1988 Plymouth Horizon America 2.2L from North America

Summary:

One word, rust

Faults:

Rust, lots of it. First it was the driver side door. Then slowly all the doors on the car began to acquire a large amount of rust.

Rear breaks and E break needed extensive repair.

Needed new starter motor.

General Comments:

I have owned both an Omni and a Horizon. They are exactly the same car, except for the name plates. Very good cars. But all, but a few have major rust problems. A very good first car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th May, 2005

29th May 2005, 21:29

I have a 1986 Plymouth Horizon, which is nestled in my back yard where it has been for years now, not a speck of rust anywhere on it however the carb is pure crap. I loved the little cracker box until the carb went nuts on me-

31st May 2005, 14:28

Yeah in response to an earlier comment. Those cars did rust a great deal, especially in northern climates where road salt is the main cause. This guy says his has been sitting in the back yard, well the water penetrates from underneath the doors. If the car is not driven then it will not rust. Simple as that. I would like to know how many miles are on the commenters car. My grandmother had an Omni which I currently own. The car had only 21,342 miles on it when I purchased it. It was clean and NO RUST. But I began to drive it, more than she had. The thing suddenly had a spree of rust. Now I'm about to junk the car with only 44,784 miles on it.

16th Feb 2006, 22:49

I have a 1988 Plymouth Horizon that I have owned since 1994. It currently has about 255,000 miles on it (an estimate since the odometer stopped working at 250k). It still runs pretty well, and only uses a little bit of oil. It needs some attention, but the engine runs very good. I have found the body integrity of this car to be very good, as long as you touch up the paint periodically as the factory paint does not stick to the car well. Mine only has some minor surface rust where the paint has peeled off. Also, mine is a manual and it is a good idea to keep your eye on the manual transmission fluid level since the transmission tends to leak with age. It's a pain in the neck to check the level too. My most pressing problem currently is an electrical gremlin that I need to get sorted... the taillights, horn, and dash lights aren't working, and it's an issue with the wiring/fuse.

1988 Plymouth Horizon 2.2L from North America

Summary:

A wonderful first car

Faults:

Worn brake pads- replaced spring 2004.

A lot of body rust and worn paint.

The hatch doesn't close because of some damage to the rear end, but doesn't stay open unless propped up by a broomstick.

Driver's side door handles have been a problem, I've broken two since I've had the car, and it's still a pain.

In damp, cool weather the driver's side door does not unlock easily from the outside.

The engine clicks when I have the windshield defroster on.

The doors are not sealed very well, there is a lot of air noise when I drive on the interstate.

General Comments:

Most of the issues with my car are fixable things I haven't gotten around to yet. I love it very much.

Best $50 car ever, it makes a very good first car. (Bought from my great-grandmother)

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

Review Date: 4th January, 2005

5th Jan 2005, 21:37

The last commenter is right about the car's value, large sums of money for repairs, ect. However from my experience having owned several of these cars at very high mileage, you have nothing to worry about. Go ahead and pay whatever you need for basic maintenance, and repairs should be few and far between. Trust me, these cars LAST, and with the low mileage your car has, and if its well maintained, yours might serve you another ten plus years.

5th Jan 2005, 22:17

Being "Granny-Owned", this car should last you forever. Word of advice, a ticking/light knock at higher mileage on these 2.0, 2.2 litre Chrysler motors is common. They all do this. You notice most Chrysler K-cars at a stop light do the same. If your car develops this noise, don't worry, and don't spend all your $$ trying to repair, repair is unneccesary since it will continue to run fine.