For Sale 1940 Dodge DeLuxe 4-door sedan

Matt Harwood · February 7, 2016

OK, here it is guys: the mythical starter collectable with a bargain-basement price, a high-quality restoration, and a ton of fun built right in. There are no excuses with this lovely 1940 Dodge because someone clearly spent a pile of money all out of proportion to its actual value. Some of you might look at the asking price--which, to my eye is shockingly reasonable--and say it's above the price guides, but I bet those are the same people who said that 1963 Thunderbird hardtop I sold for $26,000 was crazy over-priced, too. Sometimes, quality matters and this little car will likely out-shine garden-variety vehicles and smash the price guides. Go look around--I dare you to find a nicer $18,000 car anywhere. I'll wait...

In the meantime, have a look at the shiny black bodywork on this Dodge DeLuxe. Shiny, straight, smooth, and clean. There are no ripples or waves, all four doors fit beautifully and slam with that solid sound only old cars offer, and the whole thing looks a lot more upscale than, say, a comparable 1940 Ford might. The restoration is probably 5 or 6 years old and I have no idea how many miles might be on it, but it can't be very many. There are almost no signs of use and if there's any possible complaint, it's that the painted red areas on the trim were kind of amateurishly done and could be tightened up a bit. On the other hand, you need to be about two feet away to even notice, so maybe it's a wash. All the chrome was restored, including the grille, which probably cost as much as 6 months of car payments on a new Chevy, and the gorgeous cloisonne emblems seem to glow from within. The fog lights work as turn signals, which is a nice safety upgrade, and it sports accessory bumper guards that also double as license plate brackets up front.

The interior was also beautifully restored. The seats are a handsome tan and black striped broadcloth that's probably pretty close to what it had original (I'm not an expert, so I can't say for sure, but it looks period-correct). Underneath, the stuffing is firm and comfortable, so the original springs and padding were also attended to when it was reupholstered. There are new carpets on the floors, simple door panels, and a taut headliner overhead. All the window garnish moldings and the dash were restored and woodgrained, giving the bargain-basement Dodge a very upscale look inside, and everyone who has looked at it has expressed surprise that a low-cost car would have this much elegance on board. The gauges all work, although the speedo looks original and is a little sluggish when you first start driving, but eventually it gets with the program, too. The optional AM radio also seems to work, although all I can pull in is static, and both the wipers and the heater are functioning too. Yes, everything works. On an $18,000 car. That's 76 years old. Believe it. The trunk is outfitted with correct side cards, although the carpeted floor isn't quite the way the factory did it. It does have a full-sized spare that's never been used, though, which is nice.

Chrysler's rugged little 218 cubic inch inline-six has modest specifications on paper, but I bet it'll run pretty close to a V8 Ford in any way that matters. It starts easily although it's grumpy when it's cold, but once it's warmed up, it's a very willing little machine. Since the weather is dry here in Cleveland, I drove it up and down the street a few times at about 45-50 MPH and it's peppy and fun to drive. The engine bay is totally stock and nicely finished to correct specs. A generator still makes the electricity and there's an oil bath air cleaner up top. The wiring harness was new when it was restored, too. The 3-speed manual transmission shifts well and it's pretty safe on the road thanks to hydraulic brakes that are better than most of the era. Handling is confident, which is why I like these '40s Mopars so much, because it just feels agile and tossable without being rough. Flashy red wheels with trim rings and hubcaps certainly help dress it up, and it's got a set of BFG Silvertown wide whites which, for some reason, someone has used paint to brighten up. I'm guessing they turned brown like mine and someone wanted to fix them up a bit and that might be the one area this car could use some touch-up. It's a little sloppy.

The car also includes a set of restored fender skirts, mounting hardware, and an exterior sun visor (which explains the Trafficator on the dash).

We're asking $17,900. Yep, $17,900. I understand that it's "just" a Dodge 4-door sedan, but I will wager that it might just be the nicest of its kind to be found anywhere. For those of you shopping price and price alone, well, move on--there's some junk you can buy for pennies on the dollar somewhere out there and let it sit in your garage until you get around to it. But if you appreciate quality and don't feel like restoring a car yourself or suffering through someone else's botched work, you won't find a better starter collectable than this little Dodge. Thanks for reading!