Why are the Dart's and Valiants so cheap?

Question

Hi,

Being from Sweden, the situation might not be the same to you in the US. However, of all 60's-70's american cars on the used market, the Dodge Dart and Plymouth Valiant is some of the least expensive. I think they look awesome and love their attitude but they are suspiciously inexpensive - why is that?

Do they have a bad reputation, or are they simply really crappy cars? Or did they list a lot cheaper as new cars than other did at the time?

Answer 1

In their day, the Valiants and Darts commanded a premium as used cars. They had a reputation for long, reliable service and good fuel economy. Unfortunately, Chrylser has done a terrible job of supporting it's historic vehicles. Back in the 1970's, when Chrysler was in trouble, dealers were struggling. To ease their pain, Chrysler bought their used parts inventories for a few cents per pound, and scrapped them. So there is a whole generation of Chrysler vehicles for which spares are hard to find. For the some popular vehicles, like the E Body Barracuda, parts are being reproduced. But for the humble Valiants and Darts, it can be a very frustrating experience.

Adding to the problem is the fact that Chrysler keeps creating great nameplates and then dropping them: Dart, Valiant, Barracuda, Plymouth, De Soto, New Yorker, Imperial, etc are all historical names which have no meaning for the current generation of enthusiasts. Nobody under 50 really remembers Valiants. Compare this to almost any other maker: Corvette, Mustang, BMW 3--, Jaguar XJ, Porsche 9--, have been current for decades. Bad marketing makes for a bad market.

They are wonderful cars on the road, and quite durable once you get them sorted.

Answer 2

They're good dependable cars (the 225 slant six is the best engine ever made -- if the body lasted half as long as the engine, Chrysler would have put every other car maker out of business!), but they were made in such vast quantities, and they lasted so long (which increased the second-hand supply even further) that they're not worth nearly as much as cars made in lesser numbers. Fewer surviving models means a higher price, as scarcity drives up the price every time. In the 60's and 70's, Chrysler's Dodge and Plymouth divisions flooded the market with cheap, dependable cars. The fact that so many are still around speaks volumes about how dependable they still are. They don't have a bad rep. Quite the opposite! I drove a 1970 Plymouth Duster for nearly 20 years. Then I sold it to a kid who drove it for a year and wrecked it. But for that, it might still be running around somewhere!

Answer 3

i own a repair shop ,and they don't have a bad rep ,and as for now all the dodge and mopar cars are going up here real bad ,anything that can be made in to a muscle car is gaining in popularity and the price is getting really high on all of them,even the plain cars are getting really high,a good dart now will bring around 5 grand just for one to restore,they was cheap,but i think those days are slowly moving out,good luck i hope this helps.

Answer 4

Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler were pioneers in the uni-body construction of vehicles in that era meaning there was no frame. Carefully molded and ribbed body parts added to the structural integrety of the vehicle. All parts were stamped out and welded together eliminating a tubular frame and the expense of mounting parts to it. The problem with this was they rusted out too fast and auto accidents were devastating to the structure.

Answer 5

I owned a 1969 Dart, in one year went thru 5 alternators, 4 starters. It was like driveing 2 trunks, it was a pile of junk. They have a history of eating starters and alternators. When new they were very inexpensive.