Classic Mopar as a daily... Crazy idea?

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So..in the warmer months I do pretty much daily drive my 75 360 Duster. It has been dubbed "The Work Car". I have a 60 mile a day round trip. I built this car to be a driver. It has no A/C, very mild Magnum headed LA 360, 727, 3.23 Sure Grip. The car is very reliable and gets around the same gas mileage as my 2019 Ram. I stop driving it late in the fall or when the first snow flies and break it back out early spring after the salt has washed off the roads. I'm in your corner here and say DO IT!! These cars were everyone's daily transportation at some point.

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I daily drove my A bodies thru spring, summer, fall and winter from 77 to 84. Putting on about 30,000 miles per year. I had 3 or ; A bodies per year. Then I bought my 68 Dart 270. I built it my way and it had an easy life. Sold it in 95. Got it back in 25. I bought my 75 duster 360 in 2011. I put 4,000 miles on it since then. I still have my 74 duster 360 4 gear car also. Kim
 
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DionR said:
I would love to have an SRT-4 Neon, but the idea of finding one with some life left in it is pretty daunting.

The FWD turbo cars are fun and would work well. There is an '88 Shelby Z T2 car for $3500 that just popped up locally. It's been sitting in a barn for years so would probably require some work to get running but the interior looks good and it would be a kick. Add a "Gus" valve and zener diode and go have fun with it.

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Looks stock too!! I'd think about this one. Might be too good to pass up
 

85glht said:
Looks stock too!! I'd think about this one. Might be too good to pass up
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I'm going to say someone already jumped on it, listing is gone. I know the guy who listed it and saw a comment where he said he was trying to get his wife to let him bring that one home, plus some others. I will have to ask him the next time I see him.
 
I've been using the newer Dart (2013-2016) for years now. I only go for the 2.0 SE model 2014 or newer, and the 6 speed Automatic is spot on (excellent.) While driving 65 on the Highway you get about 42mpg, 4 wheel disc brakes that seem to last forever, and very solid body. My son had about 170,000 on his, but just lost it in a flood. Couple little small issues, but nothing for a car guy.
 
MidnightSwinger said:
Camry V6 is a totally different animal than the 4cyl, but I don’t disagree that it’s a boring car.

The side impact on any 70’s vehicle is unacceptable if your life matters to you in a “oh ****, this is totally out of my control” situation. Like getting blindsided through an intersection.
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My daughter & her husband were T-boned 3 yr ago by a Cadillac Escalade. She's a Sales Manager for Andy Mohr & were driving a new Tyoda Camry & it was snowing, which lessened the hit little.
Whole right side caved in & tweeked the door frames & top of car. No pic, As once again I can't figure out how to send it!
Many hits won't be that bad, but a PU or SUV is over the top, so safety must be less.
Which leafs to snother question? Anyone ever put side beams in an A body or beefed up whats already there? Mods like that would at least make you feel more secure.
 
I believe 73 up A bodies have side impact beams in the doors. Every little helps. Don’t forget 67 and older A bodies don’t have a collapsable steering column so they are even more at risk. Kim
 
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Almost 2 years ago one of my two daily drivers at the time was and still is considered a classic car. Unfortunately I was rear ended by a semi truck and my very reliable 42 year old Mercedes W123 280E was totaled. That car was the best, forget going from A to B, it would take you all the way to Z. Maintenance was easy and there was no unnecessary computers to get in the way, the car just worked.

So, 100% you can daily drive a classic car, but not classic cars are reliable. For the good reliable-ish cars, learn as much as you can about the car and master it. As a mechanic, I knew what I was getting into and can learn what I need to easier. After getting my hands on a 73 A body Dart and experiencing things myself I can say a good maintained stock classic early 70s A body Mopar is 100% doable as a daily driver.
 
On the more door topic I saw a 69 Dart more door at the drag strip and it was fast... they can be made to run just like a 2 door and I m pretty sure the weight is close also.:thumbsup:
 
I daily drove my Dart when I was in high school. I loved it.

Now im 35 with two kids and a wife. Seen some bad accidents happen and no chance people would have survived if they were in an old car. I cant afford to die.
 
Dana67Dart said:
And over 55 + years the overwhelming majority of people driving our classic cars didn't die.
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Seems like maybe you should look up "survivor bias".

Accident and fatality rates per mile driven have declined steadily for most of the time between when these cars were built until now. Fatality rates have only recently begun creeping up in the last few years, but accident speeds have also increased substantially in that time so there's some changing variables.

Sorry, but there's no legitimate argument where these classic Mopars are anywhere near as safe as modern vehicles. It's not just not a thing. You either accept that risk and move on or you drive modern vehicles.
 
doogievlg said:
I daily drove my Dart when I was in high school. I loved it.

Now im 35 with two kids and a wife. Seen some bad accidents happen and no chance people would have survived if they were in an old car. I cant afford to die.
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Dana67Dart said:
And over 55 + years the overwhelming majority of people driving our classic cars didn't die.
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doogievlg said:
I daily drove my Dart when I was in high school. I loved it.

Now im 35 with two kids and a wife. Seen some bad accidents happen and no chance people would have survived if they were in an old car. I cant afford to die.
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I understand, but when I was about 25 I was hit head on my an 90 mph drunk in a big old Lincoln! I am 76 today, but God was my copilot!!
 
doogievlg said:
Now im 35 with two kids and a wife. I cant afford to die.
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Ok so what is your current height /weight?

What do you eat/drink daily?
Do you eat fast food?
Do you drink alcohol?
Do you get regular exercise?

All those things have big implications on lifespan.
 
My wife has 2018 Charger R/T. At over 100,000 miles it does not use any oil and still has the original brakes all around, on trips it gets 30+ mpg @ 75 mph. Never worried about crash worthiness in any of the old cars, daily driven up to 1996 when I bought a Plymouth Neon ACR coupe. Still drove a 73 Dart 4 door on summer trips to South Dakota and back from Maryland with three kids. I would not hesitate to take that car anywhere.
 
72bluNblu said:
Sorry, but there's no legitimate argument where these classic Mopars are anywhere near as safe as modern vehicles. It's not just not a thing. You either accept that risk and move on or you drive modern vehicles.
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Never said they were as safe, or safer, just pointed out that most people don't get into deadly accidents.

Here in Colorado we have 689 auto deaths and 5,100,000 automobiles, a rate of 0.000135 deadly accidents per registered car.

In California there were 4061 deaths and 30,400,000 automobiles, a rate of 0.000134

40,901 automobile deaths in the US, 285,000,000 automobiles in the US. 0.000144
 
413 said:
Ok so what is your current height /weight?

What do you eat/drink daily?
Do you eat fast food?
Do you drink alcohol?
Do you get regular exercise?

All those things have big implications on lifespan.
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I understand the point you are making. But just for giggles. Im 35, I could eat better. No drinking/smoking and yes regular exercise. Get my blood work done every year. My health is important to me.

When it comes to car wrecks. Lost my first friend to an accident when I was 20. When I turned 24 I stood over another dead friend and told the dispatcher to dont bother sending an ambulance. Learned some real valuable lessons at an early age. I could die tomorrow for a number of reasons but I consider the risks.
 
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