From 1974 until the mid to late 1980s this Plymouth Valiant was a car that might as well have been invisible. By that, I mean these cars were very common, daily transportation appliances that didn’t turn many heads. These cars all but disappeared from the roads sometime in the 90s. While not perfect by any means this 1974 Plymouth Valiant found here on craigslist in Tullahoma, Tennessee for $5,750 is a well-equipped survivor example, thanks to Barn Finds Reader Michael for the tip!
The Plymouth Valiant and its cousin the Dodge Dart were compact in comparison to some of the other Mopar offerings of the time, they came in 2 and 4 door variations. This car is nicely equipped with the 318 V8, automatic transmission, and air conditioning. While not a pristine example this car looks to be in very good condition with 111,000 miles. The ad states this is a California car that runs and drives great.
The interior looks great, the seats, door panels, and dash have held up very well. The ad does not give any ownership history but it’s clear this car was very well cared for, I’m glad the seller is being honest with the mileage and not making a claim of an 11k mile car. This is a car that is hard to put a value on, the condition is great, but it still needs some work and it is not a very popular model among enthusiast.
The rear passenger area is as good if not better than the front, these cars had a very spartan interior but it fits well with the theme of the car. Things on the outside look just a little bit rougher, there are some dents on the left rear and left front and the paint looks good but it could use some work. In the photos it looks as if the vinyl top is coming off, let’s hope there is no hidden rust.
Under the hood, the 318 is said to run well with a new carburetor. It’s nice to see the engine compartment has not been overly detailed or painted. The electronic ignition ECU is mounted there on the inner fender. If you plan on taking a road trip in this thing make sure you have a replacement in the trunk, they are known to leave you stranded. I hope this Plymouth finds a good home and will be left in its unmodified condition, although not desirable this car should be preserved.
Paint it red and you’ll have a replica of the one that Dennis Weaver drove in the movie Duel.Cool movie!
Weaver’s Valiant was slightly older with the square back end on it. I actually like those years better.
You beat me to it! At least with a 318 you’ll have a fighting chance against terror trucks.
I agree. I would think that Dennis Weaver would’ve been better able to take on that tanker truck in Duel if he were provided with a V8 engine, than the 3.7 litre slant six engine he was provided with.
One of my favorite classic films!
Actually the Valiant in Duel had the small V8 badges on the fenders, whether the actual car had one or not is another story.
Steven Speilberg’s first full-length feature. Great flick!
It’s a shame that this writer doesn’t know as much about Mopar electronics as he thinks he does.
I wouldn’t worry about the ECM, however, I ALWAYS carried a spare ballast resistor & point set in the glove box of my old ’69.
we had a 1976 Aspen. First time my dad got towed to the garage, mechanic told us to buy a spare ballast resistor and keep it in the glove box.
we had the car from 1977 to 1985. the ballast resistor blew faithfully every year, around valentines day…
I do you never know if it will go out. But it runs like a champ. Looking at pictures and found this was like omg that’s Amelia. Funny seeing your car online somewhere randomly
Sort it out & drive it. Nobody under about 40 would have a clue what it was, and all the muscle snobs would grind their teeth when it drew a bigger crowd at a show than a Roadrunner or ‘Cuda.
Didn’t Steve Martin drive one just like it with no tires in a movie from those days? I’d preserve it and enjoy it for what it is. Most of them literally rotted away. It is a bit pricy, though.
Yes, that movie was The Jerk, from 1979.
So nice until I saw the one red hose. Plus it’s over priced, not a 2 door, and no manual trans. Did I cover the basics.
And I wish it was closer to my house and I have no money and too many projects
I’ll bite. What’s the deal on the red hose comment?
One of the staffers, Scotty Gilbertson, has a hangup about red hoses.
Red hoses are just a reminder that they are not NOS or OEM originals. For show purposes, I agree. For driving purposes, like this car is most likely to be a driver, red hoses are superfluous.
Why woud somebody “overly detail or paint” the engine compartment of a 1974 Valiant.? My sister had one, or a Dodge Dart. She sold it to a Mennonite couple. (some Mennonite and Amish sects allowed driving). They were to pick it up the next day. Meanwhile the neighborhood kids broke the antenna. The buyers said it was ok because they did not listen to radio or watch tv. The perfect automobile/owner match.
Hers was dark blue, not this wild beige.
Here is my Chrysler Dart. It has a 318 Automatic with A/C which is an extremely rare combination in Mexico.
It is a brand new car as it has 00001 KM on the odometer.
I am waiting for the mechanic to rebuild the original 318 with a few upgrades like a 4 bbl carb.
I also want a traction lock rear end in it.
I will pics of the front and back. See if you guys notice anything odd about the car.
Here is the rear shot.
Sorry for the dirt in the picture.
Hood turn sigs and tires and wheels
Dodge grille and Plymouth taillights? And the Chevy fender badge…
You are right, which is why they are called Chrysler Darts here, not Plymouth or Dodge.
That is not a Chevy fender badge. That is the Chrysler 318 badge they put on all V8 cars.
The majority were the slant 6 so a car with this badge is special.
Here is a close up picture of the badge from a different car.
You see, my car is new again.
Short of turning over or being reset, there is absolutely no way a car could have a mileage of 00000.1 miles. Driving off the assembly line, test driving at the factory, onto a truck or rail car, and onto the dealer lot would add far more than that…
If almost every car listed here on Barn Finds with a 5 digit odometer can claim original miles, I can claim my car is new because the odometer reads all zeros. Here is the picture I took just before the one listed above.
Also, I don’t know if you remember, but Chrysler got in trouble for disconnecting speedometer cables before the car was sold. I don’t remember the exact years, but in doing that, a car can come out of the factory with 0 miles or kilometers.
As a mater of fact, I asked the Chrysler dealer here in Mexico to let me test drive the new 300C when it came out in 2005.
The salesman brought one to my house and the speedometer cable was disconnected.
When I drove it, it would not shift out of first gear because the computer didn’t know the car was moving.
I told the salesman, if I buy one, I don’t want this one. The car did accelerate in first, but it redlined. I certainly didn’t want that one.
My Grandma “Murmie” had a Dodge Dart with a “let me tell you about my Grandchildren” tag on the front. Very similar. I used to love to drive it from B’ham to Atlanta.
That’s all my mom drove while I was growing up .The only problem was hard starting in the winter with the 6 bangers she always had in them.Bruce.
Tennessee car, New Hampshire owner, California Tags. Please beware!
Too bad old Tom Magliozzi has passed on, I bet he would love to have this to go along with his Dodge Dart. RIP Tommy; love listening to the reruns on NPR.
these were tough little cars My dads office had a 75 Valiant for a company car.. About a year later the big boss ran it into a bridge abutment. should have been totalled it was beige like this one. USDA government car, Washington DC had it rebuilt. frame was never right, it ate a set of Goodyear fiberglass belted tires every 5,000 miles They drove it until 1982… and got a Dodge Aries wagon issued to them.
People didn’t think much of these until the Aspen/Volare came out.
I had one just like it as a beater in the 90’s. I came out from work one January night and I could see one side was sitting low so I went to open the trunk to get out my jack.. turned the key in the trunk lock and the trunk popped up in a nano-second..just missing my chin. Turns out the box the leaf spring was attached to rusted out and the end of the leaf spring was resting on the inside of the trunk lid just waiting to deliver an 800 lb uppercut.
My mother had a 75 Duster with the same problem. These cars rotted SO badly…
At this time the Dart/Valiant twins were almost identical. Earlier years had greater differences. I have to disagree on the slant six-I had one in my 65Dodge Coronet (a larger car), my 71 Plymouth Duster (it had three speed on the floor, a $13.00 option, and I could cruise on the interstate at 100 mph), my 74 Plymouth Duster, and my 77 Plymouth Volare wagon. The comment above on the Aspen/Volare twins is 100% accurate. After the Volare, I did not own another Mopar until my 92 Dodge Caravan. I just bought my 3rd Grand Caravan.
I can imagine this is the 1970’s stylish equivalent to the 47 Desoto that Richie Cunningham’s dad drove in Happy Days……the baloney sandwich standard of solid transportation.
Preferred the Dart/Valiant over the Aspen/Volare successor.
I worked at a C/P dealership in 1981. When we got an Aspen/Volare wagon on the used car lot, the lasted less than 3 days.
I’ve always admired this generation of Valiant for its clean, no-nonsense styling–simple elegance.
I’d love to own it. These always struck me as a more viable family car than the Novas and Mavericks it competed with.
A California car from Tennessee being sold in New Hampshire. People on CL love to think they are marketing geniuses.
Car yes. Price no.