1989 Dodge Shadow Base Sedan Hatchback 2.2 4 cylinder

Summary:

I only paid 500$ for it - so for me, it was worth it!

Faults:

The oil sensor leaked horribly and had to be replaced.

The tires are slightly out of alignment.

There is an odd rattling coming from the front end somewhere...

The emergency brake locked up and had to be wrenched free. Now, I can't use it anymore.

The paint is an eyesore, that's for sure, especially on the hood and roof.

No air will come out of my vents. It comes out of my defrost and it comes out of the foot vents at the same time, all the time, never out of the vents no matter what I do.

General Comments:

This is a great car for a teenager. I got it in my junior year of high school, and now I'm a senior, and it still runs like the day I got it.

This car is GREAT for installing a custom stereo, the hatchback makes the trunk space VERY useful for speakers, subwoofers, whatever you have in mind.

It's reliable, it's never left me stranded. Although I'm afraid that it might someday!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th November, 2001

1989 Dodge Shadow Shelby CSX 2.2 liter turbo

Summary:

Smokes in fourth, chirps in fifth, hauls in sixth!

Faults:

Oxygen sensor went out at 99,000 miles.

That's it!

General Comments:

I put in another Turbo VNT to make it a Twin Turbo VNT.

It used to do the quarter mile in 12.03 seconds.

It now does the quarter mile in 9.98 seconds.

The old 0-60 time was 5.98 seconds.

The new 0-60 time is 5.01 seconds.

I put a new, 6-speed manual transmission in it at 102,000 miles.

I can smoke the tires in fourth gear.

Had to get wider tires and rims to increase the traction to get it to go anywhere without spinning the tires.

An awesome car that has cost me no more than $10,000 total from start to finish.

I would love to see someone try to get a 10 second car for that!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st August, 2001

17th Jan 2002, 00:43

I agree. These are kick-ass cars. Don't ruin these cars with your lies.

16th May 2006, 21:06

I agree with everyone above. Find dumber people to lie to. As for no problems at over 100,000 on a VNT setup, that's unlikely, but possible. Dual VNT's, I must say how did you do it? And as for 9's, where did you find a computer to give you car that much fuel? And if you actually own a Shelby CSX, why tear it up and modify it? Why not mod a lighter car like the omni, that you can find in someone's backyard for next to nothing? And since when does a stock VNT run 12's? Last I heard they could run 15's, 14's maybe however not likely. Well, as soon as you can come up with some lies to answer me, let me know.

10th Jul 2006, 14:03

If anyone is interested, I have my 1989 Shadow Shelby for sale (the usual red and gold version) - asking $1500 for it. It's in pretty bad shape compared to others I've seen online. The head is cracked, the inerior needs help, the ground FX are gone on front and back, and cracks on the side FX. The turbo is in fair condition. The body is in good condition except for a couple of car dings. Has over 100K miles.

Reply to this post if interested.

1989 Dodge Shadow 2.5

Summary:

Mediocre at best

Faults:

The transmission went out after approximately 6 months. The head gasket also went out. That was a few months before the transmission problem.

General Comments:

The car had poor performance in its' handling and acceleration.

Gas mileage was not great. Somewhere around 25 mpg.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 29th June, 2001

24th Aug 2001, 17:32

2.5 automatic with 120,000 ticks on the odometer, is that mileage highway or stop and go traffic. At stop and go, that is fantastic mileage. For high way mileage, you need a tune up to get the recommended 31 mpg out of it.

Also the car with that transmission was not designed to be fast off the line or handle like it was on rails. If you want that, get a 2.2 turbo II or III, or a 3.0 V-6 and put on a polyurethane front suspension rebuild.

The transmission problem, well, all I can tell you is that many a person has complained about the Mopar automatics and have had to have them replaced.

9th Sep 2001, 09:33

He says the tranny went after 6 months.. he didn't buy it new. The tranny went after it had 120,000 miles on it. What was the previous owner like? Surely you can't fault the car there. People just don't get it. Sheesh.