page loaded in 0.031 seconds
| | Site Map | Back Page Art | Back Issues | Privacy and Security | Terms of Use | |
| Home | Features | Articles | Daily Drives | Rear View | Driveway | Directory | Showcase | Classifieds | Store | Games |
|
by Bobby McCarthy
Copyright (c), 2003, My Daily Driver -- All Rights Reserved 
When I was in the market for an "old" car", the fact that the Darts are so plentiful helped in my decision to own and drive one. I am a fairly practical guy in my own abstract way, so when buying a vintage car, I stuck with a vehicle of mass production. It makes sense to me, the more they made, the more readily parts are available. And let's be honest; if you plan on driving a classic car, it's gonna need parts. Consider my 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger, a 225 Slant 6 automatic. To date, every part I have needed (albeit, it hasn't required much) I have procured at my neighborhood Auto Parts store. I am the third owner of the Swinger and with only 62,000 miles on it when I purchased it, the condition reflects the light use. The Dart was built in Canada and I really can't hold that against it. As far as I am concerned, it's a true blue red-blooded American car. My buddy and I did a VIN search and found that all the options present were installed at the factory. This includes an extra trim package and an AC that stills blows cold. What's really delightful about this particular Dart is that everything works and I did not have to fix it all. The gauges (even the fuel gage), the original AM radio, the map light, the trunk light, the AC, the "lights are on" buzzer and the manual foot pump for the windshield squirters work as they did 30 years ago. 
The feature title "Ocean State Swinger", is a dead give away that I drive this car in
Rhode Island and New England. I found the Dart through a regional publication that has
classified ads for everything from canoe paddles to porcelain keepsakes. I spoke to the
young lady selling the Dart and obtained directions to deep within western Massachusetts.
Undaunted, my cohort in crime and I traveled some 80 miles in his 1974 Plymouth to take
a peek at the Swinger. Now let the record show that we did not take advantage of the
young lady selling this car. However, the girl selling the Dart could have penned a
novelette or at least a brochure on "How Not to sell an old car." Without going into
the gory details, the car had been off the road for only 2 months, but looked like it
had been parked beneath an incinerator. A little soap, a little water goes a long way,
baby. That and numerous other blatant errors she committed in how to display a
car-for-sale cost her a bit of green. There is a lesson here, if you're selling a car,
at least wash the damn thing.Although she received less than the asking price, the seller was very pleased. Now came the true test of faith. Rhode Island requires front and rear license plates, so we removed the front plate from my buddies Plymouth and attached to the Dart. Ok, we have 80 miles to drive with an unproven 30-year-old car and it's not insured or registered. Now I am sure that no one reading this has ever attempted such a brazenly illegal act as to drive a newly purchased car home prior to fulfilling your state's registration requirements. I beg your forgiveness. During the drive home, I was hypersensitive to anything resembling a squad car, I am listening to every stroke of each cylinder, each hydraulic surge of the transmission and each squeak and thump. Some 80 miles later, we are parked safely at home.
page loaded in 0.031 seconds
|