1951 Plymouth coupe just 99 cents . . . .

[m-mman]

Ok, it WAS 1958 . . . . but it still seems cheap enough.     A seven year old Plymouth. 

Tax & license fees were 10 times the cost of the car(!)  

 

Most likely a promotion. "Buy a new car this weekend and get a used car for just 99 cents"

[58L-Y8]

According to a Red Book, National Market Report, Inc. Official Used Car Valuations for October 1 to November 14, 1958, a 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook club coupe had as follows:

Average AS IS less repairs: $125

Average finance or cash value: $120

Average retail value: $180

 

In that recession year Spring of 1958, advertising that a new car purchase included a .99 used car as a bonus was a gimmick to generate sales.   The six-to-eight-year-old used cars were the back lot cheapies which still have a little life left in them.  Conjecture is the Plymouth was still a usable, reasonably presentable car which wouldn't leave a bad taste in the buyer's mouth after having realized a junker was foisted off on them.  

 

[Gunsmoke]

And it was a coupe, a pretty rare model! I remember in the mid 50's as a 8-10 year old sitting on the end our rural driveway watching cars go by and any coupe was rare, let alone a Plymouth. 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Gunsmoke (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

While growing up I was exposed to a lot of depression era connivers that would do things like sell a item for $1 or $0.99 because they thought it "made things legal". They were always trying to get away with something or pull some witty trick.

 Probably a piece of evidence to their wisdom.

 

BTW, Laura was most likely someones 6 year old daughter.

Edited June 14, 2022 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[John S.]

I remember , as a kid, there was a Used Car Lot in Queens Village, New York, that would list a car for sale for $1.00. This was in the early 60's. And they would have a similar Plymouth, or Ford up on the ramp to show the bargain of the week.

[m-mman]

4 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

BTW, Laura was most likely someones 6 year old daughter.

My genealogical research suggests that she was born in Michigan in 1906 and worked as a nurse in a hospital. Retired at age 65 in 1971 and died in New Mexico in 1992 and was survived by her husband William. 

 

She would have been age 52 in 1958.

Edited June 14, 2022 by m-mman (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

Any actual facts would detract from the original intent.

 

My family has always had business operators and it is not hard to recognize some of the shenanigans that generation would pull. That invoice was written around the time my grandfather got caught selling illegal regrooved tires. After that we mounted all the regroves on popular wheels and the receipts were written for exchange wheels, no more tires. Lots of old crooks in businesses in the 1950's and '60's. Some were kind of tongue in cheek about it. Some were downright mean. I guess I got some of my humor from it.

 

After my grandmother died my grandfather was looking for a woman young enough to outlive him. He had business cards made up saying he was an MGM talent affiliate. I told him he could get in trouble for that. He looked me straight in the eye and said "The first time I bought a ticket to see one of their movies we became affiliated". That is the kind of person who writes a $0.99 car sale receipt.

 

And he was actually a step grandfather, not blood related.