Why High Octane Family Cars! | Mike’s Two Dodge Darts

Mike’s story proves that sometimes love strikes twice – especially when Dodge Darts are involved. He hilariously recounts how he bought not one, but two Dodge Dart cars in succession, squeezing every ounce of adventure from that iconic model. With candid humor, Mike describes what “happens in the Dodge, stays in the Dart,” from youthful mischief to roadside lessons. Just when you think his tale is winding down, Mike finds “something Special” – a classic Buick Special, that is – which completely upends his garage lineup and steals his heart.

Mike's favorite episode features another - "Dust to Dreams – David’s College Car Capers and Convertible Comeback" https://www.buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/14867457-dust-to-dreams-david-s-college-car-capers-and-convertible-comeback

In this episode brimming with muscle car nostalgia and gearhead camaraderie, listeners will enjoy anecdotes of street races, under-the-hood tinkering, and the surprise twist of Mike’s current secret car (a reveal you won’t want to miss!). It’s an ode to Detroit iron and the enduring memories forged between a driver and his machines, sure to rev up fans of vintage car culture and personal transformation through cars.

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Transcript

00:00.84
Christian
Welcome back America to all the cars I've loved before your podcast around automotive history american history and your history. It's where they all come together in our inaugural season hey it worked for the Titanic just fine. Ah we have a. Guest here today that could be ready to talk to you. This is a christian and my co-host. That's your prompt. Yeah wake up over there and insure while he's ah.

00:27.42
Doug
It's Doug.

00:33.19
Mike
So.

00:33.90
Christian
Ah, coming back from his sleep mode or hibernate mode. Whatever he was in check us out online carslove.comcarslove.com where you will see pictures of the cars of former guests. We'll have an intake form for you to be part of the conversation join in. This is your podcast America so I see him nodding off and let's Doug Doug would you like to join the conversation and introduce our very steam guest today Mike there he is there. He is.

00:59.19
Doug
ah ah ah I'm ah I'm awake I'm awake. Yeah, you think thank you Christian so ah and just just a reminder because Christian can't remember this. Ah.

01:14.82
Christian
Nope.

01:15.94
Doug
We're online with your favorite podcasts. So whatever your favorite podcast platform is you should be able to find us to all the cars I've loved before or on the website as Christian would say arts loved dotcom so yeah so today we have a.

01:19.59
Christian
Um, your platform of choice there you get cars of dot Com um payment are.

01:34.86
Doug
Great guy on board. This name is Mike he is an I t professional and Mike you want to do a quick intro on yourself beyond what I just shared very little.

01:46.22
Mike
So ah, um, s Mike Johnson I t professional like you you stated concentration on building large scale networks and cybersec security services but longtime geek.

02:00.77
Christian
M.

02:02.72
Doug
Nice, nice and so cars. Ah probably a topic for another time Mike but you know cars have lots of computer networks in them these days depending on the age of your car.

02:13.51
Mike
That.

02:16.54
Christian
Um, yeah, yeah.

02:17.45
Doug
Maybe it's just a bunch of wires. Maybe it has fiber optics I don't know. Yeah, yeah, so they.

02:20.55
Mike
And then maybe they drive themselves now right? then.

02:25.48
Christian
They even you know they did back when I was a kid you just kind of rigged the belt to the ah you know rearview mirror and you just put a brick on the accelerator at work fine I was reading something recently that said you know the thing these days is to be prepared for if you have to repair a car. Ah, twenty thirty years ago there would be a wire hooked to to a lever and when you kind of did this. It was ah a wire moving things up on a hinge device now. It's all semiconductors. It's all actuated or solenoid so everything everything is moving by signal and so when you go to have a car repaired now you're not going to have a $1020400 $ 500 repair. It's not going to be eight hundred a thousand 2000 talking demiconductors ah specialized parts to say nothing of supply chain constraints. So it. It really is a whole new world on the sophisticated cars. Ah Mike was talking about. But really I mean across the spectrum across the entire spectrum top to bottom anyway. Yeah I didn't mean to interrupt Mike I did want to chime in there.

03:32.34
Doug
Yeah, ah, no, no, no I want to I Want to add to your just a a funny and I would have to say this is mid late read but all right? So anyway.

03:39.58
Christian
Um, you're not the guest Mike's the guest you can okay, go ahead, go ahead. Good go ahead.

03:49.58
Doug
Just wanted to share with Mike remember the day remember the days of the carburateted car and I remember mid to late 80 s my dad saying I don't want to buy a car that has electronic fuel injection I'm like well dad. The only cars left are Hyundai excels that might be what you end up with I don't want.

03:54.61
Mike
Oh yeah.

04:06.54
Christian
Ah.

04:09.90
Doug
I Don't want that and then of course next thing next thing you know he ends up with a car with an electronic fuel injection because those were the only choices.

04:13.61
Christian
way way way I got got I gotta hop in here hang on I got to hop in here. The my mom was a teacher and worked with a fellow teacher who and this must have been in the mid to late eighty s who. Owned like one of the ah first sundayundas that I think was commercially available around and the thing was ah just a hulking piece of um, something not real pleasant to look at right? They weren't pleasant to write in. They weren't it was just it was just not pleasing to the senses at all to be in it to be around it boy you look at the cars right now go look at um um I visited the hyunda factory in ah right outside of ah, Montgomery Alabama where they make all the Santa Fe in North America Latras in North America sonatas in North america maybe or at least a a few years ago and I went gorgeous looking cars. Gorgeous looking cars. So it's it's really to just just in that you know what is that the past 20 or 30 years to see how things have evolved.

05:17.43
Doug
The well well and we do we do if you wouldn't stop talking the Mike tell us about your tell us about your first car first car you own.

05:19.59
Christian
Ah, car company anyway, sorry we got to get to Mike at some point he's the guest. What are we doing our very special guest. We now to be quiet. Let him? Yeah okay I'll be quiet promise any they any memorable car. Yeah, he can talk about anything. He wants to talk about. He's a guest.

05:34.96
Doug
He can.

05:36.50
Mike
Well let me just interjet. 1 thing I is I wish today I could get a new car with ah a lot of ah you know all those options removed a more basic car that maybe with some new technology. But.

05:44.74
Christian
Are right.

05:51.19
Mike
I don't want my driving car but I wish you could have a option list where you could just take some things off. But anyway, um, first car. Yeah, um, first car was a 1960 odd odds dart.

05:54.79
Christian
No I'm with you I think it's good point.

05:55.60
Doug
We understand.

06:05.47
Christian
Um.

06:06.41
Doug
1965 dodge dart is that correct.

06:07.61
Christian
Oh Wow Oh Wow What color.

06:09.91
Mike
Yes.

06:16.84
Mike
You guys there. It was white white and you'll love this one. It had a metal dashboard I Remember it was metal because I had to um.

06:17.49
Doug
What what color was it like white dash.

06:32.90
Mike
Had speakers that had like magnets on that would attach to it and ah he got an out hurt. But um, that was a 4 door and it was it was my grandmother's car.

06:33.87
Doug
Nice. That's safe.

06:38.49
Christian
Ah, that's it right.

06:40.10
Doug
So what was was this a 2 door 4 door. Oh nice. So it's driven by a sweet old sweet old lady on Sundays right.

06:48.91
Christian
Oh wow.

06:51.90
Mike
And so I got that from doing some ah extra chores or when doing something. Yeah, that was my first car and I do remember my my cousin always helping me with work on it.

06:59.19
Christian
Um I love that I love that I worked with a guy.

07:08.74
Doug
Nice see you kind of earned earned it by working on it helping your grandmother out is that right.

07:15.95
Mike
Yeah, the family Yep, doing some things for the family and then I got that was given to me after I got so many hours of working I Guess yeah, but it was ah it was a solid core last forever took ah took a look and kept on ticking.

07:26.99
Doug
Nice. That's that's the way that's the way to do it. Yeah said it have the famous slant 6 nice.

07:34.12
Christian
Um I like that.

07:34.85
Mike
Ah, for sure. Yes, yes, it did yeah with the round headlights and I'm trying to think what else was that thing ah and try to remember I think I think it may have been a column shift. Yeah.

07:52.56
Doug
Column shift automatic correct oh 3 on the tree.

07:54.29
Mike
Um, not automatic now. Yeah believe that's what it walk can't I'm trying to remember if that was that 1 or another one I had you know what I did want to yeah I'll retract it I do think that one was automatic.

08:04.90
Doug
Ah, your your your grandmother drove a stick shift.

08:10.39
Doug
Ok.

08:12.85
Mike
Yeah, yeah.

08:14.64
Christian
Yeah I remember I worked with the fellow once this was I want to say shortly out of high school or maybe in college and um, ah, older gentlemen older gentlemen to me were talking I guess in the 90 s at some point. And he drove a dodge dart to work every day. Perfect immaculate immaculate and he would come to work. He would park it. He would put the car cover on it. He would go go about his job at the end of the day he'd come reverse the process hopping it and go home.

08:40.60
Doug
Wow.

08:45.99
Christian
And I I said I came up to him and I said hey man this you did such a great job restoring this car or or whoever you had restore it I said really impressive but it it it looks it looks back to showroom and he said no I've had this car since um, the day the day I bought it or or whatever and and I've just kept me. Incredible care of this thing. So I mean like you're saying indestructible lasts forever and hey you know just take take care of the things you have.

09:14.83
Doug
Speak speaking ah lasts forever to Mike you mentioned a redeeming quality about the metal dash. But ah, what led you to move on from that car. What happened to the car if you recall.

09:24.76
Mike
Um, oh well. Yeah, well it that was ah I used that car during my early high school years I think I was one of the first guys in the group to kind of have a car and it took a lot of abuse.

09:38.00
Christian
Um, yeah, no, we don't ah.

09:39.18
Doug
I Like where this is going.

09:40.88
Mike
It had a lot of malls went when I got it so it wasn't like it was gonna last forever but it was It was fun to go out in because you didn't care what happened to it. Yeah lot of stories are definitely.

09:51.20
Christian
I like that what happened in the dart stayed in the dart.

09:57.78
Mike
And yeah I think ah eventually did yeah I think ah I think it I did eventually just die and I remember I think I had it taken to the junkyard so it was once last leg it lasts a couple years maybe

10:08.96
Christian
Um.

10:14.33
Mike
Then I was born to something else.

10:17.62
Doug
And what what was ah you the next car or or another car of significance in your life.

10:26.44
Mike
Well I will I will skip a car but I mean the next car was another dodge dart. But but this but this one was a ah 2 door and if you ever seen the early 70 s dodged dart the ones they used to.

10:31.76
Doug
He's a fan of dodge.

10:32.53
Christian
Um, got a type. He's got a type.

10:42.18
Mike
Have the race track with um, it's a 2 door. It's it's a nice looking car. Um, but but this was a 6 or I didn't have an a sonar version which I wish I did but it was console shift. But anyway I didn't it didn't last long either. But the next car of significance would be a. 1965 buick special which I did have stored well it was 1965 had electric seats, electric windows and it had a three ten wildcat engine and a Builck wildcat.

11:01.42
Christian
He.

11:02.47
Doug
Oh so what was so special about the buick I'm joking. Oh.

11:10.74
Christian
Oh.

11:19.79
Mike
Was 300 horsepower and it was a pretty quick car was light was was like a Buick. Um, what is that skylark that's kind of what it was. It's a skylark but a special edition. Um, yeah, it was it was nice very nice. Yeah.

11:32.65
Doug
Nice and that was a 2 door 4 door.

11:39.66
Mike
It was Ford door. But um, but it had a sporty edge to it. You know? well I had a not sporty but I it had a powerful edge to it. Um, yeah, ah now I mean not really um.

11:42.95
Doug
With him. Right? Yep, did you get in some trouble with that car or you baby it.

11:57.15
Mike
But man I I just remember going through having it painted and to factory specs I got the pink codes I remember I used to work at an auto parts store and I got the paint code the original paint codes and had it reproduced had the interior redone. Yeah.

12:08.59
Doug
Oh wow.

12:12.57
Christian
Um, paint codes. Love that.

12:16.90
Mike
Yeah, yeah, back in the day you could look it up in the the gm pain coach for that year and you could have it remixed and I and I think I add just some metal flake to it but it was blue in with a white top blue interior they were. It was nice it was nice and

12:29.35
Christian
Sounds so pretty really.

12:36.10
Mike
At some point I had that for years and at some point I ended up giving it to my one my siblings because I think I was yeah I was off to college and and moving out and it was racking up some miles too. So I gave it to my younger sister.

12:44.12
Christian
A.

12:52.41
Doug
Moving on out. Yep I get it? Yep I think.

12:54.78
Christian
That's a great big brother right? there that's a great brother all right? So we're coming up but we just hit 13 minutes on the button is there a a third car.

12:55.65
Mike
Yeah.

13:07.30
Christian
In the sequence or that kind of kind of rounds out your either your childhood or as you moved into adulthood.

13:14.10
Doug
Or or maybe in reference to the Hyundai. Maybe there's a houndai lineage vehicle that you have.

13:23.90
Mike
Well I mean the the current. Ah my wife we just purchased a ah ah genesis g v g v eighty which is the ah yeah, ultimate and the I guess but and was at a yeah three point five liter twin turbo um

13:29.60
Christian
Wow.

13:39.33
Christian
So what years that might.

13:40.80
Mike
That's pretty nice. But yeah, um, is it I guess 2022

13:48.56
Christian
Oh wow. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, fun. Funny you mentioned because I was talking to a fan of the show and she was saying well well how come y'all? Don't talk about more more recent cars I mean the the car is coming out today. her her car her favorite car is the um. I think the gx sixty which is the next step. Ah, the step down from the one you have and that that's kind of hurt her dream car. So here. You are kind of tying it all up with a bow talking about her favorite car and bringing things current. So what? What led you? yeah.

14:18.45
Doug
Right? And and in good I was just going to say in reference to we were talking earlier about the birth of mondayund in the United States and how far they've come now. They have a car you wouldn't know is aunde at all. It originally started as a hunt a genesis.

14:19.80
Mike
Yeah.

14:27.23
Christian
Um, yeah, yeah, yeah, and exactly.

14:37.50
Christian
Indeed I agree with that I agree with that if you look at the car I've not been inside 1 but you know an an accurate guy and last episode we were talking a little bit about.

14:37.56
Doug
Now it is its own line much like accurate. But even even a step higher.

14:37.98
Mike
Grow.

14:51.34
Christian
Near luxury and in in what does that designation mean and what comes with that. Well it comes with you know this eats there some leather and some leather or some some mix thereof but it it is a way to keep kind of keep cost down and for those for whom that's not a huge. A huge buying point or must have then you can it fits in the budget more readily or more easily did you consider anything else Mike and as you as you were looking at that car did that they are so shapely those cars I mean the the beautiful from the back in the front. Looks kind of like nothing else on the road did you have your heart set on it immediately or did you kind of back into that.

15:33.76
Mike
Well my my wife did a lot of extensive research on on a vehicle. This was this This is really this is her vehicle and she'd see she did all the research and I tell you this is right? It was right before ah you know, um.

15:38.75
Christian
Yeah, yeah.

15:52.64
Mike
Things got really crazy with you know, getting bank loans and things like that. But but we ended up we actually purchased a car maybe six eight months earlier and then the genesis dealers backed out. Um and they.

16:09.17
Christian
Um, yeah.

16:11.30
Mike
Failed to deliver the car that we had ordered and pay and pay for down payment oil so we had a we had a fly down to North Carolina to get it because that was right before all the yeah yeah and we flew a lot.

16:16.88
Christian
What the heck I've never heard of that goodness.

16:18.22
Doug
Oh wow, Yeah, this was in the times when you couldn't get a car and you were going to pay a premium sticker more and you know, kind of post pandemic just coming out. Yeah.

16:31.30
Christian
Ah, good point crazy times crazy times.

16:35.30
Mike
Well ah, take with lettuce we we have ah my wife before this had a ah a tahoe a Chevy tahoe and we loved it. Ah but to your to dog's point I said yeah when we were looking for a new tahoe because we had got so much good experience of having that when we still have it. It's a 2007

16:46.83
Christian
Yeah, yeah.

16:53.14
Mike
Ah, still have it. But when you went to buy a new one. You're not only dealing with the price of the vehicle but the $10000 surcharge on top of it. So if I have to pay that much money heavy taho. It allowed us to look in some other areas because it meant my god why am I going to pay that. Ah.

17:04.20
Christian
Ah, yeah.

17:08.70
Christian
Good point.

17:12.80
Mike
Um, a tahoe when there's another class that's above that I could probably get into so.

17:16.25
Christian
Good point I like that? Yeah yeah, it is a little bit of an Apple's horn just thing but that's a curious that is a curious turn to that story. Good deal.

17:19.79
Doug
Yeah, and.

17:23.69
Mike
And so.

17:24.83
Doug
A note no regrets right? You love the car right? Your wife loves it more importantly.

17:30.65
Mike
Oh she and she loves an immense school now I remember looking to it a Lincoln and and they they were top. They were putting on ah 10000 as well and is this funny how their cold is back now though trying to reengage. Ah.

17:30.68
Christian
That's more important.

17:38.27
Christian
Get green.

17:45.55
Mike
I wouldn't buy. He wouldn't buy now from them. But yeah, they didn't want to. They didn't want to drop that 10 grand then was funny.

17:51.49
Doug
Yeah, it was definitely a supply and demand supply and demand then for sure.

17:52.87
Christian
What's out right? thing happened? Yeah, right thing happened right? thing happen. Good story. Well, you're happy. Most importantly, wife's happy is doug. Ah.

17:59.10
Mike
Yeah I don't think there's some too many now though I.

18:07.47
Doug
Um, yeah.

18:08.92
Christian
Doug pointed out and I think we're coming to the end of the conversation here as we wrap up um, just find any any final thoughts Mike.

18:19.80
Mike
Now. Ah I mean um, the only other car I would chime in with was you know I had a couple jeeps in my life and I do ah I do tend to like ah you know the openness of a jeep like ah you know have a rank or ah CJ so see I back of the day.

18:28.98
Christian
Yeah, yeah, rip all the doors off well don't don't don't tell too much. We'll have you back in season two maybe we can do an all Jeep Jeep conversation but what do you say? partner any thoughts.

18:35.99
Mike
Loved all those as well. Exactly.

18:36.50
Doug
Yeah there.

18:47.29
Christian
But Doug before we wrap it up.

18:50.50
Doug
Yeah, well you know I wanted to look add something to the episode meant to do it sooner Mike but um so the most pop most popular car the year you grab the year you were born was a.

19:05.27
Christian
Beautiful.

19:06.20
Doug
Jaguar e type so I won't reveal your age but that was beautiful car. You know it'll always be part of you and on the year you graduated high school which I am told is 1980 but I can't believe it was that long ago.

19:11.20
Christian
There.

19:24.47
Doug
It was the old cutlass and I think it was just that was the most popular car being sold in the Us. So how far we've gone and here we are with the genesis now or yes.

19:28.83
Mike
Makes perfect sense. Absolutely yeah, they're a nice.

19:37.54
Christian
There a to to wrap it up with the book. Good stuff. Well Mike it was great meeting you um I I can see the passion when you talk about it. We'll have to have you back in a future season I think this is going to end up being our longest episode thus far but hey worth the time.

19:47.54
Doug
Are.

19:55.19
Christian
Good to get to know Mike as always with my co-pilot he says find this podcast to all the cars I've loved before at your platform of choice everywhere out there carslove.com cars lovegu.com where you will see pictures of us pictures of cars pictures of our guests. And hey ah submit something to also if you want to be part of the conversation join. We have an intake I call it an intake form Doug doesn't like that term but hey we just we love talking about it and getting to know people and all all the stories that that bandy back and forth. So hey we look forward to seeing you next time. On to all the cars I've loved before. Thanks for joining us and we will see you'll soon take care. Thanks Mike.

20:38.41
Doug
Take care. Thank you Mike.

20:40.28
Mike
See you guys.