A DODGE IS NOT A FARGO…A PLYMOUTH IS NOT A DODGE

A recent ad on a popular buy/sell website listed a 1960 Dodge Fargo for sale.

The pickup truck was indeed a Dodge-not a Dodge Fargo (or even a Fargo) for that matter.

The truck in question was a full-fledged 1960 Dodge D-100 pickup in survivor condition.

Just for the record, Fargo trucks were a specific brand built by Chrysler for the Canadian market. The Fargos were sold exclusively by Plymouth dealers in Canada and were very similar to Dodge trucks. The biggest difference between a Dodge and Fargo truck was the specific badging on the truck that identified these Mopar pickups as one or the other.

The Dodge (not Fargo) owner’s photos in the ad featured front and rear shots that showed its Dodge badges in a big way. Nowhere in the photos was any indication this was a Fargo truck because it was not a Fargo pickup.

The immediate question for informed buyers would be simple: why did the current owner mislabel his truck? The answer is likely found mostly in the Canadian market because Canada was the primary home of the Fargo truck.

Our best guess here at MyStarCollectorCar is the owner is likely not a dyed-in-the-wool Mopar guy because no dedicated Chrysler fan would confuse a Fargo with a Dodge. The owner likely went to a default position where accurate information is scarce and every Sweptline Dodge is now labeled a Fargo by the informationally-challenged.

Sweptline Dodges have inexplicably become known as Fargos by ill-informed car guys in Canada over the past several years. This name malady is irritating on its own-but the situation only got worse when every Chrysler product was labeled a Dodge by non-Mopar people.

Buy/sell ads that showcased the infamous “Dodge Duster” and “Dodge Fury” have become sadly common in the collector car hobby. The name confusion malady was likely spread by non-Mopar guys who may have based their car illiteracy on the Dodge truck models that replaced the Sweptlines in 1972.

Also for the record: Fargo trucks ended their long Canadian production run in 1972. The then-new pickup truck style that became a mainstay for Dodge trucks for many years was the last hurrah for the Fargo pickup in ’72.

The death of the Fargo seemed to spark the birth of the new confusion that painted every Chrysler-built model with the same brush. For example, when exactly did a Plymouth Duster or Plymouth Fury become a Dodge Duster or Dodge Fury in the eyes of car guys?

The exact moment cannot be pinpointed by MyStarCollectorCar, but the smothering Dodge name blanket has become more common over the ensuing years. The death of the Plymouth name in the early 21^st century has likely added to the confusion.

Our advice to non-Mopar car guys when they are selling Fargo trucks or Plymouth cars is leave out Dodge in your ads. A Mopar fanatic is a different breed of cat who will not be amused by your lack of knowledge about Chrysler models and may even view you as an opportunist who simply wants to make a buck as a temporary Mopar owner.    

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