1978 Dodge Magnum XE Commercial

[MatsOljare]

What a weird combined window/sunroof, are there any other cars made like that?

[OtisWild]

6000SUX!

[MTLbigJ]

it looks just like the magnum of today!

[TheEldweebo]

My family ran a Dodge dealership in the late 70's when these cars, along with the Aspen, Omni, St. Regis, and the Diplomat were brand new releases. They were all poorly-built pathetic pieces of shit. My family lost the business and Chrysler almost went bankrupt because of the garbage they were producing. Somehow, Lee Iacocca managed to put on a cheesy marketing ploy to get the American consumer to buy those hideous boxy ugly little shitty K-Cars, and somehow, it saved the company.

[ocnoc1]

@ barmtrail

@ dougsstuff1

It was the lean burn computer that slowed these down, and the computer controlled carb !

Change the lean burn to Mopar electronic ignition change the carb and you will have tire smoking power !!

I had 318's,360's,400's with lean burn,convert it and they move,for example back in 1980,I had a 78 Magnum with a 360 4bbl,all stock,2.45 rear axle no lean burn and it would run 14 flat in the 1/4 spinning off the line (slowing it down),bone stock just no lean burn.

[cincyblows]

@ocnoc1 Really? Because I had a '71 Charger with a 318 2 bbl and single exhaust, and it would do 9 flat at 150 mph in that same qtr mile.

[thelonehighlander]

This car looks awesome.

[Srd1126]

Sophisticated Insturmentation? A speedometer, fuel guage, and six idiot lights?

[TheSRalston]

Approved by the pimp and his ho´s...

[SteelCity1981]

Now that's what a pimp rides in.

[MFP1520]

the love boat

[trapped45]

I LOve that roof :)

[bestamerica]

'

this car did not have 2 amber yellow lights on the rear taillights,,,

this car have strong metal on body and 2 stronger bumpers than today

[dougsstuff1]

I bought a used mint 1978 Dodge Magnum XE in 1981 that looked just like the commercial (except for having white leather interior). The car was the most comfortable cruiser I've ever owned. Mine had the "lean burn" 400 cu in and had zero off-the-line power (couldn't even spin the wheels). But between 35 mph & 80 mph it seemed limitless. My brother nicknamed it  "Magnum Numb Nuts" for its pathetic low end power...... but it looked great sitting at the red light with it's paint, leather.

[barmtrail]

@dougsstuff1 My mother had a new 78 magnum with the 360 and you are exactly correct about low end power. There was something wrong with the carter thermoquad back in the day because it did not feed the engine correctly. But once it got going it was great, also you are right about how smooth it was, a great ride with perfect interior.

[TheLizardKing1967]

A magic means of transportation. LOL

[llallo03]

estaba padrisimo

[777jones]

This commercial makes me want to smooth jam on my jazz flute

[dobadriver]

Nice nice car

[BOLDLYGO2007]

Pimpin'.

[Srd1126]

I used to love these back in the day. Funny how car ads really were terrible in the 1970s, at least the ones Detroit used. Just some dude reading the features.

[203207ab]

@buccaneer43207 nice choice!

[dstarks80]

This car was a common sight on every city street.

[MrYuppie]

One of the nastiest designed cars I ever saw... I puked over my TV dinner...



[TheLizardKing1967]

@MrYuppie . I agree

[TheLizardKing1967]

All this is is a 1975 to 1979 Chrysler Cordoba with a different frontend and tail lights. Magic transportation, my ASS !! LOL

[BrentAudi]

This is great.

You know I find that it looks like the aggressive lines of the cars they offer now. Esp. the front grills.

[SteelCity1981]

looks like a 70's pimp car!

[somewhatlongdong]

I'd like to find a car like this and take it for a drive, and see what it feels like compared to todays cars.

[MegaTmarshall]

I had a 1982 Dodge Mirada with a 318 cid engine that I bought when it was 5 years old and had 98,000kms on the odometer. I drove it for 13 years and it had 475,000kms on the odometer when I retired it. I only maintained it with oil changes, tune-ups, mufflers and tires. Without a doubt, it was the most reliable car that I ever owned.

[menuvision]

Ahh snap, my parents had this car when I was a kid and boy did it have a lot power. I remember when my dad would hit the gas pedal, the car would push me back into the seat and this happened because it had a 360cubic V8 motor.

[granite65granite]

They should've continued with the Magnum name for 1980 and beyond. Mirada is ok, but Magnum is a great name!

[StoneCold75]

Wow what a great find ..this was a rare car for Dodge and quite cool looking.

[extremedrivr]

What V-8 engine did that come with?? Was it the last of the 440 or was it the 360, or maybee the 318??

[oiyabastard]

future  nigger mobile

[MattTheSaiyan]

Compared to the latest Daewoo, this car is "Citizen Kane".

[TheLizardKing1967]

A magic means of transportation.....LOL. All this piece of shit is, is a late 70's Cordoba with rectangular headlamps.....I have a quick question. Why in the hell did Dodge put clear plastic pop up lens covers over exposed headlamps. Stupidity personified. LOL

[dressshoeguy]

What about the "rich corithinan leather"? Oh wait that is Cordoba.

[turboblood]

quien vende alguno asi??

[taterpuff1974]

The clear headlight covers were badass.

[440mag79]

I love the styling of these cars, owned 6 since 88. Most people don't know what they are until you tell them it's a Dodge. They think it's some crappy GM.

[somewhatlongdong]

@440mag79 Do you tell them it's not a crappy GM, it's a POS Dodge?

[radioman66]

My late uncle bought the 1978 Magnum it was a great looking car, red with burgandy red interior. However it was a piece of junk for him, it was forever having computer issues on the engine one time the computer locked up his steering while he was driving it. He had the computer part unhooked under the hood and it actually ran better! He had it until about 1985.

[Miradart]

@radioman66 I think your uncle told you some tall tales about his car. There is no computer connection to the steering in any form. The trouble they mostly had was with the Lean Burn computer system. All that ran was the ignition system.

If the car died on him, he would have only lost power assist, but it can still be steered. It is just heavier wheel, and really isn't that bad if you are still rolling.

Lots of people chucked the LB for good old Electronic Ignition. They worked really well.

[Miradart]

@radioman66 But you're right! GREAT looking car!!

[waterfordjim]

I would like to see Snoop Dog pimp out one of these Magnums. FO SHIZZLE my NIZZLE! :-)

[Lindawatcher]

@waterfordjim  Snoop Dog is just another dope-smoking niger- ugly as hell

[waterfordjim]

@Lindawatcher.... Fuck off Linda... You Rascist piece of SHIT..... You are just jealous that he is a millionaire and you are a worthless MAGGOT... :-)

[boardskins]

@Lindawatcher Does that mean he's from Nigeria? lol If you're going to be racist, at least learn how to spell "nigger".

[Lindawatcher]

@boardskins YES! That is what it means!= = he is a nigger from Nigeria  lol lololololol Either way, he is ugly

[tesarche]

what a car i must say check out our dodge magnum conversions with our custom body kits

[plymouthroadrunner1]

Too bad it bombed on the track and Richard Petty went to GM. It had great numbers in the wind tunnel. Beautiful cars.

[dallaspolo]

I bought a 79 Magnum GT new 360hp engine. T-tops power everything. I loved that car so much. I won many car shows awards. Why did I sell it? Im still upset everytime I see a ad.

[adogg619]

I would definitely take the original dodge magnum over the station wagon crap they put out nowadays.

[Silvertrine]

If this car couldnt get you laid, the woman was a lesbo. Magic!

[798389]

Loved that car.

[bones318v8]

psychodelic,with t tops

[satorres82]

Looks like a pimp mobile.

[Boutin87]

If anyone is smart you would take the lean burn right off. My family has owned many Chryslers and they don't get better gas mileage with Lean burn, they get less. When i took lean burn off my doba, I probably got worse gas mileage for a bit. The reason for that was because I could not believe how much more power I got without lean burn, i floored it often.

[boardskins]

Why would they use a white car?? These cars had half-inch wide door seams!

[njot3]

Keep in mind that Chrysler was running into major financial problems at the time. Some of the things they did were not perfect, but they needed to make the cars get better gas mileage and emissions at the same time, yet still compete in the marketplace. I think they did the best they could considering the circumstances. The focus was absolutely NOT on power or speed at this point in time. It was on fuel economy, emissions, and safety. The government and insurance companies demanded this.

[Hot80s]

i would have painted over those headlight plexi-doors & made real hideaways

[njot3]

So many cars already had hidden headlights like you describe back then. This was cooler. They only did this on the Magnum (which was only made in 78 and 79 by the way) and the 79-81 Dodge St. Regis. It was a unique look.

[GoodDoctor83]

The Magnum was actually a very good car. It was the last of a long line of B-bodies... Road Runner, Charger, GTX, etc. The lean-burn system is what happens when the government interferes with the carmakers. The goal was better fuel mileage and lean-burn filled the gap until better computers could be produced. Chrysler would have been better off making the cars lighter. This was also difficult as the government was making 5 mph bumpers law. This added weight.

[lrd9999]

He actually said "snug" ?!?

[barmtrail]

My mother bought a 78 magnum xe new. It was a really good car except for low end power. It sputtered and missed until it the rpm's increased. It did this until the day she sold it. She never experienced this because of the way she drived. But when i took it out to race my best friends new 79 trans am(403 olds engine) He just killed me all the way. Never did find out what was wrong with the dodge. Great car otherwise. Perfect interior, smooth ride. Great brakes etc...

[masbiturbo85]

it was the lean burn acting up. they could be good forever, or they could be bad when they left from the dealer. a lot of dodges from the late 70s - early 80s had lean burns units. they sucked!

[jakesaintsrow123]

i have a 1978 Plymouth horizon 4 door hatchback and whenever i pop the hood it has a sticker that says chrysler electronic lean burn system my car runs great once and a while it gets a bad idle i think it needs a tune up other then that my lean burn system suprisingley hasn't gone bad =)

[njot3]

That depends. For one thing with Lean Burn, you need to make sure your spark plug wires are in good condition, if not you will get a misfire. The other thing with Lean Burn is that they had a temperature sensor on there- if the engine temp was below 120 F you got NO spark advance- and therefore poor acceleration. They had to do this to meet government emissions standards at the time. When they warmed up they ran fine. It was government regulation forcing them- it was not just a dumb design.

[masbiturbo85]

i disagree. the leanburns were flawed because sometime- well most of the time- when the cars DID warm up, they ran bad. I have a 1978 Fury and it runs better before warmed up, then stalls at every stop. its at the shop now getting de-leanburned. woo hoo. im going to loose about 1 mpg, but gain LOTS of performance.

[mustangcharger]

The idea of lean burn was good. What I've heard is that the problem was that they put the processor on the air cleaner. When they put behind the firewall the problems went away. It was essentially electronic spark control that was more successfully implemented by GM, starting with the Turbo Buicks.

[Progrocker70]

Dodge should've used the Magnum's sportier front end on the '75-'77 Charger instead of making it a Cordoba clone. The Cordobas chrome stand up grille and dual round headlights didn't belong on a Dodge Charger.

[Hot80s]

not to mention the charger "cordoba" daytona...a total joke.

[njot3]

The car market wasn't going towards sporty cars then- it was going towards 2 door personal luxury type cars. They were trying to compete with the Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, Cutlass Supreme, Thunderbird, and Cougar.

[Duncan2037]

@Progrocker70 And don't forget all that electronic wizardry.

[boardskins]

@Duncan2037 Yep. Like no "drive by wire" accelerator or brake systems. This car actually started and stopped when you expected it to! What a concept. lol

[Duncan2037]

@boardskins No foolin' you. Shucks.

[SteelCity1981]

No that was a good looking car back in it's day when most cars of the 70's looked like garbage.

[erich84502]

They had an optional 400cid 190hp motor.

[123demaio]

Nice car. It would cost 140000 to build one like that now. In north Ga, a company is remanufacturing Gm muscle cars. High paid republican CFO's have ruined this industry

[bigman55434]

I think your unions have had more to do with the demise of the auto industry that Republican CFO's. Do you honestly believe people that bolt cars together deserve 65/hour in total compensation, including benefits? Hell no.

[Silvertrine]

@bigman55434 Thats such a liar number $65/hour and you know it. That makes you a fucking liar or so stupid you dont even know what you're saying.

[bigman55434]

@Silvertrine Hey dumbfuck, why don't you do your own god damn research before you dispute my numbers. Yeah the hourly pay rate is only $20 - $35 an hour, but then add on all the benefits union members demand like 100% paid medical and dental, and pensions, which no companies can afford to fund these days. It's the medical after retirement, and the pensions that contribute heavily to the $65/hr total cost. See dumbfuck, you're not so smart now, are you? Dipshit...

[boardskins]

@bigman55434 YEAH! Let's give the money to the Japs! They charge just as much for their cars as the big 3, but pay their employees a REALISTIC starting wage of $12.00 an hour with very few benefits (or none, if you're a part timer, which over 40% of their US workers are). Fuck the American workforce! They just buy the cars and support our dying economy anyway.

[bigman55434]

@Silvertrine Hey shit for brains....I was wrong. The actual total hourly cost of labor for the big 3 is more like $70/hr, so I apologize for being wrong. Go fucking read this for yourself, assuming you learned enough in school to be able to do that. If you want me to narrate it, let me know. I will send you a hooked on phonics tape or something. Add on the 3 w's and a dot before the rest. heritage.org/Research/Reports/­2008/12/UAW-Workers-Actually-C­ost-the-Big-Three-Automakers-7­0-an-Hour

[Silvertrine]

@bigman55434 What kind of asshole do you have to be to begrudge someone who spends his entire working life building cars a decent wage. What do you want every hourly job to be like a Walmart job where the sad sacks are forced to go on food stamps so the greedy Walton family can make another billion dollars. You like paying your tax money to Walmart workers because they pay such low wages their workers cant afford to eat? You're one twisted fuckhead.

[81lego81]

My 1968 Dodge Charger was still runnin till 2006 till i took the motor out to bore it out and put some newer updated techs in it. Those cars were built to last :O

EASY TO FIX TOO ! :D

[andriakilgore]

I had and still have one of these. It is a 1978, with over 382,000 miles on the clock (84,000 on a rebuilt engine) and is still going strong. Unfortunately, the body is rusty and dented, and the interior is absolute doody and smells like mold and stale cigar smoke. This commercial is great, and I can hardly wait to see what Fiat does with Chrysler.

[somewhatlongdong]

How are you enjoying the sophisticated electronic wizardry inside?

[boardskins]

You had to be Harry Potter to keep it working.

[Germany1111]

LOL, even though I love 70s Chryslers it was unfortunately true.

[redneon06]

It was a luxuary car then, and I think it was alright for it time.

Now, its just a cheap built station wagon.

Isnt Dodge the only one that makes big station wagons now?

Dodge's end is near...

[gearheadmatt]

If you think this car looks like shit your on crack compared to new crap these cars are the greatest cars from the 70s were way better looking than the generic crap they put out now.

[203207ab]

@gearheadmatt there were a lot of stylish cars from the 1970s. except a few from 1979 maybe.

[EgaoNoGenki]

@gearheadmatt Ok then, what's the gas economy?

[dmxwhat]

@gearheadmatt what? this car is practically a box!

I don't think most new cars look so great but to say that 70s-80s boxes were more fashionable is just your nostalgia. using your favorite examples of good looking cars vs. all cars on the road today doesn't seem fair either. you think all cars from the 70s looked as good as this?

[DGarcia879]

the car looks like a businessman dressing up in a leisure suit

[johrons]

i was born in 78 this car looks like shit but it probably got the chicks goin over to it

[gearheadmatt]

I think the styling of late 70s american cars was great i wish they looked like that now with cool grills trim and nice interiors

[renofirvine]

ok i remember these commercials from when they were new---this announcer always irritated me especially when he said'classic cord type grille'-that is his neo-rod serling-ness really came through

[duncan36]

This cars styling has held up better than most 78's. Of course the '77+ GMs wiped the floor with Chrysler, they needed a bailout. Then enter Iacocca and the K car. Rest is history.

[harley145000]

hunk of trash

[AmITheSameGirl]

NOT! My 79 lasted until it rusted away when it was 16 years old, but it never needed any major mechanical work done on it. Matter of fact, the water pump went out on it in 1994 and the guy at the garage was amazed when he pulled out the original factory water pump. So NOT a hunk of trash Harley!

[hypermite01]

Mine(Cordoba) STILL has the original water pump & fuel pump! Amazing for a 31 year old car.

[RTG623]

The electronic wizardry was an option.

[paktype]

A friend in high school had an '79 Magnum XE. It was pretty cool for its day. You have to remember what kind of banal garbage Detroit put out back then.

[AmITheSameGirl]

I had a '79 also. Drove it clear up until it finally rusted apart in 1995. Loved that car, and I still miss it. It was a pale yellow color. (except for the rusty spots) lol! that thing would FLY! It had a 360 and I never was able to find "top end" on it. Of course, the gas mileage deteriorated over the years as well. When I finally had to put the car to rest, it was getting 5 mpg in the city and about 9mpg on the highway. Yikes! xD

[mehtwo]

....and it's off to studio 54 in this sweet ride!

[foppa123]

before that, let's go see Halloween in the theaters.

[atlmuscleman]

LMAO!!! :-))

[mcdill123]

This commercial is historically notable as the last time that the word "splendid" was used to describe a car.

[txmcxlx]

Ayye, this was a tough car to have sex in. My GF Dana's mom had this and she peed on the seat. When her mom saw it she went nuts. After that we could only have sex on the picnic table at night. She got knocked up later on.

[CSXT8250]

That looks like a pimps car. I always liked these though. The things I dont like about the cordoba they changed when styling this car it seems.

[crazychrisva]

This was sad days for the Chrysler Corp. Just look how cheap this commercial was. I belive they where about to go commpletely bankrupt in this era.

[Kuahmel]

The 70s was when pimpmobiles were the thing to build.

[trsmar]

Nice I had 3 Magnums and without the lean burn computer,the one mounted on the aircleaner,and mopar ecu and change the smog carb,these cars are pretty quick,14-15 sec 1/4 mile,with 2.45 rear gears