Demon vs Duster Production Numbers.

[Mr Gorsky]

Hi All,

I recently purchased a '72 Demon because I'm a lapsed Catholic and this is my way of sticking my middle finger up at the church. Not really. Yes I am a lapsed Catholic, no I'm not flipping the bird at The Lord. Well, not much. If I really wanted to upset the big fella, I'd have hung out for a '71

Anyway, this website tells me that Mother sold a million more Dusters than Demon/Dart Sports.
Sure, the Plymouth had a years head start....but that only counts for a few hundred thou. The best year for the Duster was 1974?? WTH??

Production Figures

So many questions, so few answers. Please dear readers, explain to this heathen the factors that led the now dearly departed Plymouth to the top of the sales charts in the battle for the early '70's A body title.

Regards,

Mr G.

 

[Dartnut]

For one, they were cheaper than the Darts and advertised more heavily........

 

[DFX 340 Duster]

The Duster line offered more variety that not only appealed to the performance crowd but also with parents who didn't mind buying their kids a Gold Duster or a Space Duster.

 

[Mr Gorsky]

Thanks gents.

Yeah, I was late to this party so please forgive my ignorance....the rest of the interwebs is pretty ordinary. The sales dominance of the Duster is extraordinary when you consider that the two cars are basically the same. Price, yeah okay, that would account for a lot I guess.

I've just stumbled upon (and ordered) Steve Statham's book Dodge Dart and Plymouth Duster ($25 from his website). Does anyone have a list of the prices broken down into models and years, or a link?

 

[- Marvin -]

Thanks gents.

Yeah, I was late to this party so please forgive my ignorance....the rest of the interwebs is pretty ordinary. The sales dominance of the Duster is extraordinary when you consider that the two cars are basically the same. Price, yeah okay, that would account for a lot I guess.

I've just stumbled upon (and ordered) Steve Statham's book Dodge Dart and Plymouth Duster ($25 from his website). Does anyone have a list of the prices broken down into models and years, or a link?

Good, informative book.

You'll find in it production numbers and base prices, but only for the HP - versions (340/360).

For the standard Dusters and Demons/Dart Sports I recommend the Standard Catalog of American Cars (J.Gunnell): and the Duster / Demon Source Book (S.A.Shields)

Without HP - Versions (except Darts the last years of production):

1970: Duster 192375 / 2172 $ base price
1971: Duster 173592 / 2313 $
1972: Duster 212311 / 2287 $
1973: Duster 249243 / 2346 $
1974: Duster 277409 / 2829 $
1975: Duster 118710 / 3243 $
1976: Duster 34681 / 3216 $

1971: Demon 69861 / 2343 $
1972: Demon 39880 / 2316 $
1973: Dart Sport 68113 / 2369 $
1974: Dart Sport 63518 / 2878 $
1975: Dart Sport 37192 / 3297 $ (incl. 360s)
1976: Dart Sport 13627 / 3297 $ (incl. 360s)

Not included are - maybe - the export cars, surely not the Duster / Demons / Dart Sports manufactured outside of the USA (Mexico, Switzerland, South Africa....)

 

[- Marvin -]

....only for comparison:

In the early seventies GM sold every year between 300000 and 400000 Novas ( not counting the Apollos, Venturas, Omegas and other derivates...)

 

[Mr Gorsky]

Thanks Marvin, that's great information.

Looking at those prices I can see that while the Dodge's were more expensive, they were never more than $100 dearer. Clearly price wasn't the main reason Plymouth hammered Dodge in the hunt for buyers.

Yes more variants were introduced in the Plymouth line, that would account for some of the difference.....but a million over six years??

Now I'm wondering whether Dodge's choice of the name "Demon" poisoned the well from the get go, it clearly didn't help.

 

[Pawned]

A 1971 Plymouth Duster 198 c.i. 1bbl carb. 3 sp on the tree manual transmission with AM radio and cigar lighter.
$2532.08 new

 

[Mr Gorsky]

^^^Nice stripe!

So what made you choose the Plymouth??

 

[Pawned]

I was 17 and wanted a car. My father would not let me get a car used or new. One day he calls me up and says what color car do I want? The brown or the blue? I ask what the difference was and he says the brown one has a cigar lighter. So I tell him the brown one.
Then I ask, what kind of car did I just buy?

 

[yellow rose]

Thanks Marvin, that's great information.

Looking at those prices I can see that while the Dodge's were more expensive, they were never more than $100 dearer. Clearly price wasn't the main reason Plymouth hammered Dodge in the hunt for buyers.

Yes more variants were introduced in the Plymouth line, that would account for some of the difference.....but a million over six years??

Now I'm wondering whether Dodge's choice of the name "Demon" poisoned the well from the get go, it clearly didn't help.

You can blame Pat Robertson and the so called moral majority for killing the demon name. I remember going to my first concert. It was Alice Cooper and the same wing nuts that didn't like the Demon name, and who claimed to affect advertisers and the like, were the same ones who were outside the concert telling me I was going to hell. I ain't yet dead yet.

Iron Maiden, Ozzy, Motley Crue, Dio, hell I can't think of them all, Yngwie, all had them out there chipping at us.

So the name Demon was replaced in 73 for Dart Sport. Business should learn that tyrannical minority's get bored and go home if you ignore them.


Hell, I'm listening to the Best of Budgie right now...

 

[Mr Gorsky]

Good, informative book.

You'll find in it production numbers and base prices, but only for the HP - versions (340/360).

For the standard Dusters and Demons/Dart Sports I recommend the Standard Catalog of American Cars (J.Gunnell): and the Duster / Demon Source Book (S.A.Shields) ......

Bought this one today, thanks Marvin.

 

[- Marvin -]

You are welcome - 'Gerne geschehen' as we say here in Vienna..