HERE'S WHAT $3300.00 or so would get you in 1971

[transman]

In 1971 I had a 69 383/TF727 Roadrunner hardtop, a luxo barge. Really a nice A4 Platinum painted car that was a joy to drive. The only problem was everytime it saw a gas station, it wanted to turn in.
Tired of not passing by a gas station I made my mind up to get a smaller vehicle. At the local Plymouth dealership were a bunch of Dusters and walking through the lot this little yellow car with the black vinyl bench seat with the fold down center arm rest, rubber floor mats, am radio, 340/TF727, no power steering or brakes, black hockey stick strips just screamed BUY ME, BUY ME.

For 5 years I enjoyed this hot-rod, that gave better mileage than the Road Runner. Took it everywhere we went. I hated to sell it, but with the arrival of my son, it seemed a more practical vehicle was in order. Sold it to a kid that was a neighbour of one of the guys I worked with, and unfortuneatly he treated it badly. Don't know what happened to it, but he had an accident with it, and sold it to someone else.

Just amazing what you could walk into your local MOPAR dealer and get for around $3300.00 back in 1971.

By the looks of this photo, and on a bad guess the car was probably about 2 weeks old. Its the only photo I've got of the car. Wish I'd now taken a lot more when it still smelled the way new cars do, and before any modifications were don.

transman

 

[Bad Sport]

It's a shame, and by the mid to late 70's I was buying used cars like that for 2,3,4 hundred dollars.

In 1977-8 I bought one of these for 400 bucks. Had a 383/auto, I bought it from the lady that purchased it brand new. It was still in very good condition then, if i only knew then what i know now. :banghead:

This isn't the car, just a photo I grabbed. I lost all of my old car pics.

View attachment th.jpg

 

[1968FormulaS340]

$3,300 is $19,130.30 in todays money.

 

[1968dartman]

in 1976 I bought a 73 340 4 speed Challenger for $3300.00!!

 

[74Dusted]

$3,300 is $19,130.30 in todays money.

Still CHEAP for a car such as a Road Runner. What would a comparable Challenger set you back these days?

Of course, I only paid $630 for my '74 Duster (in 2005-ish), $500 for my '73 340 Duster (last year), $1,000 for my '72 Demon (a few years ago). In the last 10 years or so, I've never paid more than $1,000 for any particular A-Body. Some of em being very nice original 340 cars too.

 

[WildCat]

In 1976 bought a 375 hp 396 4 speed SS Chevelle for $500 the guy needed money for a down payment on a new Laguna S3

Bought a 69 Charger SE that had a spun bearing in a 383 for $425

1977 bought a 1967 Formula S 4 speed Barracuda for $125 needed front header panel and engine changed

Bought my 1st new car. A 1977 Aspen custom T-Top and fully loaded list $6900 paid $6300

1978 my 1972 340 rally challenger $1550

1979 bought a 1971 Cuda Convertible 383 auto that was curious yellow, black top and interior $850

But I didn't make as much money then as I do now. Yeah it seems cheap but cost of living was so much less. It was still a lot of money.

Passed on a 1970 HEMI CUDA for $6,000 that was really nice in 1986

Fast forward all the way to 1993 my 67 Dart convertible $1,700, no it didn't look like it does today but was a nice looking driver. Had a cheap white paint job, good top and decent interior slant 6 auto.

 

[transman]

In 1976 bought a 375 hp 396 4 speed SS Chevelle for $500 the guy needed money for a down payment on a new Laguna S3

Bought a 69 Charger SE that had a spun bearing in a 383 for $425

1977 bought a 1967 Formula S 4 speed Barracuda for $125 needed front header panel and engine changed

Bought my 1st new car. A 1977 Aspen custom T-Top and fully loaded list $6900 paid $6300

1978 my 1972 340 rally challenger $1550

1979 bought a 1971 Cuda Convertible 383 auto that was curious yellow, black top and interior $850

But I didn't make as much money then as I do now. Yeah it seems cheap but cost of living was so much less. It was still a lot of money.

Passed on a 1970 HEMI CUDA for $6,000 that was really nice in 1986

Fast forward all the way to 1993 my 67 Dart convertible $1,700, no it didn't look like it does today but was a nice looking driver. Had a cheap white paint job, good top and decent interior slant 6 auto.

Yup too many cars too little money. In 1973 when I worked for a GM dealership, I got called out to see a car at lunch time that was in the used car lot by one of our body men. 6 Gearheads standing around looking at a green Baracuda convertible. All of us saying what an ugly car it was. Black top, black&white houndscheck interior, no power steering, no power brakes. Take 'er home for I remember, for about $4400.00. Oh, I forgot to mention, it was a 70 Hemi Cuda. All of us experts laughed at the funny combination. Car ended up wrecked, and while the body hit the scrap yard, I believe the power train ended up in some B body race car. Only other HEMI I had a chance to buy was in 78 or 79. Orange hardtop, 4 speed, original owner who was one of my then customers who needed the $$$$. Had to pass on this $7000.00 deal, as the mortgage, 2 kids, and a non-working wife took priority. Ahhh if we'd only known then what we know now, I'd still have my 64 Dodge 2dr hardtop, the RoadRunner and the Duster, oh yeah, and my 59 Plymouth 2 door sedan, V8 with a powerflite.

 

[67Dart273]

In 1971 I had a 69 383/TF727 Roadrunner hardtop, a luxo barge............................

At the local Plymouth dealership were a bunch of Dusters ...........this little yellow car with the black vinyl bench seat with the fold down center arm rest, rubber floor mats, am radio, 340/TF727, no power steering or brakes, black hockey stick strips just screamed BUY ME, BUY ME. ..................................

Just amazing what you could walk into your local MOPAR dealer and get for around $3300.00 back in 1971.

I would never call a Road Runner a "luxo barge."

At about this very same time, I had a 383 4 spd Road Runner, and had saved up a little to go through the brakes, buy tires, and re-paint the car. I made a "fatal" phone call to say hi to a friend up in Sac. (I was at NAS Miramar) He says, "why put all that into yours, BUY MINE?"

"Mine" was a 70 440-6, Dana 60, 4 speed, Cyclone headers, nice wheels, knee knocker aftermarket A/C, and about 30K on the clock. I don't remember exactly, I think I gave him 2800

(If I remember right the 440-6 option was about 1000 extra)

The car before I owned it. George had just won a trophy in pure stock I think at Lions

That's right, skinny little me at maybe, 24 years old. The "dust trails" and other emblems got left off during a repaint. Two little gals in a Datsun a-holed the car stopped in traffic. They are very lucky they were not hurt bad, they were "window shopping"

I have no good photos of the 70, and none of the 69

 

[Dart_Vader]

In 1990 I bought my very first car: A 1971 Duster with a 318. It was painted black but had plum Crazy Purple underneath. I paid $800 for it.

In 1991 I bought a 1970 GTO Judge for $4475 off of a used car lot. It was numbers matching and in good shape. Imagine if I had kept it....

 

[transman]

I would never call a Road Runner a "luxo barge."

At about this very same time, I had a 383 4 spd Road Runner, and had saved up a little to go through the brakes, buy tires, and re-paint the car. I made a "fatal" phone call to say hi to a friend up in Sac. (I was at NAS Miramar) He says, "why put all that into yours, BUY MINE?"

"Mine" was a 70 440-6, Dana 60, 4 speed, Cyclone headers, nice wheels, knee knocker aftermarket A/C, and about 30K on the clock. I don't remember exactly, I think I gave him 2800

(If I remember right the 440-6 option was about 1000 extra)

The car before I owned it. George had just won a trophy in pure stock I think at Lions

That's right, skinny little me at maybe, 24 years old. The "dust trails" and other emblems got left off during a repaint. Two little gals in a Datsun a-holed the car stopped in traffic. They are very lucky they were not hurt bad, they were "window shopping"

I have no good photos of the 70, and none of the 69

Going by a bad memory the Runner I owned had:
383/TF727, PS/PB, VINYL ROOF, BUCKET SEATS WITH CENTER CONSOLE, AIR GRABBER HOOD, TACH, DUAL MIRRORS, FENDER MOUNTED TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR, PEDAL DRESSUP PACKAGE, AM RADIO WITH I THINK 8 TRACK, CARPET AND SOME SORT OF FACTORY STEEL WHEELS. I know that most Roadrunners I knew of at the time were pretty basic, so that's why I called the one I owned a Luxo-barge. Great car, and one heck of a highway car.