1972 Dodge D100 Long Bed Stepside from North America - Comments

- Starter solenoid

- "Park" on transmission

- Oil sending unit

- Rusted floorboards

- Carburettor

- Radio

- Wooden bed slats rotted

- Myriad electrical gremlins

- Speedo/odo never worked

I had this truck when I turned 16. I bought it for $600 and drove it until the gas prices ate me alive. It got a whopping 6-8 miles/US gallon, and gas prices in my area were $1.50/gallon at the time. My girlfriend was embarrassed to be seen in it, it was a particularly putrid shade of green.

I traded it for an '80 Datsun 310GX (Sunny) that got 35mpg.

D100s run forever if you don't neglect them. Sheesh.

There are many things you can do to an engine to improve gas mileage. And there are many body shops where looks can be improved. A 28 yr. old truck can't be expected to look and act like a new one. I would say for $600, that truck was a steal. I'm sure there are a lot of Mopar people who would pay that for the engine.

$600 is a very good price for that truck. 6-8 mpg? Did you ever do a tune-up on the thing? It should've gotten better mileage than that.

Even with a 360 in a big 4x4, it should have been possible to get 12-15 mpg. However, it does require a committed maintenance program to achieve this, staying current on tune-ups, filters, and oil changes. Given a choice between the MoPar and the girlfriend...well, sorry Baby!