The Dodge Aspen was a compact car produced by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation from 1976 until 1980. The Dodge Aspen was initially offered as a two door couple and a four-door sedan as well as a unique station wagon variant. After the 1980 model the
Dodge Dart replaced the Dodge Aspen.
The Dodge Aspen and its Plymouth Volare counterpart were both very popular when first launched and they were even named the Motor Trend Magazine car of the year for the 1976 year. Unfortunately, the production of these vehicles was rushed and the first two years were plagued with numerous problems such as front fender rust, recalls for the brakes, suspension, fuel system, steering, and computerized ignition. In the end, the Aspen and the Volare earned themselves the worst recall records of the 1970s.
Despite all the problems, the Aspen sold very well for its entire run as it was very reliable, even with the rust problems! Owners considered the cars very reliable, never reporting problems with them after those first two years where there was a rush to produce the vehicles and quality was overlooked. Every year the Aspen was sold it sold well over the 100,000 mark, with the last year being the only exception.
The Aspen was built of an F-body chassis, and the Aspen was called the family car of the future and it really was with the two door coupe, four door sedan, and four door station wagon options. Available in three trim models, there was the base, custom, and SE. There was a performance R/T package that was available with the coupe and featured a 318 V8 engine or an optional 360 V8 with either a 2 or 4 bbl carburetor. In the other models the 225 I6 was standard.
Not much changed on the Aspen from year to year. For its final year, the Aspen was given a brand new front fascia. After the 1980 model was released Dodge announced that the Aspen nameplate would be retired. In 2007 the Aspen name will finally be resurrected as the Chrysler Aspen, which is a rebadged Dodge Durango.
