Junkyard Find: 1972 Dodge Colt Wagon

Murilee Martin
by Murilee Martin

Some cars that show up in junkyards were moving under their own power just days before their final tow-truck ride… and others spent decades in a field somewhere, waiting for the price of scrap steel to make hauling-away worthwhile. This Colt, which I found close to the ’83 Cordia in a California self-serve yard, is the latter type.

Lichens growing on the weatherstripping tell a story of long-term abandonment.

25-year-old newspapers in the back offer more clues.

There really isn’t much worth salvaging on this old Mitsubishi, but I can’t resist breaking out the camera when I find a car this weathered.








Murilee Martin
Murilee Martin

Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.

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  • And003 And003 on May 14, 2012

    I wonder if the window glass and body shell can be salvaged?

  • -Nate -Nate on Sep 27, 2012

    As always; Your photographic skills and commentary remain top notch . So too are the various comments following , these junkyard finds are the best blogs I've read in years . -Nate

  • Analoggrotto Finally, some real entertainment: the Communists versus the MAGAs. FIGHT!
  • Kjhkjlhkjhkljh kljhjkhjklhkjh *IF* i was buying a kia.. (better than a dodge from personal experience) .. it would be this Google > xoavzFHyIQYShould lead to a 2025 Ioniq 5 N pre-REVIEW by Jason Cammisa
  • Analoggrotto Does anyone seriously listen to this?
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  • Analoggrotto It's great to see TTAC kicking up the best for their #1 corporate sponsor. Keep up the good work guys.
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