1994 Plymouth Acclaim 3.0 mitsubushi from North America

Summary:

Best $15,000 I ever spent!

Faults:

Transmission at 30,000 (under warranty)

Water pump at 50,000.

Radiator 65,000.

New Paint job at 90,000 (7 year old son washed car with brillo pad)

General Comments:

Bought this car new and it's in great shape.

Air conditioner runs like new.

3.0 6 cylinder is quick.

This car has never failed to start when I turned the key (That's over ten years worth of starts folks...)

This car can move on the highway.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th December, 2004

3rd Jul 2005, 00:59

You mentioned how fast and smooth your Plymouth ran. I have to agree. The Acclaim and Spirit cars had an exceptionly smooth ride on the highway, and the 3.0L engine accelerated quietly and evenly to provide great accelation. Granted it was no Corvette, but for a 4 door family car, it was quite quick. For some strange reason these cars received a bad rep in automotive magazines. I always thought they were a rather big step in washing away the K car image (although they did use some K car parts) which was Chryslers' mission for these cars. Also, they were FAR better than any domestic competition at the time, just compare any Olds Cutlass Ciera, Chevy Corsica or Ford Tempo of the time and you will agree they were some of the best cars Chrysler made in the early 90's.

2nd May 2006, 12:48

I do agree with every thing you have to say about the Acclaim. I have one myself, but I must say that Chrysler did not make the engines for their cars in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. Mitsubishi did! They are great cars too!

30th Mar 2007, 22:06

UPDATE:

Still going strong at 123,00 hard NYC miles, engine runs like a top, no oil burner here. Will keep driving this bad boy till it dies... then I'll give it some CPR... passed a stalled brand new Mercedes on 1st Ave the other day and laughed...

27th Mar 2008, 21:03

UPDATE:

132,400 miles and still going. These are hard NYC street miles. Just got out of the the shop with some new rear shocks and front tie rods. I think the main seal is leaking which presents problems... fix it or get a new car. It's 14 years old now... but it still runs like a top. Of course I am going to fix it.

17th Oct 2009, 15:00

UPDATE:

The Plymouth now has 148,000 miles on it. The A/C quit this summer and 2 different mechanics couldn't fix it. Who cares, I just get in and drive! The oil leak seems to have slowed (main seal), yes there is oil in the crank case. Still love the car at 15 years old. I drive it 50 miles to work everyday in Manhattan. Got rear ended on the Brooklyn Bridge the other day. Didn't even get out of the car as I didn't hear any glass break. Try that with a new car!

Plymouth Rules!

1994 Plymouth Acclaim from North America

Summary:

A good buy

Faults:

It's a serious oil burner. I can smell it cooking after a drive.

I replaced the heater core, water pump, and radiator at 85,000 miles. Honestly, I think it was a previous owner who filled the radiator with too much of that radiator fix stuff. Why was the radiator replaced? Because the previous owner had a front end collision. Had these circumstances not been in place, I think there normally wouldn't be a problem.

When I bought the car in 2001, the paint was weak and fading. It really hasn't deteriorated any more in 2 years, so I do not know if this was a reflection of how the car was kept previously.

General Comments:

Decent gas mileage.

Reliably starts in cold weather.

Comfortable ride with a big enough backseat for family.

This car had a history of a front end collision. Even with that I find this car to be a good, inexpensive ride. Personally, I think my car has a history of not being well cared for as well. That can be life or death to a car, and I think mine will have a shorter life because of it. I do feel it is a well built car, not cheap, and a well cared for car would be a good buy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th July, 2003

10th Mar 2005, 22:12

"It's a serious oil burner. I can smell it cooking after a drive"

Sounds like it is leaking then burning up ON the hot engine, not neccessarily an "oil burner". If you have blue smoke and need to consistantly add oil, then it is burning oil.