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My dad told me stories about the Dodge Dart. He traded in a 56 Chevy sedan that he truly loved for a new 63 Dodge dart, slant 6. He truly hated that car and was glad to be rid of it. The engine sucked, it began to rust within two years, it was a lemon. Then I worked with a guy in the 1980s who had one and heard his stories about how it sucked.
He traded it in for a 67 Chevy which was our car as a youth. I remember how roomy it was and the engine was bullet proof although he did say the V 6 lacked power.
Definitely not an inspired name. Maybe the " Dodge Drek " might have more appeal?
There are exceptions, of course, but the 1960s Darts were well made and reliable cars. The engines were very rugged. I owned a '66 Dart GT V-8 and it served me very well... over 170,000 miles with the original engine and transmission. 2nd gear was good to 75 mph and 1st was good to 40-45 mph; never a complaint from the engine and transmission when I did that. Also, never a whimper when doing burnouts or when getting rubber in 2nd gear (which I did quite often).
Also, '60s Chevys and Mopars did not have a V-6, they had an inline 6.
Here in southern california, it is not unusual to see factory original and un-restored 40 to 45 year old sedans rolling down the street, still used as in-town daily drivers. Dodge Darts and Plymouth Valients from the 60s are pretty well represented. Some of them are the bare bones base model with three on the tree, rubber floor mats, basic bench seats and no power accessories. Some of them look like there is a little duct tape and wire holding things together. Some of these things are legendary.
Not sure how the new "Dart" will hold up. Most newer little sedans don't really stand out much from the vast number of competitive models. What is really different about one compared to the other, in a significant way? Not sure, that is just a rhetorical question.
As someone old enough to actually remember the original Dodge Dart, I really don't understand why Dodge would choose to use that name on a new model. I never found the original car to be very appealing. It seemed like the kind of car a librarian might drive, lol.
If you're coming out with a new car that seems like it's to be marketed to a younger age group, why give it the name of a car that was popular with old folks?
While I agree the original Dart was not a super-model in looks, it did have a big enough engine compartment to take a big-block, and a few (though rare) you could get with a 426H. I had a slant motor in one (a 4-door grandma-mobile that was ugly as sin), but we put in a 440 six-pack, in its day would run away from a lot of cars. I know it can't compete with a lot of cars today (well, with a little building it did get over 400hp)... but remember that was the late 60's, early 70's vintage cars.
We took a later version (if I recall, a 'swinger'), which was the definition of grandma's car, kept it looking totally stock on the outside, a total sleeper, yet the big blocks worked well in it on the street (though it needed to be tubbed, but that would be a dead giveaway.)
To be fair it was the aluminum slant 6 which I believe was a problem engine. And even the 56 Chevy Bel Air had its bug. When my parents went on their honeymoon in their new car he noticed it had a shimmy and noise in the engine. A mechanic in Niagara Falls noticed that it had only one bolt securing the engine, not the four it should have!
There are exceptions, of course, but the 1960s Darts were well made and reliable cars. The engines were very rugged. I owned a '66 Dart GT V-8 and it served me very well... over 170,000 miles with the original engine and transmission. 2nd gear was good to 75 mph and 1st was good to 40-45 mph; never a complaint from the engine and transmission when I did that. Also, never a whimper when doing burnouts or when getting rubber in 2nd gear (which I did quite often).
Also, '60s Chevys and Mopars did not have a V-6, they had an inline 6.
I actually had the car that Dodge produced just before the Dart, the Dodge Lancer. It had a 225 slant 6, and a pushbutton 3 speed automatic transmission.
There is a name Dodge should bring back to their production vehicles.
I actually had the car that Dodge produced just before the Dart, the Dodge Lancer. It had a 225 slant 6, and a pushbutton 3 speed automatic transmission.
There is a name Dodge should bring back to their production vehicles.
I actually had the car that Dodge produced just before the Dart, the Dodge Lancer. It had a 225 slant 6, and a pushbutton 3 speed automatic transmission.
There is a name Dodge should bring back to their production vehicles.
Yes, the Lancer name would probably be more appropriate than "Dart."
Didn't some import also use the Lancer name in the 1990s?
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