1966 Dodge Polara 383 from North America

Summary:

Great cruising leviathan

Faults:

Needs the rear brake drums replaced, and probably the system bled. Sometime nothing happens when I push the brakes, and I have to pump them to get them working again.

Seats are shredded, but still rather comfortable with a cover.

Inside lights won't turn off, shouldn't be hard to figure out.

General Comments:

I found this car on craigslist and knew I had to have it. I got it with 93k miles, essentially rust free, for 1100. Despite the brakes needing serious work, I drove it 180 miles home through narrow windy mountain roads just fine.

The power of the 2bbl 383 is more than smile-inducing, and it's surprisingly nimble for such a huge car. It'll go where you point it and lean into large curves. I can steer it with my pinky finger, really! This car is in great condition for being 41 years old. The engine runs perfect and will really put a smile on your face when you punch it on the freeway. Great for burnouts, and even better at enjoying long stretches of freeway. It'll cruise at 90mph just fine. The car came with dual exhaust and glasspack mufflers, sounds amazing.

The shocks are worn, but it's still pretty smooth. You don't really feel the bumps in this. The large bench seats are torn up, but with a cover they're still very plush and comfortable. This is a great road trip car. More than enough leg room of course! The trunk is huge, it can fit 5 laundry baskets easy. The carpet is still good, and the dash isn't cracked.

All the electronics still work. Including the horn and AM radio. It's nice having simple mechanics that you can figure out quickly. Gas mileage is rubbish as to be expected. I get about 15 highway tops, and about 10 in town. That's if I'm driving lightly, which is hard to do in this beast. It gets a lot of looks, because you don't see many of these cars around. Overall a fun, and increasingly rare car. Great car if you don't mind the gas. I plan on repainting it so what little rust it has doesn't grow, and having the seats re-upholstered. After that I'd like to put a 4bbl carb and new intake on the engine, get headers, and high performance camshafts. I expect it should have around 400hp with that.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th June, 2007

1966 Dodge Polara 500 383 4Barrel from North America

Summary:

Drive '66 Dodge Polara 500, you'll love it!

Faults:

No problems with the car, just normal maintenance.

General Comments:

This is a great car. It looks like brand new, and drives wonderfully. The quality of the Polara is evident, as it is 39 years old. My car is a 500 model, which gives it improved handling and braking.

The only con about this car is that it gets poor gas mileage due to the large engine.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th December, 2004

31st Dec 2004, 09:27

I don't think this is a legitimate review. Only 30K miles on it when it was 30 years old?

And he rates it 10/10 in everything including reliability and operating costs which is just ridiculous.

31st Dec 2004, 18:12

I purchased this car from the original owner in 1996. I suppose that the miles on the odometer could possibly be more than what it reads, if the car had gone over 100,000 miles. I believe that the odometer is only capable of going to 99,999 miles, and then reverts to all zeros. But, all I know is what it read when I got it.

The running costs of a car consist of not just gas and oil. The insurance costs are very low, and thus poor gas mileage is not such a bad thing. Furthermore, this car is not required to complete emissions testing, and registration is very low in cost. So, the total cost of running this car is quite good when compared to the cost of licensing and insuring my Lexus.

As for reliability, this car has only let me down two times. Once, the coil wire came loose, and the car wouldn't start. I plugged it back in and it was fine. The second time, my fuel pump gave out close to home. This is a very reliable car, especially considering its age.

Lastly, the steering is very smooth. I have let my friends drive it, and they all comment about the smooth feel. The wheel seems to endlessly turn before it comes to the stop, one way or the other. It is effortless to drive.

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