Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

 Maybe I'd like something along these lines?

A handsome Post War car, and best of all, it's a coupe.

This is a '48 Plymouth Deluxe coupe.

The seller said that he paid 9,000 dollars for it a year and a half ago. Now he is trying to sell it for 4,500.00

It ran then, now it needs a radiator and a few other parts.

The seller states that he has moved, and his new residence doesn't have parking for this car, so it's got to go. 

He also mentioned that his mechanic had retired, and I suppose that the owner doesn't work on his own cars.

I know that it's never a good idea to buy a car that's not running, although the seller will always say that it ran when it was parked! But you can't evaluate the condition of the motor or transmission, brakes. or anything mechanical  if the car is just sitting there.

These are fairly compact vehicles.

My interest in a car like this, is that it's a Forties vintage car, simple and not too expensive. A Plymouth doesn't have the collector appeal of a Ford, or a Chevy, so their prices are not that high in comparison. Many will say that these are kind of dull when it comes to styling. Maybe so, back in the day, but looking at it through modern eyes they look very cool with a definite vintage vibe. This model was designed and released in 1942, and was only built for less than two years before WWII halted the production of civilian cars. Stylistically they are very similar to the late 30's model.

The styling is a link between the late '30's and the
eventual 1950's boxier designs.

Even so, Chrysler corporation had a well deserved reputation for superior engineering, along with quality construction. Chrysler used their superior engineering on all of it's car lines, from the Imperial down to the Plymouth. That's one reason that they were slightly more expensive than contemporary Fords and Chevys. They also retained more resale value, think of them like that era's Camry and Accord. Buyers are willing to pay a bit more for a better quality vehicle that will provide better service'

A shot at the seller's mechanic's shop.

Of course this one has some problems. The seller says that It needs a radiator and a few thermostat parts. It seems that he doesn't want to invest any more money into it. It seems to me like it would be a better idea to invest a few more hundred bucks into it and get it running again. He would probably recoup more of his purchasing price. 

Maybe the car has more problems than he is being upfront about. That's why it's such a gamble to buy a non running car.

As I stated, it's pretty compact; over all length 196.8 in. with a w/b of 117 inches. These cars only weigh a bit more than 3,000 lbs.

I can't say that I've ever been a Plymouth fan, though I have owned two modern Mopars: a '90 Dodge Caravan and a '97 Chrysler Town and Country.

Maybe minivans don't count?

It's the kind of car that Phillip Marlowe
would have driven.

It is a late Forties car, built just about at the end of the decade. And this one has nice styling as a coupe. As a '48 model it was among the first of the models released as the War was ending. It still looks appropriately Forties cool, something that you might see in a Noir film. I wrote about my fascination with Film Noir in an earlier post. Actually, I am quite a fan of all things 1940's; music, architecture, furnishing, and fashions.

The black car is the one in the CL listing, the photos of the blue car are from the web, and they help to completely illustrate what the car looks like.

A comfy split bench up front.

A cozy back seat.

The dash is quite well styled and detailed in chrome,
with a nice steering wheel and horn ring.

Even one of the "low priced three" has some beautiful
art deco touches on the dash.

A roomy trunk.

A well respected, dependable mill.

The engine "boasts"217 cu in. of displacement, four main bearings, and 95 hp at 3.600 rpm. Top speed was reported as 80 mph.

Look at that simple little six cylinder mill. Nothing complicated here. Just a flathead engine with a three speed manual transmission. Plenty of room under the hood to access everything that needs an adjustment, replacement, or repair. The only issue might be finding replacement parts. 

This is quite a change from my '97 Riviera. I just finished changing the water pump on that car. It's got a transverse V6 topped by a supercharger. It has two serpentine belts. Lots of things had to be detached or removed to access and remove the water pump. I learned a lot by doing that job. The main thing I learned is that I don't want to have such a complicated car as a hobby car! 

This is not a powerful car, unlike the '40 LaSalle that I had seen earlier in '24. Even though the LaSalle          was eight years older, it was a more powerful V8 car, one that could perform like most 1950's cars.

This Plymouth has only 95 hp, @3,600 rpm. I did a bit of Googling and found a Plymouth forum. According to that site, the cruising speed for a stock model with the standard gearing is between 55-60 mph. Back then speed limits were much lower than they are Today. Most county highways had a speed limit of 50-55 mph. and many people would still only drive at 45 mph. even out in the country. 

There were no freeways, and few high speed highways. Quite a difference from current traffic conditions.  

I love those oil bath air cleaners. 

This Plymouth has the advantage of being small enough to fit easily in my garage. It's less than ten inches longer than my '06 Mustang, but approx. 10 inches shorter than my Riviera. 

I told my Wife that I might like to have a Forties vintage car. I've never had one, and being a Film Noir fan, I think that cars from this era are pretty cool. 

I have told her that like every other car of mine, this would not be a forever car. (For some reason she always worries about that.) She replied that if you can't easily sell it later, it can turn into a forever car.

Well, she has a point, but I've got quite a few years ahead of me to enjoy it. But I'll have to get moving soon, instead of vacillating on the idea. I will definitely have to sell a couple of my other cars, but it all really depends on whether or not I'm ready for a car like this.