I have a 1980 Aspen R/T that was originally a 318 2 bbl car but has been modified since then. Removing the lean burn/smog devices and adding a Edelbrock 4 bbl intake with electronic ignition orange box, it lasted many years with that engine block. Then put in another 318 4 bbl and the entire drive train from a 1988 Diplomat police car. That engine lasted many years and was replaced recently with a 1971 340 HP with Edelbrock heads and intake. The F body is a perfect light weight car to modify the way you like! Gets lots of attention and stares from the public everyone likes it!
Love to hear stories of people who have long owned a car that they still enjoy! Thanks for the great comment John! Hope you are a subscriber and find lots of other features to enjoy!
My dad bought an early production 1976 Volare Premier wagon. Nicely designed vehicle with hortible fit and finish, water leaks, stalling problems and rusting fenders. The car ate starters, batteries and the transmisdiom started acting up at 60k. Apart from rhese issues it was a fine car.
My dad had a 77 Volare. When he bought it I thought we were rich. Carpeting! Air conditioning! The fenders rusted pretty quickly though, the grille chipped early on, and when you floored the gas pedal, the engine stalled. I inherited it by the mid-80s. I'd have to fill the leaky radiator with a gallon of water every morning, the gas gauge stopped working when the float in the gas tank sank, and I had to give it up when it just got too expensive to keep up. But I loved it.
I had a 77 Plymouth Volare Road Runner, 318 motor, baby blue color. It was my first car and I loved it. Unfortunately it got rear ended and I had to let it go. I miss that car and I would love to find another one! It was a fun little car.
Glad you had a great experience with your 76 Volare! Thanks for the nice comment and hope you are a subscriber and find many other videos you'll enjoy!
I've been the 3rd owner of a rust free; west Texas - 1978 Volare' RoadrunnerSuper Pak coupe since 1992. Over 10 years was spent sourcing original exterior / interior components so a proper restoration could be accomplished. This is a highly optioned coupe is one of 147 with the 360 V8 and one of 9 with the Spectrum bucket seat interior. In 2005 along with many awards, this car found it's way onto the pages of Hemmings Muscle Machine magazine along with invites to prestigious midwest car shows, the Mopar Nationals and Chryslers at Carlisle.. Today this Roadrunner enjoys retirement along with it's "Caretaker"!
Wow, Mark! Sounds like a very cool ride and it's great that you have enjoyed it for so long and even though you are both retired - hope you still go cruising! Thanks for watching and commenting!
My first new car was a 1976 spitfire orange Volare custom coupe with white interior and bucket seats. I was 19 years old and special ordered that car. It had a 318 V/8, 4 speed transmission, no power steering, no A/C, an AM radio and wire spoke wheel covers. My wife and I went on our first date in it. I taught her how to drive a stick with it and regretfully sold it in 1993. My current car is a 2015 Challenger R/T 6 speed. Somehow my sublime green Dodge reminds me of my old bright orange Plymouth! Excellent video by the way!
Oh, thanks so much Raymond. We really appreciate the compliment and really like your comment! Cars have such an amazing ability to bring back those vibrant memories! Did you see the Sublime green Challenger video feature? She's a sweetheart! Thanks again and hope you are a subscriber and a member of the ITCCT family! ua-cam.com/video/mIg6TvcxLjA/v-deo.html
What a great part two to honor my mom and dad's Volare wagon. I enjoyed part two just like I did part one and the history of the Aspen and Volare lines. Really chocked full of great pictures and information on these two icons of the late 70's early 80's. Thanks again for reviewing my mom and dad's car and this informative details on the cars it was very interesting.
@@IfThisCarCouldTalk oh wow I am.so glad to hear this! I certainly will be looking for what ever great and nice thing you send us! Thanks so much you guys!!
Thanks you guys for my swell gifts! I appreciate it so much! I am going to get a beautiful frame for my picture and hang it up or sit It out to see always. It was a beautiful picture of a beautiful car and piece of automotive history! The plate you gave me I will display on my car since we just changed to a one plate format! You guys are awesome and I hope in time there might be a follow-up on my parents and Dennis's beautiful car! Thanks again guys you are awesome and thanks to Dennis to for his help!!!!
I had three of them I loved my 79 Aspen SE also had a Dodge Aspen wagon at the same time good cars my 78 volare was a base model didn't care for it. Kept it till I got a Dakota and those were my favorites of all the Mopar
We had Dodge Aspen 4 door cars in my Drivers Training Class in the San Fernando Valley, Ca back in the early 80s. They were a little floaty feeling but I loved that you had such an excellent view of the road in those cars!!
Again we have the 78 Super Coupe / Roadrunner in many parts to replace if needed complete front end back window side window doors Hood trunk lid all magic numbers for super Coupe thank you
Loved my 1976 Volare! The only car I ever owned where the TOPS of the fenders rusted out! It ate alternators, too. But it went over 100,00 miles! Go Volare, or don't go at all!
I owned a '63 Rambler Classic "550". This was a $50 car in '73! The tops of BOTH front fenders were ROTTED to bits on it, too! It DID NOT have the QUALITY MoPar DRIVETRAIN, though!
Great video ! My childhood memories, my parents had a 1976 Dodge Aspen sedan for over 12 years before buying a 1985 full-sized Pontiac Parisienne wagon .
Much appreciated! Thanks for watching and for leaving a great comment! Can't wait to hear what you think of more features as you cruise through the channel!
I bought a 1976 Aspen R/T in Jamaican Blue Metallic and 2 tone blue stripes. 318 engine(2barrel) and manual transmission. It had white interior and the Tuff steering wheel most beautiful car I had ever owned at the time. Mostly the car was trouble free but had some manufacturing flaws. Bubbles in the paint, fit and finish mostly. It did have an unusual problem though. The K member kept breaking along a seam on the driver side allowing the engine to lift up on that side. This happened several times. In the last episode of the saga I had it welded and welded a length of Cain welded across it. Never happened again. I loved the car and attention it drew. For the time it was pretty quick. Wish I hadn't been dumb and still had it.
To clarify history, Lee Iacocca was not in charge of Chrysler when the 1976 F body was introduced. He was President of Ford during that time. He joined the Chrysler team in 1978. He worked very hard to increase quality at Chrysler after he took over as president.
I have a 1976 Volare' Road Runner. It came with a 318-2 od 4spd, it now has a 360-4 68 Road Runner 4spd. I will have owned this car 40yrs on 12/18/21. I also had a 78 Super Coupe but unfortunately I totaled it. Then bought the Road Runner.
Wow! Your Road Runner sounds very cool! Thanks for sharing your story and your memory of the Super Coupe! Great comment! Are you anywhere near Arizona?
I had a 79 black with gold stripes T-bar roof mickey Thompsons on the back thinner tires on the front exhaust pipes just past the doors and a head of the rear tires, 360 with 750 thermoquad, put a 73 duster rear-end in slip possy, never ever spun off the line just grab and go the G forces of your body catching up lol she'd do 10.4 in the 1/4 mile top end 148 miles per hour
Thanks for watching Kevan and for the great comment! It's been a while since we've heard from a former owner of one of these and your story is so fun! Appreciate it!
In January '92, I "owned" (for two WEEKS) a '79 Volare "Super Coupe"! This was a $100 "gem" I bought off of two IDIOT PUNKS who had NEARLY DESTROYED it in A MONTH! I LOVED IT'S "LOOK", but had to scrap it (BADLY SPLIT LEFT CYLINDAR HEAD!) because I had nowhere to park it! It turned out; the BEATEN motor was a '72 "340"!
Yes we are in 1978 super Coupe slash Roadrunner we do not drive it in the winter whatsoever here in the northern part of the United States there wasn't anything left of it if we did so we take good care and respect it is an original 360 CID with a Dana rear Factory doesn't even have a 100.000 mi on it yet funny thing is if you put $20 worth of gas in it which is 5 gallons close it will run me probably two weeks without any problems thank you
The Plymouth Volare with the hood scoop belong to me I had it for 23 years. It was featured in Mopar Muscle. My name is Barry wish I could find the car today.
WOW! Small world. Thanks for sharing that info Barry! It was a beauty and hope you find it again! Maybe one of our viewers knows where it is? Anyone? Hope you are subscriber Barry and a member of the ITCCT family!
Both cars had stalling and starting problems due to carburetor problems. There was a recall in 1977, which did not solve the problems. Both cars were lemons.
automobile-catalog .com says .47 drag coefficient, that isn't good. I can understand you love the volare/aspen but lets not pretend it was something it wasn't, like reliable or anything else someone appreciates in a car.
Thanks for watching Joe and for leaving your comment. I wouldn't say we "love" the Volare/Aspen models but we can appreciate them for what they were and lots of folks do have a lot of fun with them today!
Unfortunately, one of the worst cars, if not the worst car in Chrysler's history, especially the first 2 years of its production. The fact that Chrysler had horrible customer service compounded that issue. Chrysler, was tight fisted with their warranty in those days, (even today they are somewhat like that) and that is basically what almost did them in 1979/80. Although these cars were based on tried and true Mopar technology at that time (powertrain and suspension), they had several issues with poor rustproofing of the front fenders and rear lower quarter panels that would rust out prematurely, especially the 76 and 77 models. It was quality control that hurt Mopar vehicles from 1976-1981 and that tarnished their reputation, even up to this day. From its inception as a company in 1924 until 1975, Chrysler vehicles were built to last and they were known as the engineering company, as they came out with many automotive firsts. The only exception was 1957 and when they had the quality control issues. In that model year, Chrysler was quick to fix it up, unlike the financially stressed 70's! Due to the fact they were quick to take care of their quality control issues at that time quickly, they saved their reputation as a company of building reliable, durable and well engineered vehicles. If Chrysler applied this kind of care with their customer service back in the 70's and even now, Chrysler would not have such a terrible reputation. Although I am a Mopar man, I have to call it like it is. Well fortunately enough, Chrysler seems to be turning the corner as I see many of their vehicles are becoming and more durable, most particularly the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300. These vehicles seem to accumulate a lot of mileage without much issue and that is very encouraging. Their minivans seem to be also pretty reliable. However, I will say this much, a lot of it has to do with how many Mopar owners take care of their vehicles, most especially maintenance. I used to work as a Service Advisor for 3 Chrysler dealerships and I also worked for an aftermarket companiy as a Service Advisor and let me tell you, the vast majority of Chrysler cars are very poorly maintained and is it a wonder they breakdown? Many Chrysler owners I dealt with, abused their cars and changed the oil as often as they changed their air filter, which is roughly every 12 000 miles. I worked as an Advisor from 2000- 2013. I worked at GM, Ford, Chrysler, Mazda, Toyota and Canadian Tire and let me tell you, Chrysler's were very poorly maintained when compared to many automakers out there. The customers who maintained their Chryslers very well, were very satisfied and put high mileage on them and it wasn't uncommon that you would see many Chryslers with over 200 000 miles on them with the original powertrain and most of their mechanical and electrical components, still intact from the day it was new and all they did was replace common wear and tear items, such as brakes, tires, wipers and light bulbs. When I worked at Chrysler dealership in 2002, this Courier Driver put over 960 000 kms (on the original engine and 2 nd transmission) which is 600 000 miles, on a 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan, with a 3.3l v6 motor and the Ultrardrive 4 speed A604 automatic transmission!!!! When he was asked what was his key for his car lasting so long? He responded, "Keeping on top of maintenance and repairs before the repairs became major! Anyhow, I have veered off topic here, as we are talking about the F bodies. My Dad purchased a 1978 Plymouth Volare Wagon, with the slant six 2 barrel carburetor and 3 speed automatic transmission and the first 3 years, he didn't know he had to change the oil in that car, until a friend told him he should or you'll damage the engine. The first oil and filter change on that car was at 60 000 kms (37 500 miles) and the engine was still purring. That is how tough those slant sixes were! That Volare lasted for 12 years for us and had a 137 500 miles and we sold it for $200 to one of my Dad's co -workers, and he drove it for another 2 years and 64 000 kms (40 000 miles). So the total mileage was 177 500 before it was taken to the scrap yard, because it was t boned in an accident and insurance company wrote it off. Although we had many issues with that car, they were mostly minor issues, except for the carburetor. Those issues were very cheap to fix. I do miss that 78 Volare as our family had many trips all across the eastern side of North America. We took that car to Halifax, Nova Scotia, ( 1 time ), Maryland (11 times), North and South Carolina ( 1 time each) , we went to Michigan ( 1 time ) and we went to Ottawa once. SO it drove a lot and it never complained If these cars were built right and were not rushed into production, these cars would have continued Chrysler's solid reputation for engineering, reliability and durability. At least they were given a second chance with the M bodies, The 84-89 Chrysler 5th Avenue, 77 - 89 Dodge Diplomat and 82 - 89 Plymouth Gran Fury (aka Plymouth Caravelle Salon in Canada), the 1982 Chrysler New Yorker and 1983 Chrysler New Yorker 5th Avenue. The M bodies, showed what the Volare and Aspen could have been if Chrysler had made the right decision. The M bodies were based on the F bodies and these M bodies were super durable and reliable. Little went wrong with the M body. I had one that had over 375 000 miles on it! I just hope Chrysler will not ruin the Charger and 300's reputation for reliability for the future. They've got a good thing going and people are buying these cars in droves, despite high gas prices! Well, if Chrysler improves their customer service and reliability, it will bring them back to forefront of what they started over 90 years ago!
I have a 1980 Aspen R/T that was originally a 318 2 bbl car but has been modified since then. Removing the lean burn/smog devices and adding a Edelbrock 4 bbl intake with electronic ignition orange box, it lasted many years with that engine block. Then put in another 318 4 bbl and the entire drive train from a 1988 Diplomat police car. That engine lasted many years and was replaced recently with a 1971 340 HP with Edelbrock heads and intake. The F body is a perfect light weight car to modify the way you like! Gets lots of attention and stares from the public everyone likes it!
Love to hear stories of people who have long owned a car that they still enjoy! Thanks for the great comment John! Hope you are a subscriber and find lots of other features to enjoy!
we drove a 78 Aspen from Ontario to California in 1989. Great advendtures with this vehicle!!
👍
Very cool!
My dad bought an early production 1976 Volare Premier wagon. Nicely designed vehicle with hortible fit and finish, water leaks, stalling problems and rusting fenders. The car ate starters, batteries and the transmisdiom started acting up at 60k. Apart from rhese issues it was a fine car.
My dad had a 77 Volare. When he bought it I thought we were rich. Carpeting! Air conditioning! The fenders rusted pretty quickly though, the grille chipped early on, and when you floored the gas pedal, the engine stalled. I inherited it by the mid-80s. I'd have to fill the leaky radiator with a gallon of water every morning, the gas gauge stopped working when the float in the gas tank sank, and I had to give it up when it just got too expensive to keep up. But I loved it.
That's a great story Stephen! Thanks for the comment! Hope you subscribed and find many other features you'll love.
These cars were NOT MoPars' BEST, but they were LOVEABLE!
When working at a gas station, a regular customer had an Aspen R/T. I think it had a 360 and seemed to be a fast car for its time.
That's a very cool memory! Thanks for the great comment!
The "360" was a MAJOR ASS-KICKER!
I had a 77 Plymouth Volare Road Runner, 318 motor, baby blue color. It was my first car and I loved it. Unfortunately it got rear ended and I had to let it go. I miss that car and I would love to find another one! It was a fun little car.
Thanks for watching Margaret! We appreciate you sharing your memory with your 77 Road Runner! Don't give up, you may find another one someday!
I bought a Volare, 1976, kept it 14 years, put 155,000 miles on it. Very good slant 6 motor.
Glad you had a great experience with your 76 Volare! Thanks for the nice comment and hope you are a subscriber and find many other videos you'll enjoy!
Loved that Slant Six! 100,000 trouble-free miles!
I've been the 3rd owner of a rust free; west Texas - 1978 Volare' RoadrunnerSuper Pak coupe since 1992. Over 10 years was spent sourcing original exterior / interior components so a proper restoration could be accomplished. This is a highly optioned coupe is one of 147 with the 360 V8 and one of 9 with the Spectrum bucket seat interior. In 2005 along with many awards, this car found it's way onto the pages of Hemmings Muscle Machine magazine along with invites to prestigious midwest car shows, the Mopar Nationals and Chryslers at Carlisle.. Today this Roadrunner enjoys retirement along with it's "Caretaker"!
Wow, Mark! Sounds like a very cool ride and it's great that you have enjoyed it for so long and even though you are both retired - hope you still go cruising! Thanks for watching and commenting!
My first new car was a 1976 spitfire orange Volare custom coupe with white interior and bucket seats. I was 19 years old and special ordered that car. It had a 318 V/8, 4 speed transmission, no power steering, no A/C, an AM radio and wire spoke wheel covers. My wife and I went on our first date in it. I taught her how to drive a stick with it and regretfully sold it in 1993. My current car is a 2015 Challenger R/T 6 speed. Somehow my sublime green Dodge reminds me of my old bright orange Plymouth! Excellent video by the way!
Oh, thanks so much Raymond. We really appreciate the compliment and really like your comment! Cars have such an amazing ability to bring back those vibrant memories! Did you see the Sublime green Challenger video feature? She's a sweetheart! Thanks again and hope you are a subscriber and a member of the ITCCT family! ua-cam.com/video/mIg6TvcxLjA/v-deo.html
What a great part two to honor my mom and dad's Volare wagon. I enjoyed part two just like I did part one and the history of the Aspen and Volare lines. Really chocked full of great pictures and information on these two icons of the late 70's early 80's. Thanks again for reviewing my mom and dad's car and this informative details on the cars it was very interesting.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks to you and your folks! Just wait - there is something coming in the mail for you and your family as a thank you from us!
@@IfThisCarCouldTalk oh wow I am.so glad to hear this! I certainly will be looking for what ever great and nice thing you send us! Thanks so much you guys!!
Thanks you guys for my swell gifts! I appreciate it so much! I am going to get a beautiful frame for my picture and hang it up or sit It out to see always. It was a beautiful picture of a beautiful car and piece of automotive history! The plate you gave me I will display on my car since we just changed to a one plate format! You guys are awesome and I hope in time there might be a follow-up on my parents and Dennis's beautiful car! Thanks again guys you are awesome and thanks to Dennis to for his help!!!!
You are very welcome and thanks for such a nice comment! We'll stay in touch!
@@IfThisCarCouldTalk please do!
I had three of them I loved my 79 Aspen SE also had a Dodge Aspen wagon at the same time good cars my 78 volare was a base model didn't care for it. Kept it till I got a Dakota and those were my favorites of all the Mopar
They are fun cars! Thanks for watching Bill. You'll love the features we did of the Aspen RT and a Volare wagon. Check them out from a while back.
We had Dodge Aspen 4 door cars in my Drivers Training Class in the San Fernando Valley, Ca back in the early 80s. They were a little floaty feeling but I loved that you had such an excellent view of the road in those cars!!
That's a cool memory! Thanks for sharing with the nice comment!
@@IfThisCarCouldTalk You're welcome! Thanks for the great video!!
Again we have the 78 Super Coupe / Roadrunner in many parts to replace if needed complete front end back window side window doors Hood trunk lid all magic numbers for super Coupe thank you
Loved my 1976 Volare! The only car I ever owned where the TOPS of the fenders rusted out! It ate alternators, too. But it went over 100,00 miles! Go Volare, or don't go at all!
LOL! What a great memory! Thanks for the great comment!
I owned a '63 Rambler Classic "550". This was a $50 car in '73! The tops of BOTH front fenders were ROTTED to bits on it, too! It DID NOT have the QUALITY MoPar DRIVETRAIN, though!
Great video ! My childhood memories, my parents had a 1976 Dodge Aspen sedan for over 12 years before buying a 1985 full-sized Pontiac Parisienne wagon .
Very cool! What great memories! Thanks for sharing and for the nice comment!
I would MUCH PREFER the '76 Aspen!
I'm blown (volare'd) away! :)
Beaut of a car and an informative channel, subbed.
Best wishes.
Much appreciated! Thanks for watching and for leaving a great comment! Can't wait to hear what you think of more features as you cruise through the channel!
I bought a 1976 Aspen R/T in Jamaican Blue Metallic and 2 tone blue stripes. 318 engine(2barrel) and manual transmission. It had white interior and the Tuff steering wheel most beautiful car I had ever owned at the time. Mostly the car was trouble free but had some manufacturing flaws. Bubbles in the paint, fit and finish mostly. It did have an unusual problem though. The K member kept breaking along a seam on the driver side allowing the engine to lift up on that side. This happened several times. In the last episode of the saga I had it welded and welded a length of Cain welded across it. Never happened again. I loved the car and attention it drew. For the time it was pretty quick. Wish I hadn't been dumb and still had it.
Thanks for a great comment! Maybe you can find another one and enjoy cruising again!
Dream Volaré is totally a band name.
I had volare road runner, awesome car
Thanks for watching and for the great comment!
Really great video! My first car was a Dodge Aspen 77 318.
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your memory of your first car!
To clarify history, Lee Iacocca was not in charge of Chrysler when the 1976 F body was introduced. He was President of Ford during that time. He joined the Chrysler team in 1978. He worked very hard to increase quality at Chrysler after he took over as president.
In his memoirs he mentioned that he thought the early F bodies were rushed. Thanks for the clarification and the comment!
SADLY, he REPLACED REAL CARS with "politically correct" fwd econo-TRASH!
I have a 1976 Volare' Road Runner. It came with a 318-2 od 4spd, it now has a 360-4 68 Road Runner 4spd. I will have owned this car 40yrs on 12/18/21. I also had a 78 Super Coupe but unfortunately I totaled it. Then bought the Road Runner.
Wow! Your Road Runner sounds very cool! Thanks for sharing your story and your memory of the Super Coupe! Great comment! Are you anywhere near Arizona?
@@IfThisCarCouldTalk California
I had a 79 black with gold stripes T-bar roof mickey Thompsons on the back thinner tires on the front exhaust pipes just past the doors and a head of the rear tires, 360 with 750 thermoquad, put a 73 duster rear-end in slip possy, never ever spun off the line just grab and go the G forces of your body catching up lol she'd do 10.4 in the 1/4 mile top end 148 miles per hour
Thanks for watching Kevan and for the great comment! It's been a while since we've heard from a former owner of one of these and your story is so fun! Appreciate it!
In January '92, I "owned" (for two WEEKS) a '79 Volare "Super Coupe"! This was a $100 "gem" I bought off of two IDIOT PUNKS who had NEARLY DESTROYED it in A MONTH! I LOVED IT'S "LOOK", but had to scrap it (BADLY SPLIT LEFT CYLINDAR HEAD!) because I had nowhere to park it! It turned out; the BEATEN motor was a '72 "340"!
HA! What a memory and thanks for sharing!! Keep watching!
I was in highschool when my friend raced me in his Mom’s Aspen wagon. I had a Renault Alliance and lost 😅
LOL! Thanks for watching and sharing your memory Christopher!
Yes we are in 1978 super Coupe slash Roadrunner we do not drive it in the winter whatsoever here in the northern part of the United States there wasn't anything left of it if we did so we take good care and respect it is an original 360 CID with a Dana rear Factory doesn't even have a 100.000 mi on it yet funny thing is if you put $20 worth of gas in it which is 5 gallons close it will run me probably two weeks without any problems thank you
The Plymouth Volare with the hood scoop belong to me I had it for 23 years. It was featured in Mopar Muscle. My name is Barry wish I could find the car today.
WOW! Small world. Thanks for sharing that info Barry! It was a beauty and hope you find it again! Maybe one of our viewers knows where it is? Anyone? Hope you are subscriber Barry and a member of the ITCCT family!
Forgot to mention, after fixing teething flaws, it lived on quite successfully till '89 as the Diplomat, Fury and 5th Avenue.
Thanks for adding this info Michael!
We had a 78 Volare wagon. If it could have talked, it would have said, "Kill Me"
LOL!
Bought a 1978 aspen new. Started falling apart within months. 318 never got better than 10mpg in town or 15mpg on the highway. Rust bucket in 3 years.
Too bad but that is part of what makes John's car even more cool. Thanks for the comment and hope you are a subscriber!
See, that's because you didn't buy a Volare. Totally different car, much much better! (Well, sort of...)
anyone know an online source for cat back dual exhaust sustem for mopar F Bodies?🤔🤔....lmk in the comments!!
"Pull up a chair...I'll be rusting today!"
There were many cars that could say that. :-)
@@IfThisCarCouldTalk That's very true, but few rusted as quickly as these did.
Love the #moparornocars
Oh ya...
Both cars had stalling and starting problems due to carburetor problems. There was a recall in 1977, which did not solve the problems. Both cars were lemons.
The 70's were pretty much known for having such problems in many car lines, but still cool and fondly remembered by many! Thanks for watching, Jordan!
Owned 1 Volare wagon and 2 aspen wagons 1 77 1 78. All 318 I thought they were great cars except transmission troubles as they got older
Nice to hear a good story about these cars! Thanks for the nice comment and hope you are now a subscriber!
automobile-catalog .com says .47 drag coefficient, that isn't good. I can understand you love the volare/aspen but lets not pretend it was something it wasn't, like reliable or anything else someone appreciates in a car.
Thanks for watching Joe and for leaving your comment. I wouldn't say we "love" the Volare/Aspen models but we can appreciate them for what they were and lots of folks do have a lot of fun with them today!
VAPOR LOCK!!!
LOL! Thanks for the comment and for your support of our channel! PS - love your music!
Unfortunately, one of the worst cars, if not the worst car in Chrysler's history, especially the first 2 years of its production. The fact that Chrysler had horrible customer service compounded that issue.
Chrysler, was tight fisted with their warranty in those days, (even today they are somewhat like that) and that is basically what almost did them in 1979/80. Although these cars were based on tried and true Mopar technology at that time (powertrain and suspension), they had several issues with poor rustproofing of the front fenders and rear lower quarter panels that would rust out prematurely, especially the 76 and 77 models. It was quality control that hurt Mopar vehicles from 1976-1981 and that tarnished their reputation, even up to this day.
From its inception as a company in 1924 until 1975, Chrysler vehicles were built to last and they were known as the engineering company, as they came out with many automotive firsts. The only exception was 1957 and when they had the quality control issues. In that model year, Chrysler was quick to fix it up, unlike the financially stressed 70's! Due to the fact they were quick to take care of their quality control issues at that time quickly, they saved their reputation as a company of building reliable, durable and well engineered vehicles.
If Chrysler applied this kind of care with their customer service back in the 70's and even now, Chrysler would not have such a terrible reputation.
Although I am a Mopar man, I have to call it like it is.
Well fortunately enough, Chrysler seems to be turning the corner as I see many of their vehicles are becoming and more durable, most particularly the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300. These vehicles seem to accumulate a lot of mileage without much issue and that is very encouraging. Their minivans seem to be also pretty reliable.
However, I will say this much, a lot of it has to do with how many Mopar owners take care of their vehicles, most especially maintenance.
I used to work as a Service Advisor for 3 Chrysler dealerships and I also worked for an aftermarket companiy as a Service Advisor and let me tell you, the vast majority of Chrysler cars are very poorly maintained and is it a wonder they breakdown? Many Chrysler owners I dealt with, abused their cars and changed the oil as often as they changed their air filter, which is roughly every 12 000 miles. I worked as an Advisor from 2000- 2013. I worked at GM, Ford, Chrysler, Mazda, Toyota and Canadian Tire and let me tell you, Chrysler's were very poorly maintained when compared to many automakers out there.
The customers who maintained their Chryslers very well, were very satisfied and put high mileage on them and it wasn't uncommon that you would see many Chryslers with over 200 000 miles on them with the original powertrain and most of their mechanical and electrical components, still intact from the day it was new and all they did was replace common wear and tear items, such as brakes, tires, wipers and light bulbs. When I worked at Chrysler dealership in 2002, this Courier Driver put over 960 000 kms (on the original engine and 2 nd transmission) which is 600 000 miles, on a 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan, with a 3.3l v6 motor and the Ultrardrive 4 speed A604 automatic transmission!!!! When he was asked what was his key for his car lasting so long?
He responded, "Keeping on top of maintenance and repairs before the repairs became major!
Anyhow, I have veered off topic here, as we are talking about the F bodies. My Dad purchased a 1978 Plymouth Volare Wagon, with the slant six 2 barrel carburetor and 3 speed automatic transmission and the first 3 years, he didn't know he had to change the oil in that car, until a friend told him he should or you'll damage the engine. The first oil and filter change on that car was at 60 000 kms (37 500 miles) and the engine was still purring. That is how tough those slant sixes were! That Volare lasted for 12 years for us and had a 137 500 miles and we sold it for $200 to one of my Dad's co -workers, and he drove it for another 2 years and 64 000 kms (40 000 miles). So the total mileage was 177 500 before it was taken to the scrap yard, because it was t boned in an accident and insurance company wrote it off. Although we had many issues with that car, they were mostly minor issues, except for the carburetor. Those issues were very cheap to fix.
I do miss that 78 Volare as our family had many trips all across the eastern side of North America. We took that car to Halifax, Nova Scotia, ( 1 time ), Maryland (11 times), North and South Carolina ( 1 time each) , we went to Michigan ( 1 time ) and we went to Ottawa once. SO it drove a lot and it never complained
If these cars were built right and were not rushed into production, these cars would have continued Chrysler's solid reputation for engineering, reliability and durability. At least they were given a second chance with the M bodies, The 84-89 Chrysler 5th Avenue, 77 - 89 Dodge Diplomat and 82 - 89 Plymouth Gran Fury (aka Plymouth Caravelle Salon in Canada), the 1982 Chrysler New Yorker and 1983 Chrysler New Yorker 5th Avenue. The M bodies, showed what the Volare and Aspen could have been if Chrysler had made the right decision. The M bodies were based on the F bodies and these M bodies were super durable and reliable. Little went wrong with the M body. I had one that had over 375 000 miles on it! I just hope Chrysler will not ruin the Charger and 300's reputation for reliability for the future. They've got a good thing going and people are buying these cars in droves, despite high gas prices!
Well, if Chrysler improves their customer service and reliability, it will bring them back to forefront of what they started over 90 years ago!
Wow....one of the longest and most informative comments ever! Thanks for watching and for the awesome comment!
Smog hog