Two-door station wagons such as this 1952 Plymouth Suburban are a popular topic here on BF. Their popularity continued and grew in the postwar years before starting to fade away in the late fifties. Every major manufacturer offered them, but they were often stripped-down, bottom-of-the-line trim levels – with notable exceptions, of course. Not only did Plymouth offer a two-door wagon, but it was also the only station wagon body style in its lineup. Today, courtesy of Zappenduster, I have one of the two, specifically a “Concord Suburban” for your review. Found in San Jose, California, this cute (did I actually call it that?) and clean staple of Suburbia is available here on craigslist for $9,500, OBO.
I was surprised to learn that Plymouth built no four-door station wagons in ’52. After all, their competition, Chevrolet and Ford, certainly did, and Plymouth did actually place third in the great automobile production race of ’52, behind number two Ford, and number one Chevrolet. Plymouth actually offered two, the Concord Savoy and the Concord Suburban. The seller refers to this car as rare, but that’s hardly the case, as ChryCo’s entry-level division built 76K two-door wagons in ’52, divided between the two trim levels.
Other than some mechanical components, the seller refers to this car as all original, but it really seems to be too nice for being three-quarters of a century old. It does present beautifully, nothing seems out of place, though I would lose the fender skirts (I’m not a fender skirt hater, I just don’t think, with exceptions, that they do too many cars justice). If I were to try to identify any exterior weakness, I’d lay it on the bumpers; they still shine but appear to be worn. As for that unusual-looking roof rack, it’s designed for hauling surfboards.
Up front is a 97 gross HP, 217 CI, flat-head, in-line six-cylinder engine, working in concert with a three-speed manual transmission. The seller mentions the swap to a Weber carburetor, a modern alternator, and an aluminum radiator. As for operational characteristics, we’re told, “runs, drives, and stops.” Be sure to check the listing for some details regarding other mechanical repairs and improvements.
The first thing that struck me upon spying the interior is the plain, hard vinyl upholstery – it looks like that found in a taxicab. It’s in sound condition, as is the rest of the interior environment, and I really appreciated the simplicity and legibility of the instrument panel. Also, the wayback looks to be in a neat condition and not subject to the sort of wear and tear that often befalls station wagons. A few things to consider, however, the tube radio is on the fritz, and the windshield wipers, heater, and spotlight are inoperative while the headliner is starting to sag.
Conclusion? This is a really nice find, it appears to have been well cared for, and while not rare in production terms, I’d venture that it is today. Let’s talk price. At $9,500, OBO for this claimed 60K-mile (not authenticated) Suburban, is it priced right, or not quite?
Contrary to my better half’s opinion, I’ve always liked the Suburbans. Preferrably a couple of years older would be better. Just the same you could park this on my driveway and I would just give the wife a paper sack to wear over her head so no one would recognize her when we were out driving around in it.
Very nice car for sure. That Weber carb setup is somewhat tempramental but can be dealt with.
A lot of these got changed to 12V mostly as a bandaid to help them start more easily when hot; they were the object of a lot of nasty words in that category. The cheapest way to fix that was to install a 4-pole starter off a larger truck or an industrial engine. A lot of combines out west running Chrysler power so there were a lot of starters available. We had several members of the local club install the bigger starters and their troubles were over for the most part.
Anyways, someone’s bound to have some fun with this beast…
Just last night I watched Jay Leno’s Garage and his 1954 Dodge Coronet Suburban wagon. His wagon has a 241 Red Ram Hemi V8. He decries the ponderous 6-cylinder.
I really liked that one. I think his is a stick with Overdrive too, kind of unique with the Hemi.
I watched that episode, I believe he also said it was a keeper…
Nice old car. My first car was a ’49 Crosley station wagon that had been used as a chicken coop. Just couldn’t get the smell out of it so found a cherry ’48 sedan body and swapped it out. Kind of liked the station wagon because it didn’t make you feel like you were in a small closet.
They were also well known for rusty floors. The price sounds like a killer deal.
I’ve never seen one before…..as I recall. Nice.
This is a nice looking vehicle, although may need a little more work not a bad price,
I could not understand what the seller meant by the passenger side rusted opening was sealed by the carpet’s as for the radio not working might be because of the voltage change 6volt radio to twelve volt a step down converter could have fixed that, but they might have burned it out, not sure about the Wiper’s might find a newer one and jerry rig it to work, or source out a new one, Spot Lights is it needed. those where add on’s any way’s still sounds like a good price.
priced right for sure ,keep the fender skirts
@mike….I would keep the skirts too, but in the closet.
This is a steal!
Quite unique by todays standards.
Build was copied after a loaf of bread so no Patton involded
I would love to park this in my garage next to my 1952 Plymouth Club Coupe. Not a surprise that the radio is not working. The radio consumes a huge amount of space in the middle of the dash and with tube technology probably weighs about fifteen pounds. There are technicians who can return them to working order or convert them to a modern radio complete with Bluetooth and still retain the vintage look. But it’s not cheap. Mine is dead and that’s the way it will stay. The heater and wipers can be made functional again and besides every old vehicle needs a few projects to fiddle with. I think the asking price is fair. I would loose the skirts and roof rack. GLWTS.
Carbob, if the radio hums when you turn it on, it needs a tube. If it doesn’t hum, the vibrator (makes AC from DC) needs either its points cleaned (common problem) or replacement.
Considering the sad state of radio broadcasting today, you’re probably better off leaving it right there in an inert state!
“Considering the sad state of radio broadcasting today, you’re probably better off leaving it right there in an inert state!”
Couldn’t agree more!
JO
Will, thanks for the info. Mine is dead. The antenna and power supply are disconnected by a previous owner and I have never attempted to reconnect. I’ve removed it a few times though to gain access for other things. When I’m driving it I find that I don’t miss the radio at all.
I have always liked these. There are a couple in my neighborhood, but not as nice as this one. This one reminds me of the one that was listed here that was on a S10 chassis.
I was 16 or 17 years old when this car was built and I never saw one with skirts. They ruin what I always considered a clean, well-balanced design. I’ve seen them with discrete lettering for someone’s estate, one with an architect’s name, again discretely lettered on the door, and one being used by the NJSP parked on an overpass on either the Tpk or GSP… rear side window slid open with a radar unit poking out. Cop would radio description of speeders to a line of cruisers parked just over the rise. Sneaky!
Ive never seen a station wagon with skirts until I started coming to the Barn. Looks good on some, ridiculous on others. This Suburban is middle of the road. Maybe it’s the blah beige color.
I know times change, tastes change but I wish they continued the two door wagon through the 60s and 70s.
Even a two door SUV would be cool.
Hi Angel! GM did that with the pre-2000 Blazer and the S10 Blazer. Ford did it with both the full size (U150) Bronco, Bronco II. AND the Dodge Ramcharger
But I agree it could be done with smaller units (as in shorter/properties sized vehicles) Introduce a sporty 2 door version. I believe ISUZU did that and it didn’t catch on. I like the style of these and smaller “shooting brake” styles like the P1800ES Volvo. Volvo had one a few years ago and it didn’t catch on either. I guess you and I are the “DIFFERENT”ones! Have a great day!
I own a 2 door 2022 Bronco and think it has that perfect old school look, the proportions are just right. Having said that, I’m lucky if I’ve seen 2 dozen other ones on the road. I heard that Ford is thinking of killing it off.
Hey Wayne,
But those two doors were based on trucks and at the time, trucks were 2 doors not 4 door like they are now.
Hubby and I had a 1974? Dodge Ramcharger 2 door SUV with the removable top. Now THAT was a fun truck except that top weighed a ton. Once you took it off for the summer it stayed off! Even in the rain.
And I can guarantee we are the “different” ones.
I know all about a top that is heavy. My FJ40 Landcruiser hard top. When it came off. It was for a minimum 7 months. Luckily I did have what is called a bikini top. (From the windshield over the top of the roll bar. It kept the sun off, which you need here in Nevada.
Wayne,
Call me dumbass but I didn’t know you’re in Nevada. You know I used to live in Vegas. Im in Baltimore right now but since we just had a snow storm, I’ll be back in Nevada within a year
Does Carney know you have a hubby?
Angel, I’m in Northern Nevada about 300 miles north of Las Vegas.
I had one of these and we made it a Woody. It turned out very well and I have since seen others. I do believe mine was the first. I would love to have it back and I have tried, but it is just not happening! The price I think is very fair, I just don’t want to start over.
I really like this wagon. Right before I was married in 1979, I had a 52 Plymouth 2 door along with a few others that I sold to afford life as a newlywed couple. There is nothing wrong with Chrysler product flat 6 engine. My 46 Dodge truck had a Plymouth engine transplant. My wife did like the truck. Eventually, though, it would only start if parked on a hill, travel down and pop clutch in second. It was a one-ton truck with 9-foot bed. Before we married a housemate was manic and ended up in Holmesburg prison after destroying the house we rented. The cop thought that it was pretty funny until the wiry Bob kicked out the back of the cop car window! He was maced. When Bob was released from Holmesburg, I made the mistake of picking him up him up in the 46 Dodge truck. Being a red truck, Bob said it looked like a fire engine. Before we got far, he hopped out at a corner in Philadelphia and pulled a fire box so we could have others join us. I haven’t spoken to him since, but my wife later introduced Bob to a woman from her HS class. They are happily married with two adult children 46 years later. He swore to take his meds and was successful in life.
Dave, I started to think who could play you two guys in a movie based on this story. Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise? Will Farrell and John C. Reilly? Cheech and Chong? Maybe Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. Anyway, it’s a great story.
Rex, there’s more to that story. In our rented Batchelor pad, there were four of us men, single or recently separated, divorced. The out-of-state owner insisted, rightfully so, that we hire a once-weekly cleaning woman, who would also report to him if anything was majorly amiss. It was my fault that Bob came to live there as we worked at the same place. He moved in as another left. Things were fine for a while. One of the cars that I sold prior to marriage was a nicely running but poorly looking Triumph TR3 that had a parts car parked behind the house, also the 52 Plymouth. Bob had been acting strangely staying up all night mixing things in the kitchen, but he started chanting then pouring after shave on items outside my bedroom door. I later went downstairs to discover flour, sugar, and everything completely on the counters and floor. Bob was outside. He had dug a fallout shelter under the Triumph parts car, stated as the safest place to be in case of a nuclear attack. Bob came in and started brandishing a decorative sword from over the fireplace. I escaped and phoned police. He was arrested days prior when he was walking barefoot due north, towards the pole. We were just a few hundred yards from the then operating Johnsville Naval Air Station, known for the centrifuge that trained airmen and astronauts. Bob was able to climb over the 10-foot fence. Well, there were cars involved if you put these two posts together somehow.
I love these cars, even though I’m not a Mopar guy. I, too, would take off the fender skirts and I would also take off the sun visor.