The Dodge Aspen and its cousin, the Plymouth Volare, replaced the venerable Dart/Valiant compact combo in 1976. They brought nothing innovative to the party other than that they would pile up a stack of recalls over their five-year run. The seller has a nice 1978 edition of the Aspen with low miles and custom trim, though the paint looks better in the photos than in person. Located with a dealer in Wautoma, Wisconsin, this red-over-red Mopar is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $7,995. Another tip brought to us by “Lothar… of the Hill People”.
Aspen sales ramped up quickly from 219,000 units in 1976 (while the Dart was still on the market) to 312,000 in 1977. But the recall news led to a decline to 197,000 copies in 1978 when this version was built. By 1980, just 85,000 Aspens were produced, and the car didn’t see a second generation as Chrysler was betting the farm on the new FWD K-Cars. The best thing about the Aspen was perhaps its standard engine, the 225 cubic inch Slant-Six, which this Dodge possesses.
We’re told this Dodge has had at least three owners, yet the odometer reflects a low 43,000 miles. Besides the Slant-Six, this Aspen has a TorqueFlite automatic transmission and the Custom trim option (it was a series in 1976 and 1977). The seller is a dealer, so you’d think the photos would be better, but they’re not. Taken in the dark inside a garage with poor lighting and weird angles, which don’t show the issues with the red paint the seller says the car has.
The interior seems to be exceptional, and could the upholstery be those Rich Corinthian Leathers (just kidding!)? The Dodge has recently been serviced (an oil change) and has newer brakes, belts, and the exhaust. This car should be roadworthy, though it begs the question of whether a regular Dodge Aspen ever reaches collectible status or is just another old used car.
Boring as cold oatmeal and please lose the windshield bling.
Exactly. You’ll notice that to the immediate left or right of this ‘Mopar’ is ‘no car’…
Chrysler was on the ropes, at that time. My neighbor worked at the stamping plant in Twinsburg. He operated a crane loading scrap stampings and tailings to rail cars. He was disgusted that they, supervisors would have the workers pull blemished or a bad stamping from the pile and they built cars with them. I know the Mopar guys don’t want to hear that but I have no reason to make that up. The plant is gone and my neighbor at the time is no longer alive. These cars were terrible, quality was poor and saw a couple of examples in person.Like tail lights that weren’t sealed and rain water running in the trunk. I bought one of those K cars, well two. One new and one used.
I like the Packer Ford pickup truck, GO PACK!!! Cadmanls’ story is not unique, but it’s true. Even Iacocca said in an interview” we sent a lot of crap out the door”, but it wasn’t entirely Chryslers fault. All the car companies were struggling to meet new regulations and still dealing with 50 year old designs. That, and the imports were clobbering us in the engineering dept., something had to give. The Volare was a good car, right size and price, and shortcomings aside, they still sold a lot of cars. Again, not many bought another, besides, the Omni/Horizon was right around the corner, and it was adios to traditional, 50 year old engineering. A great find, and lose the steering wheel cover,,,
There is a lift in the background, why no undercarriage pictures? The dealer says it has “surface rust”, that has a different meaning depending what part of the country you are in, he needs to show it.
Steve R