How long have you been a Chrysler product supporter

[DavidC]

With all the bashing on some threads going on here I thought I should ask this question. Mine started in 1972 and one of the reasons was the factory support with the "Direct Connection" program. Another was just how easy the vehicle was to work on compared to Ford or GM. My 99 is still true to the easy part compared to the competition so I have now owned a Chrysler product for 46 years. Apparently things have changed and being an electrician/automation tech for 47 years I know first hand that the more things are automated and more sophisticated when coming down to electrical the more problems will arise. In my field I always stressed if it can be done mechanically stay away from the electrical. Of course mechanic's really did not like to hear that where I was as that meant they had work to do. Nothing that has electrical control is going to be problem free for a lengthy time as the OLD DAYS and there lies the main problem in my mind. When you have to pull a cab off to work on a engine that would definately be a no go for me.

Dave

 

[jgillott]

Bought my first Dodge personally at the beginning of 1993 with the purchase of my '92 W-250 Cummins.

My family owned and operated an auto dealership until the late '70's and they sold Chrysler products until close to the end. So, even growing up, we we immersed in them.

Funny though, my dad was a tried and true Chevrolet guy when I was a kid.

 

[Wayne M.]

I’ve been driving since ‘86. I’ve never owned anything other than a Chrysler product. Probably the happiest time of my hobby life was when Mopar started really sponsoring motorsports, and my home track, Englishtown, became emblazoned with Mopar colors and was host to the Mopar Summernationals. I have a pro shot of me in my Duster, staging there, and standing next to my door, surveying the track, was Darrell Alderman and Mike Hutchens as they were there also to do some exhibition runs that day. I used to talk to Larry Shepard when I went by the Mopar display on the midway. I thanked him for the engine and chassis “Bibles”.
The bug bit when, as a kid of about 6-8, a family friend had a ‘68 Dart GTS 340, and I knew that car was special. I knew engines well, and knew this engine was like a 318, but even as a kid, regonized the special parts that made a 340- like the exhaust manifolds. I knew about the slant 6 and the other famous engines. All the taxis and cop cars were Mopars, and even through the dark Iacocca times, I always thought they put out a well engineered product They played their hand well. We had K cars on the job, and they were indestructible. When the retro age of the mid 90’s came, things really started happening in such a way that the Germans felt they had to “merge”. That’s a whole ‘nother Topic!
Regarding the CTD story, it’s well told. Dodge knew enough to yield to Cummins, and let them trim out the 1 gens. By 1990, I became a Heavy equipment mechanic, and when I finally got my mitts on a 91.5 truck, I was just blown away by the industrial influence under the hood. Those feelings I had for that GTS came rushing back. This truck was built so differently than the Fords and GMC’s I’d worked on. I just HAD to get me one. Funny that my ‘92 came from another die hard Mopar guy I’d known for years.
I like to think of this “Mopar” thing on the same level as a “Harley” thing or a “Jeep” thing. It’s a culture. The slogan “if I have to explain, you wouldn’t understand” severely applies here!

Fast forward to today. The brand, the product, and definitely the engineering has changed. It no longer says “Chrysler Corporation” on the door jamb- my ‘98 still says it- so I feel like kinda like a Packard or Studebaker owner.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Ive never been a Chrysler fan in the old days they were expensive to make run. In the case of our trucks it wasn't Dodge the Brand that I bought IT WAS THE MOTOR. I would have been MUCH HAPPIER if the Cummins was in either the GM or Ford

 

[BarryG]

Well I had a 1975 Plymouth Valiant Broughm that I drove for a few years back in the late 70's what a powerhouse that thing was with the venerable slant 6 in it. Ugly as sin car but got good mileage for the day and never had a lick of trouble with it. First Chrysler I ever bought though it was used. Didn't buy another one until I bought my 01 Ram in Dec 2000(put 350k on it and sold it to my BIL who is still driving it) then my 2017 Ram in Dec of 2016 and as of now 49500 miles on it and no problems so far. Never cared much for Chrysler cars or trucks for that matter. As Big Nasty said I bought the truck due to the engine brand not the brand of vehicle same with the second Ram though the previous one had a pretty good track to consider outside of the fuel system in the 01.

 

[TCDiesel]

My 1st car was 1963 Dodge 330 Push button shift 318, Was given to Me at 16 years of age for working on the Farm. had it two years and sold it. I loved that car ,still do, When I see one it brings tears to My eye's. been Ram since 1992.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

I've been driving Chrysler since I got my bought a used 1st gen in 1996. My wife also drives a Durango and loves it.

 

[6V92TA]

first Chrysler product for me is my 2016 Ram 3500 and honestly I bought it because of my work experience with Cummins far more than any interest in anything Mopar offers..

Then again I grew up in GM land,( Milford Michigan, home of the GM Proving Grounds)
you can see the Proving Grounds from the hill near my parents house, its that close.
my dad and quite a few family worked at the General..
for instance my Dad apprenticed at Hydramatic, and worked for GM eight different times
and spent the last 20 years working at the #1 V8 plant in Flint Michigan.
my sister, her future husband and one of my cousins all went to the General Motors Institute
for their college experience.

since these guys were from a generation that thought you should support the company you work for,well they always had GM stuff and just where I came from.

Grandpa worked at Ford for 44 years.
he bought Fords.

 

[Tuesdak]

With all the bashing on some threads going on here I thought I should ask this question. Mine started in 1972 and one of the reasons was the factory support with the "Direct Connection" program. Another was just how easy the vehicle was to work on compared to Ford or GM. My 99 is still true to the easy part compared to the competition so I have now owned a Chrysler product for 46 years. Apparently things have changed and being an electrician/automation tech for 47 years I know first hand that the more things are automated and more sophisticated when coming down to electrical the more problems will arise. In my field I always stressed if it can be done mechanically stay away from the electrical. Of course mechanic's really did not like to hear that where I was as that meant they had work to do. Nothing that has electrical control is going to be problem free for a lengthy time as the OLD DAYS and there lies the main problem in my mind. When you have to pull a cab off to work on a engine that would definately be a no go for me.

Dave

Now wait a sec. You are saying we should stick with unreliable and fail prone points that need service often vs. electronic ignition? Electronic Fuel injection vs. temperamental carburetors? Yes we can do without the 'connect to the internet' complicated beyond necessary entertainment systems on wheels. However short of complicated hybrids that you need a an electrical engineer to repair the modern electronics are a must on today's vehicles. You recall how the new unleaded fuel = vapor lock carbs in the 80's? Yes, it was in part due to garbage gasoline of the day.

Simply put a modern car is 'turnkey' for better than 100,000 miles without need for a tune up of any kind at any temperature and altitude. The worn points and dry carburetor grind the starter awhile while pumping the gas pedal days are in the past. Flooded and stuck chokes are nasty leave it in the "dark ages" past thank you very much. Tune up is generally replace spark plugs at 100K miles rather than the 2x a year mechanical rigs needed. Oddly this reliable technology is because of emissions regulations rather than the automakers giving a damn about reliability. Emissions lifetime has gone from 1970's 50,000 miles to 150,000 miles. This longer emissions life is now to the determent of modern engine oil that has allowed engines to last well over 100K without a tear down for cleaning stuck rings or overhaul.

No argument on "Artificial Stupidity Perfected for computers" that you/we have seen with ECM's defaulting to table data on the scanner rather then the "real" readings it's seeing, inability to point out what is tripping the failure, and pointing to say an ignition module failure when it the real problem is the ECM can't hear the dead oil insulated knock sensor connection as part of the ignition module test.

I still recall when GM's HEI came out. Auto mechanic next door didn't know anything about the new HEI systems and didn't want to touch it when mom's Delta 88 wouldn't start. Save a bolt on the assembly line for the the coil in cap design that would burn through the distributor cap firing back to the coil rather than the plugs. Early electronic Ford modules would go "bang!" so often you carried spares in the glove box. Many examples of electronics done cheaply and badly for production. Diesels included: Cummins VP44 pumps and GM's firecracker PMD 6.5TD disaster are good "DUH!!!" bad design moments of electronics hating heat. 30 years later the complaint is "my phone won't connect to the radio" rather than a dead ignition module on the hook. Electric fuel pumps are still iffy...

The biggest complaint is quality and the little things like window switches and other nagging bean counter cheap items. Electrical due to undersized wires esp. HVAC blower motor wire and connector burn up is not unique to Dodge or GM. American Automakers have had their lunch eaten by foreign nameplates over things like this. Sure major steps have been made for quality improvements, but, it appears to be an American Attitude problem when you get ignition switches like GM's massive recall, the bad joke of flashing the lights and horn over a bad shifter design, and even the Japanese are "getting it" with the largest recall in history due to cheap ammonium nitrate use in air bags.

At the end of the day like my dad tells me 'it's not a Rolls Royce'. The Rolls Royce I was paid to drive to parties so the owner would avoid DUI's would randomly have a slam shift. So 'even in the future nothing works'.

 

[DavidC]

No. I am saying sometimes going electronic and computer systems go overboard. Lights use to be wired directly to a switch, Easy to work on and easy to T/S. If the simple things stayed that way you would not pay someone $95 plus to do the same thing you use to do yourself either at home or on the side of the road. Now you need an appointment/wrecker and a loaner. The more bells and whistles you have the more chance of problems. Just my opinion.

Dave

 

[The patriot]

Mopars since I had a drivers license.
I needed a new car in 1987, I damn for sure wasnt going K car. Bought a Buick Grand National.
Absolutely NO regrets!
All mopar since.

 

[TFucili]

This is a great thread! I actually grew up in a staunch Ford family. My Dad started the lumberyard in '53, and we had all Ford trucks, cars, and even the forklift was Ford powered, and they served us very well, even with a bunch of inexperienced drivers/operators. I was brand loyal to a fault, I must admit, and looking back things really started to go sour in the '80s. Problem after problem, 6.9 diesels that had huge oil consumption problems, 302 EFI that had un-solvable running issues, firewalls that cracked around the clutch MC, on and on. I very nearly bought a CTD in '92, but elected to tough it out with my junk 6.9 a while longer. Fast forward to '05, I had written off Ford for good, and tried a couple Chevys that were absolute garbage, so the last man standing was Mopar. I bought my '05 CTD, and found out what I had been missing. Best truck I ever owned. Then we bought an '06 Charger with mixed results, but mostly good, and I am now driving a '15 2500 w/6.4. We may just get my wife another Charger(Scat Pack???), as we are going to give her current Acura to our son. So, I am late to the Mopar game, but I am a fan, even if I am not the brand loyalist I used to be.

 

[mwilson]

Dodge Caravans started me on the Mopar train, wife talked me into buying a 1990 version with the heart palpitating 4 cyl engine. Toughest thing I had ever owned. Good in the snow and handier than a pocket on a t shirt.
Then just had to own a CTD, bought a well used '94 with 150,000 miles on it. Been Cummins powered trucks for me ever since. Four of them so far.

International Harvester pickups and Scouts were what we had when I was a kid. We were a small dealer so always ran the trade ins. That's back when you could wear a gasser out in 50,000 miles or less........I wish Ram would offer some of the same stuff that IH did....3 speeds, 4 speeds, 5 speeds, 5 speed with fifth being OD, two speed rear ends in a 1 ton, the list goes on....you wanted it, they would build it for you.....just keep the Line Setting ticket that came with it so you had a prayer of getting the correct replacement parts when it broke....

 

[Wayne M.]

Wow Mike!
How about a IH pickup resto with 4 or 6B power and one of those power trains?

 

[mwilson]

Finding a 1980 Scout with the Nissan Turbo Diesel in it would really make for a nice 4BT swap....just sayin'.......

 

[TFucili]

There are quite a few Cornbinders roaming out here where the rust didn't get 'em.

 

[GrantP]

I was a mopar hater in the 90's, staunch Ford guy. Then I bought a 96 F-350 with a 7.3 and the engine repair bills were insane. My uncle sold me his gently used 97 Cummins and it was a dog compared to the Ford. At the time I thought I'd really screwed up on that purchase. A gov spring kit and a 6 plate fixed all of that. Owning that 97 for at least 10 years and all I ever had to fix under the hood was to replace the shutdown solenoid relay. The rest of the truck required tons of work.

Still sold on the Cummins, not so much on the mopar but my 06 has been good for the 6 years I've had it.

 

[Mark31]

As a "wind 'em up tight in second" teenager, I drooled over a bunch of stuff. As a 8th grader, a rich neighbor (a senior) had a baby blue 62 Impala SS (with a most lovely all the way to the core girlfriend later wife in the passenger seat), a bunch of 383 Fury Plymouths that the local dealer kept running sharp for the street and strips, a 409 or two. I drove a new 63 Dodge school bus with a smooth shifting 5 speed that hooked me. The wide-open power of a Hemi irrigation engine pumping water up hill with cherry red manifolds and blue orange flames out of the stacks burning a gallon of gas every 2 1/2 minutes! Whew! First mopar bought was a third hand Valiant with the worst black paint job ever. Maybe that is why I got it so cheap. The most bang for my buck was a $1250 70 Satellite that I used as a sub on a mail route, and after the body finally fainted, I rebuilt the 318 and put it in my 74 D200 to replace a tired 440 that could not stand hot weather. It broke a rod bolt with less than a 100 miles on it. A new piston and rod and weld up the oil pan and it was running good when I (regrettably) sold it. It had the best bench seat ever and would stop harder by far than any truck I have ever driven. I've kept the faith in spite of a 78 D100 that had not a single good quality (I gave it to my right hand man within a couple of weeks and took my 74 back), a loud very under powered gas hog V6 (it sounded like a pea thrasher) 92 Dakota, and a 98 1500 360 that couldn't pull 3.55 gears. My sig truck has a second or third rate AC system, a '60s transmission, ball joints that could have been better, had to replace unit bearings. It is comfortable to take on a long trip (as in a 10,000 trip to AK) , and, the big thing, it has a Cummins. And that covers a heap of shortcomings.

 

[dpetre]

Dodge Dart, 68 Corrent RT 383, 73 Baracuda,2001 Dodge with Cummins Diesel, and 2018 Ram 3500 Crew Cab.

 

[Lynx0849]

65 Dodge wagon, 67 Plymouth hemi in Satellite stealth trim, 05 1500 hemi qc Laramie, 15 3500 Cummins Longhorn cc.


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