So just how good was the A-Body back in its day?

I have owned and driven allot of cars, my favorite of all of them has been the first car I ever drove, my 73 gold duster.

When these were new competition was fierce amongst the big three. Novas and Camaros were far quieter cars to ride in with less NVH to boot, albeit at a weight penalty for the big heavy stub frames and sound deadening. The GM stuff definitely cost more than the a-body stuff too but you get what you pay for, and in some cases you payed for what you didn't want too. People bought A-Bodies because they were cheap, good, sturdy cars that held allot of payload for their size. Power to weight was superior too.

If you didn't mine the tinny sounding bodies and the symphony of sound inside these cars, they were a better deal than the more expensive Nova or to a lesser degree the Falcon/maverick stuff.

My Duster is the only car owned that has been burning up wiring and connectors since it was 5 yrs old. In spite of some of it's short comings in refinement and it was not in the running for most refined amongst it's competition when new either, this car has always resonated with me(slight pun intended). I particularly loathe the placement of the fusebox that acts as a water basin when the wiper pivots leak. I love the gracefully awkward lines and the tinny sound it makes when you close the trunk lid or slam the hood down.

The car still feels amazingly agile compared to newer cars because it is still a lightweight for it's size by today's standards. I think the smog era small blocks had better heads than my chevy stuff did and they make more power because of it. My lighter Duster will run circles around my 350 powered Camaro.

Not counting less reliable electrical than the chevy stuff and the noisy interior at road speed I still think these cars were put together very well and were a great value back in the day. The A-Body was Chryslers' best seller for several years and I think they sold more Duster's than Novas some years. I don't think Ford sold half as many Mavericks either. As a collectible these cars may be more sought after now than when they were new.