We’re well aware that old American station wagons aren’t what generally get our readers’ juices flowing. As with every rule, however, there are exceptions, and this happens to be one of them.
Feast your eyes on a 1964 Chrysler New Yorker wagon. It was the last year of the pillarless hardtop wagon, offering unobstructed views from any seat during a road trip. Even with 109,000 miles the car is in unbelievable original shape, powered by a healthy 413-cid V8 backed by a push-button Torqueflite automatic.
This is a single-owner car that has been in the same family for 48 years. The paint is original, and the car was kept in a garage when not on the road. The seller says all of the chrome is good and the gold “New Yorker” script is perfect.
The interior is white vinyl, with a four-way power-adjustable driver’s seat. The middle row flips down for more storage, while the third row faces backward, as God intended. The seller says the weather stripping and other rubber gaskets are good and leak-free, the factory air conditioning still blows ice cold and the heater blows hot.
What, then, is such originality worth? In this case, the selling price is $25,000, which might seem a bit steep for a nearly half-century-old car with more than 100,000 miles on the clock. But it’s near what equivalent cars go for at auction, especially with the original equipment. And that’s assuming that there are any equivalent cars left out there.