Point taken. I was thinking of the 340 Darts being analogous to the current offering. Very familiar with the slant six flavor and yes, the drive train was solid. The body not so much.
Also had a Coronet 440, A Fury III, a Stratus, three Chrysler minivans and a Plymouth Laser. The only one that was reliable was the Laser, but that was a rebranded Mitsubishi. Currently own a ‘05 Town and Country that is rusting out from the inside. In contrast, my ‘02 Civic had 315,000 miles on it when I sold it this year and it was rust free. My 01 Passat and 04 Jetta are about as reliable as the Chryslers I have owned, but significantly more solid.
Big engines in A-bodies are too heavy for the the front end set up (and yes, when my ‘73 Dart died in 2003, it was because 30 years of Illinois salt ate away the dolder for the torsion bars, which ripped right out.)
Oddly, my two ‘66 Dodge Darts didn’t rust much. One ultimately died of neglect (even a slant-six needs SOME oil) and the other lost a fight with a cop Crown Vic during a snow storm (handling was never a strong suit).
I had a Honda Civic (’86) with 1/3 the miles you described, and went through a clutch, head, and then the head messed up the lower portion, all in the first 1,000 miles. I bought it for $500, sunk in $1500, and sold it for $180.
I’ve also had a Diplomat wagon (318) that was born in a bad year to be a Mopar (1979), but at least the brain was replaced with a proper distributor, and the lean burn was replaced. The 1989 Chrysler Fifth Avenue (the last non-truck V-8 Chrysler would make for a long time) was almost mechanically identical to the Diplomat.
My Mitsubishi rebadge was a Plymouth Voyager (Mits. 2.6 litre engine). Front end and engine problems ALL THE WAY.
My 1965 Chrysler 300 (383 Carter 4 bar.) was a lot of fun, but C-bodies are a bear to maintain in terms of parts cost, and this one had all the nuisance items that Darts never had.
Dodge Dart ... you want air? Open the little door under the dash. Trying to troubleshoot electrical in a ‘66? There are all of five fuses. Replace a fuel pump? Fifteen minutes if you are methodical. Water pump? Under an hour if you are good. The size, simplicity, bench seats, utilitarianism are all missing from the Fiat/Neon. Admittedly, the front end, suspension and brakes are probably a lot better.
You seem to favor your smaller cars (Laser, Passat, Jetta, Civic). Don’cha miss the extra room of a Fury or even a Coronet SOME of the time? (I rented a Stratus once, numbingly uncomfortable.)