Posts Tagged ‘hatch’

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Goes Like Hell – 1986 Dodge Omni GLH

February 12, 2014

Based on a European Simca design, with substantial modification for the European market, sales of the Plymouth Horizon/Dodge Omni were credited with saving Chrysler’s bacon back in the 1970s, convincing the government to put together a rescue package. They beat Ford’s Escort to market, and were right on the heels of GM’s (rear-wheel-drive) Chevette/T1000. In spite of Chrysler having borrowed quite heavily from the Mark 1 Golf, VW agreed to supply Chrysler with its 1.7-liter engine, and for many years this VW and a Peugeot/Talbot 1.6 were the base engines, depending on year. However, America being America, we needed more power, and so Chrysler started fitting their 2.2, and then (more power! more!) they added a turbo. With 146hp, it blew the segment-leading GTI out of the water, at least in terms of acceleration. You can find this 1986 Dodge Omni GLH for sale for $3500 in Deer Valley, AZ.

1986 Dodge Omni GLH

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Top of the Line – 1988 Yugo GVX

January 13, 2014

Essentially a mashup of the Fiat 127 and 128, the Yugo was America’s cheapest car back in the late 1980s, a time when sales of Mercedes and other cars cloaked in gold and chrome trim reached an all-time high. Speaking of all-time highs, the popularity of cocaine was probably involved in some lapses of judgement, including the aforementioned gold/chrome packages, outlandish Gemballa flare packages, and for the savers (savingfordrugstomakemesosmartonlyafoolwouldwasteitoncars!!!!), the Hyundai Excel and Yugo. Kidding aside, if you were looking for cheap wheels in 1988, and didn’t mind doing a little more service than on a Civic, the Yugo was a pretty good option. Being a Fiat cousin, it had a little of that cheap, cheerful and sporty Italian spirit. And in 1988, the top of the line GVX came with a 1300 engine and 5-speed transmission, although fuel injection was still around the corner. You can find this 1980s icon (in fame or infamy, it is an icon), a 1988 Yugo GVX, for sale for $1000 in Portland, OR.

1988 Yugo GVX left front

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Hare Raising – 1983 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI

January 9, 2014

As Generation Xers get older, so they have more disposable income to purchase the cars of their youth, or so the theory goes. Right now, the money seems to be in early Porsche 911s and BMW M3s, so if you’ve always wanted to try out a GTI, there’s no point in waiting around until it’s one of the ones that got away. With handsome, Italian-influenced boxy styling and a 90hp engine and some improved suspension bits, this is a fun little car. You can find this 1983 Volkswagen GTI for sale in San Diego, CA for $3500.

1983 VW Rabbit GTI left front

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