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Chrysler Allies With Fiat - READ ONLY

526 messages,  Last post on Jul 02, 2012 at 8:44 AM

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What is this discussion about? Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Automotive News

Messages Page 51 of 53

#497 of 526 Re: The "Dart" Name [robr2] by berri

Dec 13, 2011 (11:24 am)

Replying to: robr2 (Dec 13, 2011 9:22 am)
The target market will have zero recollection of the old Dart that went away close to 40 years ago.
 
Probably true. But those that do will be a positive because the Dart always had a reputation as a good, reliable decent looking vehicle back then.

#498 of 526 Re: The "Dart" Name [robr2] by steve_ HOST

Dec 13, 2011 (11:50 am)

Replying to: robr2 (Dec 13, 2011 11:07 am)
At least on the front, as does Hyundai.

#499 of 526 Re: The "Dart" Name [berri] by robr2

Dec 13, 2011 (11:55 am)

Replying to: berri (Dec 13, 2011 11:24 am)
Probably true. But those that do will be a positive because the Dart always had a reputation as a good, reliable decent looking vehicle back then.
 
But will those 70-90 year olds be out there buying Darts?
 
I'm under 50 and remember the last Darts. Good looking is not an attribute I'd use to describe them. IMHO they were neutered refreshes of the late 60's Dart.

#500 of 526 Re: The "Dart" Name [robr2] by qbrozen

Dec 13, 2011 (1:03 pm)

Replying to: robr2 (Dec 13, 2011 11:55 am)
But those '60s Darts weren't exactly all recycling fodder by the time some of us young'ins started driving. I'm under 40 but have some good memories of a '64 and, I believe, a '68 Dart growing up.

#501 of 526 Re: The "Dart" Name [robr2] by andre1969

Dec 13, 2011 (1:12 pm)

Replying to: robr2 (Dec 13, 2011 11:55 am)
I'm under 50 and remember the last Darts. Good looking is not an attribute I'd use to describe them. IMHO they were neutered refreshes of the late 60's Dart.
 
You really have to consider the whole Dart history though, and not just focus on those few sad final years. Using the final Dart to sum up the whole lineup is like picking 1974 to represent the Mustang or GTO!
 
I'd imagine most people under 50, when they think of a Dart, are going to think of the hot '67-69 models, which sported engines on up to the 440 Wedge and 426 Hemi, or the 340 and 360 powered Swingers, Demons, and Dart sports of the 70's. They're not going to be thinking about Grandpa's baby-poop brown '76 Dart Custom sedan with the slant six and the AM-only radio!
 
Also, the Dart seemed to hang around for a long, long time after 1976. Used examples were plying the streets and a common sight long after most equivalent cars had been disposed of. So, it might still be fairly fresh in the memory of lot more younger people than something like an old Nova, Falcon, or Granada might be.

#502 of 526 Re: The "Dart" Name [andre1969] by robr2

Dec 13, 2011 (1:24 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Dec 13, 2011 1:12 pm)
Your opinion doesn't count - you'd fight to the death to protect the image of a Volare!! Admit it - you would.
 
I guess my memories of muscle car Darts have been replaced by my uncle's poop brown 76 sedan. To think he replaced a GTO with that.

#503 of 526 Re: The "Dart" Name [robr2] by andre1969

Dec 13, 2011 (1:39 pm)

Replying to: robr2 (Dec 13, 2011 1:24 pm)
Your opinion doesn't count - you'd fight to the death to protect the image of a Volare!! Admit it - you would.
 
Well, the Volare had its good points and bad. The '76-77 models were horrible rusters, but in '78-80 they were no worse than anything else out there.
 
My grandmother's cousin had a '79 Volare wagon, two-tone black over silver with a red interior, that was actually pretty sharp looking. She wanted to sell it in 1996, and I would've bought it, but another family member beat me to it. It was still shiny and rust-free by that time, but IIRC, the passenger door wouldn't open, the a/c didn't work, and the headliner was sagging. But she only wanted $300 for it.
 
So instead, I bought a 1979 Newport I found in the junkyard for $250. Still ran good, but the transmission was shot.
 
I guess my memories of muscle car Darts have been replaced by my uncle's poop brown 76 sedan. To think he replaced a GTO with that.
 
My grandparents on my Dad's side of the family had a '75 Dart Swinger, in a light creme/beige color. It used to stall out on them all the time, and the dealer never could fix it, so they traded it on a new Granada in '77, which promptly ate its transmission. But instead of dwelling on that '75 Dart, I try to block it from my memory!
 
And, to be fair, it was 1975. I have a feeling just about anything you bought in '75 would've been crap. Although, my Mom bought a new LeMans that year, and other than needing a new distributor within a year or two, it wasn't bad. Until Dad hit a tree with it in '77. It got fixed, but never ran right after that.

#504 of 526 Re: The "Dart" Name [andre1969] by robr2

Dec 13, 2011 (2:07 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Dec 13, 2011 1:39 pm)
Well, the Volare had its good points and bad. The '76-77 models were horrible rusters, but in '78-80 they were no worse than anything else out there.
 
See I told you that you could defend the Volare. Now justify the Chrysler TC by Maserati!!
 
 

#505 of 526 Re: The "Dart" Name [robr2] by andre1969

Dec 13, 2011 (2:13 pm)

Replying to: robr2 (Dec 13, 2011 2:07 pm)
See I told you that you could defend the Volare. Now justify the Chrysler TC by Maserati!!
 
No. I have to draw the line somewhere!
 
Oh, and back on the Volare tangent. In 1994 I looked at a '78 or '79 that someone was selling locally. It was a coupe, had the 360-4bbl, and was rust-free, although it had a big dent in one of the rear quarters, and the ignition was busted, so you could start it by sticking anything that would fit in there. Seller only wanted $500 for it.
 
I drove it, and thought it was inferior in just about every way to the '68 Dart I was driving at the time.

#506 of 526 Re: The "Dart" Name [andre1969] by steve_ HOST

Dec 13, 2011 (2:16 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Dec 13, 2011 2:13 pm)
"1989 Chrysler TC by Maserati: Stupid combination of front-drive K-Car bits, indifferent Maserati assembly in Italy and a two-seat roadster body that was indistinguishable from a LeBaron. It's both the worst Maserati and worst Chrysler ever."
 
It made #15 on IL's 100 Worst Cars of All Time.

Messages Page 51 of 53

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