Good morning! Today, I’m setting a challenge for you all. I can literally hear the groans of disappointment from the photos, but just sit tight; we’re going to play a little game. But before I explain what we’re doing, let’s look at yesterday’s foregone conclusion:
Now, I want to point something out about those results, and it kind of leads into today’s pairing. The idea here is not, as some of you seem to think, to feature practical, desirable, or even reasonable cars. The idea is to get you to click, and read, and discuss, and vote. And by that measure, that Seville was wildly successful. I knew it was going to lose by a landslide, but how often do you see one for sale? How could I not write about it? Cars you love to hate are cars you love to talk about, and I’m going to take advantage of that whenever I can.
Today, I have two cars that I know are unpopular around here. Both are from the same seller, part of a property cleanup effort. Both are dirt-cheap. Both, ostensibly, run, at least enough to move onto a trailer. And both are cars I legitimately, unapologetically, unironically like. In fact, I have model kits of both of them in my stash:
But I don’t want you to just hate on them. That’s easy; anybody can do that. It takes a true love of automobiles to find something positive to say about some cars. So here’s what I challenge you all to do today: Find one thing you genuinely like about one of these cars. Find a reason, however insignificant, to vote for one of them. This is purely a thought experiment; no money is on the line, and you don’t have to drive one of these to work tomorrow. All I want is a positive comment, something that you think is cool about one or the other of these cars. That’s not too much to ask, is it? Let’s take a look at them.
1983 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 – $800
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2 liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Ridgefield, WA
Odometer reading: 135,000 miles
Runs/drives? Allegedly will run if you put a battery in it
The two-door variant of the Chrysler L-body was a neat little car. Sure, it wasn’t very powerful (at least until Carroll Shelby got his hands on it), and it wasn’t cool (even when Alejandro DeTomaso got dragged into it), but there’s something appealing about it, especially the early ones. They’re just cheerful little cars.
Starting in 1982, the Dodge Omni 024 and Plymouth Horizon TC3 became the Charger and Turismo, respectively, and gained some much-needed horsepower courtesy of the K-car: the ubiquitous 2.2 liter four, fitted with a two-barrel Holley carburetor. Chrysler chose to advertise this fourteen-horsepower bump with a borderline-obnoxious graphics package, a spoiler, and a bulge in the hood. Hey, it was not a great time for performance cars; you got your jollies where you could.
This Turismo 2.2 funnels the K-car power to the front wheels through a five-speed manual transmission, which is a good thing. With a manual, the L-body is a tossable little plaything; with an automatic, it becomes almost a punishment. The seller says this one will run if you put a battery in it, but I get the feeling that information is out of date by a good few years.
But with its wedgey ’80s styling, happy face, and flashy orange stripes, it just calls to me. It looks like it has a bit of rust here and there, and the paint isn’t in great shape, but the inside looks all right, and the original seats are included if you want it all to match.
1989 Dodge Daytona Turbo – $800
Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 2.2 liter overhead cam inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Ridgefield, WA
Odometer reading: unknown (digital, no battery in car)
Runs/drives? Will run with a battery, engine knocks
The K-car rescued Chrysler, and then the minivan gave it some stability, but no one was ever going to call a Reliant or a Caravan “fun.” The Charger and Turismo were sporty, but they weren’t a match for the Mustang or Camaro. Chrysler needed a pony car. Enter the Daytona. Based on the K platform, but rocking a turbocharger and flashy fastback styling, it still wasn’t a match for the Mustang or Camaro, let’s face it. But it was good enough for Dee Dee McCall.
This Daytona’s turbocharged 2.2 is stuck in front of an A413 Torqueflite automatic transmission. It’s not a bad automatic as automatics go, but a car like this deserves a third pedal. I used to own a Chrysler Laser, this car’s twin, with the same drivetrain, and I can tell you from experience it does take a lot of the fun out of it. This one is said to run, but it has a knock.
The interior of this one looks pretty good, if a little dirty. Red interiors seem to be a love-it-or-hate-it thing; personally I love them, but your mileage, as always, may vary. This car’s mileage is listed as unknown; I think that’s because it has a digital instrument panel and no battery.
Outside, it’s rougher than the Turismo, with some surface rust where the paint has been baked off. And it has the later front end, with pop-up lights, instead of the original quad rectangular lights, which personally I don’t like as well. But Daytonas of any age are getting hard to find, and this one looks save-able, and for practically pocket change.
I fully expect a few “Those both suck, and I’m not playing” comments. But I also hope that there’s something here you can find to admire. Dig deep – there’s a lot here to like, if you look closely. Find one thing about one of them, and cast your vote. Tomorrow’s cars will be more likeable, I promise.
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I like the over shape of these and pop-up headlights are my spirit animal. But I am going to have to go with the Turismo. The graphics speak to me and the manual wins out over 80’s slushies.
On a different note, speaking of Dee Dee McCall, I was in the breakroom at work last week and someone had tuned the TV to a channel showing Hunter. I haven’t seen that show since it went off the air.
Every remaining O24/TC3/etc in the country is going to be featured in these showdowns at some point. They’re one of those cars I’m not sure I actually have ever seen in the flesh, but not for not looking out for them or 80s Chryslers in general. An Omni in the same blue/blue combo as that recent Charger was my mother’s car when my parents met and continued up to a few years after I was born, a car she still speaks fondly of. She wanted a Charger but couldn’t see out of it, so Omni it was.
I’ll take the Dayto (sic) here – the 80sness of things like the pop-ups overcomes the powertrain challenges for me. Even swapping some other plain motor just to get it running and focus on cleaning it up would probably do the trick, because it’s not like it’s going to be a museum piece that needs to be accurate to the original build.
Gossin Motors does seem to have a soft spot for Mopars…maybe a good thing this is across the country from HQ.
Find something positive, find something positive…
Well after my parents divorced my mom got the Conquest TSi and my dad bought a Honda Goldwing. On his weekends both my sister and I and our luggage would pile up behind dad on the Wing and head off to his boat for the weekend. Mom was never happy with this solution and one weekend our bag fell off the back of the bike and up into the rear wheel well where all our clothes got ruined. Mom was pissed, dad had to get a car, dad’s coworker really liked the Wing, that coworker’s sister was selling a Plymouth Horizon TC3 (Like today’s Turismo) and some convoluted deal was struck.
Something positive to say about the Plymouth Horizon Total Crap x3. Well, you never had to lock it. Seriously, not that anyone would every try to steal it but worse than that the body twisted and the doors stuck so badly that they wouldn’t open just by pulling the handle. Pull all you want, they’re never ever going to open, pull really hard and you’ll just assume it’s locked and you’re going to break the handle off. Instead you had to throw your hip into the door to push it in hard at just the exact same time you pull the handle. It was like keyless entry decades before that became an actual thing.
Oh, and the Daytona was Mopar’s desperate attempt to copy the Mitsubishi Starion they were already captively importing and selling as the Conquest. An attempt they failed at as it was never half the car despite outwardly looking as much like it as it possibly could.
So there, I managed to say something positive about at least one of today’s cars. I would argue that we could be given interesting choices to vote for without being tortured 🙂
Mark, Mark, Mark. Two 80s cars for 8 C-notes, and you didn’t go with “Ac-cen-tu-8”?
Only if he was a 90’s musical act. Today’s shit-box showdown brought to you by DJ Ac-cen-tu-8.
I picked the dodge but kind of regret it now. I like both of them though.
Either would be much more fun with a tuned Buick GNX 3.8L engine transverse mounted to an Oldsmobile Toronado transmission/axle. It would probably be a bit of work to make it all fit, but the results would be awesome.
I voted for the Turismo.
Daytona. Take out the engine and transmission, then put a turbo four and a manual in it and give it fresh body work.
These cars have a great personality……
I like the Turismo better because it stands a better chance of running longer on it’s current engine. that Daytona is going to need a new engine and turbo to make it road worthy.
By them both, swap the manual to the Daytona. I voted Daytona because that engine has so much potential. But man, it needs a manual…and a paint job.
On a another note, when I was 16 my parents had a 1987 Plymouth Reliant station wagon (TAN!) that is one of two cars I learned to drive on (the other a 1982 Mazda GLC since they wouldn’t let me get my license until I could drive manual). I took my driving test in the Reliant. I mostly drove the GLC or the 77 2wd square body Chevy. What kid wants to drive a wagon? I mean I know better now!
Anyway, 3 months after I got my license I was driving on a gravel road that had not been grated but had patches of fresh gravel laid out. Three 100 yard patches. After the 2nd one, I picked up a nail. Due to inexperience, the 3rd patch of deep gravel, etc, I lost control of the car. I found the only spot on the 3 mile road I was on that was not an enbankment, caught the drivers corner on the ground, spun around and went off a bridge. I rolled through the air one and a half times and landed drivers side down in the water below before falling down on the wheels. The water was about 3 feet deep thankfully. I don’t remember much because I hit my head pretty hard and it has always been fuzzy. Even immediately after. But through all that, the car did not look like it fell 20 feet at roughly 35-40 mph before an abrupt stop in mud.
Basically, if I had the option to restore a K car, I probably would. Especially a wagon, but definitely one of the sportier ones. Those turbos were pretty amazing, as noted by once Shelby got his hands on one. A friend of mine is teaching his kid now how to work on cars by building out a Shelby for his first car right now and I’m a bit jealous.
That engine really has no potential.
Have you not seen the vids of dudes in turbo vans rocking at drag races?
I really liked this gen Daytona in my youth. Small sporty with a turbo 4 was better than the V8 overweight and ugly Mustang and Camaro (have no idea if the weight thing is real, but the Daytona just looks smaller and lighter!). And, yeah, Stepfanie Kramer did make the car better!
I know the Turismo is in better shape, but I can’t not vote for the Daytona.
Those Daytonas were also in need of a trip to weight watchers. Very heavy smooth ride.
That red interior really is the bees knees. I say get both and take the good stuff from the Daytona (turbo, interior) and put it in the Turismo. They’re certainly cheap enough.
THANK YOU!
So many people come in here to say “Ugh, I don’t want either of them!!” Wow, really? Did you see the name of the feature? Hint: it’s not Cool Car Conundrum.
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So… Turismo, please.
I had a Daytona with the 2.2 and the 5MT many years ago. It was not a good car, but maybe it was adequate.
This particular Daytona has an engine knock and appears to be sinking back into the earth, so no thanks.
As long as the Shroud of Turismo on the dash isn’t someones tighty-whities, I’d clean it up and bring those decals back to life.
“Shroud of Turismo.” Take your d*mned star.
It looks like a terry cotton washcloth, but I can’t guarantee there isn’t going to be a face in it.
OK, now The Autopian needs to add “Cool Car Conundrum” as a daily feature in addition to the S-Box Showdown.
You need all of the stars today. Some people have trouble with the concept of “fun”.
Yeah i sadly read the comments of that 70s car cant keep up with my new charger. Price difference $50,000. But some old cars cv2s, fiat spyders, jensen healey, beetle, and many more while not great performers had a little jenasiquios that makes them lovable. A ford fairmont not so much.
Borderline-obnoxious suits my life-style and personality.
The Turismo is too rad not to vote for. Engine swaps are always an option if you’re in love with it. Hell, you could buy the Daytona and try to swap that drivetrain into the Turismo if it checks out and sell whatever’s good off of it to subsidize the venture.
To be fair, I almost went Daytona because of the Bordello Red interior, but the cleanness of the Turismo with its blue interior and 80s-tastic decals sucked me into a whirlpool of nostalgia I couldn’t escape from.
I’m taking the Daytona because popup headlights and red velour
YES! I LOVE this pairing.
That Daytona’s interior rips. I miss red velour seats and old-school digital instruments. And who doesn’t like hidden headlights? But that knock concerns me, especially on a boosted engine.
I think I’ve voted for an L-body coupe (or the Rampage variant) every time one has appeared in the Showdown, and I’m doing it again. My first car was a Horizon, so I have a soft spot for these … plus the 2.2/5 speed combo feels like it would be fun in a slow-car-fast kind of way.
Also: I unironically love malaise-era graphics. Give me all the oversized callouts and stripes.
Easy. My father bought, new, a DeTomaso. I actually had a chance to buy it back some 20 years later, and didn’t. This 024 would be close enough!
Steel scrap prices are pretty high?
I had to vote Turismo. The Daytona has a turbo, pop up headlights, AND that red interior! But automatic and a possible rod knock? Gimme them orange stripey goodness and a stick!
Wait.
It looks like the Daytona has AC and the Turismo doesn’t. Crap.
I think I voted wrong. AC covers a multitude a flaws…
Buy both, put the tranny and what ever engine parts from the Turismo you need to get the Daytona running smooth. Then enjoy that glorious red velour in the cool breeze of good ol’ American a/c.
I unapologetically love them both. Both were features of my youth with multiple examples owned by family members. 14-year-old me lusted after those Daytonas and took every opportunity to ride in the ’91 V6 owned by my uncle. But that one was a manual. If this turbo was as well, it would be easy. But between the stick and the bitchin’ graphics, I’ll narrowly side with the Turismo.
Turbo Daytona with Pop Up Headlights hits hard in my teenage nostalgia!
For $800 sawzall off the side profile of the Turismo and just hang it on the wall.
I voted for the Turismo, I haven’t seen these cars on the road since the late 80s. And for that, I pick the Plymouth. And it is a stick.
Love the pimp red interior. Can I get the seats without the car? My dad had a similar vintage turbo LeBaron. When it ran, it was pretty fun even with an auto. You just had to overlook quirks like the digital dash randomly going blank and sunroof latches falling apart while you are driving. Good times. Turbo for the win.
I pulled the red velour seats out of a turbo LeBaron to put in my 78 Granada many moons ago. Replaced a red vinyl bench seat, so huge improvement. Seats are still in my basement and might end up as shop chairs for my garage.
I hate them both, but red velour and pop-ups means it’ll be the Daytona for me