The Last Really Good Chrysler Product

With your kind of language, Teddy, I wouldn't let you near my 99 Intrepid ES
which I consider to be one of the best cars I've ever owned (so far).

"Ted Azito" > wrote in message
om...
> My uncle was over at the house bitching about Chrysler again. He's
> never owned anything but Chryslers for fifty years. He buys them as
> demo's or used at a year old, drives them into the ground, puts an ad
> in the paper for the dead car a s a mechanic's special, and when they
> don't sell for a couple of hundred bucks he has someone tow or trailer
> them somewhere and abandon them. Apparently no one comes after him
> even though he has a pattern of this. He keeps the steering wheels as
> souvenirs.
>
> Yes, he's a peckerwood.
>
> I do the opposite: I buy dead cars or get them given to me and bring
> them back to drivability. With the interest rates in the ****ter and
> dealerships' willingness and ability to get total turds financed on
> brand new electro****boxes, some pretty desirable-to me- cars get
> crushed today. Often as simple as a head gssket or even U-joints.
>
> But getting back on subject, he was going off on what the last good
> Chrysler product was. I'll post his answer-surprising to me-a little
> later, but I want your opinions first. What was the last good Mopar?

On Wed, 19 Oct 2004, Ted Azito wrote:

> But getting back on subject, he was going off on what the last good
> Chrysler product was. I'll post his answer-surprising to me-a little
> later, but I want your opinions first. What was the last good Mopar?

The AA-body (Spirit, Acclaim, LeBaron sedan, export Saratoga) 1989-1995.

On Wed, 19 Oct 2004, Ted Azito wrote:

> But getting back on subject, he was going off on what the last good
> Chrysler product was. I'll post his answer-surprising to me-a little
> later, but I want your opinions first. What was the last good Mopar?

The AA-body (Spirit, Acclaim, LeBaron sedan, export Saratoga) 1989-1995.

"marlinspike" > wrote in message
...
>I guess it doesn't count as a mopar car but the last good chrysler product
> is the 300C hemi srt-8 that will come out shortly. It's only last because
> there is yet to be anything after it. Oh, and IMHO it's the first good one
> in a long time.
> Richard
> "Ted Azito" > wrote in message
> om...
>> My uncle was over at the house bitching about Chrysler again. He's
>> never owned anything but Chryslers for fifty years. He buys them as
>> demo's or used at a year old, drives them into the ground, puts an ad
>> in the paper for the dead car a s a mechanic's special, and when they
>> don't sell for a couple of hundred bucks he has someone tow or trailer
>> them somewhere and abandon them. Apparently no one comes after him
>> even though he has a pattern of this. He keeps the steering wheels as
>> souvenirs.
>>
>> Yes, he's a peckerwood.
>>
>> I do the opposite: I buy dead cars or get them given to me and bring
>> them back to drivability. With the interest rates in the ****ter and
>> dealerships' willingness and ability to get total turds financed on
>> brand new electro****boxes, some pretty desirable-to me- cars get
>> crushed today. Often as simple as a head gssket or even U-joints.
>>
>> But getting back on subject, he was going off on what the last good
>> Chrysler product was. I'll post his answer-surprising to me-a little
>> later, but I want your opinions first. What was the last good Mopar?

The A-Body Valiant/Duster/Dart (1976).

"marlinspike" > wrote in message
...
>I guess it doesn't count as a mopar car but the last good chrysler product
> is the 300C hemi srt-8 that will come out shortly. It's only last because
> there is yet to be anything after it. Oh, and IMHO it's the first good one
> in a long time.
> Richard
> "Ted Azito" > wrote in message
> om...
>> My uncle was over at the house bitching about Chrysler again. He's
>> never owned anything but Chryslers for fifty years. He buys them as
>> demo's or used at a year old, drives them into the ground, puts an ad
>> in the paper for the dead car a s a mechanic's special, and when they
>> don't sell for a couple of hundred bucks he has someone tow or trailer
>> them somewhere and abandon them. Apparently no one comes after him
>> even though he has a pattern of this. He keeps the steering wheels as
>> souvenirs.
>>
>> Yes, he's a peckerwood.
>>
>> I do the opposite: I buy dead cars or get them given to me and bring
>> them back to drivability. With the interest rates in the ****ter and
>> dealerships' willingness and ability to get total turds financed on
>> brand new electro****boxes, some pretty desirable-to me- cars get
>> crushed today. Often as simple as a head gssket or even U-joints.
>>
>> But getting back on subject, he was going off on what the last good
>> Chrysler product was. I'll post his answer-surprising to me-a little
>> later, but I want your opinions first. What was the last good Mopar?

The A-Body Valiant/Duster/Dart (1976).

My old 89 Spirit turbo Base. Smoked alot of my pals with that sleeper!
Lasted until Last year! Gave it to my parents ( my father never believed in
changing oil) Used to go visit everyyear and change it for him. It finally
bit the dust last year with the fried tranny. Only problem in 280,00 km's
was the oil seal to the turbo blew. Leaked oil, Then the tranny. Damn, I
wish I kept it.

My old 89 Spirit turbo Base. Smoked alot of my pals with that sleeper!
Lasted until Last year! Gave it to my parents ( my father never believed in
changing oil) Used to go visit everyyear and change it for him. It finally
bit the dust last year with the fried tranny. Only problem in 280,00 km's
was the oil seal to the turbo blew. Leaked oil, Then the tranny. Damn, I
wish I kept it.

On Wed, 20 Oct 2004, Melvin Myers wrote:

> The A-Body Valiant/Duster/Dart (1976).

Disagree. The last really good A-body was in '72. Some '73s were passable,
but the build and materials quality went steeply downhill from there. By
the last year ('76) they were shoddily built out of cheap materials -- and
that's without even factoring in the poor fuel economy, poor performance
and poor driveability wrought by the stone-age emission controls.

No, the '60-'72 A-bodies were first-rate cars, but the later ones just
didn't measure up. The '89-'95 AA-bodies, on the other hand, came
extremely close to the standard set by the up-to-'72 A-bodies in terms of
ruggedness, dependability and driveability.

DS

On Wed, 20 Oct 2004, Melvin Myers wrote:

> The A-Body Valiant/Duster/Dart (1976).

Disagree. The last really good A-body was in '72. Some '73s were passable,
but the build and materials quality went steeply downhill from there. By
the last year ('76) they were shoddily built out of cheap materials -- and
that's without even factoring in the poor fuel economy, poor performance
and poor driveability wrought by the stone-age emission controls.

No, the '60-'72 A-bodies were first-rate cars, but the later ones just
didn't measure up. The '89-'95 AA-bodies, on the other hand, came
extremely close to the standard set by the up-to-'72 A-bodies in terms of
ruggedness, dependability and driveability.

DS

>
> But getting back on subject, he was going off on what the last good
> Chrysler product was. I'll post his answer-surprising to me-a little
> later, but I want your opinions first. What was the last good Mopar?

Everything except 1975-1992 has been "good", and there were a few good
ones in there (trucks, some M-bodies). The LH cars, in both generations,
have been very very good vehicles, and the JA-bodies aren't great but
they aren't an embarassment. The first-generation Neon comes close to an
embarassment, but was cheap enough to be excused.

The jury's still out on the Daimler-fied Mopars, but the Magnum and 300
sure look promising. The 5.7 engine is a work of art (even the more
technical auto magazines that actually dis-assemble engines and study
them are giving the 5.7 great reviews). Its less certain to me whether
the aluminum suspension parts or the un-necessarily complicated 6-speed
Benz-based slushbox are any good. Now, if you could bolt an A-518 behind
that hemi, then we'd really have something great!