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I "test drove" the new Dodge Dart last weekend..."Oh Boy !! "

super-bee_ski

super-bee_ski

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Looking for a "family style" car and test drove:

1. Honda Accord 4 door, 4 cyl
2. KIA Optima turbo
3. Ford Fusion
4. Dodge Dart
Man-O-man, that Dodge Dart is truly a wonderfull car!
Many options, sport, economy, luxury.
I liked it.
"super-bee_ski"
 
In the old days, a Dart was a Duster that looked like a Demon. Today, the new Dart is 1/2 Fix It Again Tony.
 
I seen a new Dart at the gas station this weekend. Can't say i'm a huge fan of them being I've owned a '71 and a '72 in the past and am stuck with the stubborn notion that those are Dodge Dart's, not what Dodge is building today. Plus the car is just not my style. One thing I can say for certain; when I approached the younger fella (probably in his early 20's), to ask about the car and check it out a bit, he was very excited about the car. Took the time to point out all the options, what he liked and didn't like and the plans he has for it down the road. Probably a 15-20 minute conversation. Now the car isn't the Dodge Dart that I remember, but to see someone that age so into their american car, basically having a love and respect for it was priceless. Sorta gave me a new prospective on the car. I'll be honest, I've been living with the notion that folks like ourselves on here and the GM/Ford guys were fading into history with our love of cars and the the life we live around them, but this kid was hooked! Sounded and was excited as I was back in the day when wheeling my first car ('72 Dart) in the driveway. When I mentioned the Dart's of the past I had and the old Mopars sitting in my garage now, he spoke of that generation and those cars like; that generation and those cars were the titans of the earth that ruled the land, and one of the big reasons he bought a Dart was because of the love he had for his uncles Dodge Dart back in the day. Goes to show our old Detroit tin rubs off a bit more than when know eh boys?

Best of luck on your purchase Ski.....Let us know how it pans out for you.
 
I'm not sure that's an accurate assessment. :) Everyone is madly in love with their new car purchase from right after they buy it to about a year later. By that point the compliments and congratulations on the new purchase have faded away and the bloom is off the rose. By the end of the second year, most owners are already thinking about their next purchase, and by the end of the third year they're looking at trading them in. The real question is would the buyer of a new Dart buy another Dart in a few years, or will the love affair have ended and they're moving on to the next "New" thing?

Speaking for myself, my first car was a 73 Roadrunner. My second car was a 73 Roadrunner. My third car was a 73 Roadrunner. My fourth car was a 72 Roadrunner. My fifth car was a 74 Roadrunner... see a pattern here? :) When we came back from overseas with two little kids, we bought an Escort wagon and just loved that car at first, but we've never owned a second one, so I think we need to see in the long term how buyers of these Darts feel about their cars after the honeymoon is over.
 
Yeah, I agree with you both.
I know the old Darts...my dad had a 1966 4 door slant six column shift. It never had any problems what so ever.
(We were kind of poor, so he had difficulty changing points & condensor at night w/ me holding the flash light)
BUT: I digress....
That is the Dart I was familliar with.
A few months ago I saw the CEO of FIAT and Chrysler on 60 Minutes...
I was impressed with what he said. He "cleaned out" the "Glass Palace", Chryslers top floor...
Moved all Executives out and released many of them. Said they were "over paid" and did not do too much (my take of the 60 min episode)
He kept some, placed them in with the engineering group. "streamlined" many areas.
He said: "The Dart will be the car to beat" He is essentially betting on the car.
That is confidence in ones product.
The point I want to make is: This new Dart is not like the Challenger, Shelby GT500 or the "Brand X" ugly car that everyone knows as the "C" word.
The Dart is NOT a "retro car" just the name was used.
Anyway, I may buy something else BUT I had a blast runnin thru the gears!

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Man Bruzilla...
I see you got "side-tracked" and ran "off course" on your 4th car and 5th car!
LOL!
Great point though.
Again, this new Dart is truly "geared" for the "30 something" family.
It will be a big hit. I'm sure.
(Just not sure it will be in my garage alongside the 70 Superbee)
 
I wish you luck with it ski. I hope it turns out as good as you like it.. I can see another perspective hear reading Wills encounter with the young guy, all excited, weve all been there and i think its great to see the younger crowd getting involved with the cars, its the same excitement we all had when young and hear we are, all on a car site talking about them everyday. The younger guys and gals are loving these like we did with the ones when we were young, each generation liking one better then the other. Times have changed with the cars to, but the enthusiasm is the same as old.
 
Why you gotta crush my epiphany man....lol. I definitely see your point there Bruzilla...(New toy syndrome) I guess another prospective to look at it is; Years back I was the same as that kid, being a Dodge Dart just rolled into my life. Excited and anxious for the road ahead. It helped to expand my love for cars/mopar and I still have a couple of them in my garage, and always will. I do see Dodge's marketing strategy when it comes to this car and like Ski mentioned, geared towards something besides us and our dinosaurs. I'm glad the CEO decided to clean out the closet. Obviously something had to give.
 
Well put Propwash.
"We" are the Dinosaurs!
Heck, I cant even relate to the TV commercials now a days!
 
Propwash said:
Why you gotta crush my epiphany man....lol. I definitely see your point there Bruzilla...(New toy syndrome) I guess another prospective to look at it is; Years back I was the same as that kid, being a Dodge Dart just rolled into my life. Excited and anxious for the road ahead. It helped to expand my love for cars/mopar and I still have a couple of them in my garage, and always will. I do see Dodge's marketing strategy when it comes to this car and like Ski mentioned, geared towards something besides us and our dinosaurs. I'm glad the CEO decided to clean out the closet. Obviously something had to give.
Click to expand...

I think Dodge is making the same mistake they made with the Charger. Like Chebbie, they're trying to catch the retro magic that Ford found with the 2004 Mustang, but I think the take away from the approach will prove to be that a name is not enough to create a bridge between an old car love and a new one. The 2004 Mustang didn't become a phenomenon because of its name. It became a phenomenon because it looked like a '69 Mustang, one of the most popular in history.

Unlike with the Charger, Dodge made the Challenger look like a Challenger, and they've done well with the car. Now it looks like the lessons of the Charger have been lost and once again Dodge is hoping they can leverage a name to increase sales. We'll see how that goes.
 
Interesting conversation.

I agree that people should probably stop thinking about the new Dart as a retro Dart, and instead think of it as a Focus competitor.

I actually remember the same type of situation when the Fox body Mustang came out!
Eventually, pepole agreed that it wasn't a "real" Mustang, but it was a nice car, and it did eventually develop a hardcore following.

I like the Dart, so far, and may even go drive one.

...and I also agree about new toy syndrome.
 
super-bee_ski said:
Man Bruzilla...
I see you got "side-tracked" and ran "off course" on your 4th car and 5th car!
LOL!
Great point though.
Again, this new Dart is truly "geared" for the "30 something" family.
It will be a big hit. I'm sure.
(Just not sure it will be in my garage alongside the 70 Superbee)
Click to expand...

I just think that our love for cars is a highly visceral one. In fact, I think it can have physical manifestations that few things besides the opposite sex have on us. It presents with a quickening pulse, shortness of breath, a tightening in the gut, and an uncontrollable urge to empty your bank account. :) I got that feeling the first time I saw a 73 Roadrunner, and I still get it today. One of my favorite shows as a teenager was Starsky & Hutch, and I really liked their car. I've owned two of those Gran Torinos and I still like them, but I've never got the same feeling when I see one that I get when I see a 73/74 Roadrunner.

So, moving ahead to modern society and their cars, I wonder if there's enough differentiation between cars to generate those kinds of feelings, i.e., generate a kind of long-term affection rather than the short-term new toy thrill? I don't see the Dart II being anything different from the stuff that's offered by every other car maker. Also, what was the main source of thrills with the older cars? Power, speed, and customization. You're just not going to see many Dart II owners headed to the track on the weekends or watching their cars race down the strip on TV, so again... I'm not seeing much of a long-term hook here. I'm getting more of a Charger 2.2 (remember those?) than a Dart I vibe.
 
I can't see the Dart name bothering anyone but old timers like us. 90% of the people alive wouldn't know the significance of the name unless unless Chrysler is pushing the good old day's thing. I haven't seen any advertising for the Dart so I could be real wrong on this. But...
 
I just read in Motor Trend, that the future Barracuda (Challenger replacement), will be on the Dart platform.

...and that the Mustang and Fusion platforms may merge and become a 2 door/4 door of the same platform...sound familliar?
 
Richard Cranium said:
In the old days, a Dart was a Duster that looked like a Demon. Today, the new Dart is 1/2 Fix It Again Tony.
Click to expand...
With the Darts that I remember, once they because decent looking cars (67-69), the Duster or Demon wasn't even out yet....

And on using the Dart name....I don't think they are even trying to appeal to anyone but the younger generation/entry level car buyer. With names like Smart, Chevy Spark etc, the name Dart fits right in. As far as the car goes, I don't like the looks of it. I still like my old 66 Belvedere and my wife is still in love with her 2000 Durango. Btw, my first car was a 66 Belvedere which was bought new by my sister. I got it in 69.
 
YY1 said:
I just read in Motor Trend, that the future Barracuda (Challenger replacement), will be on the Dart platform.

...and that the Mustang and Fusion platforms may merge and become a 2 door/4 door of the same platform...sound familliar?
Click to expand...

We shall see. I have been selected/volunteered to be a viper tech. I am scheduled to go to training in Detroit in December. Weather permitting. It's going to be the third week of December which does not exactly thrill me. It will be cold and the same week as christmas which will make travel miserable. But, once there I will be able to get a slightly more inside scoop on whats coming down the pipeline. I will let you all know what I find out!
 
theres already one for sale on Craigslist



2012 Dodge Dart - $8000-colorado springs

Date: 2012-10-31, 12:48PM MDT


Good car drivin for 1,000 miles
 
Hemi Rebel said:
Who do you think owns Alfa? The new dart is a 100% fix it again tony.
Click to expand...

You don't say. There's a world apart from a Fiat and an Alfa Romeo in terms of quality. Just like when Ford owned Jaguar. Ford builds a pretty good product. Jag, not so much.
 
Hemi Rebel said:
We shall see. I have been selected/volunteered to be a viper tech. I am scheduled to go to training in Detroit in December. Weather permitting. It's going to be the third week of December which does not exactly thrill me. It will be cold and the same week as christmas which will make travel miserable. But, once there I will be able to get a slightly more inside scoop on whats coming down the pipeline. I will let you all know what I find out!
Click to expand...

Congrads Hemi Rebel!

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I think "WE" should all own a VIPER!
Perhaps the "baddest" car Detroit ever built and flying low under everybodys RADAR.
 
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