Meep-Meep. By 1975 the once powerful and still legendary Road Runner was relegated to being basically a graphics package on the new Volaré. This 1978 Plymouth Road Runner is listed on eBay with an unmet starting bid of, gulp, $14,500! It’s located in Blairsville, Pennsylvania.
It’s a double-edged sword when a seller touts a no-reserve auction but then starts the bidding at almost 50% more than Collector Car Market Review’s #1 value of $10,025. Actually, with T-Tops and a 4-speed that adds 20% so the adjusted #1 perfect-car value would be $12,030. I get it, I think that my vehicles are, or were, worth much more than I have ever, EVER (not bitter) gotten for them when I’ve sold them. I have lost over $6,000 on the last 4 cars that I have sold in the last few months. I totally get it, losing money is never fun.
But pricing a vehicle so far above a #1 condition example when this clearly isn’t a #1 perfect-condition Road Runner seems a bit unusual. Already the next owner is searching the internet for a grille and then paying a couple of hundred plus shipping for it. But, other than that it really does look like a fantastic car. I don’t really see a flaw anywhere on the exterior other than a couple of broken grille pieces.
But, that’s where my praise ends. Believe it or not, even with a world-class asking price there is not one engine photo showing the base 318 engine and basically not one usable interior photo showing the seats or the 4-speed shifter. There is a photo showing the gauges including the odometer showing 72,886 miles and one showing the trunk floor – peeling back the carpet. That’s it? This is a head-scratcher for what looks like a very nice example. Thoughts?
Contrary to popular beleaf I think these volaries/aspens were in there day pretty good cars. Yes they weren’t overly powerful but they were reliable drive lines. I think the owner probably woke this engine up with changes made to the manifold and carb it’s what I would have done. As for the price $8-10k is more like it. I seriously doubt that those stickers are worth $5k. The sell said that this is a no reserve action but then imposes a high start bid so in affect it is a reserve action. JMO
Contrary to popular belief here, these were better cars then the original Road Runners, and I should know, I had a 1970. Okay, a 1970 could throw you back in the seat at a stop light drag race (an usually win), but they couldn’t handle well and got like 7 MPG. This was more of a road car (hence the name ROAD runner. I know, I know, the bird thingie, but you get my point). Good performance for the day, comfortable, sporty looking, handled well (well, good enough, by far better then a 1970) and got 22 MPG. I think the name should be borne proudly by this bird.
I don’t think your mpg for the 1970 Road Runner is correct. I have lived those years. Gas mileage was much more than just 7mpg. There was no emissions equipment on that many cars back in those days.
Who in the HE** toothpicks was tuning your 70? I owned two 69’s and only forced to sell them due to a costly divorce . Both had 383’s. Both had 3.55 rears. But one was a 4spd and the other a 727. I also owned a ’70 Super Bee with the 383 backed by a 4 and 3.55 rear. And I never got bad gas mileage out of any of them. The only other reason for your bad gas mileage is that you really didn’t know how to drive.
Thank you…I agree.
You can ask anything, this is a 5K car. Tops. A tarted up grandmas car that under performed even its graphics. They were a better car with a slant six.
I just sold my 77 Volare Wagon. 318, auto, had cherry bombs, dual. Black with tinted windows, 15 Craiger wheels. This car was strong and an eye catcher. People respected it. By the way, it sold for 3500.00.
If I remember correctly, they were recalled when new for being rust buckets
For that price, BETTER PHOTOS. A 360 probably would have been nicer, but a 318 4 speed should whip this around fairly well.
I remember them being recall for rust when still new
yes, they didn’t have the inner fenders, and the tops of the fenders rusted badly, now try to get them replaced when they have already been owned not a prayer
Next to the Saturn Ion, the Volare ( and Dodge Aspen) were the poster children for recalls. More than any other vehicle. I believe it’s one of the reasons Chrysler got in so much trouble.
Rick Ehrenberg, ex-Chrysler engineer and a near- Gawd to some in the Mopar world, calls them “Rolling TSB’s.”
nobody noticed he replaced the 318 2v I with a 340 4v? maybe that is why the high price? … and as somebody else pointed out no pics of the engine
The intake and carb swap, like this seller performed, might be worth a few hundred.
He’s valuing this car closer to the desirable performance versions than it deserves. At this price, he’s going to own it for a very long time.
Steve R
Pretty steep auction price. I had a 76 Volare with the 318 and it sucked. Everytime you made a left turn it would stall. There are flaws on this one. No pics of the motor? My opinion I’d keep my money.
Well, say what you will, for a muscle car, this was as good as it got in ’78. Pretty sure, the only thing better was the Little Red Express truck. I thought this was a good car, despite it’s dismal build quality and emission choked engines, it was the right size and still offered some fun. I say it’s worth it, mostly for it’s history, the end of the muscle car era as we knew it.
The 1978-1979 Trans Am with the Pontiac 400 and 4 speed would walk all over this car. Those were the last of that era’s “muscle car”, their prices reflects that.
Steve R
Wife says car must go, husband says, “See, Honey, I tried to sell it on eBay, but nobody would buy it!”
I’d LOVE to have this one; I’d source the optional bumper guards/rub strips, and change the wheels to my (preferred) Magnums! :-)
This isn’t what I think of when I hear Road Runner.
For that price there better be a Hemi under the hood!
My first car was an ex granny Volare ‘76 with a slant, put over 100k on it, sold for good money back then. It was a fine car, tought me a lot. I’ve owned chargers and road runners and power wagons, and that Volare was always the good car. It may have had a bad rap however treat it right and I had few problems. About this car, let’s see 🤔 original owner, double black, t top, with spares, 340 4 speed, 3:55 sure track, no rust, mileage right, loaded Volare. I got it. Loved mine, looked just like this, rims and all, except mine was in grey primer. Price is more than fair imo, that engine combo is spot on. This car is quick, easy 300 hp with slight mods. As for handling, go solid k frame mounts and don’t forget that mopar had a race car built off this chassis, factory race parts were made, finding them ?. This is a deal for the right person, condition rarity and options all there.
This should have bern named Road Turd. I owned this vintage in the “As-pane” derivative. They screwed up the torsion bar suspension, and you couldn’t kerp a front main in the standard transmission for more than 60K miles. The bean counters had taken over, Mopar engineering had been decimated in the name of reduced operating expenses to boost earnings, and this was the result.
this was the result.
I recall when Plymouth came out with these. To badge a Volare as a Road Runner was just plain blasphemous ! A Road Runner was more than badging, which was all this car had to offer as far as “performance”. I would MUCH rather have a Aspen/Volare SE wagon in this condition. Back in the 80’s, when I sold cars, we couldn’t get enough wagons. On the lot, and sold in 3 days at a considerable profit.
Back in the 60’s -70’s if you saw a car with missing grill pieces in the middle of the car, it was a tip that the guy changed the camshaft the easy way!
70’s and 80’s cars are on an upward curve right now.I am going to disagree with the writer,and most comments;Runners,and their sister Aspen RT’s are pulling 15 to 20 these days if they are really nice.This subject car is not presented well enough to see what condition it is in.I like unrestored “survivors” but not if they NEED to be restored.For this price it would have to be a “no needs” car.
I’ve sold almost all my cars as at a loss. The market will determine the price. Most of us are selling a car because of a need, a need for cash! If you are in a position to hold onto the car while, having it up for sale you might find the right buyer. I drove a V8 Aspen with the highest performance goodies and the handling wasn’t the best. These Roadrunners are like the compact Ventura GTOs. A sad end to a proud lineage.
I can remember when these first came out. Remember thinking, “I’d be embarrassed to drive it!”
Total slap in the face to such an iconic car. I understand the times, but, come on!
Never should have used the name. That or at least have offered a big block in it!
Toad Runner? Road Walker?
The very definition of lipstick on a pig.
Not a real 4-speed, 3 speed and 4th was overdrive.
Had 69 in H/S, 383, 4-speed, bench seat would hang with most 440’s. & all but 1 chevy.(that was her demise) This car is name only in every way.
I like this cars looks, it would’ve made a neat alternative to the usual bad guy mopars as far as building a street/strip car or strong running late night cruiser. Built.. not stock, which makes it more of a hot rod than a muscle car.
I can think of another vehicle which wrested the recall title away from these. The GM x body (i.e. Chevy Citation, Buick Skylark).
one word “HEMI”
Never really got excited about these
I am not sure. But the 4 speeds in these cars were actually 3 speed overdrive like my 1979 Dodge Van.
And I heard that they were not strong like the old Mopars of the past.
I like the body style. But had to fix too many of the Aspen/Volare’s stupid manufacturing mistakes back then to be interested. (Tin foil wheels, caliper pistons that got cocked in the caliper bores, suspensions that never stayed in alignment due to too soft of rubber mounts. (the wheels would go toe out on medium to hard braking)
Just saying