zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:13

Nice Price or No Dice 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo project

One of the calling cards of today’s Plymouth Colt is its “Twin Stick” overdrive gear change, which gives the car eight speeds going forward and two in reverse. Let’s see if this project car has anything else to offer.

Just as Goldilocks discovered when appropriating Papa Bear’s lifestyle and finding it all too much to handle, so too did the majority of you find the $5,900 asking price on yesterday’s too grand for your liking. In support of that price, the ad claimed the truck to be well-maintained and that it exhibited “pride of ownership.” It’s been said that pride goeth before a fall, and for the 60 percent of you who gave the 4X4 truck a No Dice loss, that fall in its price couldn’t come soon enough.

Image for article titled At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?

Today’s is from the same year as yesterday’s Nissan— 1984. That, however, is where the similarities end. Unlike the comfortably worn-in and hard-working appearance of yesterday’s Nissan, this Plymouth looks like it’s got one tire in the junkyard.

The Colt comes from an era when Chrysler had little money and almost as little imagination. Built by partner Mitsubishi, the Colt had originally been a Dodge exclusive when imports first began in the early ’70s. Things changed with the introduction of the fourth generation model in 1978, which switched to FWD and expanded to Plymouth dealers as the short-lived Champ.

Image for article titled At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?

The Champ didn’t prove worthy of its name, so in 1983, Chrysler stopped even pretending that there was any difference between Dodge and Plymouth and switched the latter’s small import to the shared name of Colt. The company would follow the same unimaginative strategy a decade later with the Neon.

Seeking to add some spice to the model and perhaps make up for the lackluster naming choice, Chrysler introduced a turbocharged edition of the Colt for the 1984 model year. Branded as the GTS Turbo, the model offered a 102 horsepower 1.6-liter SOHC four featuring fuel injection and was made available with Mitsubishi’s wonderfully weird “Twin Stick” four-speed with overdrive on all four gears manual.

Image for article titled At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?

This is one of those rare GTS Turbo models. Or, at least, it was. You see, this car needs—looks over the ad—seemingly everything.

According to the seller, the car does not run, does not have a title, and has a number of missing parts that are probably only available in some other part of the Spiderman Multiverse. With consideration of the daunting task ahead for anyone willing to take this project on, the seller jovially asks, “If you love spending 8k fixing up a car to make it worth 7k, I’ve got your next one here!”

Image for article titled At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?

The ad does note that while the title is missing, the VIN does come up as clean. The car is also fairly complete where it counts, with all the glass intact and the drivetrain, while not running, seemingly being made capable of doing so. It also has some good-looking aftermarket alloy wheels and what the seller describes as “decent tires,” so it should easily roll onto a trailer or rent-a-dolly.

Image for article titled At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?

It’s also fairly rust-free, save for a couple of mouse holes in the driver’s door. The interior is in contrastingly terrible shape, having lost much of its upholstery and the dash cap. Everything else looks like it would require a hazmat suit to so much as touch, much less live with. There are just over 128,000 miles on the clock, although it’s debatable whether mileage on a car of this nature matters in the slightest.

This is, after all, a project. Or maybe it’s some sort of stationary art installation. Either way, it will seemingly cost someone $950 to obtain—bill of sale only.

The current owner suggests that they would also consider trades for the car and are especially keen on a vintage street motorcycle or some sort of classic bicycle. Hell, I’d like a daily foot massage from Taylor Swift, too, but I don’t see either of these things happening in this universe.

Image for article titled At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?

So, we’ll just have to consider this project at its $950 asking. What do you think? Does that seem like a fair price to take on a restoration of a rare and funky ’80s hot hatch icon? Or should this Colt simply be put out to pasture?

You decide!

Phoenix, Arizona, , or go if the ad disappears.

Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
At $34,500, Could This 2016 Ford Focus RS Be An Arresting Deal?
At $34,500, Could This 2016 Ford Focus RS Be An Arresting Deal?
With the exception of the Mustang, Ford presently offers no cars in its American lineup. Today’s Focus RS is a reminder of what the company’s present truck-forward market approach is sorely lacking. Let’s see if it’s priced for a very quick trip down memory lane. It seems like many...
Jul 12, 2025
Hyundai's Global Crossover Range Is Bewildering And Numerous, So Let's Make Sense Of It
Hyundai's Global Crossover Range Is Bewildering And Numerous, So Let's Make Sense Of It
Leaked images of a facelifted Hyundai Creta — one of the automaker’s many compact crossovers — began making the rounds today. If the Creta name is unfamiliar to you, there’s good reason for that. You won’t find that nameplate on the lot of an American Hyundai dealer. Rather, the...
Jul 12, 2025
Elon Musk's Brother Is Making Some Very Curiously Timed Tesla Trades
Elon Musk's Brother Is Making Some Very Curiously Timed Tesla Trades
Last Friday, shares of Tesla were trading just barely under the all-time high they’d reached the day before. Three days later, following Elon Musk’s infamous “should I sell shares ” Twitter poll, the stock had its in over a year. Wouldn’t it have been nice, as a shareholder, to...
Jul 12, 2025
Here's Your Chance To Buy The World's Wildest Porsche 996 Race Car
Here's Your Chance To Buy The World's Wildest Porsche 996 Race Car
This Porsche 996 Turbo is what happens when a billionaire decides he wants to win an SCCA championship and doesn’t care what it takes to make that happen. Scott Tucker, currently serving 200 months in prison for payday loan scams with usury repayment rates, was more than happy to...
Jul 12, 2025
October's Hottest Selling Used Cars Are Probably Not What You Expected
October's Hottest Selling Used Cars Are Probably Not What You Expected
The used car market continues to be challenging for buyers. Prices are still high, and inventory moves fast. According to a recent study from , October saw a shift in consumer preferences in pre-owned cars. The fastest-selling models were not trucks and SUVs, but rather vehicles that are more...
Jul 12, 2025
At $6,500, Is This 1994 Mercedes-Benz E320 A Stately Steal?
At $6,500, Is This 1994 Mercedes-Benz E320 A Stately Steal?
It’s very possible that the W124, as exemplified by today’s E320, is the last great Mercedes mid-sizer. This one seems particularly nice, but could the same be said about its price? Back in my days working for an ad agency, I came up with a great pitch for Ford’s...
Jul 12, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved