1987 Dodge Charger Shelby 2.2 Liter
Summary:
Quick, rare, great handling sports coupe
Faults:
Things wrong so far, erratic idle repaired by fixing vacuum leak.
No boost, fixed by replacing clogged fuel filter and cleaning out gas tank.
O2 sensor wiring defect at connector, repaired wiring until new O2 sensor to be installed.
Original ball joints worn out, original struts worn out. Replaced all.
Heater core leaking, bypassed it, will replace with a Mojave heater box because I'm not breaking open the dashboard to replace it.
Front (both) side-skirts cracked after hitting a small animal that bounced off the low front end air-dam, and pushed it like a cattle catch on a train, would have preferred to run it over, getting less damage.
Oil pan leaks some, power steering lines leak some.
Drivers side wheel bearing needed replaced.
General Comments:
Generally I like the car, it's really comfortable to drive, and the CS seats are really comfortable. It handles awesome, takes turns very nicely, moves out from lights super quick with no effort, has more than enough power for passing ability, and with fine tuning and minor modifications it's even quicker!
They are getting rarer, and the styling isn't too bad even today in my opinion. A few people have said to me "I had one of those!" In a positive way, so overall I think most liked the car when the had them in the 80's.
Gas mileage is great, I'd drive this car way before some yawn-fest foreign gas saver any day.
And I really wouldn't drive the gas-savers that take $3000 to get the performance upgrades a Turbo Dodge already has from the factory.
It might take a few repairs over its lifetime, but none of us drive tanks (which break down more than you think).
And if you are capable of making repairs, you'll find it's super easy to work on, actually almost all the K-Cars of the 80's were.
The body still holds a good line, the interior is nice if clean, like most cars.
Placement of the guages are good but kinda small, don't like the 85 mph speedo the Federal gov mandated back then for a short time.
Took the car way over 85 and the needle comes around to the stopper peg, which is annoying for rare moments I drive too fast.
Overall, it's a car that serves me well and I'm glad I bought it,it sure beats the old 89 Saab 900 Turbo I had before; that thing was a nightmare for repairs and lost rolls of cash.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 19th July, 2009
14th Apr 2011, 13:48
Yes, not all "tanks" were really as good as they say, but for the record, Chargers/Turismos were L-Cars like Omnis and Horizons.