What is my 1962 to 1965 Mopar worth?

Numerous people ask the "value" of their Mopar or a Mopar they want to buy or sell.

There is no easy answer, but in brief, a 1962 to 1965 Mopar is only "worth" what someone is willing to pay.

That may sound somewhat harsh, but it is the bottom line.

In the case of "worth" for 1962 to 1965 Mopars, several factors come into play, including, but not limited to, the:

vehicle condition, model, year, style, motor and high-performance options
market demographics
buyer's and seller's purpose and memories

In other words, value results from a combination of objective and subjective influences.

Objective: Vehicles and Demographics

Vehicles

The objective is easier to pin down; it includes the number of vehicles manufactured and population demographics.

Numbers that give the approximate total production of these vehicles made are available, even though Chrysler records of the early 60's are not as detailed as later years. There were Mopars produced outside the USA (e.g., Canada, Australia) and it is unclear if the following figures include that production.

Nonetheless, the figures below are not very precise. In fact, I'm not certain that they give a more than a general sense of the original "inventory" of 1962 to 1965 Mopars. (I've looked in three different references and got three different numbers for the same vehicle.)

Approximate Production Figures

1962

Chrysler
Newport 83,120
300 25,020
New Yorker 20,223
300-H 558
Total 128,921

Dodge
Lancer 170 19,780
Lancer 770 30,888
Lancer GT 13,683
Dart \6 59,475
Dart V8 86,885
Polara 500 12,268
Custom 880 17,505
Total 240,484

Imperial
Custom 4,413
Crown 8,475
LeBaron 1,449
Total 14,337

Plymouth
Valiant V100 59,380
Valiant V200 72,328
Valiant Signet 25,586
Savoy 68,602
Belvedere 39,477
Fury 37,464
Sport Fury 5,555
Total 308,392

1963

Chrysler
Newport 75,972
300 24,665
New Yorker 27,960
300-J 400
Total 128,997

Dodge
Dart 170 58,536
Dart 270 61,159
Dart GT 34,227
330 \6 51,761
440 \6 13,146
Polara \6 68,262
330 V8 33,602
440 V8 49,491
Polara V8 40,323
Polara 500 7,256
880 28,266
Total 446,029

Imperial
Custom 4,013
Crown 8,558
LeBaron 1,537
Crown Imperial 13
Total 14,121

Plymouth
Valiant V100 99,242
Valiant V200 85,903
Valiant Signet 200 40,011
Savoy 93,810
Belvedere 84,660
Fury 69,503
Sport Fury 15,319
Total 488,448

1964

Chrysler
Newport 85,183
300 33,318
New Yorker 31,044
300-K 3,647
Total 153,192

Dodge
Dart 170 77,134
Dart 270 66,069
Dart GT 49,830
330 \6 57,957
440 \6 15,147
Polara \6 3,810
330 V8 46,438
440 V8 68,861
Polara V8 66,988
Polara 500 17,787
880 31,796
Total 501,817

Imperial
Crown 20,336
LeBaron 2,949
Crown Imperial 10
Total 23,295

Plymouth
Valiant V100 90,370
Valiant V200 91,843
Valiant Signet 200 68,815
Savoy 87,993
Belvedere 93,529
Fury 88,218
Sport Fury 27,553
Total 548,321

1965

Chrysler
Newport 125,795
300 27,678
New Yorker 49,871
300-L 2,845
Total 206,189

Dodge
Dart 170 86,013
Dart 270 78,245
Dart GT 45,118
Coronet 71,880
Coronet 440 104,767
Coronet 500 32,745
Polara 12,705
Custom 880 44,496
Monaco 13,096
Total 489,065

Imperial
Crown 16,235
LeBaron 2,164
Crown Imperial 10
Total 18,409

Plymouth
Valiant V100 94,113
Valiant V200 59,463
Valiant Signet 13,577
Barracuda 64,596
Belvedere I
(estimated) 56,842
Belvedere II 82,492
Satellite 25,201
Fury I 79,229
Fury II 66,757
Fury III 139,344
Sport Fury 44,620
Total 726,234

So, start with the actual vehicle itself when determining value.

The vehicle year, model, body style, motor, transmission and power accessory options all play a part in the value.

With few exceptions* most 1962 to 1965 Mopars were made for daily use as people haulers. Many more four doors and station wagons were made than the high performance, convertible and sporty models. The vehicles that were rare back in the 1960's are obviously even more rare today. *(Exception examples include the Chrysler 300 letter cars, the Max Wedge B bodies, the Formula S Barracudas and similarly equipped Darts and Valiants, Custom Sports Special trucks.)

If you find a convertible B body with a big block 426 wedge and four speed you've found a low production number car. In production numbers alone, it is likely "worth" more than a similarly equipped two door hardtop.

Even so, how many "Max Wedge" vehicles were around back in the 1962 - 1965 years? Not many. Today? Even less.

But the number of four door cars manufactured was huge, in comparison. Since more were made back then, more are left today.

A Max Wedge Mopar would thus seem likely to have a lot more "value" than a 4 door B body from 1962 to 1965, (but see the subjective section, below).

Another objective indicator is the vehicle condition. Rust is a major enemy of these vehicles. A rusty vehicle is very labor intensive and costly to restore. Even a low production, high performance 300 letter series car will bring a lot lower price if the rust monster has feasted on the iron oxide candy.

Don't forget that the total number of 1962 to 1965 Mopars available is always a shrinking number. Accidents, demolition derbies, "modern" junk yards that routinely crush such "old" vehicles, as well as repressive legislation, zoning and scrappage programs** all drive down the total number of available vehicles for restoration or parts supply. **(See SEMA for more information about fighting for your hobby against ill-advised legislation.)

Also, people save selectively. For instance, even though convertibles were usually a very low production model, a lot of convertibles got saved just because they were of the top down variety, unlike station wagons, that (until recently) were routinely crushed without much thought. A wagon may actually represent a rarer car than a convertible in terms of total number of survivors now, in some cases. Generally, people decide to save the higher optioned and lower production vehicles.

Demographics

Another objective number is the population age. Demographics is a science that the insurance companies have down pat. Ask any insurance actuary or get a price quote on life insurance when you are 60 years old.

For Mopars (or any vehicle) what a vehicle is "worth" is very much generational. If you were around when these vehicles were new, then you are far more to "bond" with these Mopars. Or if your parents or sibling or favorite relative or friend likely owned a 1962 to 1965 while you were growing up, similarly you can relate directly to these cars.

That is, what vehicles were familiar and cool during the years that you matured into driving license age are likely the vehicles you will veer toward when you pick a vehicle to restore. Many people ("baby boomers") born in the 1940's to mid 1950's fall into this category.

The more people around in sheer demographic numbers who directly relate in some way to 1962 to 1965 Mopars increase the "value" of these vehicles.

As the "boomers" head toward the great pit stop in the sky, the "value" of 1962 to 1965 Mopars, with few exceptions, will very probably drop significantly. In general, later generations just do not appreciate these cars like the people that cut their driving teeth on these Mopars or have fond memories of some fun event related to these vehicles.

If you don't think that is true, consider the values of pre-1950 vehicles, or even 50's vehicles. If you study the various auctions and vehicle ads you'll see the going price of all these year's vehicles is down. The market demand for 1930's and 1940's is weak to none. (Even the awesome Duesnburg, Cord etc. vehicles of the 1930's are dropping significantly in price.)

The same will eventually apply to 1962 to 1965 Mopars. People weaned on today's jellybean-shaped 4 cylinder vehicles a typically clueless about 1962 to 1965 Mopars. Moreover, most could care less, and it is unlikely they will act differently toward these cars in the future. The result is fewer potential buyers, which yields a reduced market price.

Subjective

But life is more than numbers!

Let's not forget history, memories and the "fun factor".

History -- Restoring a 1962 to 1965 Mopar means preserving a piece of mid-20th-century technology for posterity. That vehicle is a potential artifact for future generations to gawk at.

Memories -- We can't actually relive our childhood, but we are able to recapture the memories with a vehicle that pulls up some fond memories.

The price of, say, a nice two door 1964 Fury will likely reach higher numbers than a similarly equipped and condition 1964 Fury four door. Generally that is true, but what if the potential buyer's father had a 1964 Fury four door and the car he or she is looking at is exactly like the Mopar in the family scrap book album?

Yup, in this case the buyer would likely pay a lot more for that 4 door than one would expect, only based on number of vehicles made and market conditions.

Ah, memories! For instance, the memory when the 1964 Hemi Mopars swept NASCAR; or the first time a Max Wedge B body showed up at the local drag strip and stomped the competition; or the first time someone saw a altered wheelbase 1965; or seeing a cross ram letter car....(Insert your favorite memory here.)

"Fun Factor." -- If you enjoy owning, driving, wrenching* on, or restoring a 1962 to 1965 Mopar, is it really possible to assign a dollar figure to that pleasure? (*No computers in these vehicles. Yes you can fix it yourself.)

When you drive your 1962 to 1965 Mopar, how much are the thumbs up and "WOW, what is that?" questions worth to you?

Concluding thoughts

So, if you are considering purchasing a 1962 - 1965 Mopar:

Buy it for what you want to use the vehicle for, NOT as an investment. Very very few collector cars sell even for what the seller has in them. (You might assume the seller role someday too.)
Buy the highest level of vehicle condition you can afford. You will do less work in the restoration and get to enjoy the vehicle a lot sooner!
Do research on what similar vehicles are selling for at the time you are looking for the value. Check out the market. Look in your local newspaper and local Mopar club's newsletter or Web site and the asking prices on the ads on the 1962 to 1965 Mopar Web site. Look in some of the reference price guides, like the online NADA Price Guide, or Auto Trader Classics, Collector Car Market Review. Also look at what prices were paid at auctions like Kruse International, Barrett-Jackson Classic cars Auction Results, Mecum Auctions and eBay, or Conceptcar.com Auction Results Search (at the Used Cars search field at the bottom of the page) or via the for-pay auction reviews like Hi-Bid.

But remember that all the guides and market data are just for general reference. A lot of the actual sale price of the vehicle will depend on the buyer's "gut" reaction, intent and memories. ("Dad owned one just like that!").

So if you like a 1962 to 1965 Mopar, then buy as good condition of an example of a 1962 - 1965 Mopar as you can afford.

Then fix the Mopar up as needed and to the level of perfection you desire.

And next enjoy the heck out of the Mopar! Having fun and meeting new Mopar friends is what this hobby is all about, after all.

May 27, 2003; links revised September 19, 2004; January 30, 2005; March 25, 2008; March 13, 2010; September 24, 2011; July 4, 2012

SIDEBAR - Notes from Mopar fans!

Scott R. writes: "I concur with you that the agreed price between the buyer and the seller is what the car is 'worth', but the danger can come when we start to look at comps, just like when buying a house. You know how that works: the strongest house on the market builds a certain degree of value for the weakest. This is what happened in the musclecar market. It's what makes 318-powered Chargers and slant-six Barracudas cost the same now as what an honest-to-goodness 383 or 440-powered vehicle cost only a few years ago. The thing is, with the 1962 to 1965 cars, we are still dealing with a [editor's note: relatively] tremendous supply and a [editor's note: relatively] limited demand, and that's the good news! In the last two years, I have purchased a complete, fairly rust-free, '63 330 post and a similar '63 330 wagon for a combined $2100. These deals could be had because the sellers thought that all they had was a worthless hulk that nobody cared about. There is no way that I could have bought Chargers for that price, because everyone knows what a Charger is. Nor could I have bought them for that from a 1962 to 1965 freak. There's really no point to this rambling except to say that the 1962 to 1965 disease is a good one to have because it can be treated affordably due to the fact that the supply is greater than the demand. Let's hope it stays that way for a while, because I haven't found my '65 Coronet yet!"

SIDEBAR -
Notes from Mopar fans!

Jim C. writes: "I really like the line 'a 1962 to 1965 Mopar is only worth what someone is willing to pay'. Lots of people don't get that.

I suggest also considering that people should ignore third hand reports of what a 'best-friend's uncle's brother paid for an absolutely stock '63 hemi' (mistake intentional). Such claims are like the two-headed person in the circus...everyone's heard about 'em, but nobody has actually seen 'em. All such stories do is confuse the subject of value."

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