Summer is in full swing and after long days filled with adventures, your car can wind up pretty dirty. Now is as good of a time as any to stress the importance of cleaning your car regularly. Dust, dirt, bugs and plenty of other natural causes can reduce the quality of your car’s paint and lead to unwanted damage. Let’s run through some details on properly washing your car and extending the life of your car paint.

Let’s start with the basics. You’re going to need access to soap and water. Before you get ahead of yourself, make sure that the soap you’re using is suitable for washing cars. Dish soaps can be abrasive and unsafe to use on your car and we want to avoid damaging our ride. Prepare a bucket or container full of soapy water prior to washing your car.

Start out by hosing down your car and getting rid of the surface dirt and grime. You’ll want to saturate your ride before applying soap. Once your car is nice and wet, go ahead and apply a coat of soap with a sponge or rag. Scrub the dirt and grime away and then rinse your car. You can wash your windshields and windows with any standard glass cleaner. Just clean them as if you’re cleaning a mirror or window in your home. Repeat these processes until you’re satisfied with the level of cleanliness. 

Removing stickers? Try using some WD-40 or Goo Gone on the stickier areas. Scrub at the area gently and slowly but surely the sticker will start to rub away. Always be sure to scrub the residue away with soap and water after using WD-40 or Goo Gone.

Presto! Your car is now squeaky clean. You’ll relish in the fact that your ride will be turning heads up and down the street and extend the life of its paint thanks to your handiwork. While you’re cleaning up your ride, why not run through a quick maintenance check and make sure that your ride is up to date? We offer fantastic service options here at McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Bentonville and would love for you to stop by for a tune-up. For more information or to schedule a service appointment, you can fill out our contact form and we’ll get in touch with you. We look forward to serving you!

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The Automotive Science Group has awarded the 2019 Jeep Compass the Best Economic Performance award for its vehicle class. Standing out amongst 235 crossover variants, the 2019 Compass combines a best-in-class retail price with an aggressive fuel efficiency rating. This marks the third year that Jeep Compass has received this impressive award.

The 2019 Compass comes equipped to handle the drive, even in inclement weather. Rain-sensing windshield wipers with automatic de-icers keep your vision clear, at all times. Dominate whatever nature throws at you with the SelecTerrain Traction Management feature. Cycle between Mud, Rock, Sand and Snow at the flick of a dial to ensure you stay in control of your 2019 Compass on any terrain. The 2019 Jeep Compass Trailhawk grade offers the Active Drive Low 4×4 system, which automatically switches your Trailhawk between two and four-wheel drive. Drive with peace of mind knowing that all grades of the Jeep Compass are designed for traction, water fording, maneuverability, wheel articulation and ground clearance.

A MultiAir 2-valve train system keeps the 2019 Jeep Compass 2.4-liter Tigershark engine running like a dream. By maximizing intake manifold pressure and running combustion quality, the engine not only runs efficiently but effectively. Boasting up to 180 horsepower, the 2019 Jeep Compass can tow up to 2,000 pounds wherever the journey may lead. With up to 32 mile per gallon fuel economy, it’s no wonder the 2019 Compass received the Best Economic Performance award.

We know that shopping for a new car can be stressful, but with the 2019 Jeep Compass, you can rest assured knowing you’re getting one heck of a car. McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Bentonville is dedicated to bringing you the highest quality selection of Jeeps and the 2019 Compass is no exception. Drop by for a test drive today or fill out our contact form for more information. We’d love to help you get behind the wheel of an Automotive Science Group rated Best Economic Performance winner: the 2019 Jeep Compass!

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Jeep enthusiasts love taking their vehicles to extremes. Extreme hill climbing, rock crawling, extreme customization…the list goes on and on. But there’s one group of Jeep enthusiasts that are taking their vehicles to an impressive visual extreme.

The Jurassic Park Motor Pool is a dedicated group of Jeep owners and enthusiasts who have tricked out their rides to resemble the 1992 Jeep Wrangler model that appeared in Steven Spielberg’s film “Jurassic Park” from 1993. The iconic paint job emblazoned on each park vehicle in the film instantly became a fan favorite among audiences, and Jeep enthusiasts immediately jumped on the customization trend.

The Coolest Jeep Accessories

It seems like the 1992 Jeep Wrangler just won’t go out of style and with dedicated fans like the Jurassic Park Motor Pool, the model is in constant demand. Finding a used Wrangler isn’t tough, but finding one in good condition can be hard to pull off. The JPMR provides a reference page on their website that lets potential inductees know just what parts need to be customized and keeps build guides for other vehicles that have appeared later in the Jurassic Park franchise.

Explore the Jeep Wrangler Now

Membership in the Jurassic Park Motor Pool is completely free, so long as you’ve tricked out your Wrangler to resemble the park vehicles. While it may seem like they only accept enthusiasts with Jeep Wranglers or the beloved Ford Explorer, the group accepts anyone with a unique, Jurassic Park themed vehicle. The group also prides itself in collecting and crafting Jurassic Park props, as well as cosplaying as many of the well-loved characters.

Eleven Divisions comprise the American side of the Jurassic Park Motor Pool, but the club has members across the world. The club even offers the opportunity to request their appearance at charity events and bring joy to audiences’ faces as they see that iconic design, displayed on each Jeep.

While we don’t have any Jurassic Park 1992 Jeep Wranglers on our lot, we’ve got a wide selection of current Jeeps, all of which can be decked out with Jurassic Park regalia to your heart’s desire. Click here to browse our selection of Jeep Wranglers.

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While the name “Jeep” is synonymous all over the world with rugged engineering and unstoppable off-road performance, there was once a time when the brand known best for fording rivers and crawling through boulders considered entering the muscle car wars, with a sporty, bare bones short-wheelbase convertible that likely gave the insurance industry cold chills just by looking at it.  
Introduced in 1970, the XJ-001 concept car was the brainchild of Jeep stylist Jim Anger, who wanted to see if there was consumer interest for Jeep going in a totally new direction. If that severely-abbreviated design looks familiar, that’s because the Jeep design team took one of their most recognizable products as a foundation for the XJ-001: the frame of a 1970 Jeep CJ-5. The resulting wheelbase: a very short 81 inches, just like the CJ-5, with an overall length of just 144 inches. While the engineers behind the XJ-001 considered using the front suspension from the two-wheel-drive Jeep DJ Postal Jeep and going with rear-wheel drive, they settled on a then-revolutionary full-time all-wheel drive system they called Quadritrac, which was introduced in production Jeep vehicles three years later.

Having all four tires driving the XJ-001 made the short-wheelbase cart a bit more manageable on the street, which was important given what they decided to drop under the hood: the same 360 cubic inch American Motors Corporation V8 found in muscle cars like the AMC Javelin and AMX, producing 315 horsepower, which made the little roadster — which tipped the scales at just over 2,000 pounds — quite a handful to drive.   

Going with the “less-is-more” approach that has defined Jeeps since the first Willys models rolled into combat in World War II, the team behind the XJ-001 went full-on roadster with the body design, relying on the ease and low-cost of fiberglass to make their sketches a reality. The result is a vehicle that’s more streetable dune buggy than standard convertible, featuring deep cutouts in lieu of doors (heavily reminiscent of the CJ), a sloping hood with a scoop, twin bucket seats, sporty side vents and a stubby rear overhang fitted with round taillights and chromed dual exhaust tips.  

The resulting concept car, painted bright yellow with colorful stripes, debuted at the New York Auto Show in 1970 to rave reviews, later appearing on the cover of Popular Mechanics magazine. There was talk of putting the design into production as a compact hardtop muscle car called the XJ-002, but that ended when American Motors Corporation — which had long supplied Jeep with engines — purchased Jeep in 1970. The only XJ-001 prototype was still a big draw at car shows, however, so Jeep kept it on the road for display. A few years after the XJ-001’s debut, it was headed for a display booth at the Texas State Fair when the transport truck overturned and caught fire, with the XJ-001 completely destroyed in the resulting blaze.

While Jeep never returned to the idea of building a muscle car, Jeep muscle lives on in the 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk, with over 700 horsepower and performance that would put even the hottest of the “Golden Age” muscle cars to shame. Stop in at McLarty Daniel CDJR of Bentonville, and check out our great selection of Jeeps today!    

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If you’re into cars at all, the name Hemi has powerful connotations, having provided the considerable grunt some of the fastest and most coveted Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth muscle cars in history. But even the fire-breathing street Hemis of the 1960s can’t hold a candle to Mopar Performance’s latest offering: the supercharged 426 cubic-inch “Hellephant” crate Hemi, which can produce a previously-unimaginable 1,000 horsepower and 925 lb.-ft. of torque on plain ol’ pump gas. Offered for pre-order on “Hemi Day” — 4/26 — crate engine promises to take the horsepower wars to a new level, and can be pre-ordered online at: cratehemi.com

Previously announced at the 2019 SEMA show in Las Vegas, the Hellephant crate Hemi was an immediate hit with Mopar fans, says Steve Beahm, Head of Parts and Service for Dodge parent company FCA North America.

“The reaction when we revealed the ‘Hellephant’ engine at the SEMA Show was just amazing, and the momentum continued after the show, with close to 1,000 people expressing interest in buying this engine,” Beahm said. “Power and performance are ingrained in our brand’s DNA, and there is no better time to open pre-orders of this 1,000-horsepower, supercharged engine than on Hemi Day.”

Starting with an all-aluminum block and heads to help cut weight, the Hellephant — a play on the old school nickname for the 426 Hemi: “The Elephant Motor” — features a four-inch crankshaft stroke and a 4.125 piston bore. The engine is capped with a high-efficiency, high-volume  supercharger. As delivered, the Hellephant includes a water pump, flywheel, front-sump oil pan, supercharger with throttle body, fuel injectors and coil packs.

If you want a Hellephant under your hood, better start saving your pennies now. The “Hellephant” 426 Supercharged Crate Hemi engine, available through Mopar Performance as Part #P5160194, has a starting price of $29,995 — or just a few thousand more than a base-model 2019 Dodge Challenger. The Hellephant Engine Kit (Part #77072500), which includes the engine controllers and wiring harness to get your Hellephant roaring right out of the box, is an additional $2,265. From there, you’ll also need a front accessory drive, exhaust manifolds and 45-Degree Oil Filter, all of which are available through Mopar Performance.

It’s another incredible offering from Mopar Performance, and the brand that is leading the way into a new Golden Age of high tech muscle cars. Ready to stop driving and start loving the drive again? Stop in today at McLarty Daniel CDJR of Bentonville and check out our full lineup of performance cars, including the SRT Hellcat Challenger and Charger!

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We’re just a few days away from the arrival of the all-new 2020 Jeep Gladiator truck at McLarty Daniel CDJR of Bentonville, the first Jeep pickup that has rolled off the assembly line in over 20 years! To say we’re fans of the rugged, purpose-built design of the 2020 Gladiator is an understatement, and we’re not the only ones!

The critics have spoken as well, including those at the Northwest Automotive Press Association’s annual “Mudfest” 4×4 shootout, where, for the first time in the 26-year history of the event, a single vehicle won in three of six available categories, including Overall Best, Best Truck and Extreme Capability, and was also voted “Northwest Outdoor Activity Vehicle of the Year.” That vehicle, of course, is the 2020 Jeep Gladiator!

“The 2019 NWAPA Outdoor Activity Vehicle of the Year competition featured the most diverse group of vehicles we’ve seen in its 25-year history,” says NWAPA President John Vincent of U.S. News & World Report. “The all-new 2020 Jeep Gladiator earned its title of Northwest Outdoor Activity Vehicle of the Year with an exceptionally functional blend of SUV and pickup attributes that northwest consumers crave.”

Based in Washington State, the Northwest Automotive Press Association brings together dozens of automotive journalists every spring for their annual competition between new 4×4 trucks. Every major manufacturer is represented. This year, over 25 NWAPA journalists descended on The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, for two days of vehicle testing on a network of paved and off-road routes, with the latter representing varying degrees of ruggedness, from basic mud and ruts to rock-crawling and boulders.

NWAPA editors tested a total of 22 vehicles from 14 manufacturers, issuing awards in the categories of Subcompact Utility Vehicle, Compact SUV, Mid-Size SUV, Family SUV, Premium/Luxury SUV, Truck and Extreme Capability. When the votes were counted, the 2020 Jeep Gladiator had won in every category in which it was eligible, and was later selected both overall winner and the 2019 Northwest Outdoor Activity Vehicle of the Year.  

Ready to see what all the fuss is about. McLarty Daniel CDJR of Bentonville will have the 2020 Jeep Gladiator truck on the ground and ready to roll by the end of the month! Keep an eye on the McLarty Daniel CDJR of Bentonville Facebook page for the big reveal, then stop in for a test drive of the all-new 2020 Jeep Gladiator Pickup, the most beautiful, most capable, most rugged truck Jeep has ever built!

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There’s two things that make McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Bentonville sales team member Robert Pratt hard to miss. The first is his height. At over 6’5″, he’s a towering presence in any room. The other thing is his car: a screaming yellow 2012 Dodge Charger Superbee with a rumbling 392 cubic inch Hemi under the hood.

“It’s not a playtoy,” he said, laughing. “Of course, my wife told me that if I get a speeding ticket, the car has to sit in the driveway.”

Robert has long been all about muscle cars, which makes it a great time to work at McLarty Daniel CDJR, what with the SRT and Hellcat Challenger, Charger and Durango muscle that has come roaring back into the dealership in recent years. He said the horsepower bug bit when he was four years old, when he helped his dad rebuilt a hot rod Lincoln: a 1967 Mark IV.

An employee of the dealership since December 2015, Robert said that he loves being in sales, mainly because it lets him help customers find the perfect vehicle. “I like meeting different people, and getting to see the new technology come about,” he said. “The new models are always exciting, and it’s great being able to see and drive the newest cars first. I have a lot of fun with it.”

Robert said that there’s no great secret to selling vehicles, other than the stuff your parents probably taught you: be kind, be honest and treat others the way you’d want to be treated.  

“You just have to treat everybody like they’re family and treat them with respect,” he said. “If you do that and build those relationships, you can be successful at this. You’re constantly building those contacts… I have clients who will just call me out of the blue and say: ‘Hey Robert, I need a car.’ I have families that only go through me. I’ve sold numerous cars to families like that. They’ve got my personal cell phone and they call me.”

In addition to the latest and greatest Mopar muscle from Dodge, Robert said that the vehicle he’s most excited about right now is the impending release of the 2020 Jeep Gladiator pickup, the first truck for the Jeep brand since 1996. He said he already has three clients who call him regularly, asking when they’ll be on the lot. “I’m excited about it,” he said. “I’m still learning about them, but they look really amazing. I think we’re going to sell a lot of them. We have a line of people beating down the door when we get them.”

A father of three children ranging in age from 22 to three years old, Robert said most of his spare time is spent with his family, and occasionally taking his car out to a twisty back road near Bentonville and letting the bright yellow Bee spread its wings. He said that he loves auto sales, and really can’t imagine doing anything else with his life from a career standpoint.

“I’ve always been in the automotive industry in one form or the other,” he said. “So I probably will always will be.”  

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Jeep fanatics eagerly await spring for a lot of reasons: sunny weather means more chances to get outdoors, more excuses to blow the top and doors off their Jeep Wranglers, and the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah! Held annually for the past 53 years, the Moab Jeep Safari is a nine-day event in the four-wheeling paradise of Moab, with trail rides, camping, and a chance to just hang out and have fun with other members of the worldwide Jeep family.

Every year for the Easter Jeep Safari, Jeep and Mopar Performance collaborate on a series of wild, Jeep-based concept vehicles to show off what can be done with both new and vintage Jeep vehicles. This year is no exception, and for 2019 and the upcoming release of the all-new 2020 Jeep Gladiator, Jeep has decided to celebrate all things Jeep Truck, with six bed-bearing concept pickups that are going to blow your mind!

“The Moab Easter Jeep Safari provides the perfect venue to interact with and gather feedback from our most loyal and passionate customers – the diehard off-road enthusiasts who attend the event each year,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Jeep Brand – North America. “This year’s Safari will mark the debut of the highly anticipated all-new Jeep Gladiator on Moab’s scenic and demanding trails. To celebrate, we are showcasing six fun and ultra-capable new truck-based Jeep concept vehicles that are certain to turn heads and delight the crowd.”

The six concept vehicles are:

Jeep Wayout
Striking a military/utilitarian tone that always looks great on Jeep vehicles, the Jeep Wayout concept is the ultimate adventure seeking take on the all-new 2019 Gladiator. Featuring the all-new Gator Green that will be available on the Gladiator, the Wayout features a custom roof rack with integrated ladder, a rooftop tent for two, a 270-degree awning with LED task lighting, two auxiliary fuel tanks to add range, a 12,000 pound Warn winch, a Mopar bed-drawer system for locking dry storage, and a custom interior of brown leather with laser-etched inserts of popular four-wheeling trails.

Jeep Flatbill
Another Gladiator based concept for 2019, the Jeep Flatbill concept makes the Gladiator into a desert dominator, with a custom twin dirtbike rack with easy slideout ramps, custom bodywork on the bed lowers, a four-inch liftkit, large bypass shocks to help soak up the humps and bumps parched terrain, a custom shortened front bumper and skid plate, and — for the first time ever on a Jeep Gladiator — 40 inch all-terrain tires with beadlocker rims, for the ultimate in sure-footed grip on sand or bare rock.

Jeep M-715 Five-Quarter
Jeep’s Moab concepts usually include a fun, retro throwback to Jeep’s long heritage. Filling that bill this year is the Jeep M-715 Five-Quarter. A “resto-mod” concept based on a vintage 1968 M-715 Kaiser 1-1/4 ton military rig, the Five-Quarter features plentiful exterior modifications, including a full carbon-fiber hood, grille and front fenders, a bobbed 6-foot aluminum bed a 3.5-inch chop to its factory convertible top, rock rails, modified Jeep Gladiator Rubicon steel bumpers, 40 inch tires and a brushed-metal look. Backing up those tough looks under the hood is a 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi “Hellcrate” V8 producing more than 700 horsepower.

Jeep J6
While every new 2019 Jeep Gladiator will be a four-door model, the Jeep J6 concept that Jeep is bringing to Moab shows just how much they need to build the Gladiator in two-door configuration. In addition to lopping off two doors, the custom J6 concept features a six-foot box that is 12 inches longer than the standard Gladiator bed. Calling on the 1978 Jeep Honcho pickup for inspiration, the designers behind the J6 used a retro metallic Brilliant Blue paint, which was a factory color on the Honcho. Other cool features include a steel roll bar with four high-output LED lights, prototype beadlock wheels in Brass Monkey — a color borrowed from the Dodge Challenger Hellcat — a two-inch lift kit, and a front-mounted “stinger bar.”

Jeep JT Scrambler
The Jeep Design team took it back to the future with the Jeep JT Scrambler concept, which is designed to bring to mind the 1980s Jeep CJ8 Scrambler. Carrying off the look is a body in bright white with stripes in Punk’N Metallic Orange and Nacho Yellow, plus a matching hood design and badging. The hardtop has been painted custom bronze. Out back, the bed features a spray-in bedliner and a two-inch steel tube roll bar painted in the same white, featuring anchors for quick tiedowns running the length of both sides of the bed. Jeep Performance Parts 17-inch slot wheels are custom painted in bronze and fitted with 37-inch tires. Inside, Katzkin Amaretto Brown leather covers the seats, with contrast stitching in Scrambler Orange.

Jeep Gladiator Gravity
Showcasing the easy customization of the all-new 2019 Jeep Gladiator, the Jeep Gladiator Gravity concept features mostly off-the-shelf parts from Jeep Performance, added to a 2019 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon in factory Punk’N Orange. In the bed area, Mopar Performance cross rails and a cargo carrier basket allow plentiful room for rock-climbing gear like ropes, carabiners, helmets and more, while locking truck bed storage features dual sliding drawers. Open-air wheeling without compromising safety is handled by the two-inch tube doors, while 17-inch wheels with 35 inch tires make getting to the mountain a breeze.

Ready to buy a 2020 Jeep Gladiator in Fayetteville, Rogers or Bentonville? You’ve got a little bit to wait until they’re available at McLarty Daniel CDJR of Bentonville, but hopefully these incredible concepts show you just a little of what’s possible once you get those keys in your hand. Stop in today and talk to one of our friendly finance professionals about how you can be one of the first in Northwest Arkansas to own the incredible 2020 Jeep Gladiator!

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Potential vehicle buyers are often puzzled over one of the most important financial decisions that comes into play when putting a new ride in your driveway: Should I lease a new vehicle or buy? Both options are available to those with solid credit, and both have pros and cons. Those drawbacks and benefits are different for every customer, depending on factors like your monthly income, how much you drive your vehicle every year and how much you have for a down payment.

Seen below, check out McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Bentonville’s short primer on the pros and cons of leasing vs. buying a new vehicle. And when you’re ready, stop in and see our friendly finance professionals, who can walk you through both options to figure out which is truly right for you and your family.

SO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BUYING AND LEASING?
Buying a vehicle, as you might expect, is exactly what it sounds like. If you finance a vehicle to buy it, you select the vehicle you can afford, negotiate the price with the dealer, make a trade-in or down payment toward the final cost of the vehicle, and then agree to finance the remaining price of that vehicle in a series of monthly payments for a set period, with 36, 48 or 72 month payment terms being common. When you finish paying all the payments, the dealer releases the vehicle’s title to you and you own the vehicle outright.

Leasing, on the other hand, is very different. Without getting too deep into the financial weeds, the basics of leasing are: Instead of monthly payments toward the purchase cost of a vehicle, the customer pays an agreed-upon fee every month to drive the vehicle for a set period of time, often with a cap on how many miles can be put on the vehicle every year. In addition to fees and interest on the lease, those monthly payments cover the depreciation of the vehicle — the amount of value the vehicle loses each year due to factors like wear and tear, mileage increases and other issues. Most people who lease a vehicle never plan or even want to own it outright. When the lease term is up, customers who lease often bring the vehicle back and lease another new vehicle.  

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF LEASING A VEHICLE?

1) Lower Monthly Payments: This is a big one for a lot of people who choose to lease. Because lessees aren’t purchasing the vehicle, only paying for its depreciation, the monthly payment on a leased vehicle can sometimes be hundreds less than a monthly note.

2) You Get A New Car More Often: If you’re someone who loves the feel of a new car or just likes having the latest styling, technology, fuel economy advancements and safety features, leasing is a way to have that feeling more often. Two year lease terms are common, and who wouldn’t want to be able to get a brand new vehicle every two years?    

3) You Always Have Warranty Coverage: If you buy a vehicle, there’s a chance you’ll still be paying on it when the warranty runs out, leaving you stuck paying for service or repairs if anything goes wrong. With a leased vehicle, you’re always driving a vehicle with the full factory warranty in effect.

4) You Might Have A Smaller Down Payment: Leasing a vehicle often involves a smaller down payment than buying a vehicle, with some leases requiring nothing at signing. Every lease is different, however, so talk to your finance professional.

5) If you like Your Leased Vehicle, You Can Probably Keep It: At the end of the lease term, many dealerships offer customers the option of converting their lease into a purchase plan that allows them to buy the vehicle outright.


WHAT ARE SOME OF THE DRAWBACKS OF LEASING A VEHICLE?

1) You Don’t Own The Vehicle: Some people just like the feeling of knowing that when the last payment is made, they’ll own the vehicle they’ve driven for years. Something else to consider, especially if you like to make your vehicle unique: leasing can severely restrict your ability to do permanent modifications like adding custom paint, a booming stereo or a lift kit.
  
2) There Will Likely By A Mileage Limit: Lease agreements often include strict caps on how much mileage you can put on the leased vehicle every year, with stiff excess mileage charges if you go over that limit. Sometimes these charges can be as much as 25 cents per mile, which can add up quickly. Before agreeing to a lease, consider carefully how much you’ll be driving the vehicle every year. If you put a lot of miles on a vehicle every year, you might be happier buying.

3) You Probably Need Exceptional Credit To Lease: While it is possible to lease a vehicle with moderate or poor credit, doing so often results in a monthly payment that negates a lot of the cost-saving benefits leasing has over buying. Most dealerships offer their best lease deals only to those with excellent credit, so if you are building your credit, or rebuilding your credit after a bad financial period, you should probably buy.   

4) You Won’t Have a Trade-In At The End of Your Lease: Trading in your old ride to help offset the cost of a new vehicle is a great way to help lower your monthly payments when financing a car. Many dealerships are even willing to value your trade-in at a price that’s thousands more than you could ever expect to get for it if you sold that vehicle for cash. When your lease term is up, however, you have to give the leased vehicle back (unless you make a deal to buy it, as we mentioned above). That means you won’t have a trade-in if you want to buy a vehicle in the future, and will have to pay a cash down payment if you lease again.  

5) You’ll Have Payments As Long As You Lease: When buying a vehicle, there’s something nice about knowing that when the note is paid off, you’ll own the vehicle and can put the money you had been paying toward it every month toward something else, like another new or pre-owned vehicle for your family. With leasing, you might get a new vehicle more often, but you’ll have to pay the payment every month for as long as you lease.

We’ve only got room here to hit the high points of the pros and cons of leasing vs. buying. The friendly finance professionals at McLarty Daniel CDJR of Bentonville can answer all your questions and then some, on you way to getting behind the wheel of the beautiful new vehicle you deserve at a price you can afford! Stop in today at McLarty Daniel CDJR, or contact our finance department online right now.

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We’re all about Mopar muscle around here, but every once in a while, we run across something about Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler cars from the 1960s and ‘70s that catches even us by surprise. That was the case recently when we found an article about the incredibly rare “Mod Top” cars built by Dodge and Plymouth in 1969 and 1970. Spring is about to be sprung out there, and with the daisies and daffodils soon to peek through the soil, it seems like a good time to share what we know about these most flowery Mod Top Mopar muscle cars. Let’s dive in, shall we?

What’s in a Name?

First available in 1969, the Mod Top option consisted of a series of three wild, flowered vinyl designs that could be ordered to substitute for the single-color padded vinyl tops on many higher-trim Dodge and Plymouth cars. The interior was treated to the same flowery vinyl on most of these cars, including the seats and door panels.

Sourced by Dodge from a maker of heavy-duty vinyl shower curtains, the material was designed to appeal to those smitten with the flowery, psychedelic design of many 1960s album covers. Meanwhile, the name “Mod Top” was borrowed from the colorful “Mod” fashions that were then the hottest thing on the runways of Milan and Paris.

Exploring the Next-Gen Dodge Charger Daytona R/T & Scat Pack

Visual Appeal 

Intended to appeal to younger female buyers, the Mod Top option was offered on many of the era’s most stylish Dodge and Plymouth cars in 1969 and 1970, including the Plymouth Barracuda and Satellite, and the Dodge Dart, Coronet and Super Bee. Among those was at least one vanishingly rare 1970 Hemi Barracuda Mod Top, which is one of only 26 Mod Top Barracudas built that year.

Incredibly, there is evidence that there was even one 1969 Dodge Daytona–the fearsome, big-block powered road rocket fitted with an aerodynamic nose cone and rear wing to storm the high-banked ovals of NASCAR–that was ordered from the factory with a Mod Top even though the Dodge Charger, on which the Daytona was based, apparently wasn’t offered with the option. The three available patterns included a black and yellow floral pattern used on 1969 and 1970 Plymouth Barracudas, a blue and green floral pattern used on 1969 and 1970 Satellites and Barracudas, and a green, gold and light blue floral pattern used on 1969 Dodge Darts, Coronets and Superbees.

Dodge Challenger vs. Dodge Charger: Which Performance Car is Right For You?

Dealership Disaster

Even for the swinging ‘60s, the Mod Top cars proved to be a little too “out there” for most buyers, and the options were a disaster at dealerships. The best evidence is that Dodge and Plymouth built fewer than 2,900 Mod Top cars. After the psychedelic-topped cars languished on car lots, many dealers resorted to stripping off the colorful vinyl and replacing it with standard, single-color tops to better sell. Still, more Mod Top cars were undoubtedly retrofitted to single-colored tops by subsequent owners after the Flower Child aesthetic wilted in the 1970s.

Because of those factors, only a handful of Mod Tops are known to survive today, with a Mod Top registry–available online at www.mooresmopars.com–including under 140 cars at this writing. Given the hot market for rare Mopar muscle cars, the rarity of the Mod Top makes them astoundingly collectable and valuable today, with Mod Top Mopars in any condition commanding high prices when they appear for sale or auction.  

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