[My first time behind the wheel.]
(welcome to our new Sunday COAL series)
This starts my Cars Of A Lifetime journey. I’m not starting with the first car that I owned, but with a car that my parents bought. I’m doing this because almost all of my childhood automotive memories surround this car. It was the first car I every drove solo. It is a car that I called my own twice during its lifetime. This car was my birthright. In 34 years my family and I racked up over 360,000 miles on it. My COAL series begins with a silver Dodge station wagon and it also ends with a silver Dodge station wagon, but there will be plenty of others in between.
1977 was a big year for my recently married parents. They welcomed their first bundle of joy to the world (me) in February. That summer, they celebrated their first wedding anniversary. By December of that year, my dad made his career decision and enlisted into the Air Force. Since this is Curbside Classics, you’re probably more interested in what happened in June of 1977. That is when my parents bought their first new car, a 1977 Dodge Aspen station wagon.
My mom was working at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and had a 40 mile round trip commute every day. She drove “White Lightnin’”, a white 1973 Toyota Corolla wagon with blue pinstripe flames on the front. The miles were piling up, and age was starting to show. On June 27th 1977, that Corolla was traded in on a 1977 Dodge Aspen station wagon. The Aspen was equipped with the 225 CID “Super-Six” Slant-6 engine, 3-speed automatic transmission, Silver Cloud metallic exterior (with chrome/maroon side trim) and a maroon vinyl interior.
[original sales order when Aspen was purchased]
Being new car owners and with a new baby, mom and dad drove that car all over North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia visiting relatives near and far every weekend. My parents proudly tell the story that they burned through the 12,000 mile powertrain warranty before the 90 day bumper-to-bumper warranty had expired.
After dad completed Air Force basic training, we were stationed in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Aspen made many family vacation trips between Arkansas and North Carolina. Back in those days, the rumor was that the Tennessee State Police went off duty at 2am. We were driving back home late one Sunday night, and mom was behind the wheel. In the foothills, she would motor hard going down hill to gather speed and let off going up the hills. Crest the top of the hill, and repeat. Luck wasn’t on her side that night. She got clocked (80 I think) at the bottom of the hill by a state trooper. The ticket was written for 70, but was unable to confirm if the cops went off duty at 2am. The ticket was issued at 1:58 AM.
[Not our car, but how it looked when new.]
After a few years in Arkansas, my family was transferred by the Air Force to Barksdale AFB near Shreveport, Louisiana. The Aspen continued to remain the primary family vehicle, and in September of 1981 the odometer tripped over 100,000 miles. My dad’s car was a 1966 Dodge Monaco 500. The rear taillight was cracked and dad located one the next county over who was parting out a few “old Dodges”. Along with the replacement taillight, the Aspen received a set of the Monaco 500 wheel covers that stayed on the car for many years after. I’ve read that these wheel covers were very rare, only available in 1966 on the Monaco 500 and Charger only.
As a grown up, I’ve often seen the Aspen/Volare end up on many “Worst Cars” lists because of the premature rusting and how anyone who bought the 1976 models were basically beta testers for Chrysler. While our car wasn’t flawless, we never experienced any of the rusting issues or terrible quality issues that I’ve read about. As a toddler, however, I did discover a very unusual electrical ‘glitch’ in the car. When the key was in the accessory position (car not running), radio on, wipers on, and the hazard flashers on the windshield wipers would only activate for the duration of the hazard flash. They would creep across the window, moving about 5 degrees across the swipe, one hazard flash at a time. It took about a minute for them to do one full swipe.
[Original owners manual. Logged date when crossed 100, 200, and 300K miles. I still have this.]
The one big problem that my parents encountered was the transmission. The bulletproof Torqueflite wasn’t so bulletproof in our Aspen. The first time the transmission went out was in Louisiana in 1981. Dad took it to Aamco where it had to be replaced. Wisely, my dad also purchased a lifetime warranty through Aamco on the new transmission. The transmission was replaced a total 3 times in the span of 4 years. When the last transmission was installed, the Aamco tech in North Carolina noticed that the transmission mount had been welded in incorrectly. This put added strain on the input shaft of the transmission, causing the failures. The mount was corrected, that was the final transmission installed in the car. Every year, my dad would have to take the car in to Aamco to get the transmission inspected to keep the warranty active. I think the last time the car went to Aamco was in 2004.
[The “Foot” gas pedal, always with the car.]
With the move to Louisiana, this meant a new route via I-20 to North Carolina to visit relatives. At least once a year, we would make the 2-day trek to NC to visit our extended family for 2 weeks. My brother and I have so many memories of riding in the car on these trips. Our parents kept us entertained with a variety of car-based games, we never pestered with the “are we there yet question.” The license plate game. The Alphabet game. Cow poker (ask me about it). Whoever spotted the state line sign first got a quarter. We made that trip at least once, maybe twice a year. Each trip had us stopping overnight in Atlanta. The Gaffney Peach was always a real treat for us young boys. Oh yeah, and there was also Birmingham.
[Dad tearing down the top end. Hole in grille courtesy of an owl strike. Owl survived.]
To my parents, Birmingham was a gift from God. I saw it the other way, Birmingham was cursed. We had several breakdowns in Birmingham. One trip, the front wheel bearings went out and had to be replaced in Birmingham. On another trip, heading east through Birmingham the head gasket blew. We made it to a local auto parts store that was about to close. The owner was kind enough to leave the store unlocked for us so that Dad could use his parts and tools. He left us to lock up and pay for whatever we needed. Dad tore down the top end of the engine in the parking lot and replaced it. This is why my parents say it was a gift. However, to this day I never drive through Birmingham. The two times I have had the opportunity to drive through Birmingham as an adult, I chose to go around.
As the Aspen crossed 200K miles in July of 1987, my dad did some body work on the Aspen to repair a few dings and dents. My younger brother and I were spending the summer in North Carolina with our grandparents. Imagine my surprise when my parents showed up at the end of the summer, and our once silver car was painted a nice shade of Carolina blue metallic.
A year later, the Air Force moved us to Atwater, California. We made the slow trek across the west to our new home. Our first day got us to Odessa, Texas. The next morning as we attempted to drive away, the brand new Firestone tires were out of round and the car vibrated terribly. We spent an extra day in Odessa for four new tires (which would be our last Firestones ever). Later that day, we drove through the worst dust storm west of El Paso, Texas. A couple of days later we made it to my aunt’s house in LA. We spent the weekend there visiting with family, before turning north and the final leg of the trip.
[A nice shot of those 1966 Dodge wheel covers.]
I wanna say it was the summer of 1990 when I was 14. Mom, dad and I were driving back from the store and my dad took a turn and headed out of town. I wasn’t really paying much attention until he pulled off the side of the road. Dad got out and told me it was my turn to drive. I slide into the driver’s seat behind the wheel. It felt good to actually be sitting there, wheel in my hands. He had me start her up. The sounds were all too familiar to me, but the sensations were all knew. With the engine humming along, he gave me the basic instructions. He said when i was ready, to head on out. Foot on the brake, I reached up and pulled the gear lever down to D. I eased my foot off the brake and over to the big chrome plated foot-shaped gas pedal. The steering wheel had a lot of play in it before there was actual movement of the front wheels. I eased onto the road and got up to about 35 mph. I had little trouble keeping the car between the lines, gently rocking the wheel back and forth in the “play area”. I think I drove for about a mile or two before it was time to switch back. From that moment on, I couldn’t wait to get my driver’s license and be out behind the wheel of my own car.
The new paint job on the Aspen wasn’t holding up well, and it was time to do something about it. This time, dad did all the bodywork but took the car to Earl Scheib for the new coat of charcoal gray metallic. The next summer, my dad enrolled in a community college class for upholstery. Each student got to select their own final project, something to reupholster. His chose to reupholster the front and rear seats in red cloth. This was much better than the red vinyl we had been sweating and sticking to for years.
The Aspen had always been mom’s daily driver, but that was soon replaced by a hand me down 1979 Chevette from my aunt. The Monaco was a very thirsty car with the 383 big block, so it was sold. Dad now became the primary driver of the Aspen. The old grey goose (as dad loved to call her) continued faithful service, exploring all over the great state of California. Before long, it was time to move again thanks to the Air Force. This time to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
When it came time for me to go to college in the fall of 1995, the Aspen was now mine to cherish and take care of. My friends dubbed her the Party Wagon. At least once a month, the Party Wagon would be loaded down with me and 3 or 4 of my friends to travel the 200+ miles between Las Cruces, New Mexico and Albuquerque. The car floated along the freeway. The worn out speedo gear would start a significant “bounce” above 60 mph. As long as the middle of the bounce was around 75-80, I was good. For being right at 100 hp (when new) and a heavy car, I was able to cruise comfortably at an estimated 75 mph. On Dec 15, 1997 I was traveling north to Albuquerque for Christmas break. After 20 years of dutiful service to the family, the Party Wagon crossed 300,000 miles. I pulled off to the side of the freeway, and pulled the owner’s manual out from the red binder under the passenger’s seat. I very proudly notated the accomplishment on the inside page. It was a moment I had been waiting for since the Party Wagon becoming mine. A few miles later (69 to be exact…. I was a teenage boy), the speedometer was buried!
[Crossing 300K miles. 69 miles later, speedo buried!]
I did a few of my own personal touches to the car. I pulled the 60/40 split bench seat out and replaced it with bucket seats from a 1984 Shelby Charger. Surprisingly, they bolted right up to the seat frames from the Aspen. Some red/black seat covers masked their blue/grey color. Dad built me a center console to go in between them. I painted most of the grille and the headlight buckets semi-gloss black, to mimic the look of an Aspen R/T grille. When the time came, I replaced the white wall tires with some white-letter BFGoodrich Radials to give it a little bit of a muscle car vibe.
[21 years later, replicating my first time behind the wheel.]
I had two major hiccups during my ownership of the car. The first was an intermittent electrical gremlin. The car would just randomly shut off, usually while in motion. Wind and road noise, along with the radio, masked the sudden loss of engine noise. The first indication there was a problem would be the steering would get heavy, power steering was out. I would coast to the side of the road, and usually it would start up after a few minutes of resting. Only once did it really strand me, and it started up after sitting for about 4 hours. This went on for about 6 months, maybe 4-5 times a month. I replaced the distributor cap, wires, rotor, 4-prong ballast resistor, alternator, and battery and it was still happening. It was finally diagnosed by a mechanic as the stator in the bottom of the distributor had finally worn out. It was estimated that this was probably an original part to the car.
My other hiccup was with those fancy new BF Goodrich tires and a very long, arduous road trip. A few weeks after getting them, I went to Albuquerque to visit my parents over the July 4th weekend. The drive back home was on one of the hottest days of the year, pushing well past 100 degrees. What should have been a 3 hour drive south turned into a 14 hour trip that included the sidewalls blowing out on two brand new tires, the car falling off the bumper jack and shoving the top of the jack into the taillight, a ripped bumper jack point, a flat spare tire, hitchhiking 5 miles to the nearest town, another instance of hitching (after the second blowout), riding in the back of a pickup for 45 miles, and an expensive 45 mile tow into the Discount Tire store that sold me the tires. After getting two new tires, never had any problems after that.
After college, the Aspen went back to mom and dad in an exchange for one of their cars. It became an occasional use car by my dad when the weather didn’t permit him to ride his Harley or when he went out to play golf. During this time, it was driven at least 2-3 times a week. In the spring of 1999, the tired 225 six was replaced with a rebuilt short block. When my dad got the Bullitt Mustang, the times the car were driven became less and less. Maybe once a month, if the weather was decent. We all still had a lot of sentimental attachment with this car. It became a running joke that in my parents will, I got the car and my brother got the house.
Around Christmas time of 2006, I got the call from my dad. He just didn’t have the time or energy to keep up with the Party Wagon. It was mine if I wanted it. I bought a one way ticket to Albuquerque, and my parents gave me the Party Wagon as my 30th Birthday present. The 800 mile trip back to San Diego went off without a hitch. The car still drove just as I remembered, and it smelled just as I remembered. So much nostalgia with me tied up in that car. I drove the southern route to avoid some winter weather in northern Arizona, only to encounter snow and sleet in Tucson of all places.
The Party Wagon wasn’t a daily driver anymore, but I would take her out for drives a few times a month. Guys at work and in the car club I was a part of really enjoyed seeing me drive her and talk about her. I had visions of a nice pro-touring style wagon in my head. Since I wasn’t anticipating being on Chip Foose’s show “Overhaulin’”, I went about formulating my plans myself. I slapped on a set of 17” Mustang GT rims (from my Mustang convertible) and that really changed the look of the car. I purchased a 1978 Town and Country wagon as a parts car from a fellow club member. The interior was in pristine condition (although the wrong color), and I wanted to replace some of the Aspen’s interior parts that had faded and cracked from 30+ years of sun exposure. I upgraded the front disc brakes to R-body police spec discs. Shocks were upgraded to Mopar Police Spec shocks. A rear stabilizer from a Chrysler Imperial went in. The exhaust system was replaced. I installed a center console from an Aspen R/T and converted the transmission from column shift to console shift.
Starting to look a little better and to handle a little better, but she was still running the the Super Six and 3-speed auto. The T&C was also going to be the source of an engine swap, it had the 318 V8 in it. As I continued to formulate plans for the V8 swap, I started seeing more resto-mods with modern drivetrains in them. Having that modern reliability, power, and efficiency sounded great. Of course, this would be more in depth and a more expensive. swap. Plans changed and now called for a 3G 5.7L Hemi and auto trans from a newer Dodge Ram pickup. The suspension would be replaced with an all airbag suspension. Once all of this was completed, then I would turn to paint, body, and interior.
[Mockup of my Pro-Touring Party Wagon.]
However, the housing market collapse hit us and we had to downsize. Moving from a house with an enclosed garage to a condo with a parking space put a damper on both my grand plan as well as general upkeep and maintenance. A change in the California registration laws (revoking the rolling 30-year smog check exemption) meant that every two years the car now had to pass a smog check. The first time in 2009 it passed. However, in 2011 it failed. No amount of tinkering that I could do would get it to pass. I registered the car as Planned Non-Operation, which meant no more street parking.
After a few months of agonizing, I realized that my grand plans for the Party Wagon had stalled for good. I totalled up the cost of just the mechanical changes (engine, trans, suspension, electrical) for doing the work myself, and that was a good chunk of change. This work would also necessitate a house with a garage (that we didn’t have at the time). Without this space and the ability to work on the car, the Aspen just sat and sat. Farming out the work easily doubled the price, and I just couldn’t swallow that pill. The time had come to say good bye.
I called my dad to find out if he wanted the Aspen back. He gave me his blessing to do with it what I needed to do. Even after making the decision, it still took me 6 months to pull the trigger. I finally called up the charity that I had donated one of my previous cars to. They came by and picked her up in August of 2011.
[Bye bye old girl. I really do miss you a lot.]
The Aspen served my family very well. 34 years of faithful service, and over 360,000 miles. So many memories are tied up in that car. My fondness for station wagons is all as a result of this car. Anytime I see an Aspen, I get a little pain in my stomach for my old girl. Maybe someday I’ll bite the bullet and buy another one to fulfill that grand plan that is still in my head. For right now, though, I have the next best thing (a C.O.A.L. for later).
Awesome story! Not bad for a car dubbed “the worst car built in America.” Although no-one in my immediate family ever owned a Dodge Aspen, my aunt drove one for several years back in the late 80s-early 90s. Hers had the SE “Special Edition” trim package. Although I never got to drive it, I remember riding in it. It was comfortable. It handled like a sports car. According to her, it was quite reliable. Just the usual maintenance kept the thing going. So I think Chrysler did it right in producing the Aspen/Volare. I found the Aspen more attractive than the Plymouth Volare.
The first couple of years of the Aspen, the turn signals were in the bumper compared to the Volare (and later Aspens) that had them inboard of the headlights. To me, that’s what makes Aspen the better looking of the virtual twins.
Fun to watch the car change with the times. There was a fair amount of work to it over the years, perhaps even a multiple of the original price.
This is a wonderful read and an epic example of a true Car Of A Lifetime.
34 years and 360K miles and a story told so well that I “feared” for the inevitable end of the Dodge as if it had been mine.
The Birmingham car parts store owner who left the “… store unlocked for us so that Dad could use his parts and tools. He left us to lock up and pay for whatever we needed” was not someone a native New Yorker like I would ever expect to encounter.
Great story about a real family heirloom.
Excellent initiation into the COAL series, well done!
And ’77 was a big year for those of us in the NY area, with the Son of Sam, the Bronx burning, the blackout and those damn Yankees. And these cars were part of the backdrop as I began my senior year in HS. I took my drivers ed class in an Aspen, I recall stepping on the gas and not much happening.
And those foot gas pedals! Quite the memory jogger…see you next week!
Sorry to read you had to let that dream go after all that time. I know how hard it was to let the ’72 Matador ‘woodie’ wagon go that my parents bought new when I was a little kid. When it was passed to me I was reminded how my mom’s ring clicked on the bakelite steering wheel after I got married and my wedding ring made the same sound and when my dad let me install a new side molding to replace one that came off in a car wash when it was still new. My wife drove a Duster version of the Volare for quite a few years and I always considered it to be one of our most reliable cars. One of my unrealized dreams for that car was to swap in an instrument cluster from one of the upscale M body cars. Would still like to do that if I could find a decent R/T or Roadrunner.
My Town & Country wagon had that upgraded dash. I also contemplated swapping it out as well.
Awesome COAL! Reading this reminds me of how sometimes cars are truly members of the family.
It’s also heartening to see how well your Aspen served its duties through the years–proof positive that Chrysler *could* build products that would last if given proper care and maintenance.
I always liked the design of the Aspen/Volare–especially the wagon body style–handsome, functional and just right for the times. But much like the ’57 Mopars, the subpar quality, at least on early cars, wrecked the Aspen’s reputation. Later cars were much, much better–glad your family got one of those!
Looking forward to your next installment!
Brian, I enjoyed everything about this piece – the great storytelling, the pictures, the place this F-Body Aspen wagon earned in your family lore. What a great read – thank you.
It’s interesting to note that on the cover of the owners manual above, Chrysler couldn’t even be bothered to line up the pictured emblems. The Royal emblem doesn’t line up with The Monaco emblem and the Aspen emblem is crooked too. Great writeup about a “right sized” wagon.
I literally cringed when I saw that cover.
Hopefully the person responsible was one of the early Iacocca firings.
Well done, Brian! It was hard for me to see this Aspen on the flat bed after it’s been yours for such a long time and looking this good!
A very worthy COAL! I look forward to your next one. I love how you modified this one to your tastes, which obviously changed a bit over time. Too bad you couldn’t keep this sweet ride.
Enjoyed your account, and some of the areas you mentioned are quite familiar to me, including the Gaffney Peach, which was just up the highway from where we lived in SC. We had a ’68 Ford Country Squire LTD, and when we moved from Georgia the summer before my Senior year in High School, we borrowed an Aspen wagon from the Vocational Education school where Dad was working to help transport belongings to the new house.
It did fine on the three-hour jaunt between States, but what I remember most about it was the very different smell (of the interior) from the big Ford wagon. Not unpleasant, just different. The school also had an old pickup (forget the brand) with “three on the tree,” which was the first time I’d encountered one in person.
Last year we made a cross country drive for my grandmother’s funeral. Even now as I’m close to 40, I still got all excited when I saw that big peach in the sky.
Ah, the peachoid. I very clearly remember seeing it from I-85 on a couple trips years ago…
Seeing the Party Wagon and reading it’s tale made me smile. 🙂 I always liked the looks of the ’77 Aspen.
A high school friend had a ’77 Aspen 2-door. It was bright orange and had the 225 slant six with 4-speed transmission (4th was overdrive.) It was probably a 1-bbl carb. One time, the shifter handle came right out of the floor. He just shoved it back in and it worked fine. He bought it in ’78 or ’79 and kept it until around ’84. Chrysler provided a new set of front fenders due to the rust-out recall. The only major problem he had was that the differential went bad. I think it was during the last year he owned it.
The Party Wagon really rocked those Monaco wheel covers! I was also a fan of the BFG T/A radials. Had a set on my ’84 Chevette and they gave great handling. Winter traction here in central Ohio was good, too. Thankfully, never had any problems from them.
Great story. I love long term original owner stories, especially with a military twist. I was stationed in Las Cruces in December, 1997 so I might very well have seen that car.
Sorry you had to let it go, I don’t think I could have.
You may have very well seen this car. I was in Las Cruces starting in the fall of 1995. I had the Party Wagon there until about Fall of 1998.
On the sales invoice, they wrote that the trade-in was a 1993 Toyota…
You’d think you’d get more trade-in value for a car from the future! 🙂
The hand-written invoice seems quaint today! But the story about the parts store owner leaving the store open for your dad is really heartwarming.
Birds and blowouts, welcome to the club.
I’ll bite, what is “cow poker”? One of the leaders at my church’s youth group taught some of us “cow”: as you pass a herd of cows, roll down the window and yell “COW!” at the cows, counting how many turn and look at you; highest count wins.
Sad to see the car go. They really do become part of the family. I still miss Dad’s Cutlass, never got to drive it though; some day I want to get my hands on one. Looking forward to next week.
Cow poker–sounds like the makings of a Far Side cartoon. I miss the Far Side!
Instructions for the game cow poker.
You have your side of the road, driver’s side of the car got the left side and passenger’s side got the right side of the road. As you pass by farms and fields with either cows or horses in it, you count them up. Cows counted as 1 point, dark colored horses (brown/black) counted as 5 points, and light colored horses (tan/white) counted as 10 points. Just keep counting and the one with the highest score for the trip wins.
At speed, it was sometimes hard to count up when you passed by a large farm. Mom and dad would the estimate how many cows there were.
Here’s the catch though. If you passed a visible graveyard on your side of the car, then “all your cows are dead” and you had to start over at 0.
On long road trips, I still play!! This past couple of weeks I went to Burning Man. The trip back I lost in cow poker to my passenger. Damn graveyard!
I really enjoyed your story! When I was a young “family man” (read as broke) I got the sibling of this car – a used 76 Plymouth Volare Premier wagon. It was really nicely equipped with a 318 and all the power goodies. I recall using some of the old oil from oil changes to rub into the woodgrain vinyl sides to make them look new, for a few weeks! It would randomly not start (common problem) and my wife was getting unhappy so it got traded in for peanuts.
That probably had to be the most heartbreaking thing to see-the ‘Party Wagon’ leaving via flatbed. Every car has a story-I enjoyed reading this car’s story.
It hurts every time I see that photo. 🙁
Great COAL, thanks! I’m amazed at how rust free the Aspen remained throughout it’s life. It’s a testament to the care and bodywork your parents and you lavished on this old girl. The dry climate certainly didn’t hurt either.
It’s great to see the pics surviving over the years that document it’s evolution. That hand written invoice is my favourite…so they knocked off $1000 for the Toyota wagon?
Great COAL, I had the footy gas pedal and the footy dimmer switch pedal as well.
I share your angst at getting rid of a faithful friend, you never quite get over it do you?
You definitely don’t. As you’ll see in future installments, there are some cars that I miss. But none as much as the Party Wagon.
What a great but sad story, that would have been a really cool car if you had been able to complete it. Funny how Ed mentioned the interior aroma. In May 76, my cousin bought a new 2 door Aspen. I still remember how “different” it smelled compared to the Fords and GM products we had to this day. And I was 10.
It definitely had a different smell. When I encounter any Chrysler products from that era, they all had that unique smell to them. When I smell it, floods my memory bank.
I had a very similar vehicle for 1-2 years. Chrysler LeBaron Woody Wagon. It had a 318 Lean Burn! It had cylinder head issues which were fixed by seller. I had to take off catalytic and hollowed it out as it was clogged. 1 time went camping and exhaust separated around mid car and it sounded good when floored but it was a boat! I went to a WWE Wrestling event at an auditorium for over 3 hours, and when I came back my large stereo in back was stolen which I built. I was pissed and never went to a long event again. I did put a couple speakers in back seat. Stereo is in pic.
Love your “Fear This” sticker, check my sticker out! In a different vehicle I also had a “No Fear” sticker with a Tazmanian devil under it!
Now that’s some serious speakers in the “way-back”.
I loved and appreciated my Dodge Aspen almost as much. It was a blue over white 1976 Aspen Custom sedan with the extra-cost perforated vinyl bench seat, 318 2-bbl V8, Torqueflite, AM radio, air conditioning, upgrade exterior trim (vinyl roof, fender-mounted turn signal indicators, three-speed wipers, power steering and front disc brakes, 6-inch rims, wheel covers and some other doodads. It got an AM-FM stereo radio, the police package rear sway bar from an M-body Dodge Diplomat, upgrade shocks…with the stock springs this made for grear handling while maintaining the ride…and with my area of California being “change-of-title” for smog checks, the 318 got a performance tune, at which I found it very tolerant of spark advance, both basic timing and rapid mechanical advance. The 2-bbl carburetor went richer at the same time.
With a spare ballast resistor in the glove box, the Aspen was my only car until 1981 and continued as my “regular” car for several years, my “fun” car being a 1978 Dodge Monaco, an ex-California Highway Patrol car with a 440 Magnum. It outlived a 1979 Cadillac Eldorado that was a gift, and a 1974 Plymouth Valiant Custom, another gift. Finally at a Mopar car show, one of the exhibitors saw it and offered some really silly money for it. The next day I exchanged the pink slip for a wad of cash. By then it had passed 150,000 miles.
The 1976 Aspen is still active according to registration records, but I haven’t seen it since. From the looks of its new owner’s other Mopars, it is probably doing just fine.
I’m one who escaped the legendary F-body probllems. Living in a rust-free area eliminated the front fender issue. Regular maintenance undoubtedly helped with the rest.
I forgot to mention the 4-prong ballast resistor. There was always a spare in the car as well. I sometimes get the urge to run a carfax on it to see if it is still registered or not. But I always stop myself because I don’t know what I would do if it was still out there or if I could handle the heartbreak if it wasn’t.
Stories like this is what CC’s all about! It’s amazing that one car lasted its whole 34-year life under one family’s ownership, journeying through the decades of bell bottoms, acid washed jeans, ripped jeans, and finally baggy jeans. Great story and I look forward to your other COALs.
When I was a kid, the family car was a ’49 Frazer (same age as me) that my dad had gotten used in 1950. Of course, there was no way that car was going to be anyone’s daily driver for the next 34 years! My dad was no gearhead–in his book, a car was for getting from point A to point B. By 1956 he had (understandably) gotten tired of chasing junk yard parts for the Frazer, and he got a ’53 Pontiac 8. I imagine he didn’t get much on the trade-in and was philosophical about it.
I think emissions regulations are, for the most part, one of the best things that happened to the auto industry. After a lot of early missteps, today’s laws have given us the powerful, efficient and reliable cars now on the road. And as a Californian, I really like the cleaner skies. But … at some point this requirement for biennial smog checks for 1975 and newer cars needs to end. It may have made sense 25 years ago, but to see a nearly 40 year old well -maintained and loved family heirloom hauled off is just tragic.
I agree. My first few visits to LA in the late 80s, the air was horrible. I remember visiting relatives and having to check the smog report to see if it was OK to head to the beach that day or to stay indoors. Moving to San Diego in the 2000s, the air was much nicer and cleaner. I do agree with the all of the benefits of the clean air that are brought on by the increase in smog controls and checks.
Originally any car 30 years or older were exempt from that. They make up such a small sliver of the overall vehicle population in California. Revoking that exemption took a lot of good classic cars built after 1975 off the road. There is a bill currently being pushed through to change the cutoff from 1975 to 1980. Bittersweet, but I hope that it passes.
Great COAL, I really enjoyed it.
Just a quick note on tires. Buy Michelin. They’re worth the small extra cost.
Really worth it. I’ve never had a problem with a Michelin tire. I have with other brands.
Amen to that. I strayed once with my Pirellis now and I’m ready to go back to Michelins after 20k miles of prissiness…..
Stay away from Kumho. Kumhos are the worst tires I ever had. They came with my new Hyundai Accent and I had one good tire left by 20,000 miles. Separated belts, sidewall bubbles and no traction when there was any moisture on the pavement. I never went back to Hyundai after that.
We should do a series on tires and how they’ve evolved since the first car.
I suspect that Hyundai was looking to keep the sticker price of the car down and didn’t spec the best possible Kumhos. I had a set of Kumho Ecsta HP-716’s on my Audi 4000 quattro for quite a few years, and I had no complaints.
I ran Kumhos on my Lincoln and as “substitute” rears on my Marauder when I couldn’t find the OEM size, and had zero problems with either. Ecsta ASX and Ecsta STX, respectively.
I prefer Michelins, have them on my wife’s car, but sometimes the price differential is too big between them and other brands. Just put four new tires on the Crown Vic and went with Bridgestone as the Michelin option was over $100 more. We’ll see how they do, as I’ve not run them before.
I didn’t care for the Kumhos on my Sedona. I had no problems with them, but at least one was a little difficult to keep in balance. Replaced them with Michelins fairly recently and the ride has improved noticeably – although they are also a size up.
Michelins are great. Also had good luck with Goodyear (upcoming COAL) and Generals.
We had a brown 76 volare wagon, I learned why you dont buy a car in its first year of production.
Wonderful story! Cars aren’t just about transportation, they can tell a part of a person’s life. Keeping a Aspen/Volare for 34 years is quite remarkable, and it was still serviceable when you had to let her go.
Looking forward to your next instalment!
Great story. I love seeing long progressing story’s that holds a place in someone’s mind. By the way just saying I actually really don’t think the aspen is a bad car in fact there are cars out there that don’t even deserve to even be in this world right now. In my perspective the aspen is harshly treated. Nice story would love to hear more if there is any.
Magnum – Great story! You have far more resolve than me…you made the right decision at the end; that’s always been my weakness. Looking forward to next week….
as someone whose longest family vehicle association was an aunt’s 66 valiant that lasted 12 years and nearly caused an automotive WW3 within the family when it came time to part with it, and whose personal record was five years, all I can say at 34 years is WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
Terrific story!
I’m occasionally astonished when I read stories of vehicles being let go because they reach 40,000 miles and need maintenance items such as tires and brakes.
Keeping up an old car can be a worthwhile investment, as you found, and can create a lot of memories.
My babies rode in our 2002 Durango, and now they drive it! The first two are girls, and they absolutely love the Patriot Blue beast.
While it takes about $1,500 a year in repairs to keep it going, that is a fraction of what a year of new car payments would be. Old Blue still proudly even serves long distance towing duty. (And, Consumer Reports wasn’t much more enamored of our Dodge than it was of yours!)
I have no idea how many years our family friend will be around, but I hope it is for as long as you got to enjoy yours!
Wow, what a great story! So sad that you were forced into letting it go after literally a lifetime of memories.
The coupes and sedans looked only so-so, but the wagons styling was almost perfect. I go a ride home from college a couple of times from a guy who had one of these (or maybe a Violare) and it struck me as a really nice car.
Great story. The fact your dad was able to do much of the mechanical and body work himself is a big reason why it made sense to keep the Dodge on the road for all those years.
Mom finally got tired of driving dad’s bought new ’74 Duster 225 3 on tree stripper, the column linkage was becoming troublesome, and my Hurst Indy floor conversion fixed that problem, but not the lack of power steering, air conditioning in SoCal, and flat thinly padded cheap bench seat.
They bought a new ’78 or ’79 Aspen 4 door sedan, in root beer brown metallic, loaded to the gills automatic but with 225 engine. It was not a long term ownership, kept it for around 5 years, which was about the amount of time they kept most of their cars. It served them well, I don’t recall them having a lot of problems with it.
I have an ’86 Jetta with now around 307k miles on it, bought in ’91 (for $2000) with around 100k from original owner. It’s still running it’s original gas engine and 5 speed transmission, uses about 1/2 quart of oil in 3k miles today. It’s the second longest I’ve owned a vehicle. Also have an ’85 Yamaha 700 Maxim purchased in ’94 for $300, now at 79k miles and original except for paint and seat recover. The youngest is the Titan, at now 12 years old, I plan to keep the current fleet for as long as I can drive (and ride).
I had a stripper 307 3 on tree later converted to 4 on floor 1970 Chevy C10 purchased for $1000 from original owner in 1976, finally sold it in 2006. It had around 65k miles on it when I got it, and around 165k miles after 30 years. Was always a second vehicle after the first 4 years of daily driving. It was a sad day to see it’s new owner drive it away, sold it for $1500. I did get to see it a final time a couple of weeks later when he came by to get some registration paperwork signed. About the only original mechanical parts was the short block. Heads, timing chain, transmission, and rear end had all been replaced over time. I bought a new Titan in 2004, (first and probably last brand new vehicle) and it made no sense to hang onto the Chevy any more, but I still miss it.
Great write up. I’m sure your dad’s military background is what allowed the auto parts owner to trust him with his store and his honesty. I don’t think that would happen today. Looking forward to the next COAL.
Great COAL story Brian. Sorry I never got to see her since we met after you had to let her go 🙁
Loved the cow poker story too!
Great writing!!!!
The car lived in several states–do you still have all the license plates? I haven’t kept my old license plates for my past cars (back to 1971), but I can remember most of the numbers.
Brian, what a fantastic story of a car that was central to your life and your family for as long as it was. 360k miles and 34 years is pretty amazing for a car that was so derided when new–it shows that, with the right care and the right environment, just about anything can become a long-term companion. I know something of the feeling of when a car becomes a part of the family–I still own the ’79 Malibu that my grandfather bought new, was our main family car when I was a kid, and was my first car. (I wrote a COAL article on it earlier this year in fact). But it’s been off the road for 15 years now and only still exists because my parents have been patient enough to store it all this time. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you to give up the Aspen, especially after being so close to realizing your plans for its upgrade; I felt a little sick just reading it and got a little misty. Hopefully, as nice shape as it was in, someone outside of smog-nazi-land was able to pick it up and keep it on the road today.
Again, great start and I look forward to reading more of your series in the coming weeks!
Very nice and well written story ! .
THANK YOU for sharing all the little details, that’s what make COAL storied so great .
-Nate
Thanks for the great story. Any idea what happened to the car since?