The Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare arrived on the new F-body platform in 1976. They replaced the aging Dodge Dart and Plymouth Valiant on the A-body platform. From an engineering standpoint, there was nothing new or innovative here, as the cars continued to have rear-wheel drive and Slant-Sixes or V8 engines. The seller has a nice 1977 Aspen 4-door sedan whose odometer reads 12,000 miles, and it has the Super Six motor (more on that in a moment). Located in South Ozone Park, New York, this one-owner survivor is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $7,300. “Zen” is the source for this Mopar tip.
Part of the so-called “Malaise Era” of auto production in the 1970s and 1980s, the Aspen and Volare were typical examples. But they may go down as two of Chrysler’s most successful failures in that they racked up a boatload of recalls in their early years, many of which could be attributed to lackluster quality control at Chrysler. My mother once had a 1974 Dart Sport and a 1980 Volare, and I found the Volare to be the better car in terms of how well it was put together.
Because its cars were bogged down with emissions controls that affected performance, Chrysler introduced the “Super Six” version of the 225 cubic inch Slant-Six in 1977. It used a 2-barrel carburetor instead of a single, which included a different intake manifold and larger exhaust. This setup only added 10 hp, but we’re told the idle was smoother, and the cars were a little better behaved. That version of the 225 was around through 1983.
We’re told this Aspen is in mint shape, but that might be a bit of a stretch. The body and paint look good, not showing any of the rust that would become part of the recall problems. We’re told it drives well and the interior looks fancier than standard and seems to be in great shape, except perhaps for the steering wheel. It’s said the car has been parked in a barn for many years, but that doesn’t appear to have caused any issues. It’s a good driver that has some aftermarket wire wheels which don’t quite look right to me. But as long as they do their job with decent tires, who am I to complain?
$7,300 you have got to be F@@@@@@ kidding me !!!!!!!!
Are you sure about that one Joe? Maybe it’s a “Limited Edition”.
Super six in America was gone after 79, I believe, Canada might have had it in 83. I saw a Mirada at a car show recently with a six, a 1983, and it was a bogged down 90HP 1bbl. Too sad for words in such a beautiful car. Should have been standard 318s. Still a shadow of what they once were, but so much better.
My first car was a 1981 Plymouth Caravelle (Gran Fury in the States) with a Super Six. 225 Cu. in. 2 bbl.
Yes, I think Canada had more common sense about this. Of course, they always do about most things.
We had the 225 2bbl for years as police vehicles. Funny thing they were more powerful than the 318 2bbl police vehicles that came around 1983.
The 225/904 were a great setup.
We had the 225 2bbl to 1982 NYPD radio cars. They were faster than the 318’s.
This one looks like a decommissioned taxi cab. The ask is ridonkulous.
Where’s a barn in south Ozone?
You can still see the top notch Chrysler fit and finish on this granny mobile!
Beautiful looking car. Although I was way too young at the time to drive a car, I remember seeing cars like this being driven. I find the 1976-77 Dodge Aspen the best looking car produced, probably more than the Plymouth Volare. My aunt had a 1977 Dodge Aspen and I remember her enjoying the car.
112k on this 2500.00 dodge.
We had the 225 2bbl for years as police vehicles. Funny thing they were more powerful than the 318 2bbl police vehicles that came around 1983.
The 225/904 were a great setup.
Makes no sense unless the rear ends were vastly different. 2.24 for the V8 and 3.55 for the six, maybe?
By the time the Aspen/Volare was launched, the finance guys at Chrysler had taken over. Engineering was gutted. Cost cutting to raise profit margins meant quality issues were ignored, and parts were sourced with lower quality to get better costs. I owned a 72 dart that somebody hit me and totalled, subsequently purchasing a new Aspen. Both with the six cylinder ” leaning tower of power” with a 3 speed standard tranny. The difference in quality was stark. We called the latter A$$pains.
The six can be easily awakened simply by changing the timing and distributor advance curve. Search Mopar.Connections.
You can get even more power by changing the cam and manifolds.
People seem to love to rag on these. For all of you that had bad experiences with them, I’m sorry. I have owned an Aspen and a Volaré. Both were great cars and caused me no grief. I wouldn’t pay the asking price on this one but if I was in need of a car and this one checked out I’d offer 5k. To all that scoff think of this…I have a late model Charger and so far it’s been absolutely fantastic but all the computers and sensors scare the heck out of me. There isn’t one darn thing on this that would be expensive to repair or replace. Right down to the engine and transmission.
An exact duplicate of my Driver’s Ed car, down to the paint color.
Detroit (Michigan) Public Schools had a bunch of these K-Cars, for Driver’s Education, in 1980. As I remember they were all hard to keep running and stalled frequently.
These were actually the predecessor of the famous K car model.
not a k car, They came after this platform and were front drive with 2.2 engines.
He said predecessor. Meaning the Aspen/Volaré cars came before the K car and were replaced but the FWD K car whereas the Aspen series was RWD and K car was FWD and quite a few differences. The K car replaced the Aspen ones.
A- Body, F- Body- K- Body, oy!
Lovely looking car. I’ve always loved the 1976-77 Dodge Aspen. My aunt had one back in the 1990s. I grew up being told that they were the worst cars one could own. I disagree. My aunt loved hers and took care of the car, getting the oil changed and other maintenance done.