Listing snapshot
| Spotted | July 2023 |
| Asking price | $7,500 |
| Mileage | 42,000 (seller-stated) |
| Location | Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania |
| Listed on | Craigslist, private seller |
| Drivetrain | Swapped V8 with Turbo 350 automatic |
| Status | Ad expired. This page is our archive of the listing. |
We came across this 1953 Plymouth Suburban in July 2023, listed by its owner in Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania, near Reading, for $7,500. The ad is gone, but we keep the record. Early-’50s Suburbans come up for sale in every state from rusty project to show car, and a real asking price with real photos is a useful marker.
What this car was
A two-door Suburban wagon dressed as a civil defense vehicle. Our old page called the paint “vibrant green”, but the photos show flat olive drab with a white star on the doors, red bumpers, red beacon lights on the front fenders, “CD 59-071” lettered on the tailgate and a civil defense plate on the front. It is a styled car, not a stock one.
The drivetrain isn’t stock either. In 1953 every Plymouth came with a flathead six, but the seller listed a Turbo 350 automatic, a GM transmission. The engine bay shows a V8 with two carburetors, and the fenders carry Hemi badges. The underside photo also shows a newer rack-and-pinion steering setup.
Inside, the seats are black vinyl with added lap belts. The seller said the car ran well and listed a lot of new safety parts:
- New master cylinder and wheel cylinders
- New brake lines and fuel lines
- New gas tank
- New tires
- 42,000 miles on the odometer (unverifiable on a car this old)
Was $7,500 a fair ask?
For a running, driving early wagon with a V8 and fresh brakes and fuel system, $7,500 was a low number. The engine swap and the theme paint cut both ways. Purists won’t pay for a non-original drivetrain, while hot rod buyers would value the V8, the modern automatic and the steering upgrade. A buyer would have wanted to know exactly which engine was fitted and check the quality of the swap work.
A little Suburban history
Plymouth introduced the all-steel two-door Suburban in 1949, at a time when most station wagons still had wooden bodies. It was cheaper to build and needed less upkeep, and it helped make the steel wagon the norm. The 1953 Plymouths were all new, with a lower, smoother body, and the Suburban carried on as the plain two-door wagon of the range.
More cars from the archive
- Every Plymouth Suburban we’ve spotted, with asking prices
- 1964 Plymouth Belvedere, another Plymouth
- 1969 Plymouth Road Runner, another Plymouth
- 1970 Plymouth Fury, another Plymouth
- 1974 Plymouth Scamp, another Plymouth
