After having virtually visited Eugene, Oregon, I’ve chosen another random city to see what automotive delicacies are available. This time it’s Indianapolis. With a population of 855,000 compared to the 166,000 in Eugene the number of cars older than 1990 and less than $6500 was only thrice as much.
A pleasant surprise was the number of Chrysler products on offer in Indianapolis, such as this grasshopper green 1977 Dodge Monaco.
While the sheer awesomeness of those stacked headlights are an opiate of the finest quality, I’ve never been too excited about the rear of these. Now, perhaps due to my advancing age, that sentiment has softened. This is a nice looking car and I’d love to blast it around that racetrack on the west side of Indy – as much as its choked 318 would allow, anyway.
It’s amazing how some innocent thing will stimulate long latent memories. Seeing this interior reminded me of some horrible childhood song that had the lyrics “great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts…”. There’s nothing greasy or grimy about this interior at all.
Ma Mopar certainly had a thing for green in 1977 as evidenced by this New Yorker located in Fishers, Indiana. Maybe it’s due to their having no green in the bank. This divine Chrysler is a mean, green, 440 powered machine.
While the interior is the same shade of green as the Monaco (there is a shadow here), nothing about gophers springs to mind.
These seats fascinate me, perhaps due to having zero experience with them. I’m guessing they are either deceptively comfortable or are like sitting on jello.
One would seem to think Indianapolis would always be chock-full of Studebakers for sale. That’s not the case but as of November 18 there are Chrysler C-bodies aplenty, such as this 1971 Fury.
The owner of this Plymouth seems to be a realistic guy with a strong streak of salesman as he says:
Nothing on this is perfect. Rather this car is an amazingly good “driver”. It is the car people actually want when they want an old muscle car. Nobody wants a $50,000 Cuda, cause if you drive it, it ceases to be worth $50K. You want a car for the road, then you want something like an Impala, a Fairlane, or a Fury. Roll the windows down, cruise a 2 lane, and not worry about an acorn ruining your car.
It started life with a 318 but now has a 383.
For one last C-body, here’s a 54,000 mile 1968 Dodge Polara. Given the appearance of the rear rocker panels, this is an Indiana car.
In addition to the preponderance of C-bodies, there are also an inordinate number of ambulances / hearses for sale. All are based on GM passenger cars, such as this 1965 Buick Wildcat. It started life in California, with an excursion to Idaho, before landing in Madaryville, Indiana.
Another hearse / ambulance listing embodies all the warmth, generosity, and altruism of a typical Craigslist ad. It is for this combination of Pontiac ambulances located in Muncie and priced at $695 each. From the ad:
I’ll apologize now for my bad attitude towards CL buyers.
I will answer no questions. If you cant figure out if these cars are worth the money by reading this and looking at the photos then please dont contact me. NO TITLES, THEY DO NOT RUN. YOU CANT DRIVE THEM HOME. I DONT KNOW IF THE ENGINES TURN.
No doubt he’s experiencing a veritable stampede to his door.
Let’s continue our look at the unusual, this time from the 1980s.
Yes, indeed, it’s one of the few Merkur XR4Ti’s that are left. This is a true unicorn these days and I catch myself wanting to say “Murk-er” instead of “Mur-core”. This is a Ford Sierra for everyone outside North America.
Be careful to not get it confused with the GMC Sierra.
That’s not the only Ford product that’s as abundant as rooster’s teeth. This 1973 Mercury Montego isn’t something one can find with any degree of regularity. It’s still a Torino in drag, and this Mercury is advertised as being a former drag-race car.
Also built in 1973, these Oldsmobile Cutlass Supremes used to be as common as dirt. Now, not so much. This particular one is advertised as having only 30,000 miles and despite a few external blemishes, it is advertised as being capable of driving to California.
If something in the Midwest has its capabilities touted by being able to drive to California, it makes me wonder what those in California say; might it be “this car is so good, it’ll drive you to Indiana?”. Maybe they just say it’ll go from Encino to Culver City.
Did I mention there were a lot of Chrysler products around Indianapolis? Well, there are. Another premium example is this 1988 Dodge Ram Charger.
Ram Charger has got to be one of the best, toughest sounding names ever applied to any vehicle. I’ve driven quite a few of these and the capability lived up to the name.
Here’s a Dodge pickup commercial from 1986. Why isn’t something like this done again? These are such phenomenally awesome pickups.
While we’ve seen some intriguing verbiage in ads, sometimes the pictures themselves are just as interesting. Take this 1972 Datsun pickup, for example. It’s been lowered four inches and the owner has had his fun with it.
But look at this picture carefully. It looks like the Ford is about to gobble up that Datsun for a snack.
In scouring these classifieds, I’ve tried to choose cars that appear to be in somewhat regular use (the ambulances don’t count), provide a broader appeal, and are ones that just aren’t that common anymore. It’s all subjective to a degree, but this last car is simply too good to not include. The name isn’t uncommon, but the car itself is due to its abbreviated physical appearance.
So, to conclude, I present….
This 1980 Plymouth Volare coupe. Looking pristine on the inside, this Plymouth would be a fun ride for its new owner, eagerly offering up every one of its 225 cubic inches of throbbing ecstasy, all tamed and calmed by the wonderful Torqueflite automatic transmission.
Seriously, a coat of green paint would do wonders for this Volare.
Stay tuned, there’s no telling where we will visit next.
Jason, you’re killing me… For some reason those mid decade Furys and Chargers/Monacos have become more appealing to me in the last several years. The 1971 Fury is still one of my all time faves but the 1980 Volare about knocked me out of my chair! Too bad I’ve got to marry off a kid next year… Ugh.
The 1973 Cutlass looks tasty from here, I have to admit. I wonder why the seller wants you to drive to California? 😉 Also, who takes a heavy pig like the Montego and turns it into a drag car? They may as well drag a Lincoln Town Car…
I’ll say. I think it’s a “hey let’s take those drag tires and put them on the Montego, won’t that look cool for the ad?”
If’n it was a drag car the first thing that would go is that 900 pound crash bumper on the front.
Anyway, I like that 68 Polara but I wonder what the underside and rocker structure is like. It may well be a “Run away! Run away!” car underneath.
It would be easiest to just take a pair of tin snips and cut the quarter panel off at the bend!
Actually guys, I know of that Montego and it is a drag car. There are quite a few people who run this generation of Torino/Montego down the strip. They aren’t as heavy as you think, especially if you put the car on a diet.
This car is just a mild street/strip car, and even still runs a 2bbl. It sounds like it has done well in it’s class.
Here is the description full description:
1973 Montego 351 RAM AIR……100% Rust free California car, never seen winter, paint dabs, chalk marks on undercarriage and original gold paint still on floor pans………..
FRESH REBUILT STOCK 351 2V cleveland, original standard size dished pistons and Sealed Power rings, Sealed Power .010 main, .010 rod and cam bearings, ARP rod and main bolts, reproduction Cobra Jet cam, nos Cobra Jet valve springs, Comp Cam 10° valve spring retainers and keepers, valve job, roller timing chain, Sealed Power oil pump, Cobra Jet oil pan, new harmonic balancer, new water and fuel pumps, carb kit, Fel Pro gaskets, New Hooker Comp Headers, new radiator, hoses and battery…..
Reproduction steel RAM AIR Plenum and aircleaner…. factory hood….
Rebuilt c4 trans with B+M trans kit…..
Rebuilt 3.50 mini spool 9″ rear end…..
Also New: brakes, steering wheel, tach and gauges, and alot more…..
Heater deleted and manual steering (have PS system) and it has light weight front bumper brackets, they took 95lbs off front end……..
It has 14×6 Magnum 500’s on the front and 14×7 on back…also comes with stock steel wheels and tires…. Now has black steel wheels and slicks on the back….
Turn key street/strip car…..raced 6 days last summer and won 3 times and 1/4 finals 2 other times….won $750….this year 1 runner up finish….fastest run so far 15.20 at 88 mph…this winter I’ll put in a 4.11 gear and then it should run 14.90 at 90…..not bad for 2 barrel carb cleveland….
Comes with extra parts and crack free dash pad……
Also have Marti Report and there was 2,800 built in this color combo……
The Paint, Vynil top and Interior have california sun damage….nice patina…and there is acouple dents in body…
Buy the Monaco and the New Yorker and do an engine swap! Both being the same year means no trouble with emissions and it’ll look stock
Quick, someone check on JPC to make sure all the Mopar goodness in this post hasn’t driven him into a coma.
Come to think of it, I’m feeling a little woozy myself. 😉
Fortunately I have been inoculated by occasional forays onto the List with searches for various Mopar models, so I have seen most of these. Gotta keep the immune system healthy. 🙂
Glad to hear that you’re well and wise to Jason’s ploy. As for myself, I’ve just finished lunch so most of my wooziness has dissipated. 😉
Good thing I’m in Columbus Ohio or my wife might need to hide the checkbook. that Monaco reminds me of the ’76 Charger with 360 a friend of mine used to have. Similar with that Volare, except that another friend had a ’77 Aspen coupe with /6 and 4-speed overdrive. Both were fun, mostly trouble free rides in their day.
Fortunately I have been inoculated by occasional forays onto the List with searches for various Mopar models, so I have seen most of these. Gotta keep the immune system healthy.
I have hardened my heart sufficiently to reject the charms of almost anything. I even evicted my beater Focus as, in my view, rowing a manual trans did not compensate for $500/yr in additional insurance cost.
I’ve driven a couple of 60s and 70s Chrysler products, and always felt that the steering was a touch too light and the POWER brakes a touch too sensitive. The styling is “an acquired taste”, but I like most of them. That 1st Satellite, for instance, I find the interior to be okay but the exterior is a mish mash of GM cues. The Fury pictured? Shame about the color, otherwise not bad.
Oddly, I think I’ve seen that Cyclone on other Craigslists.
I’m onto your little game – you are cruising the Craigslists of other CC editors just to show all of the cool stuff in our own backyards that we are ignoring. Well – guilty.
I have seen many of those Mopars on the List before – although the Volare is new to me. That New Yorker is a beauty. And the gray 71 Fury makes my heart beat faster.
And no Studebakers you say? Au Contraire! We not only have Studebakers in Indiana, we have the good stuff. Just yesterday I saw the listing for this ultra-rare 58 Commander hardtop in its glorious one-year-only body, fins and all. Or maybe more like a 58 Commander kit with “some assembly required.” It is in Anderson, just up I-69 about a half hour.
BTW, Chrysler used to have a pretty strong manufacturing presence around central Indiana. Indianapolis was home to a foundry and an electrical components plant and another components factory was in New Castle, an ancient plant that dated back to the days of Maxwell before Walter Chrysler got involved with them. These have all been closed.
Plus there is Kokomo, site of two transmission plants that are still in operation.
I wonder what the dog in the doorway thinks of all that “kit”.
If that thing leaves what am I going to pee on?
You live in Indy? Gosh, I thought it was Terre Haute.
Seriously I did find a very rare Studebaker- elsewhere. And no I’m not trying to tempt so much as give a flavor for where we live.
Those hardtops are not all that rare. This one showed up at the Orphan show last year, and it was for sale.
They made fewer than 2600 of the Commanders and under 1200 of the Presidents. I have seen your picture of that turquoise and white President Starlight, and it is a beauty.
“If something in the Midwest has its capabilities touted by being able to drive to California, it makes me wonder what those in California say; might it be “this car is so good, it’ll drive you to Indiana?”.”
After living in LA for fifteen years, I can tell you that NO ONE touts the cross country abilities of their vehicles. To most LA residents, the 2 hour trip to San Diego or Palm Springs is a big event, and most would never consider a road trip longer than the five hour trip to Vegas.
I suppose that mindset is becoming more common across the country, but it’s very pronounced on the West Coast. Outside of a few Midwesterners who have relocated here, people just don’t engage in cross country trips.
“the 2 hour trip to San Diego or Palm Springs is a big event”
I have been there . . . don’t you mean the 2 hour trip from San Diego to Scripps Ranch? 🙂
That would be the Encino to Culver City dash Jason mentioned JP. And more like three hours.
My BFF has Dr’s appts. in Hollywood and drives from Sherman Oaks to get there.
Two hours. It’s 10-12 miles.
Traffic has apparently become more impossible since I left in 2010.
I used to take the 101 home, five miles out of the way as opposed to taking Laurel Canyon, the “short cut”, and made it home faster by 15 to 30 minutes every time.
Planned shopping and laundry [before I got my shack in Van Nuys with an actual washing machine] around traffic and crowd patterns.
That’s the real “CA lifestyle”.
No cross-country trips on the West Coast? Four of us just took a 12-hour each way road trip from Portland to the SF Bay Area for family Thanksgiving. Lots of gorgeous scenery in southern Oregon and the Mt. Shasta region of Northern California. Nice lunch in Ashland. Traffic Wed. and Sunday was OK.
Since the Prius isn’t quite big enough for four adults and all our luggage, games and side dishes, we rented a Nissan Rogue crossover with AWD. A very nice ride, and far cheaper than four airline tickets. Considering the agony of flying Thanksgiving weekend I’d say a road trip was the right choice.
Perhaps Portlanders are different, but I’ll stand by my statement regarding those living in LA- Even my daughter, who is no big fan of long car trips, has commented on the locals strong aversion to road trips.
Dave, maybe it is because when partaking a cross-country trip that starts in the Los Angeles area, 65% of the total elapsed trip time takes place in the county of departure, 75% if that involves the 405 in any way. 🙂
Dave’s right here sad to say .
Most natives I know, will think renting a car to drive to Las Vegas is proper because their own car it three years old and has 40,000 miles on it…..
I like the Volare and think it’d easily make a good daily driver .
The Ambulances are nice too and well priced but too much work for this old man .
-Nate
“Because when partaking a cross-country trip that starts in the Los Angeles area, 65% of the total elapsed trip time takes place in the county of departure, 75% if that involves the 405 in any way.”
That’s certainly a big factor, but another one is the empty wastelands you see once you break clear of traffic-
Traveling on the I-5 going north does keep you you close to “civilization,” but If you’re headed east on the I-10 or I-40, most major cities are at least a two-day drive (Phoenix being the exception that proves the rule).
I-15 runs to the northeast and sort of splits the difference, with Vegas and Salt Lake within a single days drive.
The US Southwest is indeed filled with mostly “empty” spaces (not without their subtle beauty) and destinations spread far apart.
A day’s drive from Portland on I-5 or I-84 can take you to San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone, Banff, Seattle, Vancouver, or a lot of the Pacific coast, with much scenic terrain and smaller towns and cities along the way.
So true, Jim K. It took me only two hours to get from Santa Monica to San Clemente (78 miles) on Thanksgiving Day and I was thrilled with my rapid progress on the 405 as that same trip last year took 45 minutes more! When I moved here in 1972 you could drive down to San Diego in a little longer than two hours but now must give yourself several hours during peak hours. I think our nearly 24/7 gridlock does impact SoCal’s notion of a “road trip” in a negative way.
When I first got a car in the late 90s, and for the next 10 years, I drove from Chicago to Portland (OR), Boston, Denver, Louisville, Miami, Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, and probably a few other places I can’t remember. Now I can’t be assed to drive up to the near burbs.
Jim Klein: Any trip I take northwest of here is 95% getting past O’Hare airport, unless I’m going to the Dakotas, it seems. 🙂
I guess it depends on where you are, to be sure. I’ve lived in Grand Rapids, MI for the last 19 years… When headed out West, our worst traffic is Chicagoland. You can count on losing 2-3 hrs in that morass. At least when I head home to the Cleveland area, I can avoid Detroit pretty easily.
I really don’t have the wanderlust that I used to have when I was younger; it was nothing to go for a long drive from my home near Youngstown to Atlanta, or Boston or wherever. The irony is, I have far better machinery with which to make the drives…
I lived in North Hollywood in 1986 and getting to Marina Del Ray to work at Canon film studios was 28 miles,2 1/2 to 3 hours, then discovered old Sepulveda Blvd no traffic, nice drive, I was rolling along at 55 mph and a 35 minute commute. only the 405 freeway drivers saw my Electra and next day, thousands of cars were on Sepulveda. they slowly went back to the 405, and I made sure to not be noticeable when I drove it. Friends there did road trips all over the place to get away from driving 3 hours to go to dinner 10 miles away. Was only on the 405 once, it became a parking lot in 110 degree heat, I was in my freshly restored black 66 Imperial with dual a/c. I thought I’d leave it running with the a/c on til the heat gauge started to climb. It never did, frost was forming on the vents. One guy in a 70’s Olds 98 left his running until the engine blew. At 4 hours, people were out of their cars forming groups and staring at the Imperial gleaming in the sun. Thank God traffic started moving, I was 90 feet from the Mulholland exit and took it as traffic stopped again. Mullholland was empty, winding, and beautiful. Drifting the corners was glorious. I told Will what I had done later that night, he said, “Are you out of your mind? Celebrities live there. cops nail you to a big fine there.” I did find out the Imperial temp gauge never moved in 4 hours of idling with a/c on. I also was part of the 1986 “Great American Race” with the Buick team, as a replacement team member. which is one hell of a road trip. Friends did long distance trips in everything from a Mercury Bobcat to a late Model Rolls-Royce. It was crazy in 1986, In spring, windows down in the 66 Imperial, as I sailed past a Fiat 124 Spyder the guy yelled pleasantly, “it’s not a car it’s a F#$%king Aircraft Carrier” I liked that. and the last time there took 9 1/2 hours to go cross town, I swore NEVER AGAIN, that was 2001.
I traveled all over the western states while living in LA, the optimum time to leave was just past 2 a.m. the only time in 24 hours that traffic lessened. The residents who never left LA were in the fast lane in a 240D doing 45 mph and blocking the ones trying to get out And NEVER get on the 405 NEVER!!!
I love the Monaco, New Yorker, and Fury.
I wouldn’t kick any of them out of my garage (although my current garage is too small for them to fit.) 😉
You said: “These seats fascinate me, perhaps due to having zero experience with them. I’m guessing they are either deceptively comfortable or are like sitting on jello.”
My best friend in high school, had a 78 New Yorker as his first car. Black with black leather interior. MAN that thing was SO comfortable to ride in! The seats felt like a high-end leather sofa. DRIVING it was a slightly different feel-he was understandably proud of his “new” car (it was 9 years old when he got it. Rusty, but the interior was immaculate) so he did a full-on leather clean and treatment on the seats. They looked and felt amazing, but were kind of slippery. Add The tugboat-like cornering and if you weren’t belted in, you’d tend to slide around on the seat in anything less than straight line driving. Going on double dates at the movies, was where this car really shone!
Short answer: VERY comfortable seats, but not for what “spirited” driving you could do in a land yacht like this.
I spent a lot of miles in a ’74 New Yorker with similar seats and remember them the same; a bit firm but comfortable. The steering wheel seemed tiny to me. The one in that ’77 looks more normal size.
I had a dozen 74-75 Imperials and 76-77-78 Neu Yorker Broughams, couple of coupes also, all had this wonderful interior. Loved driving and traveling in these cars. My favorite, one 77 NYB that had 440 Enforcer engine and heavy duty everything including suspension and every extra It was triple white (most of mine were) with blue trim inside. These cars were fast and cornered very well IF you know what you’re doing. Set it up for the corners and pour the power on. This one 77 was quicker than the others at 7.5 0-60 and could run over 130 mph AND corner while doing it, the brakes were phenomenal as well. And the roll section at the top of the seat, same as my 64-66 Imperials makes them perfect for someone with a ruined back like myself. Treat the seats with Lexol and you have grip, and fasten the seat belts. This 77 had open rear wheel wells with trim, I liked the look. The leather was glove soft but wore like iron.
and the outside
Jason I recently sat in a 77 New Yorker with those tufted leather seats. They’re surprisingly firm for an American car from the 70s, much more firm than the seats in a 70s Lincoln Continental. In a Conti you feel like you’re going to sink down to the floor while the New Yorker’s cushion doesn’t sag as much. I found that the roll of padding at the top of the Chrysler’s seat back uncomfortable because it presses against my upper back.
Call me crazy, but I ‘d take that Merkur; odd but strangely appealing. I hope it has the cool biplane spoiler.
I also like the Merkur, though I can’t imagine that it could be an easy car to maintain or restore.
I do wonder, though, what part of the country contains the largest proportion of surviving Merkurs? Or for that matter, where they were mostly sold when new? I have a hard time pinning down who was the typical Merkur customer, and where such customers lived… it seems like a car that defies all attempts at classification. Last year I saw an XR4Ti in Michigan, and this one is in Indianapolis… so I wonder if the Midwest contains a disproportionate share of the very few remaining examples.
Since they were available at a local Lincoln/Mercury dealer, it would make more sense that they would have the highest take rate in the Midwest. You could find more “true” imports on the coasts, and these just did not compare to a similarly priced high end import like a BMW. Plus the service departments at said L/M dealers would repair them, as opposed to finding a competent import mechanic. But, like the Pantera, perhaps that is what doomed sales. You knew that it was, at heart, just a Ford product, even if it was designed and built outside the USA.
Mechanically, The Merkur XR4Ti is an easy car to maintain. The auto transmission was found in several Fords of the era (including Mustangs) and the turbo engine is the same that was offered in the SVO and regular Mustangs of the same era and also the TBird/Couger. The non turbo 2.3l was found in many Fords over the last 30 years so it would be easy to get parts for the car.
However the body parts and interior are another story. I guess this car is like the Sterling (Rover/Honda venture) with the drive train easy to repair and source parts for it. But the bits and bobs of the interior and body hard to find.
The Rover 800 series was sold in the UK from 1986 to 1999 and was quite popular there, so most parts are still plentiful if you’re willing to wait for them to be shipped across the big pond. The drivetrain of course is right out of the Honda/Acura Legend (in the UK some Rover four-cylinders were available too but they were never sold in the US).
I would take the Merkur too. I had a couple of them as Ford management lease cars in ’86 and ’88, and had a blast with them, despite the rather agricultural nature of the 2.3 and the, um, glitchy electrics (details on request). I used to joke that, although the car was built in Koeln, the electrical system had to be British in origin. The Cutlass looks pretty tasty too. I always had a thing for the early colonnade A-bodies, and especially the Cutlass. The New Yorker I could leave aside easily. Too soft for my taste.
Don K Try one before dismissing it. I was going to car shows and swap meets with Kent when I had several of the 74-78 Imperials and New Yorker Broughams. He had bought a Merkur coupe and his mom bought a Scorpio within weeks of each other, we took his car to some of the shows within 100 miles, but my 77 NYB longer distance, and changed off driving. When his car started going in the shop often, I loaned him a 76 New Yorker St Regis coupe. Then his mom started having problems with her Scorpio, they shared the St Regis a few days (they offered her a used Comet to drive that she didn’t like). I told him, I had 28 cars right them, and loaned her my 16,000 mile 75 Imperial LeBaron sedan, the ST Regis had 28,000 on it. She got her Scorpio back, and it broke again. After driving a loaner Explorer a day, she asked if she could borrow the Imperial again. Sure. After her trips to the dealer became a revolving door, she asked if I would sell the Imperial, I sold it for what I paid for it, she got the dealer to take the Scorpio back. In six months having it four were at the dealer. Kent’s Merkur wasn’t as bad, but electrical problems kept surfacing. Then the matter was settled by crash. a delivery truck hit Kent’s Merkur hard enough it was totaled. He bought the St Regis , changing the white to black exterior.. He lives in another state now, but still has both cars, mine are gone, the collection was reduced to 12 cars, however, my son suggests I get another,so……. pic is a few.
I immediately dived on the Merkur’s link, only to find that the ad had been removed. Yes, I was very tempted.
Love your writing style, Jason!
I’m perplexed by how appealing I find that ’77 Monaco. …And that ’80 Volare. The ’73 Cutlass speaks the loudest to me, but the Monaco – just for it’s condition and relative rarity.
I also never really cared for the bustle on the deck lid, but when I think about it, it’s no more offensive than that on the ’77+ Mercury Cougar, and those have also grown on me.
I like Jason’s posts too, and tastes.
Thank you, both!
Add a third to Jason’s fan club.
Joseph, I think that bustle back trunk on the Monaco is the intent of Chrysler to use the same lid for the Cordoba and save $$$ to avoid different stampings. Is it the same on the 77 Fury [II?] as well ?
The Cordoba decklid doesn’t interchange with the Monaco’s. The Fury i’m not sure about; it looks the same.
FWIW: Metro Indy population is nearly 2 Mil versus Eugene metro is about 350 K people.
With all due respect to the seller of the ’71 Fury, it is no “muscle car”. Some younger car fans will call any RWD car from 60’s and 70’s this. Seen even some huge 71-76 GM big cars called “muscle cars”, too.
Come on.
I don’t think the seller was calling the Fury a Muscle car, but instead was trying to pitch it as a classic car in driver condition, as opposed to over restored cars, which from this era tent to be Muscle cars.
Even if not, I’ll play devil’s advocate and say most Muscle carsrelatively slow by today’s standards, and the driving experience will be about the same level of nostalgic throwback with a 383 Fury or a 383 Roadrunner. and at today’s prices for true muscle cars, these are the only way someone younger is getting into an old American V8 car.
Or the seller just wanted to slip “Muscle car” in the description to expand the search tags. I used to do that on Craigslist too.
Anyway, the cars are cool, even the rusty ones.
Believe it or not, the ’77 Monaco was nominated for Motor Trend COTY, even though was just a name change to a 2 year old body. [And even older chassis] Mopar F body had already won 1976, but this was their only “new car” that year. MT had to put at least one ChryCo car on the list. Caprice won, rightfully so.
Take it from an old LA guy, if a car can make it from Encino to Culver City in the summer during rush hour (so about 22 of the 24hours) without overheating, then it’s effectively good to go across the country.
Great finds in Indy, I am absolutely in love with the button-tufted green leather (leather?) on the New Yorker. You could probably find half the purchase price in coinage stuck in the button wells.
The ’71 Fury has me glancing for my wallet as well, but the Datsun Mini-truck strikes a serious chord too. I might have to get a tight white t-shirt and start a smoking habit to really do it justice though. Maybe a backwards flat-brim too. But very nicely done.
In the midst of selling some our stuff on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace (seriously, some of those people on FBM are even worse than the CL’ers, but at least they have to have a name, not be anonymous) I totally understand the “I will answer no questions” mindset, especially as 95% of all questions to date have the answers CLEARLY in the ad. No Child Left Behind, indeed, not everyone appears to have passed the reading comprehension part of their curriculum…
A word of warning though Jason, JPC isn’t the only one on to you, stay out of Colorado. That’s my turf. Go look at the Saskatchewan CL or maybe Prince Edward Island. Or where is the St. Louis edition for that matter? I know we saw lots of good fodder running around the roads there this summer…
Stay away Friday because we’re in some square shaped state. Not sure which though as they all look alike on the map.
StL and KC are on the horizon
My father in law (to be) had a 1976 Plymouth Fury similar to the 1977 Dodge Monaco at the top. This was in 1982. For a 6 year old car, I’ve never seen anything in such bad shape – it coughed and sputtered and hacked when I once (and only once) drove it. The whole car shook from the struggles of the engines. The rocker panels and the rear quarters looked like the 1968 Dodge you showed above, it was quite disgusting. I don’t know where he found it, having bought it used, but it did not survive the end of that calendar year (nor did he, due to pancreatic cancer). I believe that by the time I came along, the Plymouth had been sitting in the driveway for some months unattended. It had a 318 in it and for that reason I would have loved to take it; but the body was too far gone, the car having lived in St. Catharines Ontario snow storms and road salt treatments.
I’ve told the story before, but my Dad bought his ’77 wholesale for $1,700 at two years old and 40,000 miles. The car ran so poorly it would barely move. For $500 the local carburetor shop got it running like a clock and it ran 80,000 more miles without a hiccup. It really paid to find someone who knew how to straighten those things out.
I spilled some water in the trunk once and it exploded with rust. The rest of the body held up pretty well.
Back in the early 80’s I had a 1972 442 that had a totally messed up Rochester. I tried my best with my limited knowledge to get it to run right. I took it to the local “carb guy”, he built many of the carbs for the folks who ran at the local dirt track.
It was night and day difference with the rebuilt carb, the car was a beast after that. Best $100 I think I ever spent.
It was night and day difference with the rebuilt carb, the car was a beast after that. Best $100 I think I ever spent.
The 80s were notorious for horrid fuel quality. I remember a guy writing in to the “technical correspondence” column in R&T to report that his Bimmer had not been running well and the shop’s remedy was to pull the head and sandblast it with, iirc, crushed walnut shells, to clean out the accumulated carbon. Dennis Simanaitis, who wrote the column for R&T, replied he was getting a lot of letters with similar complaints regardless of the make or model of car and wondered it if was the fuel.
My personal observations: my POS 78 Zephyr/302 ran progressively worse from new and by the time it had 10,000 miles on it pinged horribly and punching the gas would produce a cloud of carbon from the tailpipe. A coworker had a 79 Mustang/302 that performed exactly the same by the time it was a year old. I ran into the poor sod who bought that POS Zephyr after I dumped it. He had had the carb rebuilt. My 80 Renault ran wonderfully when new. By the time it had 35K on it, it was pinging.
About once a year, I would take my 85 Mazda in for an oil change, and the shop would charge me for a can of carb spray. I finally wised up and got my own can of carb spray and hosed the carb down just before taking it in for an oil change. I found the inside of the carb covered with a thick coat of brown crud. The car also stumbled and stalled horribly when cold. Somewhere in the early 90s I happened to fill it with Amoco instead of the Mobil is usually was fed. The driveability issues immediately went away and the deposits in the carb were noticeably reduced.
Somewhere in the 90s, the government introduced fuel quality standards and required a minimum additive package. Some refiners and automakers have set a higher standard for fuel quality and named it “Top Tier”.
I now have a VW, with a bit over 30K on it. My tailpipe is so clean people have accused me of scrubbing it out periodically. I have noticed other VWs, with the same 2.5 engine have a thick coating of carbon in the tailpipe. A friend’s 2016 Golf, with 30K on it’s 1.8T, has a thick coating of carbon in the tailpipe. The difference could be that I feed my VW Top Tier gas exclusively, while the guy with the Golf is indiscriminate about where he buys fuel. The irony is the Top Tier fuel my VW is fed is Mobil, the same brand that carboned up the cars I had in the 80s. But today, Mobil is owned by Exxon, and Exxon is a member of the Top Tier consortium.
I would agree 100% about the crap fuel back then. I had a Dodge Lancer turbo that I used Amoco when I first bought the car, it ran great. I switched to another gas brand and even though it was premium unleaded, the car ran awfully. Back to Amoco, no problems. I made it a point to search out all of the Amoco stations after that.
When I bought my Pontiac, I would notice a strange odor upon cold startup. This is before the cat(s) warmed up. I spoke to the service advisor about it, he seemed to think it was the fuel I was using. I changed fuels and the odor changed! It didn’t get worse, just different.
Back to the 442: Once the guy got the Quadrajunk apart, he told me the laundry list of all of the problems it had… leaking fuel bowl, dirty needles, bent shaft on the secondary butterfly… The best part, the carb was a 750 CFM unit from a big block Chevy, the Olds originally came with a 650 CFM QJ. Oh the joys of used cars…
I search search within 200 miles of m zip code on Craigslist some times and I have come across that 73 mercury for about year it more. Muwst be carry firm on the price and not worth what thay think it is.
The montego speaks to me, I wanted that dual scoop hood bad for my almost-aquired Montego based Cougar.
Although, I never understood why anyone advertising their car as a “former drag car” is a good thing – so in other words the chassis riddled with stress cracks from hard launches, stinks of rubber from the numerous burnouts and the engine/transmission are probably in need of a rebuild? And being a 1973 Montego with a 351 automatically means it wasn’t a storied, competitive or historical drag car, even if it was taken to the track by it’s previous Joe six pack owner, which is the only instance it could add value. I’ve taken my car to the drag strip a few times and it is not in any way shape or form a “drag car”.
I grew up in a succession of Montegos, from the first to the last body style. I’ve long wanted either a Cyclone from the early era or especially a 1972 Montego GT. But something like that car just seems ridiculous. It looks like someone’s Grandma’s car that they happened to hop up to use at the drags. Like I mentioned earlier, they’d be better off running a contemporary Town Car, at least it would have a big-block and make some torque.
Like you said, it’s a drag car with all of the issues old drag cars have, along with the disadvantage of a relatively heavy body on frame car, with the additional “box section of chrome” front bumper. The car doesn’t need any more weight on the front; it could use that guard rail out back…
I don’t know why that car bothers me so…
I like that Monaco just as much as any other stacked-headlight 70’s B body: a lot! Those tail lights don’t look familiar to me though, probably because two-doors were so rare by then. Heck, I thought they’d been dropped by ’77 but old car brochures confirms that they existed. And yes, for four grand a lot of fun could be had driving around.
I wonder if the Lean Burn came in for ’78 on the 318, or maybe it was California emissions. I’m 99.9% sure my Dad’s ’77 didn’t have it.
Carefully watch that ’86 Dodge Ram truck ad. Looks to me like the RH headlamp gets shaken loose by the drop impact and spends the rest of the ad cockeyed and lookin’ down at the ground.
…or maybe it was that way before the drop.
Yes, but they cleaned up the sound effects. Take a listen when the 1984 models drop. They sound like a load of scrap metal dropped into a dumpster.
Great googly-moogly…! What where they thinking?!
Well, to be fair…at the time those commercials came out, they were heard from a small, inexpensive, single speaker, in a box that was usually clear across the room!
Nice selection, Jason. I’m all about that Merkur.
You might want to check out Kenosha-Racine CL. Pretty eclectic, and most always some AMC stuff.
Good idea about Kenosha. I need to stay in North America a while longer.
You are welcome to stay in North America Jason but go back to the coasts. Indiana is dangerously close to Ontario. I can almost justify a drive that far for a look.
You would like the Monaco with a bigger motor. My uncle had a 78 (same thing) with a 400 4bl and that thing would honk!
Tough old buzzard too.(the car as well as him) put over a quarter million miles on it in 7yrs before terminal rusties forced it’s replacement with an 85 cougar that barely lasted 4yrs.
Cudos to Jason for writing about cars of a certain age and price advertised on Craigslist.To me, it is fascinating to look for a car of interest that is at a similar place in its life cycle as the cars shown here (i.e.old enough to be registered as antiques but not considered classics). Will they ever be collectible?… most American cars models from the 50’s and 60’s that became collectible did so by the time they were 20-25 years old. Now 40 years old most American car models from the ’70’s that had a similar position in the marketplace to those from the 50’s and 60’s are not collectible yet and may never be. We all know that interest began to turn away from American cars beginning in the ’70’s and this is a big factor but it leaves these cars of the ’70’s in an interesting place in the used vehicle market which I think is best addressed by Craigslist. I say this because I think there is a difference in what ends up getting advertised brought about by having to pay for an ad or being able to advertise it for free. Take as an example, a ’77-’79 Caprice 2 door, a car that should have but has not yet passed into the realm of collectible cars. Only a handful of these cars to be found on Hemmings. Do a Craigslist search of these cars nationally using the great tool searchtempest.com and you will find quite a few and more likely to be in a more interesting point in there own life cycle which to me makes for good idle time reading material.
Bargains to be found, Steve, while everyone else is looking the other way for an “investment grade” vehicle to diversify the portfolio…
Collector magazines are not the place to find realistically priced old cars.
Of course the $250,000 74 Matador coupe has been making the rounds lately….
Interesting cars but someone actually drag raced a Montego? Why?
For the same reason somebody drag raced a Yugo….because they could. Sometimes, people do things to be different. They test themselves to see what they can do with something that others cannot. At the end of the day, do you want to be one of millions or one in a million?
J Frank: saw just that in a documentary about a group of Cuban racing fans.
Footage of a Yugo and a Lada drag racing. Or was it a Moskvitch ?
Race what you brung.
Unless the Montego owner was only doing bracket racing (which is like kissing your sister, IMO), what’s the point? You’re only ever racing yourself.
Good Lord, remove the 351, sell the Montego body, take said 351 and drop into a Maverick (or a Fairmont) if you have to stay in the “family”. A roll bar, some ladder bars and a set of traction bars will make it go straight down the track. It’ll be a better bracket car and you could probably take it “heads-up” racing.
That said, that was a really nice MX Brougham. They were fairly expensive back in the day, I don’t seem to run across very many. I guess maybe that’s what bothers me about the car. I would have loved to seen it in it’s unmolested state.
Ever drive a Mercury Cyclone GT 429? Same size car but vastly different. I had 1970 green one. I bought it to detail and sell, the first time I drove it it felt quick,but the first freeway ramp, I floored it, at the top of the ramp it was pushing 130 mph I kept it quite awhile. By the time of the Montego ad even a 460 in one didn’t perform like the 70 429. You run what you brung, but the earlier cars may have been an incentive too try.
My first car was a 1969 Ford Torino GT with a 390 & 4 speed. It was specially ordered and pretty well maintained by a family friend who was a truck mechanic. By the time I got it in 1980, it was rather well used, but still potent. I can remember the first time I raced it on the street, much above 100 MPH and the front end got very, very light. I may have needed to change my underwear when I got home.
Yes, the smog cars, especially after 1975, were just horrible. Even that 1973 Montego would not be particularly engaging to drive, just a real nice cruiser.
I believe Merkur is pronounced Mare-coor:
Even some of the dealer TV commercials back then pronounced “Merkur” wrong.
Well, I MAY have convinced my wife that if I get that New Yorker < $5K I can drive from
Zionsville to Fishers to pick her up. Stay tuned. ?