The new Dodge Dart?

For those folks who are yearning for a new Dodge Dart, here it is.

Okay, it is apparently a rebadged Alfa Romeo, but at least it replaces the very mediocre Dodge Caliber!
http://jalopnik.com/5865454/2013-dodge-dart-is-the-new-dodge-caliber

MikeInNH

No slant-6???...I don't want it.

Whitey

The original Dart was a tank by today's standards. This thing is a compact.

Personally, I think they would sell more Alphas if they didn't re-badge them.

F1Jim64

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20111206/DETROIT/111209940?utm_source=DailyDrive20111206&utm_medium=enewsletter&utm_term=article1more&utm_content=20111206-Dodge_revives_Dart_nameplate_for_new_compact_car&utm_campaign=awdailydrive

MikeInNH

Pontiac did that with the LeMans....The new LeMans build in 88 was made by Daewoo.

VDCdriver

"Personally, I think they would sell more Alphas if they didn't re-badge them."

Yes, but how many Alfas would they sell?

;-))

common sense answer

Fiat = Fix It Again, Tony !
Dart = Darned Alfa Romeo, Tony !
CSA

dagosa

A Dart with a hemi and fine Corinthian leather appolstery ...let's pull out all the nomenclature stops.

F1Jim64

Tommy will be so pleased - a new DODGE DART with excellent FIAT reliability...

the same mountainbike

It's good to see that they've widened it..................

bscar2

They let people with mid life crisis name their vehicles, it seems to let people try and relive their youth.

Worker1: "Man I wish I had kept that ****** I had when I was 18. That car was badass!"
Worker2: "Yeah, but the ones that are left are either rusty or too expensive."
W1: "Wouldn't it be cool if they brought ****** back?"
W2: "They don't make 'em like they used to. It'd be some cheap plastic piece of $#%& if they did."
W1: "Yeah, you're right, would be some pile of dog $#& if they did."
Car Company: "Announcing our newest car, the ******. We're bringing the ****** back, and it'll be better than ever."*teaser pictures of said car*
W1 and 2: "OMFG I WANT TO HAVE IT'S BABIES! MUST BUY!"

wentwest

I drove a couple of Darts and Lancers in my youth and my memory was they were dull cars. Used some oil, too. Yes, they kept on running, but after a while I couldn't put up with the dreary performance. At one time I had a 65 Dart GT, nice interior, sort of homely outside, and just dull performance. Give me a 65 Tempest OHC 6 anytime. I guess if Chrysler-Fiat thinks they can sell cars with the name, they should try, but I hope they are a little more lively and handle better than the old Darts.

Whitey

The 1969 Dodge Dart my father bought in 1989 didn't burn enough oil to be an issue. One time I came home while my father was out in the driveway. He wasn't facing my direction, and that slant six ran so smooth and quiet that he didn't even hear me pull into the driveway.

In 1996 my brother bought a new car, and was looking to get rid of that Dart. I opted to buy my grandmother's 1984 Mercury Marquis instead. That was a huge mistake. I should have taken the Dart.

mleich

Will they bring back the Dart "Swinger"? I put the GRRRR in Swinger, Baby!! Yeah!!!!

dagosa

A perfect case of the "older we are, the better we were". The same with cars. I can't remember a straight six (except for Rambler) that wasn't a good solid motor. IMO, the GMC had the best and "went west " recollection of the ohc version is tops... Immortality of the slant six is carried on by Dennis Weaver in the Valient.

MikeInNH

My brother-in-law bought a Dodge Dart when he first started working for Chryco back in the 60's. Kept that thing for years...Gave it to his son who was away in college when we was promoted to plant manager and Chryco leased him 2 new cars every other year. My nephew sold it when he graduated from college...It was approaching 500k miles by then...The engine was NEVER touched. I think it was on it's 500th ballast resistor...And the carb had been replaced/rebuilt 2-3 times. But the engine and tranny were all original.

Triedaq

"I can't remember a straight six (except for Rambler) that wasn't a good solid motor".
Dagosa--I had great luck with the 6 cylinder 7 bearing Rambler engine that AMC brought out in 1964. I had three AMC products with those engines ane the engines were very durable--outlasted the bodies on the cars.

circuitsmith

"The original Dart was a tank by today's standards."

Wasn't it a compact by the standards of its day?

The straight 6 has the best inherent balance.

texases

What most people think of as a Dart ( mid '60s on up) was a compact. Earlier Darts were much larger:
The first generation were full sized cars (209" long, '60-'61). Next came the short-lived 1962, which I'd call an intermediate (we had one). From '63-'76 they were "compacts", but at 196" that's 'full sized' by today's standards.

My '72 Duster with the slant six was very sturdy and reliable, if a bit slow. Too bad it got totaled after I sold it to a friend...

shadowfax

The original dart was a shortened-wheelbase full sized car. It didn't become a compact until 3 years later when its overall length was shortened by more than a foot

Docnick

My wife can't believe that her "compact" 1965 Dodge Dart GT was 4 feet longer than her Nissan. Although a good car by 1965 standards, it would be the bottom of the barrel today. We kept ours for 13 years, and replaced just about everything over that period, except the engine and transmission, which were bullet-proof.

Just the same, the following items were replaced:

1. Alternator (2X)
2. Gas tank
3. Starter
3. Torsion bar anchor
4. Drive shaft universals
5. Shocks (2X)
6. Exhaust system (3X)
7. Battery (2X)
8. Water pump
9. Ignition switch
10. Paint job
11. Distributor shaft
12. Windshield washers
13. Master cylinder
14. Turn signals
15. Transmission shift cable
16. Seat belts
17. Leaking head gasket
18 Heater fan motor
19. Brakes and drums (2X)