For Sale: 1953 Chrysler New Yorker Town & County Station Wagon - $16,000 - Goshen, IN - Not Mine

[58L-Y8]

For Sale: 1953 Chrysler New Yorker Town & County Station Wagon - $16,000 - Goshen, IN

1953 Chrysler Wagon - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive... (craigslist.org)
Seller's Description:

Chrysler New Yorker town & County wagon. Runs and drives. All original wagon from Texas, current MI title. 331 Hemi V8. Automatic with a clutch, three pedals. Will need a tune-up and brake lines. Also have a video of the car running if you would like to see that. odometer: 64547
Contact: Wayne text: (574) two-3-8-1-7-2-one

Copy and paste in your email: 944e36d1fcab3190815cc344c30d0efe@sale.craigslist.org

I have no personal interest or stake in the eventual sale of this 1953 Chrysler New Yorker Town & County Station Wagon.

[Xander Wildeisen]

I like it. Almost bought a 54.

[suchan]

Looks like it would clean up well.

Decent asking price if all it needs is a tuneup and brakes to be a runner.

[deac]

I never owned a Chrysler before and I don't know the market for these things. But I do see a pretty nice car here.  The interior 'looks' like it's in decent shape. I like the wood work in the cargo area and I think there's wood used on the door panels. The brown seats look tasteful but I think I some tears in the front seat. But again I don't know Chryslers and wonder if that interior is correct.   Chevy Nomads, Pontiac Safaris and to a certain extent Ford Ranch wagons seem more popular than this Chrysler. If I had a spot for it I would show some interest and call the seller. GLWTS

Edited June 8, 2022 by deac (see edit history)

[58L-Y8]

At $4,077, the 1953 Chrysler New Yorker Town & Country was the most expensive model in the line except for the 8-passenger sedan.  It was more expensive than the concurrent Cadillac Coupe de Ville ($3,995).  Small wonder only 1,399 were sold.  Data source:  The Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975, Edited by John Gunnell.

[Xander Wildeisen]

The rear bumpers on these cars are a little bulky. Looks like they tried to match the front bumper, that is shaped for the front of the car. And the rear of the car does not share that same design.

[B Jake Moran]

11 hours ago, suchan said:

Looks like it would clean up well.

Decent asking price if all it needs is a tuneup and brakes to be a runner.

Yes but why do these sellers always stop and leave these items to the next guy…for $16,000 vs $18,000 

[Dosmo]

14 hours ago, deac said:

I never owned a Chrysler before and I don't know the market for these these.  The brown seats look tasteful but I think I some tears in the front seat. But again I don't know Chryslers and wonder if that interior is correct.   Chevy Nomads, Pontiac Safaris and to a certain extent Ford Ranch seem more popular than this Chrysler. If I had a spot for it I would show some interest and call the seller. GLWTS

This interior is correct for this era of Chrysler Station Wagon, 1951-53, although it did change in 1954.  The attached image is from a 1951 Chrysler wagon.  Regarding the Nomads, Safaris, Ranch Wagons, and almost any other station wagon from this era, these early '50s Chryslers do not enjoy wide popularity among collectors, although their standing seems to have improved in recent years.  These are large, heavy cars, and certain sheet metal parts, along with trim pieces, are not easy to find.  

 

Build quality is outstanding, and they are really nice for long trips.  The braking system, although state of the art for the era, is woefully inadequate in today's world.  Trying to whoa one of these beasts down, in an environment surrounded by small jellybean cars, is asking a lot of the original brakes.

Edited June 8, 2022 by Dosmo (see edit history)

[Xander Wildeisen]

My first choice in a wagon would be a 55 Desoto. Followed by one of these Chryslers. Great cargo space in the back, to haul all of your restoration receipts.😂🤪🤔

[Gearheadengineer]

I like wagons of all brands so I think this is pretty cool. Not $16k cool to me, but I like it. Looks solid, which is a great start even though it has plenty of needs.  
 

Are the tailgate hinges original? If so, they seem like an afterthought. 

[Joe Cocuzza]

42 minutes ago, Gearheadengineer said:

I like wagons of all brands so I think this is pretty cool. Not $16k cool to me, but I like it. Looks solid, which is a great start even though it has plenty of needs.  
 

Are the tailgate hinges original? If so, they seem like an afterthought. 

Yes the tailgate hinges are original

 

11 hours ago, deac said:

I never owned a Chrysler before and I don't know the market for these things. But I do see a pretty nice car here.  The interior 'looks' like it's in decent shape. I like the wood work in the cargo area and I think there's wood used on the door panels. The brown seats look tasteful but I think I some tears in the front seat. But again I don't know Chryslers and wonder if that interior is correct.   Chevy Nomads, Pontiac Safaris and to a certain extent Ford Ranch wagons seem more popular than this Chrysler. If I had a spot for it I would show some interest and call the seller. GLWTS

No wood on the door panels on the 50's T & C's. It was vinyl.

The 46-48 Town and Country Sedans had wood door panels.

[The 55er]

I don't care for this one. Many years ago a buddy of mine had a 1953 Windsor sedan. The more I inspected the pictures of this "all original wagon from Texas" I couldn't help but feel there was something "a little bit off" about it. That small round button thing in the center of the grille really looked out of place. The car definitely does not have a 1953 New Yorker grille or parking lights. There were some modifications done and my best guess is someone used a 1951-1952 front header panel along with the grille parts. Also the interior might be a little shabby for the price and the hubcaps are from a 1955 Windsor. It's missing the air cleaner and the Hemi spark plug wire holders on the valve covers. The red car pictured is a 1953 Chrysler New Yorker and the black & white car from the parts book is a 1951-1952 Windsor. See the differences? In my book just the front end mods alone don't justify the $16K asking price. And then it needs brake lines and a tune-up. IMO the tailgate hinges are original. 

[Dosmo]

Good catch on the grill, 55er.  I didn’t notice the incorrect grill, though I thought there might be some issue with the hood alignment.

 

Yes, tailgate hinges are original.

[The 55er]

I am aware that 1953 Windsors, New Yorkers, and Imperials all had different grilles & trim. Something's out of whack. My new pic shows the front end of a 1953 Windsor. Windsors had distinct chrome parking light assemblies that were mounted apart from the rest of the grille. The NY wagon in question clearly shows smaller rectangular parking lights that are part of the headlight bezels like a 1951-1952 Chrysler would have had. If you've got an all original 1953 NY wagon, it should have an authentic 1953 NY grille and parking light assemblies.

[neil morse]

I will leave the debate about the grille to people who know these cars better than me.  However, I have to say that I like this car a lot.  I find the rear end styling with the roll down rear window very pleasing to the eye in an era where a clumsy lift-up window was the default design for wagons.  And I've always been a huge MoPar fan.  These cars were extremely well-built and engineered -- plus there's a hemi under the hood.  Now, is it worth $16K?  That's another question, of course.

[Xander Wildeisen]

If you are going to haul the whole family across the country. Then the vista cruiser is the wagon for you.😂

[58L-Y8]

Not unlikely this car suffered frontal collision damage when it was still new enough and good enough to fix rather than junk.  A 1951-52 Windsor front clip was what was readily available so that's what they used.   

[Xander Wildeisen]

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