5k: Brown on Brown: 1979 Plymouth Volaré Duster
This next feature isn’t going to be big if you (a) can’t remember the ’70s, (b) didn’t like the ’70s, (c) don’t enjoy driving slow/horrible cars, or (d) actually owned one of these cars in the ’70s. Not only did the Dodge Aspen/ Plymouth Volaré win the 1976 Motor Trend “Car of the Year” prize, but it was so totally plagued by quality defects (and recalls) that it almost
caused Chrysler to go bankrupt. Find this 1979 Plymouth Volaré Duster offered for $3,900 in San Dimas, CA via craigslist.
The seller offers this thing as a Duster, but this should not be confused with the original (1970-1976) Valiant based automobile that Lee Iacocca described as: “The Dart and Valiant ran forever, and they should never have been dropped.” This is the car that replaced them, described by Iacocca as “cars that often started to come apart after only a year or two.” Yikes!
It really can’t be that bad, because this car is offered from the original owner and described as having “original paint, carpeting and upholstery.” The 225 cubic inch slant-6 under the hood produces something around 90 horsepower and is mated to a 3-speed automatic transmission.
Hey — it’s missing the passenger side window louver — that’s it, I’m out. tips@dailyturismo.com
Did El Jefe just drop the mike? That's mighty OG of him.
With variants like the Sunrise (for the vampire set, I suppose), Sport Wagon (Where's the beef?), Super Coupe (Supper Cup), Super/Sport Pak (saved some money by dropping the "c" there) and Kit Car(?!?…aw, forget it – too easy), it's hard to believe that the Aspen/Volaré weren't enormous successes, reliability and quality be damned.
BTW, some of these were produced in Mexico and sold in the States…missed it for the last Twister by that much!
[img] i.imgur.com/Uy6H89n.jpg?1[/img]
And then there's this; the Monteverdi Sierra. It gives WTF a whole new meaning.
[img] i.imgur.com/eICa0e3.jpg?1[/img]
youtube.com/watch?v=mkWhkKVvqHU
Lee I. was about to take over Chrysler when they gave him a ride in one of these they had a rope tied to the rear doors so they would not open while driving ! WTF
"This next feature isn't going to be big if you (a) can't remember the '70s, (b) didn't like the '70s, (c) don't enjoy driving slow/horrible cars, or (d) actually owned one of these cars in the '70s"
This gave me a chuckle. Then I realized that a, b, c & d don't apply to me and that's probably why I like these cars. I'll take it one step further…I consider this the last great car Plymouth made. It is RWD after all.
It's in San Dimas? Excellent!
youtube.com/watch?v=rE3bc8rCy6Q
Duuuude.
San Dimas high school football rules!!
I traded our (outgrown, nice car) Pinto Wagon on a new Volare Station wagon based on Consumers Reports glowing review. I liked the looks and the size of the Plymouth. Well, it was a piece of junk from the very day of delivery, where it was missing a rear window crank and had a clutch that slipped so badly the car wouldn't climb the slight hill out of town. the only car I drove that was even worse was a Dodge Dynasty ( a company car, not my choice). Needless to say, I have not shopped Mopar ever since.
I traded our (outgrown, nice car) Pinto Wagon on a new Volare Station wagon based on Consumers Reports glowing review. I liked the looks and the size of the Plymouth. Well, it was a piece of junk from the very day of delivery, where it was missing a rear window crank and had a clutch that slipped so badly the car wouldn't climb the slight hill out of town. the only car I drove that was even worse was a Dodge Dynasty ( a company car, not my choice). Needless to say, I have not shopped Mopar ever since.
Who could blame you? "Die Nasty" is what we used to call them.
[img] i.imgur.com/FmPg3s3.jpg?1[/img]
My Grandmother, after a lifetime of full size RWD Chryslers (my Grandfather would go to police auctions and pick up a pair of whatever was going out of style… Monaco's, Gran Fury's etc) went with a brand new Dynasty V6 in 1992. By 1998 it was burning more oil than fuel, rusting at the door seam, and missing teeth on the flywheel. 60,000 miles. Way to go Chrysler. After that, it was a Ford Escort wagon (late 90's) that lasted her until she passed this December and is still going strong, believe it or not, in the hands of my teenage cousins.
Also, K2, where did you get that picture? It's awesome. Super detailed.
These weren't too bad by 1979. The Slant Six and Torqueflite were bullet proof and the fender rust issues that plagued the early models had been solved by then. The Aspen/Volare were the basis for the M-bodies – the Dodge Diplomat, Chrysler New Yorker/Fifth Avenue, and (in Canada) Plymouth Caravelle that were built until the late 1980's. The Diplomat was a common cop car in the 1980's and lasted in taxi service well into the '90's.