What got you into Mopars?

[1969VAGTX]

My father has been a Mopar man his entire life. When it came time for me to get my first vehicle as a teenager, we went with a Dodge D50 pickup. Since that time, I have only bought Mopar vehicles for myself (admittedly my wife and daughter drive non-Mopar products). Also, my cousin's first car was his mother's 75 Plymouth Valiant with a Slant Six. It was the ugliest car I have ever seen, but despite multiple attempts to blow it up, we were unsuccessful. That convinced me further.

 

[1967coronet]

Getting into cars was easy for my brother and I, our grandpa was a Kendall Oil rep. Getting into Mopars was easier, our Dad came home one day with this, and we’ve been hooked ever since.

View attachment 1542480

View attachment 1542481

So what one did he bring home ?

 

[68BabyBlue]

My dad switched from Ford to Mopar in 1955, but always frumpy ones. So they were what I grew up with, in an area that was overwhelmingly GM and Ford. I'm old enough to remember the forward look finned cars when they were new, and they sparked my interest initially. Then my dad bought his first new Valiant at Clark Motor Company, the State College Plymouth dealer, in 1967. When dad brought the car in for service, I'd prowl the lot, checking out the late 60s Plymouth muscle cars, mostly Road Runners.

Then, one day in 1969, I saw this new GTX sitting where it is parked in the current photo. I soon learned it was a dealer demonstrator, and the Clark family's personal car. After I test drove it a year later, at the age of 16, I was hooked for life. Fifty three years later, I finally bought it.

 

[68BabyBlue]

My father has been a Mopar man his entire life. When it came time for me to get my first vehicle as a teenager, we went with a Dodge D50 pickup. Since that time, I have only bought Mopar vehicles for myself (admittedly my wife and daughter drive non-Mopar products). Also, my cousin's first car was his mother's 75 Plymouth Valiant with a Slant Six. It was the ugliest car I have ever seen, but despite multiple attempts to blow it up, we were unsuccessful. That convinced me further.

I drove an identical '75 Valiant when I owned Baby Blue the first time. I paid $1800 for each in 1983. After the Valiant's lower quarters rusted through, I patched them up, and painted the bottom half of the car primer gray. My wife finally said I needed to ditch the "eye sore," which still ran great, and I traded it in on a 1984 VW Rabbit GTI, which turned out to be an expensive to maintain pain in the neck.

 

[Austin Charger]

Fall 1969, I was 14 and a neighbor bought a new '70 Challenger. 383, column 727, lime green. I got a ride and I was hooked.

 

[Belvedere408]

I got into Mopars back in high school around 1998. My buddy had a 67 Belvedere 318 4 spd. He drove it like a bat out of hell. He still got the car. Been hooked ever since, have owned 4 over the years. Still have 3 of them including my first car 69 Dart.

 

[Charger72]

Same as KiwiKid72 with the addition of the Mopars from the Mod Squad, specifically the '72 Charger.
Plus my dad only drove Mopars.

 

[440+6]

We were always Ford and Chevy my first car was the 69 Torino 390 4 speed always love the Ford Torino specially the 70 71 years, my best buddy had to sell his 70 gtx and I jumped on it .....1970 gtx v code air grabber track pack ... paid $950 and i thought it was too much that was 1979 and its still with me.

 

[SlingLow]

I am curious...what got you into Mopars?

Well, money! They all cost money!

I'm another kid from the era when we could buy late 60's muscle cars for cheap. My high school rides were a 69 Chevelle SS and a 68 Lemans. Both 4 speeds, both were $800, and both retired to the wrecking yard after a short time with me. Life and business prevented me from this hobby for many years as I strived for success. Once I became liquid, I began acquiring classics and have bought a Ford, 2 Mercurys, a Dodge and 2 Plymouths. I bought the first Mopar (65 Coronet) in September, 2022 and bought the 2nd (66 VIP) a month later. This year added a 64 Polara droptop (I really want the one @Unkwilly is advertising here but it's out of my reach). I call myself a Mopar guy, but I also own Chevy, Infiniti, Jeep, Subaru, Polaris, 2 more Fords, Kubota and Takeuchi. No brand loyalty here I guess.

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

Seeing a wing car. I said dad look its a real Hotwheel. I was 7 and from that minute on I was a Mopar guy.

 

[eldubb440]

I just wanted something different....... it was always "Ford vs Chevy"; like Mopars didn't exist

I also thought a lot of Mopars were "ugly cool"

 

[Cranky]

Grew up with Mopars but the first fast car I got a ride in was a 62 Poncho Cat with a tri power 389 and 4 speed that was driven by my cousin....a girl no less but she knew how to get with it. That set the hook but not for that body style even though I still like them today. The first car I drove behind the wheel was a 56 Plymouth Belvedere Sports Coupe. IIRC, that was in 58 or so when I was 7 or 8. Don't remember what V8 it had but it had some decent spunk. I've owned a few GM cars and more Fords but just liked the Mopars better. Drove a new early Camaro that wheel hopped pretty bad. It was a stick and got into it from a roll. Pushed in the clutch and brought up the R's and bang bang bang before I could lift off the gas. Screw that mess lol.

 

[YY1]

My mom had a '67 Newport for a while that I really liked.
probably around 1977.
Daffodil yellow with black top and int with PW. 383-2
I loved the thick doors I could rest my arm on, the PW switches, the oddly colored steering wheel center that inverted your reflection, and a lot more about that car.

At age 16, when we test drove a nearly 20 year old 66 Coronet, a lot of those sensory memories came back, and I had to have that car.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Friend worked at a Mopar dealer he bought a 1966 Belvedere I that had a 6 cyl the dealer put a Hemi, 4 speed and a Dana 60 in, loved it. Also was a fan of the Motown Missile. When a $400 Hemi came along with a Hemi TF got me started. Found a 62 Dodge $200 and a Dana $250.
This configurations of MM with gold wheel looked the best.

 

[Sixpactogo]

I have always kinda liked the Mopars early on but my family all drove Fords & GMs. When I was in the Navy in 1967 I had a 57 Buick and told my shipmates that I planned on getting a new GTO when we got back to Long Beach CA. I tried out a new 67 GTO with a 400 and 4 speed. I liked it but while waiting for a bus, I decided to walk across the street to the Dodge dealer. I spotted a 67 Coronet R/T and decided to give it a try. The first time I let the the clutch out on that R/T on Long Beach Blvd., I knew there would be no GTO in my future. I bought that R/T and have owned nothing but Mopars since.

 

[eldubb440]

I just wanted something different....... it was always "Ford vs Chevy"; like Mopars didn't exist

I also thought a lot of Mopars were "ugly cool"

to piggyback on the above comment...... most of the Ferds were just ugly

 

[beanhead]

 

[cosgig]

So what one did he bring home ?

Well, they’re both hotter than a pepper sprout, and it would be a toss up as to which one to pick. Dad and Pop both had good taste, but I think at this point I would go for the car, it left a permanent mark on my brother and I.

 

[Cojohnso1]

Growing up the neighborhood gang were all Chevy guys. (One Ford guy, but we think something dreadful happened to him in his early childhood.) But never the less, knowing these guy. I thought "There has to be a better option than Chevy?" This "Most bang for the buck." Was getting boring, and always "Low rent." So wanted a different path. I first went Pontiac. My high school car was a '66 GTO. This was late 70s. And the muscle cars of the late 60s were all I can afford. And did they reek havoc on the rich kids new Cameros and Trans Am's. Including my 2nd car. A '68 Satellite sport. The 389 GTO vs the 383 Satellite was a good race. Both rated 335 HP. Both 3.73:1 rear gear. GTO 4-speed vs 727 in Satellite. Most all races were side by side. Had to sell Satellite for college funding. Pieced out GTO after I beat the crap out of it for 2 years.

My college car was a '69 GTX. 440 4-speed. It looked nicer. It was clearly a better build than the GTO. And I never looked back.

Today? That same crowd still does the Chevies. But I see how they look at my Mopars. I tease them by saying. "Mopars are the hot girl you Chevy guys were to scared to ask out." Their only reply. "I can build two of my Nova's for the price of your Mopar?" I just smile and say. "You're still low rent." And it shows. "Nice 350. Lol."

 

[Budnicks]

My stepfather Bob had a few, he was a Poncho/Pontiac guy at heart
going to the dragstrips up & down the west coast as a kid & seeing
Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth Hemi's
dominate all categories they were allowed to run it
from S/S A/H to Comp/eliminator, M/P or Stock Eliminator, to AA/FA F/C T/F

I was hooked at 8-9 y/o, I was enamored with the AA/FA's
when Dave Hough of Nanook of the North AA/FA Fame
my stepdad's car chief 'Wess' knew him well,
they sent me over to get Polaroid photo & an autograph as a joke
while they watched & laughed
Then;
Dave picked me up & sat me in his 23 t fuel altered, with a
All aluminum FI/Blown Fuel Donovan Hemi,
you couldn't have pried that grin off my face for a week or more...
I was seriously hooked...

My mom's 1st new car, was shortly after she married my stepdad Bob,
was ordered in Nov. 1967 at SF Chrysler Plymouth,
I remember that wait was torturous, but Bob wanted it specifically...
A spec'd out 1968 Sport Satellite 383 4bbl 4 speed GG1 w/white top
& guts/bucket seats, Bob had them dealer installed,
Uniroyal raised white letter tires (IIRC) F-70s upfront & H-60s outback
they put a 3.91:1 rear gear & Suregrip & tow hitch in it too
before we picked it up...
I later owned that car in 1979...
I had it for some 14-ish years, with several different combos...
I traded my stepdad, my Demon 225 /6 3 on the tree & $300 for it
He needed a gas mileage commuter car & I wanted the Sport Satellite bad...
I grew up in that car...

I was brought home from the hospital after my birth July 12th 1959
in a Savoy 2 dr wagon, a putrid baby blue (the Blue Ox)
my parents got from the Shell Oil executive used 'leased car fleet',
my paternal granddad (Shell VP Engineer) bought it for my parents in 1957-58-ish
a ways before I was born...
It was Kismit/fate, I was going to be a MoPar guy, Plymouths especially...