The dealership owns the cars they buy from the manufacturer. They can do what ever they want with them.

Our '68 GTS convertible carries an 8/28/67 SPD. According to the original owner's manual it was first sold in May 1969 from Northwestern Dodge in Detroit (Ferndale). It was also sold again in early 1970 in San Francisco with about 13,000 miles. That's a lot of miles in such a short time in those days. I suspect without any proof that it was used as a demo even though it has so few options. It was also, as far as I understand the codes, a sales bank car.

Even with those miles on it, it was still sold as a New car.
It's still new UNTIL 1st titled.

I don't think there was any time limit per dealership agreement; but it probably was good practise to sell within 90 days.

However, I used to own a particular red 1971 Dart Swinger, SPD of 802, VIN ending in 100331.... documentation found inside the glove box indicate the car was not sold until May of 1972.

We're pretty sure it was a fire sale car. They HAD to get rid of it. Was an FE5 car, black top, black&white vinyl interior. Must've been a sharp car when new but probably way too "loud" for the time. One of very few mopars I'd encountered that were BLACK under the bonnet and in the boot. The rest of the body was also a that very-common-for-the-70s shade of metallic lime/gold. 99% certain the dealership had it resprayed a more conservative color to unload it.

I'd actually seen the car around town most of my life. I believe it was a High School teachers' car as I remember it being parked there. Always thought they had to be pretty hip with a KZZU sticker from a radio station out of Spokane.

Wasn't just mopars. My Cyclone was built in April 69 and didn't sell until March 70. I'm thinking it was a Bank Order car though and must have sat around on one of their lots. It was sold out of Newport Washington which looks to have been a very small dealership and the buyers were in their mid-40's. Nothing too special with a 351 2 bbl, but it was a GT. Might have sat because it was orange. Owners wife was killed in car accident in Nov 69 and he got remarried in Feb 70 so I'm thinking she needed a car(he died in 2001 and it was sold in 2004) and they bought it because the dealer must have offered one heck of a deal on a year old model. She must have loved that car as they kept it for over 30 years.

70 shelby's are 69's that were unsold and were returned and had a front spoiler and hood stripes added to them. They had to get permission to do this because all 70 car needed to have a locked steering wheel. These still have the key in the dash. They oked it because the dealers not only couldn't sell the 69 but still had new 68"s too.

For Dan:

.....Owners wife was killed in car accident in Nov 69 and he got remarried in Feb 70 so I'm thinking she needed a car.....

Sound like he had his new schupt all lined up in advance!!!!

I've thought the same thing too. I believe they got married around 20 Feb 1970. He had 2 daughters that were over 20 at that time so I wonder how they felt? Perhaps they told him he needed to get remarried as he didn't know how to cook for himself. Newport is a pretty small place.