I recently borrowed a Dart for an extended test drive. I wanted to see how this behemoth stood up in the light of the '90's. My particular "loaner" had a "genuine" 93,000 miles on the clock, came in magnolia yellow, and had a vinyl roof and "Custom" badges (both optional). There was one major dent on the front passenger door.
The owner told me that he had recently fitted oversized whitewall tires ($26/ea inc. balancing from "The Used Tire Company") and a new battery (Free - source unknown). The Smog Certificate ($33.75) was current. Title transfer and registration ($68) were being processed. New shock absorbers (about $110, including labor from "Sears Automotive") and an alignment were next on the agenda. The ride would be "sloppy".
Over 10 days, I covered about 250 miles on a variety of road surfaces: Interstates, non-county maintained roads and city streets. Here are my impressions:
Engine: A V-8 of about 300+ cu. ins. A peek under the hood revealed a big, blue engine block, a huge air filter and a bunch of other stuff. The ground was reassuringly visible around the edges.
Sounds: "Pioneer" speakers (about $100 from Radio Shack) did a good job of reproducing the one radio station available on the original radio. The ads got boring after a while.
Interior: Luxurious, vinyl-covered, well-bolstered upholstery, with surprisingly few rips. Plenty of room for six riders with the front bench seat center armrest in the UP position. My companion and I enjoyed consensual oral sex in the front with no contortion or cramping. The huge back seat can accomodate VERY relaxed intimacy.
Storage space: Non-existent inside. A major drawback. The trunk can accommodate a ping-pong table. Lack of trunk carpeting made the noise of the jack bouncing around a major distraction.
Handling: The high-geared power steering encourages one-finger control, with the right arm extended along the seat back. Could be dangerous in certain situations. Shot shocks induced major tire squeal when cornering and trying for a quick getaway from lights. Comforting, overall.
Performance: This puppy needs warmin' up before he hits the highway! (It could be just this particular vehicle - yours could behave differently.) I developed a routine. Stoke 'im up. Fire up a Marlboro Light. Sip on a cuppa joe. Relax. After about 5 minutes, he's ready.
At low speeds, there was a lag in pick-up through the three-speed AT. This occasionally led to embarrassing stalls at stop signs, particularly at night. 0-60 was about 8-9 seconds - pretty good for a car with a curb weight of around 3000 lbs. When he got rolling, he went like a dream. Very little throttle required to maintain a steady 75 mph. Lack of back brake pads could be problematical. (Your car could be different).
Gas: Premium grade (around $1.38/gallon) got about 10 mpg overall. It pans out to about 8/city, 12-13/highway.
Nerd quotient: High
Pluses:
Price: Expect to pay around $1000 (+/-$200), depending on mileage, condition and location. Cash only.