The 1953 Chevies were the second all-new designs in the post-war era in order to keep pace with Ford and Chrysler. More modern looking than the ‘52s, the fender protrusions shrunk along with the height of the automobiles. The cars also had new names, the 150, 210, and Bel Air, reflecting the level of trim and list price. The seller’s nice ’53 is the mid-range 210 which is ready to come out of long-term storage but will require minor servicing. Located in Polk City, Florida, the Chevy is available here on Barn Finds Classifieds for $8,500.
Most cars of the 1940s weren’t terribly inspiring in the styling department and can often be difficult to distinguish one from another. That began to change for the Chevies in 1953, with a windshield that was now both one-piece and curved, a grille that was bolder and oval with turn signals in the corners, and front fender lines that flowed through the sides of the bodies. For many, the new cars were more attractive than their predecessors, aided by brighter colors and superior body trim.
The seller says the condition of the body on his Chevy is easily an 8 out 10. The finish looks to be an older repaint that has held up nicely, as has the chrome. I had a ’53 Chevy just like this one, color combination and all. The way the white on the top blends in with the blue on the bottom is different around the rear windows than most ’53 Chevies you see. The seller says and accompanying online photos show a car that’s solid from front to back including the underbody, frame and all. The glass also looks good and clear with no cracks with the exception of one of the wing glass pieces.
Switching to the interior, everything looks nice and complete and is said to be all original except for the carpeting. The upholstery material seems more modern than you might expect for a 210 in the 1950s, with the seatbelts looking more worn than the seats. Everything is said to work properly, such as rolling the windows up and down, and the AM radio.
As Chevrolet’s new V8 was another year away, the ’53 Chevies had the 235 Blue Flame inline-six that was good for 108 hp aspirating through a one-barrel carburetor and paired with a 3-on-the-tree. The seller tells us the car is going to need some mechanical attention before using it regularly. This would include changing all the fluids and checking the starter which has gotten weak and hard to start. The battery is newer, the tires are said to be good, and it’s had a recent tune-up. There are no leaks, and all the lights work properly. The stated mileage is unusually low at 9,160, so perhaps it has turned over.
Given the trim and features of the seller’s car, this should be the Club Coupe model # 2124 which saw 1953 production of just under 24,000 units. Hagerty estimates the resale value of these cars at $9,600 in Good condition and $16,660 in Excellent, so the seller’s asking price sounds quite competitive for a car that will show well.
Looks like a nice car that’s priced to sell. The driveline is a stout one, simple and dependable. Sure, it’s a little worn here and there but for someone looking to get into the old car hobby on the cheap, this one will do nicely.
Oh yes it does have a stout driveline. Learned to drive in my old man’s ’53 and I can testify it can hit at least 90 plus take general 16 yo abuse and keep ticking.
With so many tri-fives out there which I am the owner of one and many others in years past it’s refreshing to see earlier models like this one. Nice car and if it were mine a paint change to a glossy black solid color, raise the stance front and rear slightly and rid of it of the fender skirts and leave all as is including the factory hubcaps. Nice car!
What you are describing is my grandparents car. They had a solid black 4 door and it obviously lacked the skirts this car had.
Oddly, they never drove that car, only aunts, uncles, and my mom ever drove it. She finally told me once that my grandmother’s brother bought that car for them for those times when a car might be needed…like a doctor visit. Their car had green plastic seat covers so I have no idea what the seat upholstery looked like. I would imagine it was that same ” mousefur ” looking cloth most lower priced cars had at that time.
As much as I liked cars, even as a kid, I never dreamt about driving or owning that car.
Never a big fan of these except for HT’s and convertibles. The styling improvements between ’54 and ’55 had to be the most dramatic in automotive history!
I’m confused. If for whatever reason you raise the ride height you will screw up the front end geometry something fierce. Had an old ’54 210 in college that was comfortable, ran like a train, and had a trunk big enough to hold all the stuff college kids hauled around with them. Mine was a 2 door, white over blue. Another student had a convertible I really wanted but he wouldn’t trade. Nice old car here.
This car looks to set lower than the 53 and 54’s Chevys that I have seen or the two I have driven. Do not mean a gasser stance but looks like the suspension may be a little tired and worn out.
Extremely good starting point and at that $ I don’t think anone can go wrong. Just that it has a stick behind the I-6 is a massive plus in my book. I do prefer the even more bulgeous lines of the ’52 and earlier Chevs but any of these pre’55 bombs represent great cruisers at affordable $.
Personally I’d add a Fenton header/ Flowmaster muffler just to hear that beautiful hum of the six better and a serious suspension drop; apart from that I’d try to keep the overall OE appearance. Just in my home town there are 3 unrestored pre’55 Chevs serving as summertime daily drivers which is quite impressive considering these cars are close to 70 years by now
Sorry to bust your bubble folks, but this
one’s a dolled up 150 business coupe.
210s and Belairs had a wrap-around
rear window, where our feature car has
the ’52 roofline instead. 210s also had
a thin piece of chrome that ran down the
body sides. And how do I know? My
Mom had a ’54 210 4-door sedan when
I was young and it was a great car. Built
to last and ran forever. As for this one,
I’d offer him 7K cash for it and take it home the same day. Too bad I don’t
have space for it though.
I was wondering if any one else would think it was a 150. I have a model 210
This car is not a 210. The VIN starts with the letter ‘A’ which indicates it is from the 150 line. It’s difficult for me to distinguish the interior colors. The sheet metal appears to be gray which was not offered with a Ivory White-topped two-tone. This suggests the repaint wasn’t done in original colors. The wear on the inside of the driver’s door and its door card doesn’t match the wear on the upholstery. The car looks nice enough but it’s not ‘mostly original.’
It looks like a 150 and not a 210. The 150 had no chrome strips on the sides, the 210 had one long thin strip along the side and the interior was a bit nicer on the 210.
It looks like a 150 and not a 210. The 150 had no chrome strips on the sides, the 210 had one long thin strip along the side and the interior was a bit nicer on the 210. The stove bolt six was a great engine that Chevy used for many years and were a delight to work on.
Chevrolets v8s were 2 years away in ‘53 not one year as the article sais. That being said this is my favorite car from this mornings barn finds Email, would love a 53 or 54 Chevy.
I can still remember waiting for the radio to ‘warm up”.
150 or 210, it looks to be a great car at a very fair price. I think these, and ’52s, and 54s, are the next era to skyrocket price-wise since the ’55, ’56, and ’57 years are now out of reach for the average person.
1953…….. my parents bought a new house. Farm, actually. A thirteen room farmhouse on 5 acres of land.
They also bought a new car. A 1953 Chevrolet 150, in black. 6 cyl., 3 on the tree.
And by July, they had a new baby. ME!
1953 was a busy year for them
Definitely a 150. I drove a 210 all through high school & college.The missing molding strip and the very different rear window and area where the rear window, lower body & rear passenger areas come together are clear giveaways. Also more interior trim on door cards, horn ring, etc. on the 210. Still a tempting car at this price!
Nice car for what it is. Reminds me of
one my uncle had when I was very young. His was light green with a dark
green roof and lots of rust. While not as
nice as Mom’s, it always got him where he needed to go and brought him home
again. Mom’s car was really sharp with
a black paint job, wide whitewall tires,
and those flipper hubcaps. It also had
that two speaker radio (that really worked) and like this car, it had a 235
straight 6 with a 3 on the tree too. Don’t
recall if it had OD or not but it was a
really nice car that got looks wherever
it went.
In 1959 one of my older brothers came home from his stint in the army and bought a 53 Chevy 2 door post like this one. It was light blue with white top. Equipped with 216 cid backed by Three speed manual on the column. It was a nice car. He had the engine rebuilt once due to burning oil. When driving home from work one night he fell asleep and hit an oak tree. That totaled the car as kit bent the frame. The engine was then pulled and installed in dads 54 pickup.
I think the price is fair for this one, but would only want it nostalgia purposes.
God bless America
Still 6 volt (as God intended) !
I thought engine options in 1953 were the 216 with manual transmission, and 235 with powerglide, That would mean this 53 has a 216 unless it has been changed out.
1952 was the last year for the 216. All 53’s were 235CI.
Is this car still for sale?