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)
Say something nice. Well, both cars are from Ridgefield (Washington) and it’s a nice community. I lived there for 2 years when I thought I could live with the amount of rain they get. I was incorrect. So now I live in San Diego. And neither of these cars could ever pass California emissions testing. BUT if I’d stayed in WA, I would have gone with the Turismo. I mean, look at those graphics!
Ok, I’ll play your game. In fact, I’ll do you one better and find something that I like about both of them.
I like the cool stripes on the first one.
I like the pop-up headlights on the second one.
Oh, and the burgundy interior on the second one reminds me of the interior of the first minivan that my parents owned when I was a little kid.
The lack of a third pedal was the fatal flaw in my ’85 Duster Turismo, so I can right that wrong right now. The graphics are icing on the cake. I don’t think I would do any more than just clean it up the way it sits, go through the mechanicals, and have a cheap, fun little runabout/parts-chaser/conversation starter.
Engine knock and an autotragic on the Daytona? Well, that made the choice real easy – I’ll take the car that has a chance of being something kind of fun and go with the Turismo. Plus, there’s always something to be said for reviving something with a dead nameplate. Do some massaging on the 2.2, maybe even throw a turbo on and some fun could be had as a rat racer type of deal.
Here we go. Positive. First of all, I kind of want that Turismo. $800 is fun gamble money for an odd project. But that’s just me stalling. Let’s get to the positivity.
Once, in 1991, no one was available to perform an emergency appendectomy at Ridgefield General Hospital. Enter the Turismo. The plucky little sports coupe had seen the surgery done hundreds of times and stepped in to save the life of a man who went on to become the City of Ridgefield’s third best assistant councilman since at least 1987. Tales of the heroic Turismo spread across the county, but sadly it simply coasted on that fame until it ended up forgotten in a back lot, waiting to be featured on The Autopian.
Our second story happens in mid 1996, when a young Tommy McSweeney was struggling to find the words to share his feelings with the love of his life, Tamara Owens. Enter our Dodge Daytona, as Tommy peered through the owner’s manual, looking to find which fuse needed to be replaced and where it was located… metaphors poured forth from its dog-eared pages, giving Tommy just the inspiration he needed to let Tamara know she would always be his little clevis pin. The two were married in 1998 and he continues to support their three kids as they chase their dreams in the fast-paced logistics field. Tommy didn’t have the heart to let the Daytona go, so he parked it in a back lot until some day, he hoped, the Autopian would write about it.
They also have tires, so that’s good.
So, I like the way these cars look. Actually, I’ve always loved the way the later but still pop-up headlight Daytonas like this one look. But between the automatic, the engine knock, and the fact that it has been sitting long enough to sink down a fair bit into the field, the Plymouth is the clear winner here. That would be a silly fun little car to toss around for cheap.
I had an ’88 Daytona Turbo with the automatic, and the same gloriously red interior. It was a pretty solid commuter car for an 18 year old, and when I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Shelby Z Daytona with a solid powertrain the intercooled Turbo II bolted right in. Converting it to a manual was also pretty straightforward since I had a donor car. These are starting to get a bit harder to find junkyard parts for now, and there are better options from this Radwood era to purchase, but for $800 this could be a fun little project car once one finds another one with a manual transmission to swap over!
The Turismo is beautiful 1980’s design perfection. I love the look of these. Honestly I’d probably try to preserve the body (don’t have the skills for a restoration) and swap in a junkyard Ecoboost engine. Honestly the price is right for a Lemons racer, but I would feel badly destroying that beautiful car body. It’s a perfect price for an “aww what the hell, why not” project.
I’m from, and mostly still in, the UK. I’ve never seen either of these before.
I love the ducktail spoiler on the first one, and the pop-up headlights and red seats on the second one. I’d be very happy if every car I ever owned had a ducktail, pop-ups and red seats. Hell, I’ve got three cars right now and I still don’t have all three features.
So either. I don’t know enough to make a decision, so I’ll flip a coin.
I’ve probably told the story here, but in 1981, my sister won a Dodge Aries K. She had just turned 16. Won it by peeling back a bottle top from a bottle of Tab.
She wanted to swap it for the Dodge 024, but the dealership would only credit something like the wholesale cost of the K car toward the 024, and my dad wasn’t willing to pay the difference, and so my sister cried.
So, the older one gets my vote.
Both of these cars came with top-notch front seats. Big, comfy, and well-suited to American roads. Way better than the seats in most import competitors.
I can come up with some good things to say about the Turismo. I generally like the styling. It has a passing resemblance to early ’80s Mustangs and manages to look sporty despite being a cheap slow car. Also, Turismo is a fabulous name. It brings forth mental images of scenic drives through the Italian countryside. I’m not sure the name befits this car, but I appreciate the optimism.
Honestly, I am struggling to find anything positive about the Daytona. Its two most prominent features are the red upholstery and pop up headlights. Unfortunately, I don’t like red upholstery or pop up headlights. I like the two tone paint, though; I’m not sure it is intentional, but it is interesting.
One great thing about both is the price. Both sellers say price is negotiable. I suspect these could be bought for $400 each. These are good choices for someone with no experience who wants to learn about how cars work. They both run enough to drive them from a trailer into your back yard. At that point, you can take them apart without worrying about damaging a useful or valuable car. When you are done tinkering with the vehicles you could sell them for scrap value. Alternatively, if you succeed in getting these to run, you could build them into something ridiculous (DIY convertible, budget rally car, or whatever). A car that is worth nothing can be a lot of fun.
I’m going with Dee Dee. Loved that show. I will say that the 1991 version of these Daytonas/Lasers and LeBarons 2 doors were to me so much better as it was the first year of a refresh inside. I had a 91 convertible Lebaron V6 with a stick. The interiors got makeovers that made the car on the inside look more sporty and less Dodge Aries looking.
Nice, we have a showdown between Gambler 500 candidates! I’m going with the Daytona Turbo because that red interior is a delightful place to sit while you wait for rescue. The engine knock doesn’t scare me because this car is going straight to the junkyard after you take it on one last glorious ride.
Well, I see as of my making this comment, there’s nothing from Rootwyrm, so I’m just going to assume he’s still composing an insanely thorough and lengthy write-up that analyzes every conceivable facet of these cars. Seriously though, his knowledge on such a niche vehicle is so impressive to me, and I’m looking forward reading what he has to say
Cool graphics, and with the manual they were fun to toss around. Keep an eye on the temp, as the heads were easy to warp.
Given the choice between two Chrysler penalty-boxes, I’ll take the one with a stick and an engine that doesn’t knock.
I voted Turismo because of the graphics. But I have something positive about both! I checked! Hemmings still publishes an Abandoned Autos calendar! Strong candidates both!
These are the same car to me honestly. I am sure they are not on the same platform or anything but they both look too similar, especially in their current state. I went Turismo just because I like the name, and the graphics, and the manual. Ooh, 3 positives I highlighted! The Daytona interior is amazing though, I would be tempted to go for both and combine them into one decent car, but again I am sure that’s not actually possible.
“The Daytona interior is amazing though, I would be tempted to go for both and combine them into one decent car, but again I am sure that’s not actually possible.”
Anything is possible with the right fasteners, the right beer, and the right attitude. By attitude in this case I mean a complete lack of regard for your own well-being.
Haha you forgot one important ingredient, $$$. Which neither of these cars are worth, so I guess in this case the $$$ might be replaced with Torch’s chainsaw and David’s welding prowess.
David combined two Valiant ute’s into one “decent” car. People said he was insane, that it couldn’t be done. When it comes down to it, always bet on David. The Jeep FC and Cactus are the pinnacle of wrenching insanity.
Exactly!
the Daytona has a red interior, so it’s cooler, so I voted Daytona.
I thought about doing the same, but decided I wanted the orange stripes and manual trans more than I want the amazing interior.
The fastback is has anice shape.
The popup headlights are nice.
I found something on both!
Do I get two points?
Absolutely! Two points for you! Each point has no cash value and may not be redeemed for anything anywhere, not even Autopian merchandise. Some additional conditions may apply.
Both option please. I need both of these. Always thought these were the coolest looking cars.
Because they’re so cheap this is a perfectly fine shitbox showdown. $3500 is just too much for a beat up high mileage galant or a forgettable old Chevy.
Believe it or not, Turismo AND the Daytona. I will explain:
The interior of the Daytona is gross, and the automatic is worse. Granted, I drove a Caravan with the same tranny and while the van had its problems, the transmissions was never one of them. It’s stout and dependable. And absolutely joyless.
Pry the engine out of the Daytona, swap it into the Turismo with its more distinctive styling and manual transmission. Throw whatever is left of the Daytona away.
Fix the knock.
Drive it like you stole it. It’s essentially a Shelby Charger, which can’t be had for $1600. Lightweight, very powerful for the age and almost-quick even now, it’s cheap fun while it lasts.
This is The Way.
The Turismo is basically the same car as my ‘82 Rampage and I liked that very much. Reasonably attractive, fun to throw around, economical, comfortable on long hauls, too. So, Turismo by association.