Bought new by a teacher in Phoenix, this 1981 AMC Concord D/L has been in the family ever since. It can be found here on craigslist in Mesa, Arizona. They have what seems like a very reasonable price of $3,000 listed or they’ll trade for a Harley Sportster and will throw in some cash. It’s clearly not owned by the teacher anymore. Thanks to Rocco B. for sending in this tip!
The Concord, as most of us know, came after the AMC Hornet and I can’t think of a better car for a teacher. I’m surprised that they got a two-door car, a four-door sedan would have been even more teacher’y. The Concord was made for the 1978 through 1983 model years and they were nice cars, despite looking a bit staid and some people would say boring. I’m not one of those people, by the way. This car only has a hair over 50,000 miles on it.
The interior looks perfect which is surprising for an Arizona car. There could be a reason for that, they knew how to keep the damaging sun out with some sort of ingenious window shade system which must have worked and it still does! Cool, literally. The original teacher owner passed it on to his or her sister after his/her passing and the sister kept it in a carport for years. It sure looks well-preserved after being in hot, dry Arizona for so many decades.
The engine looks clean as well, it’s AMC’s 258 cubic-inch inline-six which would have had 100 hp and 200 lb-ft of torque. The AC blows cold which is unusual and great! The vinyl top was replaced at some point, most likely from the Arizona sun that I talked so much about, it claimed a victim after all, but the rest of the car looks fantastic. This isn’t a particularly rare or valuable car, but it’s 38 years old and it’s a great, cheap way for someone to jump into the old car hobby.
This would make a great daily driver for someone in an area where it won’t be exposed to winter salt. Concords are comfortable, quiet cars, much more so than the Hornet they are derived from. Although not particularly exciting they are pleasant drivers and the combination of the AMC 258 with the Chrysler 3-speed Torqueflite is as bulletproof as one could ask for. At 50K miles it’s barely broken in.
This example has had an aftermarket finned aluminum valve cover fitted to replace the leaky OEM plastic job, definitely a plus. (That was not one of AMC’s best ideas.) Covers are missing from the compressor service valves. Those would have rubber seals to prevent small leaks from escaping and protect the valves from debris.
Looks like everything else is there, even the air pump and the vast array of emission gadgets and plumbing which tend to get butchered on these cars. The ad doesn’t say anything about refrigerant used but I believe those are R134a conversion fittings on the service valves. Fortunately by the time Concords appeared on the scene AMC had abandoned the truly awful Presolite electronic ignition for the much better Ford Duraspark system.
There must have been a sale on blue cable ties at their local parts store. I wish it was closer to me. I’d love to have it.
The road trip home is part of the fun.
Just a solid ole’ AMC-
,,,and like “That AMC guy” stated,,,its a lot quieter car from an inside stand point compared to the Hornet,,,don’t get me wrong,,I love my ole’ 77,,,but occasionally those “Rattle Gremlins” due tend to announce they’re presence,,,that 4 barrel and dual exhaust seem to make em’ a lil less noticeable tho.
A four barrel carburetor and dual exhaust is the proper answer to nearly every make and model!
Our city had ordered fleet-special Concords back when they were current, and what surprised me is that without the padded roof the 2 doors had the full Hornet rear window instead of the blanked ones!
Sure looks nice for a 38 year old car. That interior looks awfully inviting. You can’t go wrong here for $3k.
@AMCguy: Yes they were comfortable
riding cars that handled well. My wife
loved driving ours as both a private and a
business vehicle. The only weak spot it
had was an appetite for torque converters! The damned car ate 2 of ’em
before we decided to trade in and sell it on. I liked the 258 6 cylinder as it was
nearly bulletproof and easy to work on
In fact, our wagon sat so high that I was
able to slide up under it to change the oil
and filter without a jack! Other than it’s
appetite for torque converters, it was a
great car and I wished I had it back.
My SIL would be driving it instead of that
troublesome Nissan Sentra she has now.
Say what you like, but they were indeed
great cars.
Is it important that a teacher bought it new?
Does that have some significance as to the condition of the car???
I like this car. It would fit my needs almost perfectly. Buuutttt, here again, it is too far away, as I live in Maryland. Car is right, price is right. Well, %?!@#, anyway…. Oh well, keep ’em comin’ BF. Love this stuff. I really hope someone gets this soon. It is a great putt-putt around town car. Not a hot rod, just an errand runner. If we realize what we have, and don’t expect more than it is, we have a success.
You should take a bus or train out to get it, then drive back. Make a weekend of it; It will be lots of fun, trust me. I have done it for a car before. .
Or if you don’t feel like driving for two days just pay someone else to drive it. You can look on your local Craigs list. There is usually lots of ads for drivers there. Heck, I will go out and get it for you. You pay for fuel and a couple meals (subway’s good for me) and $100 a day. Which is real cheap. I drive back and forth for a local dealership sometimes, and get paid more than that for just 4 or 5 hours of driving .
Or just pay for it to be shipped. You can get quotes from uShip to see what they cost. I had a car shipped from New York to Texas for a grand, only because it didn’t run. Driving cars are cheaper.
Very underpriced for a coupe. That would be a very reasonable price for a 4 door in the same condition.
I am a car shipping broker and it would cost $1000 to ship this to Baltimore. Worth it I think for a car of this quality, or you could buy it and ship to the AMO meet in St.Louis this month and drive it back from and hang with me and the other Concord people in the “display only” section.
For the price, this is WELL worth it. I am going to look for a decent sportster to buy just to trade for this. I don’t have the $3,000 but I am sure, working @ a Harley dealership, I can find 1 for sale for less. I need to head to Arizona in a couple weeks for personal reasons. Shipping a bike there from Milwaukee is $400.00. I am going to attempt to buy this! I will keep ya all posted. If I get it, I will just leave it @ my sister’s house in Chandler.