New Topic...how'd you get into....

[aerodynamic]

Hey guys, I was thinking this might be an interesting topic: How did you all become interested in Mopars? I've usually found everyone's got an interesting story about it, and I'd like to hear it all. Also, if you all don't mind saying, what is everyone's occupation? Muscle car lovers seem to come from all walks of life, and I'd like to see what sort of melting pot we got goin' here.

Thx

[landon1]

Growing up, we went to my grandma's a lot, because she had air conditioning and cable tv...that was HUGE anyway, her neighbor has 2 or 3 70 superbirds, a 60 Daytona, 70 6pack challenger, 70 hemi cuda, and a 71 satellite...kind of an odd ball in that crowd, huh? That's what first got me...the winged cars and bright colors...then i saw dukes of hazzard. I didn't understand the stories, i just loved watchin the cars. Before that, i was a huge hot rod fan...i love hot rods, but don't really like the street rods, becuase they were built to look good and that's about it... When I was 15, my mom's friend had a christmas party, so we went to her lake house...in the garage, her husband's 69 orange hemi roadrunner with a pistol grip and buckets...until then, i hadnt' seen a pistol grip and that was the coolest thing i had ever seen. He has one each of the 68-70 roadrunners. His son had the satellite that came to be my car. I dreamed about it for a year and a half while i worked to pay for it...originally, we thought it was a 70 and i hadn't seen it yet, so i thought the 70s were awesome...then i found it was a 71, but didn't know what a 71 looked like, so i looked it up and my jaw about hit the floor...way cooler than any cuda fosho. I couldn't wait to get it home so i could start cleaning 10 years of dirt off, and i absolutely loved the starsky and hutch style stripe on it, but when i painted it blue, i didn't think the stripe would look good on a blue car, so at the moment, only taillight stripes. MOPAR OR NO CAR (not really, cuz i need a gas sipper lol)

Well, I'm a student at Iowa State University...I was in pre-architecture, but was accepted to Landscape architecture, so that's where I'm at now...Before that I was roofing and working at Seven Oaks (winter sports park)

[bruce]

How'd I get started on Mopars? Simple, the first car I ever bought was a '70 Dodge Challenger SE. 383 2-v automatic. Since then I've owned 98% Mopars with 3 little Chevy mistakes thrown in just to remind me why I love Mopars!

And as far as what I do for a living, I'm an Art Director.

[71GTX]

In the early 70's, I vaguely remember as a kid, my uncle taking his 69 Roadrunner in for service work. I fell in love with Mopars at a early age, and it has stuck. I bought my first Mopar, a 70 Satellite for $300.00 and didn't even drive it before I sold it for $500.00. My first real Mopar Musclecar was my 71 Roadrunner that I bought for $220.00. the rings were stuck and the tranny was trashed so I bought a 71 Challenger R/T to use for parts....well that didn't get used for parts, but instead I drove that for a few years.
Then I picked up:

70 340 4 speed Cuda Convertible
70 Barracuda
72 Cuda 340 4 speed
and on
and on
and on
and on........

[Dave]

My dad has had Mopars I believe from the time he started driving. Not that he was a car guy, they were just transportation to him, but he was (and still is) brand loyal. Since 1968 my dad has always had a van as his daily driver. I have very fond memories of his 68 A-100 widow van, and riding along sitting on a blanket on the engine cover between the seats (back when that kind of thing was safe..lol). He replaced that with a 75 B-van, and has had a series of B-vans through the years - still driving one today.

In 71, when my mom needed to replace her first brand new car (a 64 Fairlane - she grew up in a Ford family) they had been influenced by some neighbors that were VERY happy with a 71 Satellite 4door they had recently bought. My parents went up to the Plymouth dealership and came home with a GF3 71 Satellite Coupe, 318/auto car. The thing was a serious base model - it didn't even have carpet, just a rubber floor mat, AM radio, no A/C. That is the car that started my love of Mopars, and specifically my addiction to 71 Plymouths. I was brought home from the hospital as a newborn in that car, and it was a member of the family until 1985.

From the time I've been owning cars myself, I've been 100% all Mopar. Finally getting my first 71 Plymouth in college (a parts car saved from a junkyard), and my first 71 Road Runner (Project Blue Bird) in 1998. Since then, there have been more than a few 71's come and go, and I'm down to just the Road Runner and my #'s matching, 383/auto Sebring Plus.

Career wise, I own a web technology innovation firm, www.DesgningInteractive.com. My business partner and have have been putting in a lot of time to develop a hosted solutions suite we are about to begin full scale marketing on, and one of the products, a content manangement system, will in the near future be employeed to take over the hosting of the Nest, so look for some neat improvements, and a significatntly updated look in the next few months.

[Eric]

Dad was into cars, but mostly just collected the 1:24 scale models. My older brother had a 67 Dart back in the day and mom had a 63 Valiant, then a 73 Duster with a 318. I remember as a kid, someone a couple of streets away had two Superbirds, one orange and one yellow. They sat side by side in the driveway for a few years. This was about 1975. I always loved the S-birds and wanted to get one when I was old enough to drive, but the prices on them always seemed a little out of reach (I'm still hoping some day). I then settled on 70 runners and started looking for one. Instead I found a 71 about 50 miles away. I really couldn't picture what the 71s looked like at the time, but I went and looked at it. It was an FE5 383 4spd with a built 440 transplanted in...VERY FAST. Needless to say, it went home with me that same day. I've always owned at least one 71 ever since....and I've always owned at least one mopar since I started driving! Now if I could just afford a Superbird....

My occupation....I'm a studio director in a very large architectural firm.

[road chicken]

Oh man- talk about a LOOOONG time ago...

I can still rememeber waiting until I was old/big enough for my feet to able to touch the floor in my dads 66 FuryIII wagon. Yeah, I know not a typical entry into mopars, but that car took so much it was unbeliveable. I 've seen pick-ups fall will less load on them. That 383 ( with the exception of overheating once in awhile) took everything my dad threw at it. Then, a few years later, he picked up a 72 New yorker brougham. With every option on the list- including the sunroof. Man talk about PIMP_N!!! Plus it was faster than my brothers 71 camaro ss. THAT was funny watching that play out.

But the biggest thing was just the way mopar put stuff together. These cars IMO are th easiest to work on, for the most part have lightyears on C and F for durabilty and ease when your working on them. That and how can you not love the colors and innovation- ( lean burn excluded ) Ma used to build in on a regular basis.

So when I went to buy my first car ( outside of the watchful eyes of dad)- well it's still making me smile.

[CtownRunner]

Brought home in a late 40's Chrysler Windsor. Blue. I remember sitting between my parents while my Mom held my baby brother on her lap.
Can't do that anymore.

Dad had one Brand X after that then in 64 got a new 4D Polara, then a new 67 Polara, then a new 71, then a 73 Newport, a St. Regis, Diplomat, Volare, even a K car wagon.

Learned to drive in 71 in that new Polara.
Grampa on both sides drove Mopar. Finned Furys, Darts, Coronets, Newports, Cordobas. You get the picture. Mopar and Mopar and More Mopar.

Never had a B body until I got the 71 RR. I drove the 71 Polara then the 73 Newport in College. Even dated my wife in the Newport until about 1981-2. Got married in 84.

Still have a soft spot for C bodies.

I'm a R.N. at Metro Health Med center in Cleveland, the level 4 trauma hospital with 4 helicopters and 2 Lear jets for air transport. Been there for almost 26 yrs. Only 4 yrs till I can retire. Started as staff RN in 80 then Assistant Unit Manager in 82. Now Case Manger for one of the SICU's and a surgical floor.

Cut my ponytail during the Iraq invasion, still bucking the system, refuse to wear a tie and wear a ear ring just because I can.

CtownChris

[bandman]

My older brother is a mopar nut. Because of his influence, he actually made me buy a 72 RR with a 318 about 16 years ago. The car was rusted like nobody's business, but I still thought it was cool. I never thought to ask him why he was so crazy for mopars (good question). I have owned other mopars, some chevys, and only one ford (huge mistake-never again).

As far as careers, as my user name implys I am a high school band director. The kids at school think my car is cool (yes I park it in the lot). Every day I take it to work my little girl (Betsy 5yrs old). Yells out "dad do a burny!" and every day as I turn out into the street I do a couple. I don't know if that is a good idea for her future driving habits.

Dennis

[SureGrip]

My Dad worked as an executive for Chrysler and my earliest memories growing up, we always had a Mopar. He had a 66/67 Charger, a 68 Charger, a 68 Coronet coupe and a worked up '68 Coronet for my Mom (440, 4-speed, bucket seats and Crager S/S's.)

My Mom told me about the night he took his red '70 Hemi Cuda home from a 'meeting' at a local bar and rolled the car off an on-ramp, totalling the car.

I also remember him coming home with a brand new '78 Lil' Red Express truck for my Mom.

I've had a '72 Dart, a '71 Dart, a '74 Road Runner, '93 Dodge Shadow and now a '71 Road Runner.