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?