Owner Refuses to Sell Rusty 1970 Dodge Charger, Relists Car

The photos in the listing show what appears to be a 54-year-old Dodge Charger, but considering its appearance, we can’t blame you for being suspicious. The model is parked on a trailer with four flat tires, with all of its body panels nearly disintegrated by rust. The engine bay is covered in dead leaves, and it looks like moss has started to grow in there. And it’s not just the rust that’s slowly killing it. The front fender is warped, confirming that the car must have been involved in an accident at some point.

The 1970 Charger is an example of the second generation. Dodge was planning to produce about 36,000 of them. But demand was a surprise, and executives had to settle for more. From 1968 to 1970, when they made room for the third generation, they had already built 96,100 units, nearly three times more than originally planned.

This Charger is one of 96,100, and it proves that not all of them were saved from hiding. Some end up rotting away like this one, which has a strap holding the doors together. Once undone, they could break or at least fall off the trailer. If you're buying or selling a vehicle, losing parts in shipping is the last thing you want to happen.

There is no longer a hood protecting the engine. The seller says the Charger is powered by a 318-cubic-inch (5.2-liter) V8. In the good old days, that small-block V8 made 230 horsepower (233 metric horsepower). But those days are long gone, and now the engine bay is only suitable for rodents, without the risk of them being spooked by the revving engine.

Photo: eBay

The car sports the optional Torqueflite three-speed automatic transmission (standard on R/T variants), which sent power to the rear wheels for a 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) sprint in 10.3 seconds. Even the quarter mile took a lifetime by today's standards: 17.2 seconds.

However, it was still better than what the car can do today: the only specifications we can discuss are those of the trailer that ships it to the next owner. And it will need it, because, as the ad indicates, it doesn't run, it doesn't drive, it doesn't roll, it doesn't steer, it doesn't do anything! We could have guessed all this just by looking at the photos. It just sits there, looking miserable.

However, the listing states that there are still many usable parts, in case restoration is out of the question. The windshield did shatter at some point. The seller states that the Dodge has all the glass except for that windshield. However, it needs to be put away, as there is no sign of it in the photos.

Also, the rusty Dodge's floor is a see-through affair, while the dashboard is full of gaping holes looking back, with wires of various colors dangling from it, the only clue that this was once a functional cabin. It must have been that way a gazillion years ago.

Photo: eBay

Nothing left in there except the steering wheel and gear lever, but without the knob. Not even the door panels survived. The glove compartment is a repository for withered vegetation.

There is no title on this car, so it will be sold with a bill of sale. It has what the current owner calls “a small reserve,” but there is no information on how much that is. It is obviously more than those who saw the ad were willing to pay.

What we do know is that after 27 bids, the previous auction on eBay reached $2,373 on August 9, the day the previous auction ended, and the owner refused to sell the car. They most likely expect to get more for the fastback.

Maybe second time's the right time, and the owner will get the price he wants for the poor old Dodge Charger. However, with 6 days to go, the new auction has only seen bids reach $510.

Photo: eBay

The average price for a 1970 Dodge Charger is $96,871, as reported by classic.com, with the best low-mileage examples fetching as much as $352,000. But it’s not a pile of rust. However, this 1970 Charger could be a lesson in resilience or on the road to destruction.