1989 Dodge Shadow 2.5L from North America

Summary:

For a new car -- this was good value for the money

Faults:

Rear speaker blown (vibration), had to cut wire because couldn't access for replacement without taking large pieces of the vehicle apart (not worth time, or cost for someone else to do.

Transmission started to grind a bit when using reverse gear until engaged.

Nothing else major.

General Comments:

Enjoyed this vehicle. First one I ever bought new. I wanted a standard transmission, so settle for no A/C at the time. A/C would be worth it now, but I would still get a manual given the choice.

This was a great travelling car, and we crammed stuff inside with the fold down back seat hatch back. I was a student at the time so this was one of the vehicles I could afford new.

This one would not have been not good for families -- 2 door, tough for child seats, and there were no tether bolts anywhere.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th July, 2007

1989 Dodge Shadow Base 2.2 from North America

Summary:

Long live the shadow!!!

Faults:

Ignition coil replaced.

O2 sensor replaced at 82,000 miles.

Rotors replaced twice.

Seat belts stick and are hard to take off.

Regular maintenance always done, (oil changes, air filter, and fuel filter replacements, brakes, etc..)

General Comments:

I purchased this car in 2003, and still own it, it has 84,000 miles on it, (I bought it when it had only 58,000). Which is very few miles for a 18 year old car.

It has always been reliable, turn the key and it starts every time. This is the base model 2.2L engine, no turbo or mods. It doesn't have very much power, and it takes some time to accelerate to speeds over 30mph. But as long as it gets me there I'm happy. It is excellent in the snow, if you are looking for a good winter car, this is it.

I get about 18 miles per gallon, when I first got it I was getting 20. Still not too great on gas. The engine also makes considerable noise accelerating, and does not accelerate quickly by any means.

Overall I have been very pleased with it, and it has been a very reliable car for me, considering I only spent $600 for it to begin with. Insurance isn't too great, but not insane. I pay about $120 a month to insure it, I'm 20 years old with no accidents on my record, and no tickets whatsoever.

Hope this review has helped anyone looking at getting an old shadow, or just for those of us who love talking about our Shadows.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st December, 2006

31st Dec 2006, 15:17

It really sounds like there is something wrong with your car. I had a 1990 Omni with the same 2.2 non-turbo engine and it was VERY fast. I also owned a Mazda RX-7 and the Omni was much faster than it. In addition, I got over 34 mpg average with it. I'd check it out real good to see of there is something causing a drain on the engine's power (which will also affect fuel mileage). My Omni was a 5-speed and would bark the tires loudly hitting 3rd gear and top 90mph in 3rd gear. It was one fast little econobox. I sold it with 240,000 miles on it and it still ran perfect and did not use one drop of oil. In the 240,000 miles I did 2 brake jobs (NEVER replaced a rotor), replaced two timing belts and one heater hose. It was the most trouble-free car I ever owned. The A/C never had freon added, and it still blew cold when I sold it. You should easily get another 100,000 miles out of yours, but your comments about it not being fast and getting such awful mileage lead me to believe there is a problem that needs correcting. I've owned 3 of the 4 cylinder Chrysler products and slow is definitely NOT a word that would have described any of mine, and if I had only gotten 20mpg I'd have gotten rid of them.

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