1979 Dodge Diplomat Coupe 2D review from North America

The water pump sprang a leak around the pulley-seal at around 200,000m. I still drove it for about 35 miles with no coolant at all.

About 1 year after I bought it, the car caught fire from a cigarette butt that had flown back in. The rear of the car (mostly the backseat) was in flames, and some wiring had to be replaced. I continued to drive it for another 2 years.

The paint job was shot, so I just kept covering it with primer occassionaly.

The wiring harness in the dash was bad, possibly from the fire, so no AC, radio, etc.

The alignment was terrible, because no one had greased the front end in decades. I went through a lot of tires.

The brakes went bad; I believe the master cylinder was sucking air. This is why I eventually had it junked.

Absolutely indestructible.

I bought this car for $40 from my aunt. When I found it, it had been hidden under a pile of wet leaves for about 6 years.

It cranked right up, though it needed a new transmission.

I put this hunk of junk through hell, and I am still amazed at how dependable it was; I did as little maintenance as possible on it. The leaking water pump was the only time it ever 'broke down' on me, and it still got me home with no coolant, and a red-hot engine!