Early vs. Late dusters

318willrun said
too many "what if's", to figure what could go wrong, Dan. What if the kid buys what he thinks is a good running Duster and it leaves him in the middle of nowhere on the second day because dirt got on the needle and seat? Or an electrical issue?? Again, too many "WHAT IF'S". HOW ABOUT THIS ONE : They have pollution inspection in Colorado, what if the car don't pass emission test ???????? oH bOY !!!!!! '75 SHOULD HAVE A CAT... DOES IT?? CHARCOAL CANISTER???? ALL HOOKED UP????
:lol:
Now that I think about it more ..... FOR SURE THE 72 !!!!!!

You brought up some good points. Here in Missouri where I live there's no pollution inspection required and you can remove the catalytic converters. I don't remember, does the '72 have a charcoal canister? Also in Missouri you don't need front and rear license plates until '72. I have to admit that I really like the older cars, I think that it's awesome to get what you can from them without spending the big bucks. I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience with the sbm's.

missing linc said
I stated my opinion earlier, and it's based on real experience. In 1992 I bought my second 1970 Dart, a non running 318/904 car. The seller told me that the transmission was done, and he and his son had started to take it apart, but the son quickly lost interest and after it sitting in the front yard for a year or longer, his wife said it had to go.
I paid $70.00 for it, and had it towed home. I was working full-time and I had been pulling wrenches for more than 10 years by then, but it still took 3 weeks of working on it nights and weekends before I got to drive it, not to mention at least $1500.00 in parts costs.
I had a friend rebuild the transmission for me, I did the remove and reinstall on the driveway, and I installed new brakes, master cylinder, 2 wheel cylinders, complete exhaust, 2 front fenders (rusted), 4 used tires, pinion seal, u joints, tie rods, all new cooling system hoses and a radiator. When I wasn't working on it, I was tracking down parts, a much easier task 25 years ago than today.
That's the reality.

That's what I was talking about earlier, tracking down parts. With a newbie this can be very discouraging, that and the cost factor is why I suggest starting him off with a car that's easier and more affordable to get parts for. I said awhile back that a neighbor scraped his '74 dart sport because of no interior trim pieces being available. He bought a nova that was a roller, what work it needed I don't know but I do know that it was on the road in a couple of months. He wasted more time looking on the internet for parts for the dart than it took to get the nova running. He did find some of the needed pieces but they were junk too, so both time and money wasted. I believe it's a good idea to see what's available both new and used before buying a car. I have avoided some mopars just for the reason that parts were hard to get. Myself, I'd rather be enjoying my car than spending lots of time searching for parts. I understand that most here are going to disagree with me on this and that's okay. Just my. 02 worth. I wish him all the luck with what ever he buys and welcome him to the hobby. It can be enjoyable