When she gave it to us it was 16 years old and had only 33,000 actual miles on it. (They never drove anywhere.) It is a four-door model with automatic transmission and the big 318 V-8 engine. It even has the racecar style gas tank configuration in the trunk. The gas intake opening is cut into the side panel, but the pipe work is there for the top-side, racecar style gas pour. Always thought that was cool. One of the best features is the original radio antenna. When fully extended it is nearly five feet high off the hood. At night, you can pick up AM radio from all over the USA.
During the first few years of our ownership, my younger sister was the principal driver. Her insurance company will attest to her driving record, and so will the fenders of the Dart. She got into a few minor scrapes, but always emerged the better damage-wise. The Dart would dent, but always inflict more damage than it took. The rear fenders were also starting to show the characteristic rust damage typical of these models.
By the time I was a senior in college, I had the Dart with me full-time. It was a popular car with my fraternity brothers, mostly because it was so big, and so fast. I drove it to more football games, concerts and on more road trips than I can count. Two of my major rock concert events were via the Dart. The Rolling Stones in 1989 and the Greatful Dead tour of 1990 were two notables. The huge interior space also made it a popular car for late night parking sessions.
Now, I'm married and have a daughter, and the Dart is our second car, but definitely my family's favorite. I love it becuase I can still lift the hood and expect to work on it. The failing of American automotive production came when the average American driver could no longer work on his/her own car. {Interesting side note: I recently contacted the Chilton company about getting one of their Do-It-Yourself repair manuals for this car. A rep told me the title # had gone out of print last year, but they had ten or so copies in the warehouse. She took my name and said she would send me a copy for free. If you want a Chilton manual for a '71 dart, better act fast.}
In the last two months, I have been approached by a few people asking about buying my Dart. I always say no, but am intrigued. Most want it for the engine. After 25 years, it still has less than 90,000 actual miles. I hope to one day get enough money together to really fix it up. If you have parts info, helpful hints, or want to talk Darts I'm at lafoon@ix.netcom.com.
Power to the Darts!