Do you remember your college car? Of course you do. Some of you might be lucky enough to still have it, either being driven or stowed away for a future restoration (or sale on Barn Finds). For those who went away to school in the 2000s, that might be a Toyota Camry or a Ford Focus, but for those of you with a little more seasoning, the car of your late-teens, early-twenties might well have been a Dodge Dart Swinger like the 1971 model seen here on ebay and sleuthed out for us by Curvette. If this one brings back memories, you have a four-day window to make a bid. Your past awaits you in Pompano Beach, FL.
The price is certainly right at a bid of under $1500. Why so low? This Dart needs a lot of TLC. Maybe the right person hasn’t raised the paddle yet. There are more than twenty people with this auction on “watch” status. What’s to like about the car? Well, back when I had the Dart Sport version of this body style, the desirable thing was a 225-CID Slant Six. Gas was expensive on a college-student budget. But this one has the serviceable and fun 318 V8, which these days is a lot of engine. Other options abound, too, including A/C, bucket seats, a center console, and rally wheels. The Swinger model was a kind of mini-muscle-car derivation of the Dart, a “compact car” in the designation of the day. The Swinger’s coolest available exterior cue was the bumblebee stripe on the rear section.
In other words, forty years ago, when this was a fifteen-year-old used car, it had just enough pizazz, and just enough options, to be a car a young person could drive and feel good about. You won’t know about its current fitness without some doubts, though, as the gas tank is missing, so you’re buying it on the hope that it will run without the need of a heart transplant.
The ad says that it is a project, and the seller has too many. You always wonder why this unit is the one a person is selling off under these circumstances. Is it the most valuable, with the money being eyed as fuel for other resto projects? Is it the most needy, with something being the tipping point allowing the seller to part with it? In this case, is that the rust that appears to be coming from inside to outside of the sheet metal and seems to be having a field day in the lower extremities, not to mention at the base of the rear window? The ad does admit to some rust, but says it’s not too bad. I’d want to look for myself before I committed. In the end, you’re going to have a total restoration on your hands here, but for many of you, this would be a fair trade to get back the feeling of possibility that you had when you were just starting out.
For “Swingers”. Your definition of “Swingin” may differ greatly from what Dodge thought, but it was pretty clear what market they were going for. In case you weren’t there, Charley, the 70s were a fun time. That pesky conflict overseas was finally over, regulations were few, and limits could be tested with little backlash. It’s why we have laws today forbidding such actions, but Chrysler knew, there were a whole group of up and coming younger folks, most certainly “Swingers”, that wanted to be seen. The Swinger ran the gamut, from 6 cylinders with paisley tops, to wheel standing big block musclecars. There was a group in between, that this was perfect. Now, in a dramatic turn, a car like this REQUIRES a 4 speed. It’s what tips the balance from a ho-hum Dart, into a fun Mustang (289) killer. There’s interest, price is right, perhaps we’ve turned a corner, of sorts. I hope so, it’s a great find.