Cheap Date: 1973 Plymouth Satellite Custom Wagon

By Cody Clark

Mopar double headlights. White wall tires. Brown. This 1973 Plymouth Satellite in Long Beach, CA has it all for only $9,500. I don’t need to tell you how perfect this car is. It’s all right there. The rear window is longer than the two door windows combined. Anemic V8 power for maximum scream without the pretense of maximum go. The little round mirror. A few rust spots dot the corners of the car. Who cares? If it’s survived this long, it’s ready for another 50 years. 

This Satellite boasts a 318 V8 connected to a dismal TorqueFlite 3-speed. The power-thirsty torque converter is actually a feature; any more torque delivery would probably bend the frame. This is no drag car, but it never promised that. This car didn’t even promise to make it to the 1980s. The engine looks ancient but together, with no scary wiring. Look at those strut bars! Show that off to a Mustang owner at your next car meet.

The interior of this car shows off enough bench seats to fill a small church. Most of the vinyl is intact, as well as the faux wood trim on the dash. The shag of the carpet is appropriately lustrous and thick. Though those greenhouse windows combined with inoperable A/C sounds like a life-threateningly hot combination in the place this car lives.

The seller says they took this car to Disneyland which is the perfect use for this beast. It looks ready to make memories for its next owner, and a recent-ish rebuild reduces the worries of spending nearly 10 large ones on a 50-year-old Plymouth. Is it time to relive the Malaise era? This might be your last chance.