Everyone loves a good car story, and here's your chance to be a part of one. Read on:
I work at a rather large Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep/Ram dealership in Southern Illinois. One of the many small perks of this job is taking the chance every day to walk the wholesale lot to check out the interesting older trade-in cars that arrive and depart quietly, most often without much fanfare.
However, on occasion, the glimmer of a chrome bumper or the black canvas of a convertible top (see my other listing for the low-mileage 2005 PT Cruiser Convertible) catches the eye and warrants a closer look. That's what happened with this car, and as so often as is the case, that closer look led to bringing her home. I am nothing if not a hopeless romantic when it comes to classic cars. Some people rescue puppies and kittens. Me? The thought of this motor finding her way to an urban "Buy Here, Pay Here" lot where she would almost certainly be butchered and abused, fitted with some horrid 22" wheels and eventually wrapped around a telephone pole or left to rot when the new owner couldn't figure out how to replace the rapidly-worn front end components that his "customizations" had accelerated left me unable to sleep at night. So, I decided to investigate further.
The story as I have been told it by the salesman who took the car in on trade, and that I have supported by the available evidence, is this: The previous owner purchased the car in 1981, with a total mileage of 40,xxx according to the title that came with the car. The car was driven very little in the 30 plus years that the gentleman owned it, but he had recently begun to bring the car up to a respectable state. As the project went on, the gentleman decided to instead focus his finances on something more modern, and contacted our dealership regarding the purchase of a new 2013 Dodge Dart. The new car was delivered to his home on a flatbed truck, and the '74 was collected and brought back to the dealership where I became aware of it. I'm am also told that not too few a tear was shed by the gentleman as the car he had owned for 32 years made its way down the road.
Sometime during his ownership, the car had a Ziebart undercoating done, so the car exhibits very solid underpinnings. The previous owner began to repair the car back to roadworthy condition, starting with repairing the sill rot that is common on these cars. There is evidence that other semi-professional body repairs were undertaken, presumably with the idea of removing and stopping any rust appearance. The car appears to have had an "Earl Scheib" level respray at some point in what I believe is a GM (60's-70's Chevy Impala?) orangey-red.
However, where the most time/attention/money was spent was in the driveline and suspension. The car is currently showing 54,138 miles after driving it to work and back today (74.8 miles), and I absolutely believe that these are the genuine miles. The transmission (original standard-duty Torqueflite 3 speed automatic) was rebuilt about 2000 miles ago, and the engine (which according to the "E44" stamp on the build tag is the 230HP 2 barrel 318 c.i. V8) has been tuned up and starts, idles and runs smooth, strong and just plain brilliantly, even up to 100mph (professional driver on a closed course, of course). Most impressive, though, is the ride quality. All four corners have had the suspension components replaced, and the car simply glides down the road in quiet comfort. If you're looking for the ultimate daily-driver classic MoPar, I think you really would be hard-pressed to find a better one.
When I say "daily driver", I mean just that. If you're looking to purchase a solid car that can be hopped in and driven at a moment's notice, here's your ride. I've proved this to myself by driving over 800 miles in the car in the last month. No leaks, no drips, no noises apart from the quiet rumble of that gorgeous 318. I've replaced the fluids (engine, transmission, rear end and coolant) as a matter of precaution, though apart from the engine oil, none of them showed any signs of age or consumption.
Where the car does need help is the interior, though the present state certainly hasn't kept the family and I from enjoying a good few cruises in the car. The dash is cracked and the seats are tired, but the car is certainly in "drivable restoration" condition. The car originally was copper with a black vinyl top, and would look fantastic in that livery once again.
However, as Bob Dylan said, "Times, they are a-changin'", and so it goes with my time with the car. I purchased the car to save her from the certain doom of the wholesale lot, but I have a two car garage with a convertible, a classic, a motorcycle and the wife's minivan. I can't justify keeping her out of selfishness or greed, so I've decided to try to find her a good home to go to. To prove my desire to see her with someone who deserves such a sweet ride, I've decided to list the car for my absolute bottom-dollar price, and start the auction with no reserve. To assure you of how awesome this car drives, I will deliver it for gas money plus mileage (via driving the car @ $0.40/mile) within 500 miles of St. Louis, Missouri.
This car in this condition is worth what I am asking for it. I know it is certainly not perfect, which is why I'm not asking more. But, as the base for a full restoration, it'll be pretty hard to beat.
I welcome questions from genuinely interested buyers. I also welcome accurate information/correction from persons more knowledgable than myself about the car.
I am an honest seller, so please be an honest bidder so we don't waste your or my time. Happy bidding!
Dodge Dart for Sale
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Auto blog
Sat, 05 Oct 2013
The upcoming 2014 Dodge Durango has a lot of things going for it, including its 290-horsepower V6 and 360-hp Hemi V8 engine options, an eight-speed automatic and aggressive looks. And now it will have Ron Burgundy, the fictional television news anchor played by comedian Will Ferrell, as a spokesperson, Adweek reports. He follows in the footsteps of other non-fictional Chrysler brand spokespeople such as Eminem, Clint Eastwood and the late Paul Harvey.
Though the star of 2004's Anchorman and the upcoming Anchorman 2 is wildly popular, we're not sure we see a Dodge spokesperson in Burgundy. (Please, no womanizing or scotchy, scotch, scotch before test test drives). But at this point there's no turning back: Chrysler's chief marketing officer Olivier Francois previewed three ad spots at the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Masters of Marketing conference in Phoenix on Friday, and says Chrysler has already filmed 68(!) Durango ads with the fictional newsman.
According to Adweek, one of the ads previewed had Burgundy highlighting the SUV's glovebox size, and in another he compared its horsepower to a white horse standing next to him. Will this help Dodge Durango sales improve? We can only wait and see. In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts in Comments, and check out the trailer for Anchorman 2 below.
Sat, 26 Jan 2013
Chrysler has released the above teaser of a limited-edition Mopar 2013 model that will be unveiled at next month's Chicago Auto Show. Although the automaker doesn't announce what vehicle will get the Mopar treatment, closer investigation of the seats and center console suggest that this car will be a special version of the 2013 Dodge Dart.
This will be the fourth Mopar model in as many years, following on the heels of the Mopar 2010 Challenger, Mopar 2011 Charger and the Mopar '2012 300. There are no details for the Mopar '13 Dart, but we do see that the car will retain the signature black-and-blue color scheme as past Mopar editions. Like these previous models, we expect production of Mopar '13 Dart to be limited to just 500 units.
Scroll down for Chrysler's press release teasing the new Mopar model, and we'll be sure to bring you plenty of live images from the show floor in a couple weeks.
Fri, 11 Jul 2014
So far, whenever we've seen the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT with its 707-horsepower, supercharged Hellcat V8, the muscle car has been smoking its tires. Dodge is finally proving that the SRT can do more than ruin perfectly good sets of rubber, though. In it's latest video, company CEO Tim Kuniskis hands the Hellcat off to the guys from Gas Monkey Garage to show how quickly the automaker's most powerful model can make it down the drag strip.
Of course, the only fitting contender to race against Dodge's latest top muscle car is its grandpa - a Hemi-powered 1971 Challenger, in this case. Before getting to the main event, the hosts also show off some of the SRT's unique features like the blanks in the grille that feed the intercoolers. We'll go ahead and spoil that the Hellcat makes its pass in the 10-second range, and the video admits the tires on the production version would take just a touch longer to cover the quarter-mile. However, you have to watch film to see just how quick it actually goes. Scroll down to see a classic example of American muscle drag racing against its modern legacy.
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