What made you drive a MoPar?

[qkcuda]

I worked in my Dad's gas station growing up. The mechanic was a Chrysler guy, and Dad owned a 64 New Yorker with a 413. I think that was the beginning, but what sealed the deal was a ride in a 67 GTX 440 4 speed we were tuning up. Since then I owned a series of 6 Barracudas and now a 66 Charger. I also owned a lot of daily driver Chrysler products, but not recently.

 

[like_A_pike]

SALT was the number one reason I started driving a '65 Dart in 1987. Yeah, that thick undercoat made those old cars hold up in New England better and in high school $300 was the budget for getting around. Nothing left of the other brands in that price point (LOL) I also thought it was beautiful. I learned it could handle getting banged around and it was very very dependable. I drove it year round in Western Massachusetts for 8 years. Longer than I've had any other daily to this day!

My favorite toy as a 6 year old was a Barracuda with a big rubber wheel in the middle that you threaded a rip cord through and pulled it out to make it go screaming across the floor. I also never forgot the Road runner sticker on the car of the same name. (bugs bunny fan). Later just thought mustangs were over represented and wanted to take the path less traveled. Almost gave up my last years college savings for a complete 1969 383 4 speed fastback that I fell in love with after a test drive, but I talked myself into staying the course. I'm glad I did... most days! I wouldn't have treated that car right anyway.

 

[sireland67]

My parents and all my grandparents and aunts and uncles drove mopars.

 

[65 Cuda 340]

Me and sis in front of Pop's 52 DeSoto. Looked stock, but had a 291 hemi (bored out from 276), heads milled .100, dual carbs, Mallory ignition and dual exhaust. Fast for the day.

Pop's 62 Polara 500 convertible was the first car I legally drove on the highway. 361 got replaced by a 440 in the spring of 68.

Pop bought a 67 Hemi Charger the fall of 1970, put over 100,000 miles on it, then gave it to me in 1983 after he blew the motor. Still have it today.

Have never owned a Chevy, and the only Ford I ever owned was a 49 pickup that I bought just to get running and flip. The old flathead did sound good, though.

 

[TX9Duster]

My father started working at Chrysler Corporation in the beginning of 1964, just before I was born. He had graduated from the Chrysler Institute a little while earlier, then was brought on full time, after graduation. He was in the computer programming department his whole career. Using the huge floor to ceiling reel to reel IBM TAB computers. His department generated the V.O.N. and V.I.N.#s for a variety of Chrysler vehicles. The IBM perforated cards that pop up occasionally, he and his department created those. So with that... I have owned some sort of Chrysler product, my entire life. So you can call me brand loyal I suppose.

First car I bought with my own money, was a 1969 Chrysler 300 convertible,
T7 Tuscon Bronze, black top and bucket seat interior, with a 440.
One of my dad's coworkers, had it listed for sale on the bulletin board at his work. He brought the flyer home
and him and I, checked it out a few days later. I loved it, and paid $1,500
in the summer of '84. My little brother owns it now.

 

[FISHYPETE]

I passed my drivers test with my dads 66 Barracuda.Then my first car, a 66 Formula S which I still have

 

[Sublime one]

340 Duster with super bad side board dust cyclones graphics from factory. It was love at first site. Never looked back. Mopar or no car!

 

[JDMopar]

My brother is 14 years older than me. He came to our Grandma's one Sunday for dinner, and had a brand new 65 Barracuda. 273 Commando, 4 speed. He took me to ride as soon as his wife got out of the car at Grandma's! Scared the living hell out of me, but I was laughing the whole way. Apparently, you could hear the tires boiling and the exhaust screaming quite aways from Grandma's house, cause my Mom read him the riot act for "Allegedly" driving like an idiot with his 8 year old brother in the car! I was hooked from then on, and his new 68 Roadrunner a few years later when he traded in the Barracuda was icing on the cake. I own both a 65 Barracuda Commando car and a 68 Roadrunner. Yep, it's my brothers fault!

 

[grjammer]

The memorable Mopar moments are many. I grew up in Dads Mopars, 54 Plymouth, 63 Polara, 70 Newport, and so on. His mother drove a baby blue demon. My cousin had a big block GTX that was a stunner. My first Mopar car purchase was a 70 super bee off of the military credit union lot for 650, bone stock 383 4 speed pistol grip car with 68k miles. I since then have built 4 2nd gen barracudas of all flavors, still owning a cream puff 69 that will be on the market soon!!

 

[71340]

My dad had many cars while I was growing up, he was not brand loyal, he just liked cars. The ones that stuck out to me and and molded my love for cars were a red 67 mustang GT fastback (289 hipo 4speed), gold 1967 olds 442 convertible (400 4speed), B5 1968 fury 3 convertible ( 383 auto), and a 999 rallye green 1969 roadrunner (383 4speed). My first car was a 1971 Firebird but my second was a 1971 tor red 340 duster (4speed), while I too have had many cars and brands over the years Mopar has always been my favorite.

 

[Minercar]

I grew up in a Mopar family, my dad his brothers and father all drove Mopars. (except for a while Grandma and Grandpa had a Checker, rear floor space between the front and rear seat was spacious to a wee lad like me). I think I may have told this story once before on this forum, but I remember once in 65, (so I was five at the time) we drove from Southern Illinois to Columbus, Indiana to see the Grandparents and mom and dads Fury II wagon was needing repairs so the dealer loaned us a Barracuda to use. Mom and Dad, and at the time, six of us kids piled into that car. I was one that got to lay in the back and look out that massive piece of glass. Made a lasting impression on me.

 

[Super-Cuda]

Here's what got me into Mopars!

I was 12 years old and lived next to a scrap yard. The yard's owner was also a stock car racer and one of his racing buddies owned this Hemi Daytona Charger. One Sunday , he pulled into the yard looking for Larry, the owner but missed him as he had already left. He asked me how long he was gone, I told him as I had also missed my ride to the track as well.

"Come on young fella, hop in, I haven't got all day"
I didn't need to be told twice so in I went.
What an experience!
I looked over at the speedo at one point and we were doing over 130!!

The sound that hemi made at speed was mesmerizing and stayed with me to this day...

Here's a pic of that same car which is still around , fully restored.

Cheers!!