Another Run to See a Roadrunner

[71ChallengerSE]

You have to remember that Mopars are the play toys for only the super-rich and anyone that has one that isn't rich is just a nuisance in their eyes. Gone are they days when normal people payed reasonable prices for cars that nobody really wanted back in the day.

 

[Bruzilla]

The ones whom are anil about nos,year correct,ect are just thinking about resale value [most of them].

I don't know about that. I've been seeing this going on long before resale prices were even an issue. I remember seeing two Cuda owners get into a knock down fight at a show over the use of aftermarket nuts on a go wing, and that was back in 1988 when Cudas were just starting their rise.

Back then, I would go to cruise nights and be the lone Mopar amongst hundreds of Chevys and Fords, so I got to know those guys pretty well. They would go from car to car, looking at what cool new thing someone had done so they could copy it themselves. I never heard them debating that something shouldn't be done because it wasn't original. They debated cost, performance increase, and coolness factor.

Then I would go to one of our Mopar club meets and the big subject for debate was often does replacing the sheetmetal mean your car is not 100% original, with emphasis on speculation such as if you bought your car new and were in an accident, and a dealership replaced the fenders, it would still be considered original; so why is it any different if the fenders were replaced 15 years later with NOS parts due to rust? I never heard questions like this from the Ford and Chevy guys.

 

[Bruzilla]

You have to remember that Mopars are the play toys for only the super-rich and anyone that has one that isn't rich is just a nuisance in their eyes. Gone are they days when normal people payed reasonable prices for cars that nobody really wanted back in the day.

Sadly, the drive to make a buck is fast outpacing the desire to drive on the road when it comes to Mopars, and it's a problem that's spread throughout the hobby. I remember going to meets with a trunkload of spare parts I didn't need anymore, and trading them for other parts or giving them away to fellow club members who needed them. The idea of selling them was just unseemly.

Nowadays, someone installs an upgrade, and has some spare parts, they not only sell them but demand top dollar for them most of the time. You would think that forums like this would be a boom for finding people to swap or give parts to, but that hasn't been the case. In the old days I knew where my parts were going, and that the person really needed them. Now I have to wonder if the guy I'm giving them to really needs them or wants to resell on ebay to make money.

It's a sad state of affairs and I feel bad for the guys who've come into the Mopar community over the past two decades or so. It didn't used to be like this.

 

[Revhendo]

It's a sad state of affairs and I feel bad for the guys who've come into the Mopar community over the past two decades or so. It didn't used to be like this.

Sad but true.

 

[scooters318]

Your enlightment was cheaper than mine. I had a 73 with that tear, and tried to fix it first with bondo/fiberglass, and that failed very shortly afterwards. Then I put new sheet metal in, and it failed. That's when I took it to a body shop and got the bad news. The car died a quick death in 1987/88 after a hurricane went through the Tampa area and shot a phone pole through the rear quarter.

I also saw a 73 with that tear that was for sale for years by different owners in St. Mary's County, MD. It was yellow with a black interior. It would be for sale in a yard for a few weeks, then disappear until the new owner figured out the car was a basket case, then it would be for sale again, disappear, be for sale again, and on and on.

i know which car you're talking about it finally left st.mary's after it was sold on ebay along with alot of parts that were stolen from me. guy offered to do body work for me in trade for roadrunner parts claimed he was going to fix the car up for his wife. saw the car on ebay with all the parts i gave him went to confront him about it and he had moved. never will do another handshake deal again. oh well thanks for bringing that memory back up haha

 

[Bruzilla]

Sorry to hear about that. The last time I saw that car it was sitting near a house on St. Andrews Church Rd, right before you got to Leonardtown. I first saw it off RT 235 up in Hollywood, and saw it a couple of places in between. That car sure got around.

 

[scooters318]

Haha small world i live in hollywood and yea last place that car was sitting was on rt.5 jus southof st.andrews church rd