What? Who? Why? or How? Got you turned onto Mopars?

[LinceCuda]

I was 10 in 1970 when my next door neighbor's dad bought a Challenger vert and a few months later took us to see the Vanishing Point movie, been hooked ever since. Don't get me wrong I've had a number of other muscle cars but always go back to Mopar. 

[Topcat]

I was 10 in 1970 when my next door neighbor's dad bought a Challenger vert and a few months later took us to see the Vanishing Point movie, been hooked ever since. Don't get me wrong I've had a number of other muscle cars but always go back to Mopar. 

Yeah that movie was definitely an impact with me as well that I didn't add on my post.

It was R rated at the time and I was 12 years old. Saw it the Summer of 72'
My parents took me to the Winchester Drive Ins to see it.

Omega man with Charleston Heston debuted first. 

The girl on the motorcycle made me do a....    

[73440]

I remember seeing a plum crazy Challenger while walking my morning paper route in early 70's.
Now that I think about it , other than three motorcycles, a police servicar which he started by rolling down the hill and popping the clutch , a Triumph and a Honda 750 , the Challenger is the ony car I remember seeing on that route. Oh , forgot about neighbors Chrysler convertible land barge with whitewalls.This was 1972- 1974 .
Did have my Grandparents 1965 Plymouth Fury III always around , damn wish I had not sold that car.

[ToxicWolf]

For me the answer is very simple.  I was driving age when the first Vanishing Point came out.  I saw it six times.      

[chargerdon]

My Dad got me onto Mopars...   

I remember when my Dad traded in his 1950 Dodge for a new 1953 Dodge Coronet.   He was so excited because he was able to order it with the "Big Chrysler New Yorker Red Ram engine.   Back then Chevys still only had six cylinder engines and while the Fords were available with the flat head V8 the Chrysler engine in the lighter weight Coronet was like a hot rod!!  Maybe it was the first true Muscle car???  I didn't understand it then, but, that Red Ram V8 was a HEMI...  I was 6 at the time, and later illegally learned to drive with the Coronet.   

Dad kept that car seven years and then traded it on a 1960 Dodge Dart with the venerable Poly 318 V8  and 3 speed push button torqueflite.   I got my drivers license with that car in 1963.  It was a good running car and would blow the doors off of the standard 289 Fords and standard 283's Chevys of the early 1960's...   

Dad later bought a 1968 Dodge Coronet 440 2 dr hardtop in Burgandy and Black vinyl top.   It was a good looking car, and Dad kept it for nearly 18 years...  by then people would tease him about his old car, and Dad always said, it is one of the best looking cars ever made...some day people will go nuts over them...wow...   wish he were still alive to see what a 68 Coronet 500 hardtop went this past week on Mecum Auctions.   

In 1969 right out of college i bought my first new Mopar.   It was a 1970 Dodge Challenger in Dark green metallic and beige interior.   It had a 225 slant six, and 3 on the floor manual, PS and wheel covers, white walls and AM radio.   I LOVED THAT CAR and wish i still have it.   Recently restored a 74 Challenger and had it painted Plum Crazy (Violet is what it was called on a challenger), with white interior, hoped up 360 and torqueflite, PS, PB and Vintage Air..   wish it was a 70 but, i love it anyways !!   I also restored and have a 66 Charger with 383 4V and torqueflite...   It was a car that i drooled over while still in college.   

So, what got me onto Mopars was my Dad, and the recognition that they were ALWAYS ahead of their time, with the HEMI, and Torqueflite, my 66 Charger with its 4 bucket seats and revolving headlights, Torsion bar suspension...etc

[RJChallenger]

the old man had a gas station when we were growing up. If we were to sick to go to school our mom would drive us up to the gas station and let the old man take care of us. I was 10 years old when the kid up the road drove a 71 mach one. he would do burn outs at least ten driveways up the street.I think that was my favourite car until,my mom started letting me drive her 71 dodge polara. It was a 318 car.  It didnt take long before it started to burn oil and have very little pressure at idle. A new rebuilt motor help a lot 4 barrel headers and big fat tires. I was one of two kids in high school that drove every day. The body was pretty rough and in 1981 my girl friend told me to get another car or else.  So I found an ad for a 70 dodge, no motor, no tranny asking price $800. While talking to the older guy his dad came home and told him if he car wasnt gone by monday it was scrap. I quickly pulled $250 (canadian dollars) and made an offer. I was the the proud owner of a 70 Challenger. I had a good motor ,tranny . Did everybody but me know that the 7 on the end of the studs was actually a L. I broke 8 of 10 studs before some guy told me about left hand threads. One week after buying the car I could push it like I bought it, forwards and backwards. A trip to the mopar dealer to visit a friend who gave me a set of 3.91 gears and all it cost me was a 40 oz bottle of crown royal to have them set up. I drove that car for two summers until i got married in 85.  Had three kids , towed the car from house to house to a house. Now in 2018 I'm putting it all back together, but this time it has a 440 , 4 spd ,pistol grip shifter and 3.55 gears.  I've just paid as much for a set of leaf springs as I did for the car itself. So thats my story and how i got hooked on Mopars

[Cuda70-74]

When i saw Bullitt a like 6 years ago and phantasm only a few years. Plus the fast and furious. When I have a kid I'll like to restore a 68 charger for him/her

[ledphoot]

I am the youngest of six, I have four older brother, growing up in the 70's muscle cars were cheap and plentiful.. We had a number of them in our family. 1969 Mach I, 1969 Charger, 1970 Challenger, 1973 Challenger, 1973 Cuda, 1969 Camaro, 1967 El Camino, 327 powered Vega Wagon.. I learned to drive in my brother's '73 Cuda.. Before eventually getting a very clean 1970 Ford Cobra Torino for $1200 as my first car in 1986. Luckily my brother kept that car. I had so many good times and made so many memories in it. Cruising McHenry Blvd in the 80's, getting in to races on Hart Rd or Briggsmore. Many many good times. The recent trade of my Challenger to my brother for the Cuda has re-ignited that fire. I am looking forward to driving it again..

I have to admit another part of me loves the old Mazda rotary powered cars as well. If I ever find a nice RX3 I will add one of those to the stable. My brother Gary went through a ton of those cars in the 80's because people didn't know how to set the points on the dual distributors, he'd regularly get the for $100-$200 and sell them for $600 once he got them running. Fun little econoboxes.

[Cuda70-74]

I assume you mean Bullitt 

lol thanks

[YellowThumper]

I assume you mean Bullitt 

I assumed it was auto correct again...

[RusTy/SE]

December 1976 I spotted a neat looking car on a used car lot here in Montgomery, AL. It turned out to be my first Mopar and Challenger at the same time - a 1973 318 Rallye showing JY3 paint with a white interior and top. Dad co-signed the bill-of-sale and I proceeded to have all sorts of adventures in that car before parting ways but i have been Mopar ever since.

Before the Challenger, came a string of three misfit Ford-Mercury products, all small block. A 1964 4dr 289 Comet in Medium Buff Palomino (think beige), a 1972 302 Mustang Fastback in Gold, and a 1966 289 Mustang in Yellow. The 1966 Mustang which was a floor shifted auto front bench seat car with a 4-lug front/ 5-lug rear earned itself a $600 trade-in value towards the Challenger. They all served the purpose - when they ran.

The first double photo is from 1977-1979, the second double photo is from the body shop doing the repaint, while the third double photo is from the day I sold her, disillusioned, at a Chattanooga car show in 1990. I was heading towards my own idea of a 1973 T/A Challenger and the stripes, rear spoiler and authentic 1970 T/A block and 6-Pack were in place; I had even found the 'TRANS-AM' fender tag from an AAR in a local junkyard. That car is long gone but I do still have the Broadcast Sheet   Unfortunately, I had the double whammy of a poorly executed fresh paint job showing DA marks all over the fenders, and an engine build that somehow held together but sounded of non-stop valve clatter. The best laid plans. . .

A interesting footnote is that I still see Robert A who I sold my car to - as well as the very same T/A block, intake and carbs - at various shows around the state. My car was sold long ago, but the engine was rebuilt and is now in Robert's AAR. Most recently was at the Battleship Show back in March when AAR1064 and myself spoke with him for several minutes.

Still, I had tons of great memories in that car and if I ever stumble across that vin

[Lemontwist]

In 1970 I wanted to buy a new car.  I liked Mopar's and especially the new Cuda so I went to our local Plymouth dealer and they had a FY1 340 four speed Cuda sitting on the lot. The sticker price was in my price range (HIGH END) so I came home and told my dad I wanted to buy the car.  He said you better check on the insurance before you buy it.  I called our insurance company and they said the because it was a high performance car the insurance would cost me $1200.00 per year.  I couldn't afford the payments and the insurance so I went the next best route.  I went to our Dodge dealer and priced out a 340 Dart Swinger four speed.  It came to $2300.00 and the insurance company said that the Dart was considered a compact car and the rate was low.  I went in and ordered the car in Jan. of 70 and it came in, in April. I ordered it in B5 Blue with a white stripe, four speed, Bucket Seats, Rally wheels with Goodyear RWL tires, Pedal dress up kit, Dash installed Tac, and no radio.  I went to a local junk yard a got the radio for $20.00 I wish I still had it

[Bpret]

I had a bunch of cousins in the Pittsburgh area that got me hooked. We would go for summer visits and I would go for rides in their cars. Went to the drag strip in the coronet 440 4spd convertible and it was an easy choice been a mopar guy ever since. These photos are from 1975

[Skunkworks Challenger]

It was April 1956 and I was to be married in a week and needed wheels.  I was looking for a one or two year old Ford but the dealer didn't have anything I wanted.  As I looked around town with my future wife she spotted a really nice 55 Plymouth and insisted we take it for a drive.  It was a red and white 2-door hardtop, V-8 and auto with the full trim package.  I bought it and have had nothing but Mopar since, except for a 59 Impala convertible.

[truckinman466]

My friend,whko we called Bear had a 71 Challenger. Halloween weekend we were on the way to town to get some beverages when someone through a corn cob at his car. Bear locked up the breaks but the road was icy. We rolled her over 3 times. It still ran so we drove it the rest of the way to town and back. Started rebuilding it the next day. This was around 1976. Since then I was hooked.