Need help with dart purchase

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Dexter

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Hi everyone,

I'm a first time buyer and wanted to get into something sporty to drive around this summer with my wife. I saw this posting here - Shannon Motors and was wondering if this was a good price for a dart sport? I looked the VIN up and it was originally an L6 225-1v and had the 340 installed at a later time. It's priced at $21.2k CAD. After looking up some similarly priced cars it does seem a bit off, or am I wrong? What sort of price would seem reasonable to offer? I live in Canada.

Forgive my lack of knowledge and thank you!
 
It might be a bit high, but difficult to make a real judgment without seeing/hearing/driving the car.
$16-$18K would be a decent price, if it checks out okay.

Check it out thoroughly for signs of rust. Look at the frame rails, look at the channels in the trunk and around the front windshield. Look at the quarter panels from inside the trunk to see if there was any obvious sign of panel replacement.

The first rule in buying classic cars is simple. Only spend what you can afford to. Don't miss a mortgage payment because you bought a Dart.
So, evaluate your finances and determine what your comfort level is. Since this is a dealership, they are gonna stick you with extra taxes and fees, so factor that in.

Also, that is the "asking" price. Find ways to de-value the car and get some money taken off that price. For instance, the car has an E-body console in it with a T-handle shifter from a 71-74 Challenger. I don't think that is the correct side stripe for a 76 Dart. The engine bay is painted black, instead of body color. The tail panel is blacked out, I think it's supposed to be body color.
These things don't make it a bad car, but you can use them to negotiate. Like I said, find a way to de-value the car.
 
First off it is not the most desirable year, but that is up to the person looking.
Second the “restoration” has things that don’t put it in the class of “correct”. For example the black engine bay, which many will nit pick immediately and then the E/B body console and shifter, which may not be bad as slap shift is cool.
You would have to go over it. To me, that money means the body is done correctly. The engine year will change the perceived value in it as well. The drivetrain should be rock solid, as in new suspension and components. The rest is superficial.
A 340 / auto / 8 3/4 in an A-body is a good combo to enjoy and surprise some folks.
It’s probably a little high being a dealer, but look at what people are asking on kijiji! Not saying they are getting it...... but.......
 
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I think it would be a good idea to look for another car.

That looks like a train wreck.
 
Welcome! Have you been looking for a Dart/Duster/Valiant for a while? How knowledgeable are you on cars in general (mechanically inclined, own tools?) and Mopars? If this is the first one you’ve come across I would strongly suggest to continue looking.

That has a Plymouth Duster rear tail panel/tail lights, yet is, according to the VIN and front end, a Dodge Dart Sport. It’s also got a brutal paint job that is probably hiding A LOT of rust or bondo. There appears to be rust bubbles forming in front of the rear driver wheel well. The trunk and engine bay are sprayed with black which, on a Mopar, screams it’s hiding something. It has what eppears to be an E-body centre console. Is it really a 340 block? I suspect it’s a 318 or 360 block. Regardless, there is so much wrong with that car at that price that it’s not even worth asking for a picture of the side of the block to confirm what displacement it is.

The sad thing is some uninformed buyer will probably pay close to asking price for that. They will love the high impact colour and all that flat black sprayed everywhere. And that’s all that used car dealer is going to care about.
 
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Dexter said:
Hi everyone,

I'm a first time buyer and wanted to get into something sporty to drive around this summer with my wife. I saw this posting here - Shannon Motors and was wondering if this was a good price for a dart sport? I looked the VIN up and it was originally an L6 225-1v and had the 340 installed at a later time. It's priced at $21.2k CAD. After looking up some similarly priced cars it does seem a bit off, or am I wrong? What sort of price would seem reasonable to offer? I live in Canada.

Forgive my lack of knowledge and thank you!
Click to expand...
I think it's priced AT LEAST twice what I think it's worth.
 
That thing (the listed '74) is a chunk of **** (IMO). Some dealers are jacking people because they have the ability to get you in the drivers seat of a "classic muscle car" for a monthly payment. Lots of buyers don't care about the total cost, just what it will cost right now.
 
I would not jump on the first train that comes along...it is a nice looking car, but it is a little jacked. Take the time and do some research and choose wisely, I would value the car in the low teens
 
Dexter said:
Hi everyone,

I'm a first time buyer and wanted to get into something sporty to drive around this summer with my wife. I saw this posting here - Shannon Motors and was wondering if this was a good price for a dart sport? I looked the VIN up and it was originally an L6 225-1v and had the 340 installed at a later time. It's priced at $21.2k CAD. After looking up some similarly priced cars it does seem a bit off, or am I wrong? What sort of price would seem reasonable to offer? I live in Canada.

Forgive my lack of knowledge and thank you!
Click to expand...


Hi Dexter,

Here's a little help from a fellow Canadian!

I have personally seen and heard this car running. Its as the owner presents it.

1974 Plymouth Scamp - Musgravetown, Newfoundland Labrador | NL Classifieds

You couldn't build this car for what the owner wants for it. Personally, I would change the color but it has great bones !
 
Dexter said:
Hi everyone,

I'm a first time buyer and wanted to get into something sporty to drive around this summer with my wife. I saw this posting here - Shannon Motors and was wondering if this was a good price for a dart sport? I looked the VIN up and it was originally an L6 225-1v and had the 340 installed at a later time. It's priced at $21.2k CAD. After looking up some similarly priced cars it does seem a bit off, or am I wrong? What sort of price would seem reasonable to offer? I live in Canada.

Forgive my lack of knowledge and thank you!
Click to expand...
I absolutely do not want to discourage you in your wishes to own a classic car, but I think that given your lack of knowledge and experience, you should find someone who is knowledgeable and experienced in old cars. I see plenty of red flags in the pictures that would make me run away from this particular car, most of them already have been pointed out by the member comments above.
The best thing you can do is spend a little cash to have an appraiser or certified mechanic do a thorough inspection before you commit anything towards the purchase. If the seller has any objections to the car being inspected, that would tell you all you need to know. Even if you were to have a member here that was close and willing to give it a good once over, it could save you a ton of money and grief.
Just my .02.
There are also lots of cars for sale on the site here, from projects to finished and ready to roll. Same thing applies, get it checked out before you buy.
 
What he said! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
Welcome to the site, and thanks for asking our opinion on this car.

Do NOT buy this car.
I have made it a point to specialize in the A-Bodies '73 to '76 especially Dart Sports.
This car is a thrown together and over priced P.O.S.

There are a lot of clues to the condition of the car, and I'll name a few that I see without looking at the car in person.

It IS a '76 Dart Sport 225 slant 6 car originally.
It also looks like it came with a column shifted automatic.
Fair enough, a lot of them came this way.
But the dealer's description of the car is lame.
''Good Summer Cruiser'' and that's it?
This is the first red flag.

I won't spend a lot of time picking it all apart, but here are some of the big red flags IMHO.

-'76 Dart Sport with a '73 to '76 tail panel and tail lights? Why was this changed?
-Speedometer and gauge cluster are out of an earlier car and the speedo needle is stuck at 20 or so M.P.H.
('75 and '76 cars came with a 100 M.P.H. speedo, not a 120 M.P.H. one as is installed in car as well as the warning lights at the bottom left should be 3 round holes not 1)
-Black paint in the trunk and engine compartments as well as the rocker panels is an easy cover up for rust and flaws.
-The paint job itself looks to be a quickie job.......I wonder how much rust in the lower quarters that it has if there's bubbling already? Not to mention the bondo it probably has everywhere.
-It doesn't even have a windshield washer bottle.......it's illegal (for a dealership) to sell a car that can't pass a mechanical inspection.

There are also the nit picky small things as well like the windshield washer hoses and nozzles painted the same time the car was........it takes under 5 minutes to remove them, this is the quality of detail that was used when the body was done.
Then the E-Body/B-Body console, a couple of the nuts that hold the hood scoop on are missing, the ratty wiring, etc.

Don't buy this car!
 
First and foremost, thank you, THANK YOU! To everyone that replied. I'm young and looking to start a family soon as well as buy a house, and it looks like a dodged a bullet avoiding this. I do want to own a classic car but I may save my money for now. Funny enough, when I phoned the dealer he was really muffled speaking and didn't know much about the car at all. He mentioned little to nothing you guys mentioned, besides the obvious small amount of rust in the wheelwell. The car just seemed off when comparing to other darts in price and looks. It makes me wonder if the dealer got screwed by someone when they got the vehicle.

Thanks again everyone!
 
Dartnut said:
Welcome to the site, and thanks for asking our opinion on this car.

Do NOT buy this car.
I have made it a point to specialize in the A-Bodies '73 to '76 especially Dart Sports.
This car is a thrown together and over priced P.O.S.

There are a lot of clues to the condition of the car, and I'll name a few that I see without looking at the car in person.

It IS a '76 Dart Sport 225 slant 6 car originally.
It also looks like it came with a column shifted automatic.
Fair enough, a lot of them came this way.
But the dealer's description of the car is lame.
''Good Summer Cruiser'' and that's it?
This is the first red flag.

I won't spend a lot of time picking it all apart, but here are some of the big red flags IMHO.

-'76 Dart Sport with a '73 to '76 tail panel and tail lights? Why was this changed?
-Speedometer and gauge cluster are out of an earlier car and the speedo needle is stuck at 20 or so M.P.H.
('75 and '76 cars came with a 100 M.P.H. speedo, not a 120 M.P.H. one as is installed in car as well as the warning lights at the bottom left should be 3 round holes not 1)
-Black paint in the trunk and engine compartments as well as the rocker panels is an easy cover up for rust and flaws.
-The paint job itself looks to be a quickie job.......I wonder how much rust in the lower quarters that it has if there's bubbling already? Not to mention the bondo it probably has everywhere.
-It doesn't even have a windshield washer bottle.......it's illegal (for a dealership) to sell a car that can't pass a mechanical inspection.

There are also the nit picky small things as well like the windshield washer hoses and nozzles painted the same time the car was........it takes under 5 minutes to remove them, this is the quality of detail that was used when the body was done.
Then the E-Body/B-Body console, a couple of the nuts that hold the hood scoop on are missing, the ratty wiring, etc.

Don't buy this car!
Click to expand...

Agree, it looks like a lot of lipstick topside and nothing underneath.

Are the bucket seats mounted a little cockeyed or is it me, lol.

17,500.00 American = no way in my book.
 
Dexter said:
First and foremost, thank you, THANK YOU! To everyone that replied. I'm young and looking to start a family soon as well as buy a house, and it looks like a dodged a bullet avoiding this. I do want to own a classic car but I may save my money for now. Funny enough, when I phoned the dealer he was really muffled speaking and didn't know much about the car at all. He mentioned little to nothing you guys mentioned, besides the obvious small amount of rust in the wheelwell. The car just seemed off when comparing to other darts in price and looks. It makes me wonder if the dealer got screwed by someone when they got the vehicle.

Thanks again everyone!
Click to expand...
Welcome to the site, forgot to mention that in my earlier post.:welcome:
 
Bad Sport said:
Agree, it looks like a lot of lipstick topside and nothing underneath.

Are the bucket seats mounted a little cockeyed or is it me, lol.

17,500.00 American = no way in my book.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I noticed that too.
And, I didn't get into the drive train at all.
If the rest of the car looks like that, how well do you think they paid a lot of attention to the engine, trans, rear end and gears, and the suspension?

Sure, my car has a lot of defects, but I realize the defects and it is all of my doing.
But, I will say that my car is dead nuts reliable and SAFE.
It's one thing to have a car ''thrown together with what you have and make it safe and reliable'' and one that is ''thrown together without thought for profit''.
That is what we have here with this '76 Dart Sport, a polished turd.

And to you Dexter, there are some very good cars out there for decent deals.
Be patient.
This is a rip off, and they don't care........
Most car dealerships are about the money and nothing else, and if they can't describe the car honestly or give details about the ''resto'', then run away, don't walk!
 
Dexter said:
Hi everyone,

I'm a first time buyer and wanted to get into something sporty to drive around this summer with my wife. I saw this posting here - Shannon Motors and was wondering if this was a good price for a dart sport? I looked the VIN up and it was originally an L6 225-1v and had the 340 installed at a later time. It's priced at $21.2k CAD. After looking up some similarly priced cars it does seem a bit off, or am I wrong? What sort of price would seem reasonable to offer? I live in Canada.

Forgive my lack of knowledge and thank you!
Click to expand...
Dexter
I live on the other side of the border in Alberta and would have to agree with the rest of the membership. There are too many mods to this car to justify the asking price. I would continue looking. There are some very knowledgeable enthusiasts in BC and I can help steer you in their direction if you would like some help. Cheers
 
Dexter said:
Hi everyone,

I'm a first time buyer and wanted to get into something sporty to drive around this summer with my wife. I saw this posting here - Shannon Motors and was wondering if this was a good price for a dart sport? I looked the VIN up and it was originally an L6 225-1v and had the 340 installed at a later time. It's priced at $21.2k CAD. After looking up some similarly priced cars it does seem a bit off, or am I wrong? What sort of price would seem reasonable to offer? I live in Canada.

Forgive my lack of knowledge and thank you!
Click to expand...
 
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