26th May 2012, 09:31
You must have never been in car shows, as people love these one family owned stories.
My car club has a original 1964 Corvette convertible in rare tuxedo black. A mother had purchased it brand new. Her daughter went on her honeymoon in it. The mother drove it for years as a daily driver. When the mother died, they obtained it from her estate. The couple are retired now, married still, and restored it to showroom condition. It is in many shows and cruise nights. They know its entire history, and it is very popular reading their plaque in front of their car. This is only one example, as I have many others I am aware of.
My grandmother gave me a boat Boston Whaler that I totally restored and still have. The family connection to a vehicle/boat etc means a lot to people. I wish I could have had a few of the cars they once owned!
26th May 2012, 19:32
Any 1973 car in good original condition is collectible. I see 4-door sedans from that era at car shows. My wife and I passed a very nice looking 1966 Plymouth on the freeway this afternoon. There are still a lot of these old cars around.
28th May 2012, 09:52
For the most part 4 door cars survived due to not being raced or abused. I never buy 4 door domestic models. If it were a rare mint wagon; that may be the only case. They are almost always very cheap to buy though, and if your sole purpose is to buy a driver, never to sell, that's up to you. It's easy to get into restoration, and that's where you lose money. They are typically hard to sell. Many of their parts are also not interchangeable with 2 doors. I overhear at times at car cruises and shows sometimes "if only it was a 2 door".
If it's a gift and sentimental that means a lot to you, it's worth more than any future monetary loss. Just have fun with it, but be careful on any heavy restoration expenses.
11th Aug 2012, 15:52
73 was my first car, paid 800 to a little old lady who only drove it to the store and church. All true. It was the best car I could every hope for.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the coolest car, but that beast ran thru everything I put it thru, and I didn't take it easy. It NEVER let me sitting.
I had it for 5 years, and traded it in for something newer; WORST mistake ever. I would love to have it back, so if you have one, don't let anyone put it down.
14th Aug 2012, 16:35
Really? I've been to plenty of car shows, and I have yet to be convinced that an ordinary four-door sedan is anything special, just because it was bought new by the current owner's Grandma.
15th Aug 2012, 19:18
Take it to a car show and enjoy the story with others. I sat with some teens at a large cruise night recently; same scenario. I wouldn't actively seek out 4 doors whatsoever, but family history is a different rationale. I started in high school with them myself.
16th Aug 2012, 21:59
Of course the 2 door coupe models are the most desirable and collectable, often being resold for 10-20 times their original purchase price.
However, that does not mean a 4 door sedan is not collectable or worthy of car show exposure. I see a lot of sedans at car shows.
Wagons are quite rare and collectable too, as they were used hard by families and not many models survived. I bring my Country Squire wagon to car shows, and it's always a big hit, brings back memories for everyone, and won the people's choice award a few times.
17th Aug 2012, 19:16
I will even avoid automatics unless they are convertibles. I now buy 4 speed cars only. Or 6 speeds on new. I saw some 396 Chevelle wagons with 4 speeds at the all Chevelle shows. I have a 70 Chevelle SS 4 speed BB with air. Took some patience to save for one.
22nd Sep 2012, 18:13
I own a 1973 Plymouth Satellite Custom. And I love that car. I am the third owner, and it's a great vehicle. I was also advised that mine is a 4 door hard top (by a dealership). So I am confused. Please advise. Thanks.
JRM.
24th Sep 2012, 16:50
Go on each side and count the doors. If you see more than one door on each side, it's not a 2 door.
25th Sep 2012, 11:11
Well, if you look up "hardtop" in Wikipedia, you will see why the "dealership" has no idea what it's talking about.
Probably thinks every car that does not have a soft convertible top is a "hardtop".
26th Sep 2012, 12:53
It's likely the comment was a hardtop coupe vs hardtop. A lot of people do not know what the word coupe means. That's my educated guess. Dealers know the nomenclature, trust me.
18th Oct 2012, 11:18
Anyone who calls a four-door vehicle with window frames and a center post (like a '73 Plymouth Satellite Custom) a "hardtop" most certainly does not "know the nomenclature". Trust me.
19th Oct 2012, 16:11
I don't trust your answer. A hardtop can be metal or fiberglass, and actually can be removable, but is not on this one. I have had a Mercedes SL and a Corvette, 2 top roadsters. This particular vehicle is a fixed roof metal hardtop 4 door. If it were a 2 door and had a canvas retractable top, it would be a convertible. I have had the hardtop and soft top canvas for the same vehicle. Leave the guy alone. He enjoys the car and it actually has nice lines. I have even seen detective unmarked interceptors at car shows.
16th Aug 2014, 17:39
What Hardtop means is it doesn't have a pillar separating the front door and rear door; in other words there is no frame around the window. Look up Satellite Sebring on Google and you will see what a hardtop looks like.
19th Aug 2014, 01:22
I drove an unmarked police interceptor with the 440 long ago for only 1000, purchased from the State Police. They then downsized to the small block new Diplomats. The 440 was great and sounded even better. Didn't care about car shows; it was a great car to tow our boat. Ice cold air and plenty of power. Even had fabric seats as a detective unmarked. Lousy repaint. Holes in the dash and fast trunk lid pop open and certified speedometer written on it. Best grand I ever spent. That was our cool 4 door.
22nd Aug 2014, 11:59
"a fixed metal roof hardtop four door"?
Everyone else would just call it a sedan.
23rd Aug 2014, 03:42
I owned a 1973 Satellite Sebring back in my younger years. It was a dark green with a black vinyl top. Had a 318 cubic inch motor; a beautiful car.
I traded it off after a few years of enjoyable driving. Today it probably be worth a lot of money if it was still in the condition I left it in.
14th May 2011, 09:01
It sounds like a fun, old car. I don't know why people have to nitpick some of these reviews.