R – let’s keep our eye on it. If this was polished up a bit, maybe.
It’s all there and apparently operating, but thoroughly worn out. The hood doesn’t fit, the engine bay is covered in red overspray, the body has warts, dents, and age spots all over it, and every other item on the car appears to be ragged, worn out, faded, weathered, and in need of help.
Blues man, you don’t seem to understand that me saying it’s worth more than $3,000 as it currently sits means I think it’s worth $12,000, I don’t. It’s not an either or proposition. A common problem with many commenters is they think that the price they would be willing to pay is a cars value, it’s not.
Steve R
Steve R – I hear ya. An actual buyer has to emerge, at any price.
It might sell for more than $3k to someone who really wants this well-worn ride for some reason. I find that hard to imagine, but it’s possible.
I can only see a low-baller who wants something kind of cool, but very cheap.
This example, because of it’s threadbare condition in every aspect, and unless it is dirt cheap, has little attraction to buyers who are less than 70 years old, and 75 year old guys are generally not buying cars anymore.
My Sis bought a ‘64 Valiant convertible about 1967. Same color and running gear. Bucket seats with an upholstery color that, in my opinion, matched better than this car, and it had a power top. Push button shift was in it’s last year in ‘64. It had its foibles, but overall, it was a fun, dependable little car.
I like it. The 225 is a great engine, we had two of them in the family. Price (to me) is about 6K too high, but I’ve seen worse asks on pony cars. ;-)
It was a great engine…. until 75 when they suffocated it. Had a 73 Valiant that was great, but the 75 I had was junk. So sad that engine suffered such a demise.
Have wanted one of these since watching the film The Flim Flam Man!
This one is in better shape than when Mordecai got done with the one in the movie! Gotta say though that for this price, it should be pristine!
I love Valiants.
Virgil Exner’s “expressive” designs for 1960 were not well received by the public, but they are a relief in a world of beige Camrys.
The slant six, available in both iron and aluminum, was new for 1959, and was an advanced engine that became a legend for its durability.
Aluminum replaced heavy, chrome-plated trim, and was extensively used in the torsion-bar suspension, yeilding a comfortable, responsive ride
This second generation lost the Mid Century/Outerlimits flair of the first series, but customers bound for downtown shopping (and not Alpha Centauri) were fine with that
Despised these as a kid. I thought they were hideous. Yet, as I have aged (a lot!) I find myself appreciating them as actually really nice little cars with good proportions. I kinda put this car in the same category as a 68 Falcon in that respect…..
You can’t buy anything for $3k today. Maybe the price is a little high, but it isn’t 9 large high (this, coming from a guy who works on Bay St., so I fully understand the term “risk off” :) )
best,
bt
One of the biggest learning lessons and mistakes I ever did was buying a rusty, 1965 Dodge Dart convertible. Learned alot and lost alot. And that great running, slant six was it’s best feature.
12K you say? Well worth it from
where I sit. Especially when many sellers have come down with Barrett Jackson Syndrome
and ask blue chip prices for cars
that just aren’t worth that kind of
cash. In case no one noticed, we’re in a pretty tight recession
now and there just aren’t that many people out there with cash
enough to buy a classic these days. And even if they do have
money, they’re holding on to the
purse strings tighter than ever. Your job may be safe at the moment, but maybe when you least expect it, the company you work for might just skip town in
the middle of the night to screw you over when it comes to filing for unemployment benefits or obtaining your pension. I also see it every day at my store. My long time customers that used to
order Quarter Pounders and Big Macs are opting for Value Meals
to make their money go farther
Our attendance is down 40 %
from ’23, and it’s not getting any
better. But if you just gotta have a classic car, this car would be the one you want. It’s priced right, and can actually be driven
daily with no worries. And though it’s not the prettiest thing
on the road, it’ll give you miles of
smiles wherever you drive it. And
with all the money you’ll save on
the price, you can fix the faults
when time and cash allow it. This one checks all the boxes for
me. And if I had $12K, it would be following me home to Florida;
Two thumbs up! 👍👍
I’ll add that paying $12k for a decades-old car (esp. one in this condition) is just the very beginning of your old toy car expenses. My own rule of thumb on these old toy cars is you gotta have the purchase price in cash on hand AFTER paying cash to buy it in order to effectively maintain and repair them for any real length of time afterwards. It’s not like buying a 2 year old CPO Accord.