What is your first impression of a Mopar?

[TinCuda]

I was brought up on a Kansas wheat farm around Fords and Chevys.  My dad was a Ford man, my mom's dad drove Chevy cars and Ford trucks.  My dad had a 1970 Galaxie 500 with a 350 engine and my grandpa had a 454 in his Chevy.  There where no shortages of hod rods when I was growing up.  Just no Mopars.

When I was in high school, I went looking to buy my very first car.  I had saved every penny that I had from working at a local Burger King and baling hay.  The car to have when I was a kid was a 1977/78 Pontiac Firebird.  Smokey and the Bandit wasn't that old of a movie and a used Firebird could be had fairly cheap.  My first choice however was a 1969 Chevy Camaro.  I just loved the long front end, short trunk look.  So now the stage is set.  I wanted a hot rod and I listed out the features that I wanted.

1) long hood, short trunk
2) hood scoops, How can you talk your friends into thinking you car is a Hot Rod without hood scoops?  Right?
3) 4 headlights,  I like the way they looked on my dad's Galaxie.
4) Gills,  I loved the fender vents on the Firebird.
5) Big back tires, Do I really need to explain this one?

I was driving to work one day and there it was.  I saw what was going to be my first car.  I had never in my life seen anything so beautiful.  It was my 1971 Plymouth 'Cuda with a 440 engine.  It had everything that I wanted.  Hood scoops, the right body shape, and the fact that it had a bigger engine than my dad had in his car was just icing on the cake.

That is really how it played out and the rest is history.


.,

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Boy, I'm the old fart here I guess. My first impressions of a Mopar were the seemingly acre of chrome and wood grain on the dash of my grandfather's new 54 Desoto. He was a Chrysler/Dodge/Desoto dealer at the time;  or my Dad's 36 Dodge coupe stock car that my mother used to drive on the street, with me in it.  I was literally raised around, on and in Mopars since I could walk and the habit dies hard. 

Your not alone my friend. growing up , dad have a 53 Plymouth (the first and last brand new car he ever bought). And ordered it with the "optional" heater cause he knew he'd be having a family. Grandad had a 52 dodge business coupe.  Actually both were fairly ugly as I recall, but that was my first taste and it stuck. 

['Cuda Hunter]

Born in 76.  so The General Lee would be the first memory.

Really though, when I was 12 I would sneak out of my dads church on Sundays and go buy smokes.
There was this Hemi Orange 71 Cuda that would occasionally be parked outside the gas store.
I thought that car was really cool.  I'd walk around it, study it, and look inside.
The fella that drove it was handicapped and had a hand set up for the gas and brakes. Very unique.
I could have purchased the car a few years back now but the guy wanted twenty plus.  so no go.

Then I drove my friends 67 barracuda 383 when I was 19 and I have been sold on mopars since.

[cuda346pk]

My first time was in 79, I was in 7th grade and remember a young kid, like 2nd grade, getting dropped off at school in an early 70's Super Bee, must have been a 71 as it was Go Green. Not sure if that car came before the General Lee but it was the same year. Luckily when I turned 16 and wanted a 69 Camaro my step dad turned me to the right course and picked up a 70 Duster - 340 Auto, Lemon Twist with black vinyl roof, go wing, power steering and brakes, and best of all someones ex race car. It is still the quickest car I have owned. Unfortunately it only took me 3 months of racing everything I could - and winning most - before I threw a rod which snagged a second rod, exploded a piston and took out 3/4 of #1 cylinder wall completely. I replaced it with a 71 Duster 340 3 speed in babys*** brown with tan interior and manual everything. Each car cost $800. While owning the 1st one I met a guy named Dennis who had a yard full of cars - 23T with 327 and 2x4 tunnel ram, General Lee, Power Wagon and my early love - a 70 cuda, 440 6 pack 4 speed, go wing, magnesium 5 spoke wheels, black interior. I had to go knock on his door to meet him. I swore that day I would have one and it took a while but I made it.

[ChallengerHK]

My father had a 67 Fury, and then a 71 Newport. Years later, I heard the B-52s singing

I've got me a Chrysler, it's as big as a whale
And it's about to set sail
I've got me a Chrysler, it seats about twenty
So come on, and bring your jukebox money

And I said "Yeah, I remember that car"  :bigsmile:So that was my first impression of MoPar. A few years later I bought my Challenger, and my impressions changed.

[Gumby]

LOL! GREAT STORIES! Keep 'em coming - It don't matter what age or year or muscle or any of that. At age 15 or so, I had already started hoarding parts and filling up my parents basement, much to their dismay! lol. I bought my Charger while I was 15, and couldn't even drive it for several months until I turned 16. It's a sickness, lol.

[moparman82]

Lets see, i was born in 1982, and i remember my dad showing my spy photos of the concept viper when i was 8 and i thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen!  Then the ram re-design came out in 94 and i was double impressed! (6 years later a 94 ram 4x4 would be my first truck)  Then when i was 13, i was walking to school (on the central coast of california where i grew up) and there was a green 71 cuda 340 billboard, that belonged to an immagrant field worker!  He had it shackled up and  super wide mags on the back with all terrain tires so he could park in the fields!  That was what sold me on classic mopar muscle, then i started restoring a 66 big block sport satellite with my dad when i was 15 and ive owned nothing but MOPAR since!

[73restomod]

Let's see, it was 1983, and my mother had a 1971 B5 blue Coronet 4 door. It had slotted mags, and wide tires on the back. I was riding in the front bench on Stillwater stretch when she punched it and planted me in the seat. I wasn't scared, it was exciting. It made an impression on me I'll never forget. By the time I was 12 i had all kinds of mopar pictures on the wall. As soon as I turned 14 I worked every summer and weekend until I  could afford my first one, a red, but rusty 72 Challenger.

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[AARCUDADEN]

Well being my dad was a Ford man and all my uncles were bowtie boys thats all i knew as a youngster until my brother bought his 1970 Challenger and after after taking my first ride in it i fell in love with that car.Shortly there after my cousin who was my brothers age had bought her AAR which is mine now, so i rode in it and i was hooked for life  Guess you can say i'm the black sheep of the family     

[Super Blue 72]

I bought my Charger while I was 15, and couldn't even drive it for several months until I turned 16.

You're smarter than I, buddy. 

I got my first car when I was 14, a '67 Cutlass, died on my dad, he gave it to me and I got it running.  Thought I would test drive it around the block, stopped at a stop sign, and wouldn't you figure there was a police car coming in the opposite direction.    I panicked, parked it and got out of the car.  Police officer came over just to check if I was ok and drove off.  Good thing that's all he did as the car wasn't registered and I had the plate off my neighbor's VW bug that she let me borrow... 

[BIGSHCLUNK]

 

 

Phil , I'd probly done the same thing. But got busted for it...... 

[Super Blue 72]

Hah, I was waiting for a  .  Might as well be from you, Chris! 

[Sleepychallenger]

Hah, I was waiting for a  .  Might as well be from you, Chris! 

I did the same in my 60 Comet. I was 14 and just got it running so I waited for dad to leave for work and got in it and drove to school with a truck license plate in the back window. About 3rd period the cops came in and cuffed me and took me down to the office. After explaining that it was my car and them calling my dad at work, they let me off and let him come and get the car when he got off. I wasnt allowed to touch the car or anything to do with it for 2 months 

wow...I USED to be dumb...yes I say USED to be. now I do dumb legal stuff 

[MEK-Dangerfield]

I did the same in my 60 Comet. I was 14 and just got it running so I waited for dad to leave for work and got in it and drove to school with a truck license plate in the back window. About 3rd period the cops came in and cuffed me and took me down to the office. After explaining that it was my car and them calling my dad at work, they let me off and let him come and get the car when he got off. I wasnt allowed to touch the car or anything to do with it for 2 months 

wow...I USED to be dumb...yes I say USED to be. now I do dumb legal stuff 

Wow, you must have moved way up on the "bad arse" chart in school.   

How many of us ever saw a classmate handcuffed?   

[cudazappa]

In 92 I started reading car mags.  One of the earliest I picked up was featuring Road Runners as the featured model.  They kicked off a project car, a 1970 Road Runner 383 auto that they bought for $800 and were making road worthy.

That was the first time I associated any Dodge or Plymouth as a Mopar.  And I grew up with Dukes reruns.  Warner Brothers is kinda responsible for me getting into Mopars.

Also in that issue they broke down production numbers from 1968-1980 and that's when I decided I wanted one more than anything.  My first car was a 1980 Volare that I was going to clone into a Road Runner, until my second car, a 1977 Road Runner!

I actually still wouldn't mind owning one of those, but I will not give up my E- body to own one.