If I set out to find the most “unbarn findy” car, and the least likely to be a survivor, it wouldn’t be a 1979 Plymouth Volare. But, we do cover them all so why not, right? Today’s find is fresh out of a collection (Who puts a Volare in a collection?) and it is a claimed 22K mile example. Nice? It’s as nice as a Volare can get and I have to admit it looks to be a perfect specimen. A relocation is supposedly forcing a sale so this Mattituck, New York resident is available here on eBay for a current bid of $9,400 with seventeen bids tendered so far.
A fairly short-lived model, the Plymouth Volare, and its corporate cousin the Dodge Aspen, were produced between 1976 and 1980. The Volare was a follow-on to the Valiant while the Aspen occupied the role played by the venerable Dodge Dart. Body styles included four-door sedans and station wagons, as well as a two-door sedan/coupe. Hemmings considered 1979 to be the Volare’s penultimate year with over 180K copies finding owners. In spite of their popularity (Allpar estimates that 1.8M Volares and Aspens saw the light of day in its five model years of existence), these twins were not without their detractors as a result of numerous recalls. Both suffered from notorious rusting issues as well as driveability (stalling) problems. The Center for Auto Safety bestowed the “Lemon of the Year Award” on the star-crossed twins in 1978. Motor Trend ultimately declared the pair to be, “A Great Idea, Lousy Execution”.
So this New Yorker doesn’t show like a 44-year-old New York car – there’s no rust – the bane of a Volare’s existence. But then again, it has been in a collection, stored, and has only experienced 22K miles of use. The Teal Frost Metallic finish looks great and works well with the white vinyl top. Compacts of this era, regardless of the manufacturer, march to the beat of a similar drummer – they look like full-size cars, but they’re just wearing more shrunken proportions. Based on the included images, I can’t spy an objection.
Power is provided by a 100 net HP, 225 CI “slant-six” engine which is said to “run and drive great“. Everything under the hood is tidy and I don’t have a problem believing the mileage claim. A Torque Flite automatic transmission provides rotational force to the rear wheels.
We’re told that the “interior is flawless with original mats” and it is – no argument there. I would expect some age wear to be affecting the instrument panel and switch gear but that’s not the case – all of the components show like new and there’s really nothing out of place. It’s an interesting contrast comparing this interior to that of a modern car. First off, it’s green and not black or gray (the take it or leave it options for 2023) but the whole arrangement with its bench seat seems so foreign today yet so common to my not-so-distant memory. The seller mentions this Plymouth is air conditioned and then adds, “(which I charge at the beginning of the summer)” so that makes me think it has a leak but at least it works. Gotta appreciate Mopar providing engine gauges instead of warning lights even in what was a very financially strapped time for ChryCo.
The only issue now is finding a buyer who’s willing to shell out almost ten large for a 44-year-old compact Plymouth sedan. I guess the seller could see if Sergio Franchi is available, right?
Proof positive, the bidders couldn’t possibly be very familiar with this car. They are willing to spend 5 figures on the poster child for Chrysler recalls. Apparently, these types of cars, low mileage, seldom used 70s and 80s, will continue to come out of garages as the elderly owners die, for years to come. The 5 figure thing tells me, Corvettes, and such, are being replaced by clean older cars like this. The Slanty, while pretty strangled here, still delivered reasonable power and so-so fuel economy, but it was the best Chrysler had then. These were problematic when new, I can’t imagine has gotten any better with age. A great find, when a car was just a car,,,thing is, supplies are VERY limited, and can’t be a heck of a lot more out there. Estate sales reveal this kind of stuff a lot, just right place, right time thing.
225, strangled? Yes, but this is a 2bbl super six. They ran much better. The 100 HP was the 1bbl standard, the 2bbl, I believe had 10 more HP. The standard 225 had idle issues and often stalled, the little extra burst of fuel from the 2bbl seemed to fix that. Of course, a nice 225 from the early 70s was better all around, but by this time, that was not possible. Is this a Canadian car? I don’t remember those seat covers.
Thats the wrong air conditioning compressor to. I used to drive Chryslers back during this time, so I think my memory is good on this, but at my age, who knows?
The 1979/ 1980s had this type of material ; my 1978 had a brocade style cloth seat . Mine had a red interior, something you’d never see in a new car today !
Again , like the comments about Pintos blowing up every time one shows up here , the severe rust issue gets posted – True, the 76-77 models suffered from severe rust among other things , but the 78 -80s did not have those problems , and were a durable car. Even living on the Coast of New England , my never garaged 78 Volare coupe lasted 16 years and over 200k before it was driven to the junkyard as it was just a well worn old car. My father bought a new 79 Aspen sedan; he sold it with 180k on it only because he was afraid something would eventually go on it. Were they as good as the Valiant/Darts , no , but they were still a very reliable car
Howard, I totally agree with you. As ‘collector’ cars are priced out of most people’s price range, cars like these have surged in popularity and will continue until they are also overpriced.
I agree Howard. I owned a ’76 Volare wagon back in the day. At 100k I removed the original engine, replaced it with a 1964 225 slant 6 and removed all the smog equipment. It was a little better, but not much. The original motor did stall a lot, especially when cold and accelerating from a stop. Of course, I upgraded to a ’76 Mercury Monarch with a 302- it was a little better, but not much. Were we driving some real junk back then or not? :)
I bought a used ’76 Volare wagon, as we had two kids with a third one on the way. The wagon was mahogany brown in color, and it had the 225 slanty with a 4-speed manual overdrive transmission. On nice summer days I could get 30 mpg, but when it stalled 5 times on the way to the hospital when my wife went into labor, I ended up ordering a new carb, and it worked better after that. And yes, it had rust issues on top of both front fenders! A lot of people were surprised that it had a floor -mounted stick shift. Overall, a good car. Sold it after a few years, and bought an 81 Malibu estate wagon; it had the 305 4bbl, with an automatic and a/c- that baby could really get up and go!
Like Jim says, about the least likely car that someone might have kept. Malaise era, a model not particularly well-regarded in its day, a regular four-door family car, it’s even green (though a rather attractive minty shade). Yet here it is.
The owner notes his collection consists of original, low-mileage, one-owner cars that he doesn’t have to spend a lot of money on. A rather solid strategy, in my opinion. It even has personalized plates. Take it to a car show and you’ll get attention– when is the last time you’ve seen one?
A great strategy if you have no specific parameters or taste – that’s how you wind up with the poster child of the malaise era.
My father bough a ’77 Aspen SE wagon new, sporting a 225 with the Lean Burn system. There were (to be diplomatic) fit & finish issues with the trim. It was a slug.
My father took great good care of it; I turned it down in 1984 because it was boring in every way (bought a ’74 Celica GT & put a sunroof in it. Five-speed was way more fun).
Nothing wrong with that drive train, though. Should have kept with a mild mod of the Dart.
I bought virtually the same car ( mine had a 318 tho) in this condition for $500 years ago. It donated it’s drivetrain and front clip to my 48 Dodge pickup. I didn’t feel bad about cutting it up but seeing what this ones bid to I shoulda looked for another and squirrelled it away lol.
We drove these as “Cadet Cruisers” with the 6 and a Taxi Package on them. The quote “A Great Idea, Lousy Execution” is perfect. They stalled while driving and/or wouldn’t start. The brakes were horrendous. They never should have stopped making the Valiant.
So they were terrible but should still be in production?
Was the Lean Burn system in play here? They were a nightmare.
No , they werent on the 225s
I had several , and a couple more in my family. none had stalling or just wouldn’t start issues . As the brakes – They were the exact same as the disc/drum brake set up as the Valiants , so your comment makes no sense
I had a ’77 with all the rust issues mentioned. Great car motor ran great. Only issues I had with engine was vapor lock and a bad EGR valve. My dad was able to fix it without further issue. It was reliable and got me where I needed to go, even on snow NY winter days.
This car has the Super Six which I believe puts it @ 110 HP, which although doesn’t seem much better than 100, was much more drivable.
Aside for the rust issues which plauged tge first two years, much of the drivability issues where due to the Holly carbs in the base 225.the accelerator pump would bind and cause the car to stall.
The brake issues where mostly due to the composite pistons in the calipers that woykd warp.
Unfortunately, Chrysler had too much reliance on their suppliers compared to GM and Ford.
Glad the Aussies didnt get this model, we had changed the body to a “Aussie only ” bulky thing.
I actually bought a 1980 model new low price for a Young Airman in the Air Force needing a family car that wasn’t price high. We had the slant6 with a/c and cruise control. Drove that car for 245,000 miles did regular maintenance did not have any issues with it for 20 years. I don’t know why everyone is slamming these maybe I was lucky? Or just I knew that if I need it to last that I made sure that I performed the main fence on the car. I trade it for a car (Lincoln) the wife wanted we got rid that within 18 months because it was at the real ratio more than at home.
My grandparents bought a 1980 Volare on June 1980. I purchased it from grandma in June 1993. I kept it until July 2003. It had no recalls and ran flawlessly whatever the weather. The 1976-77 model years had issues, but Chrysler made improvements quickly.
Even though I was always panicked that my thrifty Dad would come home with one back in the day, I must admit to being smitten with this one’s cute ass end. How times change!
I have to agree with Ralf Pietzsch, my dad owned a late ‘77 and an ‘80 later on and both were very well maintained, no major issues, no rust.
I think by ‘78 these cars’ issues were ironed out and they were decent cars. The early years resulting from a rushed launch by a desperate Corp. to get some returns on development lead to most of the issues.
The ‘77 was a 318 V8 and the ‘80 was a Slant 6. The ‘80 was especially well put together, with zero issues – once again regular maintenance was kept up.
Johnny I agree with you. I worked for a taxi company as a mechanic and we had the Dodge Aspens and Volare’s and put 100’s of thousands of miles on them with little to know problem at all. Body rust and the front frame rails would rust out here in Pa.
These cars were everywhere when I was growing up in the 80’s but they didn’t last long due to living in the rustbelt. To find one that survived and is all original is a rare find, occasionally I see them at shows but they’ve been modified.
Soooo unbelievable! I was singing Volare’ in the shower and come out to check my favorite vintage site- Barn Finds and I see this!!! Destiny perhaps?
Whenever I hear the name “Volare” I think of the scene from “Hollywood Knights”. It still makes me chuckle.
Just out of the service my mom had a freind at church that had a ‘77 with a 318 that was for sale. It was burgundy in color and had a bunch of options like this one. I drove it for a couple of years to get to work and back and wherever else I needed to go. It never broke down on me and was also a low mileage example. I think I paid $1,500 and was thrilled to own it. This one looks to be 22,000 actual miles from what I can see. Mine drove comfortably as I remember and this one should provide years of good service for the next owner.
I wonder what the seller may have left to sell? I like his style of collecting one owner cars with low miles.
If Wikipedia had a definition of a “Grandma Car?” They’d have the exact picture of this car. Boring and ugly in one vehicle. What more could you asdk for?
The Plymouth Volare and its sister the Dodge Aspen were such non-descript, boring cars when new…and they still are IMHO.
How do you feel about the 75 -79 Chevy Nova ?
Fascinating how a used car is attracting this type of money. I assume it’s only because the average Joe is being priced out of everything else. But at this price I guess that the new owner will actually use this as a used car, drive it quite a bit, let it get dings on the body and spills on that cloth interior, and it will no longer be a museum piece in three years. Seems a shame to me. We are likely only going to have photos, at some point, of the more modest vehicles of the latter quarter of the 20th century.
I was a mechanic at a Chrysler dealer when these were new, they had some drivability issues that we ironed out quickly , the biggest issue was rust & a recall on front flexible brake hoses. The drivetrain was bulletproof for durability, the slant 6 and torqueflite transmission was far better than what the competition was offering at the time. They worked well with the 318 in them as well. Many of them went into taxi fleets as they were cheap and durable plus parts were reasonable.
My friend bought a new ’78 & sold it with over 200k on it & never had any problems with it.
I purchased a new 1976 Volare. It has round headlights. In 1977 Chrysler went to retangular headlights. I am with a major question why this 1979 hes round headlights. Mine was in dealer stock with only one option and that was a 318 engine. Had a three speed on the floor. Ended up having to file suit agaist Chrysler and the dealer. Chrysler and dealer both filed for bankrupricy and my attorney died. I have since owned over 100 cars since then but no Chrysler products.
Tom, the Aspen and Volare didn’t get rectangular headlights until ’80, the final year of production.
Fun pick BF. Another car I didn’t look twice g back then but love seeing it as a survivor!
My sister wanted a Toyota Corolla for her first car but our dad steered her towards a new 1977 Volare 2-door because it was ‘more car’ for the money.
Her ’77 was this color green, white vinyl top and white vinyl interior with the fold-down rear seat option. It also had the 360 2-barrel and Torqueflite auto.
She didn’t keep it very long and ultimately ended up with a Corolla.
It amazes me how a car so plain & even loathed has attracted so many posts far more then average, with more guys defending the car then the nay sayers . It’s in bf readers to circle the wagons for this car that in itself was controversial from a struggling manufacturer but made such a impression on us all.
Wow, for such a craptastic car it sure is getting a lot of comments. The final ebay price was over 10k. I suppose that gives us an idea of where the bottom of the market is for super clean usable vintage cars. For many of us who grew up with these cars they were horrible embarrassing cars. But in the current market they have character and one like this will be a low mileage super cheap car to run that will get you lots of attention. I love it. It is the definition of a Practical Classic.
SOLD for $10,001.