Original 318: 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger With No Reserve
There is something undeniably attractive about purchasing a classic with a known history. This is accentuated when the vehicle in question features a V8 under the hood, is unmolested, and is listed with No Reserve: This 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger ticks those boxes and is a turnkey proposition that the winning bidder could drive home. Its needs are minor and could be addressed at the buyer’s leisure. That makes this Swinger worth a close look.
The Swinger joined the Fourth Generation Dart range in 1969, remaining available until its production ended in 1976. It proved a popular choice with buyers because an impressive 102,480 people drove one off the lot in 1971. The first owner of this car was an elderly lady who ordered the Swinger in Dark Gold Metallic with a contrasting White vinyl top. The seller describes this classic as super clean, which seems a fair assessment. The paint appears to be slightly patchy in some of the included images, although this could be more of a trick of the light. It retains a healthy shine across the entire vehicle, and the vinyl is excellent. They describe the car as 99% rust-free, suggesting there might be hidden minor problems. However, the panels are as straight as an arrow, and the gaps are tight and consistent. The chrome and glass are impressive for a survivor of this vintage, and the alloy wheels installed by the seller add a sense of presence. However, they include the original steelies and hubcaps for those preferring a more stock appearance.
The Dart’s interior continues the “clean survivor” theme, with only a couple of minor shortcomings. The front seatcover has deteriorated markedly, and many potential buyers may consider splashing the cash on a replacement. However, with no gaping holes to cause problems, a decent slipcover would hide the problem relatively cheaply. The carpet shows its age through wear and stains, but the dash, pad, and remaining upholstered surfaces are impressive. Aftermarket additions include a radio/cassette player and high-mounted brake light, with the first owner ordering the Swinger with factory air conditioning.
This Dart’s first owner was an elderly lady who obviously preferred a relatively effortless driving experience. She equipped the car with a 318ci V8, a three-speed TorqueFlite transmission, and power steering. Emission regulations hadn’t dramatically impacted new cars when this Swinger rolled off the line, with the V8 producing 230hp and 320 ft/lbs of torque. This isn’t a muscle car, but its performance would have satisfied most owners. The news for potential buyers is positive, with the Dodge a turnkey proposition. It runs and drives perfectly, with no smoke or odd noises. The seller admits the tires are old, and will fit new ones before the car heads to its new home. They will leave the decision about whether the white letters face in or out to the buyer’s discretion, and will perform the work at their expense. You can’t get much fairer than that!
The seller listed this 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger here on eBay in Pueblo, Colorado. Six bids have pushed the price to $6,100, and with No Reserve in play, it is guaranteed to find a new home in a few days barring unforeseen circumstances. Its needs seem minor, and the V8 will provide a new owner with excellent performance under their right foot. Preservation would be the most obvious path, although squeezing more power from the engine would be straightforward if the buyer deems that necessary. I’d probably leave it as-is, but do you feel the same?
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Comments
My first car was a 1973 Dodge Dart Swinger two door 318 auto. Butter scotch exterior with a green interior and green vinyl top. I Paid $1,954.00 for it back in 1979, it had 54,000 miles on it. Wow have the years gone by!
Nice car.
I don’t get upset by big bumpered cars but this is a much better looking car prior to the new standards. The taupe paint is unique and a 318 would provide respectable performance. Hope someone finds it to be a good car.
With the thousands of Dodge Darts at dealerships all over the country, its very doubtful the “elderly lady” would have ordered one , they were everywhere, in every color and body style. Even the Swinger 340 would have been an available off the lot purchase, though not as many as the 198 , 225 and 318 cars. A salesman likely steered the lady right over to this car as it was a higher option model ( more expensive) , they went for a test drive, and she bought it ; she probably never even had the hood open to see what was there.
Back in 1984 we bought a former Forrest Service re painted white 4 door Valiant. 225 Slant 6 for $800. No power steering or brakes, no AC and no radio but had front disc brakes. Milage was @80,000.
Drove the heck out of it and was super dependable. My wife drove it during the week and I took care of it and drove it on many long weekend trips.
By 1989 it had over 200,000 miles the clock and the little 6 wore out. The 904 Torqueflite was still working.
Since we now had 2 young children we decided to trade it in for a nice looking used 79 Pontiac LeMans Safari station wagon with the pathetically
underpowered 305 with 175,000 miles on it. It lasted less than 2 years.
Should have restored the Valiant! These were great cars even if they were at the start of the malaise era. In 1995 I bought another 73 Valiant from a friend
for $200. Slant 6 very clean but a highly optioned car with AC and almost power everything. Kept it 3 years and sold it for$1,000.
My first car was a 1974 Dart Swinger in green color. I paid nothing, I found it under an avocado tree in the house of my mother. It belong to a friend of mine and it transfered the title to me. It was around 100 miles. I used it every day, It never broke, I passed it to a friend later.
Great car.
At least it is not a loser six. Throw away the engine, needs a hemi with a blower. The 426 should have been a factory option.
I hope you’re being sarcastic. The 426 would take some reworking to fit as it did on the GTS Darts , but they weren’t big sellers , even in the B and E body cars. The A body cars were entry level cars , the majority were slant 6s , and you’re probably the only person in the world that would call the Slant Six as loser engine. These were street cars, not hopped up drag vehicles. This car is a survivor and should be treated as such , not butchered by someone with NHRA dreams
I owned several of these with 225’s and 318’s. The 225 was good for 200k miles when nothing else could go that far. I had more than a few friends who refused to change the oil so that the engine would fail and they would have an excuse to buy something newer. It took one friend 35k miles with no oil added or changed to kill his. Interestingly, when everyone else had seven main bearings, the MoPar 6’s had four and still outlasted everything else. The 318 cars had plenty of power for what they were – handling and breaking were not a strong point for most cars from this era. One could put a 5.7L or 6.4L hemi and have lots of go, but with 4 wheel drum brakes and poor suspension geometry all that speed is only useful at the drag strip.
Cheerful, swift 318/Torq-flite swinger.
In the summer of 1975, my Dad bought me a 1974 Dart Swinger, tan color inside and out with vinyl roof. It had the great 225 slant 6, and an AM/FM radio, but no A/C. It only had 12K miles on it. The dealer replaced the differential, but after that, I had it 7.5 years into 1983, and enjoyed it. One crazy problem: water leaked into the car from the windshield whenever it rained or was washed. Nobody could seem to fix it.