My red CMX is best car I've owned
Plastic heater core cracked at 40,000 miles, and not since.
Still looks good and starts every time, and great gas mileage.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 1st January, 2011
Unique car with some class
Replaced the gas lines because it leaked fuel.
Repaired the engine coolant line because it leaked coolant.
Leaks oil.
Weather stripping is worn out.
Trunk lock needs to be replaced.
Cracks in the fiberglass parts of the body.
Overall this has been a great really reliable and oh so very rare car.
It always starts for me, but gives me a hard time when the engine is cold. But I can't really blame her, the engine itself probably has in the neighborhood of 350,000 kilometers on it. Once it is warmed up its OK.
This car is lacking in power since its from the 80's, but has enough guts to get up to speed and the loud engine sound alone turns a lot of heads.
What I like the most about this car is its 10 spoke wheels and "gills" on the sides. This car stands out from other cars with its overall unique look and nice lines people notice this car.
The Mirada has been great to me and very reliable in the time I have had it. The only draw back is that it has terrible fuel economy, but that's what you get when you got a V8. She embarrasses me when she stalls, but she has been a good old girl who is in really good shape. Before I bought it, it hadn't been driven in about 6 years and sat in a garage.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 7th March, 2008
5 stars; A great head turner that's one of the last mopar muscle cars
Since I have owned this old clunker very little has gone wrong with it.
It leaks oil and must be topped up often, on a weekly basis.
The carburetor is worn out, and when it's cold, it will not idle well.
Other than that, this has been an absolutely fantastic old piece of American machinery.
As for the interior, I can't complain. I bought it with no functioning odometer, but I think the stuck odometer reads about 79 000 km. The previous owner said it had high mileage, but who cares, old american cars are cheap to fix.
The only real problem that I have had with this car is the wipers. Mirada wipers are weak and flimsy, and Chrysler no longer makes parts. We had to buy a second P.O.S. Mirada for 400 for the wiper part. So don't buy a Mirada unless you are sure that the wipers work.
I love this old beast. It's a perfect mixture of luxury and sports car. Not a lot of power, but the sound of the engine and just the overall unique look turns a lot of heads.
I love this car because it is really rare; 1474 1982 CMX's were all that were sold. This car turns lots of heads with its gills and 10 spoke wheels.
The interior is great and stylish, with the challenger like sports wheel and white leather seats. Typical of American auto producers of the early 80's, the quality of the build is not great and cheaply produced, but still cool and pretty solid. I replaced the wood grain dash with a brushed chrome one, which looks really good. The gauges are easy to read, and the only drawback to the dash is that this car should have a tachometer.
The transmission has 3 gears. The first two are a little sluggish, but the 3rd really gets it going. The horsepower is an unimpressive 318, but the torque is a pleasing 245.
One of the most comfortable old boats that you will ever drive. Extremely easy to see out of, and great for just cruising. I bought this car from a body man, so the body is perfect.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 17th January, 2008
The Dodge Mirada is a far cooler car than ANY Honda Accord EVER MADE. Given the choice between the boring Accord, and a rare oddity like one of the last V-8 sedans made by Dodge before plunging into the K car, the more desirable car is obviously the Mirada!
By the 1980's, the 318 had been strangled by emission controls, while the Big 3 tried to figure out how to make better 4-cylinders to meet emissions requirements. However, when you install that 360, maybe with a pair of 1972 340 heads, headers, an Edelbrock throttle body fuel injection manifold, and the Mopar Performance electronic ignition kit, it will be a muscular V-8, rear wheel drive Mopar.
Hey man thanks for the advice and thanks for agreeing with me on the fact that the mirada is cooler. You ever owned a J-body before?
Are you saying that the Mirada was not one of the last V-8 sedans made by Dodge? You see, both the Diplomat AND the Mirada can be "one of the last". "One of" is not the same as "the only".
Pimp-mobile for a peaceful driver
Windshield cracked, replaced.
The fuel tank leaks.
Electric window motor is broken.
Minor rust in the bottom.
Trip meter broken.
Due to Unibody construction, the rust is important to repair, separate front and rear "frames".
The suspension is NOT sporty, look for examples with anti-sway bar below the rear axle (sport package).
The interior parts are plastic, and especially long parts in the door get usually cracked.
With original 2-bbl carb 318cid (5.2L) or 6-in-line, the car is underpowered.
Look for one with 360cid. Early models. BUT all engines have horsepower to be found, just combine with the right parts; 4-bbl and hi-lift camshaft.
Mine had all the options and it included: automatic a/c-temp controlled, and it worked well!
Cruise control, but one word has to be said, it's typical for the 80s mopars that the cruise engages a little below the desired speed. So when one wants to maintain 100km/h cruise speed, first accelerate to 110km/h and then engage the cruise control.
I did not like the suspension, it's not sporty, but neither does it have a typical US-boat feeling. Something in between due to mid-frames.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 19th April, 2004
I believe your comments are very accurate for this car. I really like the styling of the Mirada, but since is an 80,s car, performance is really lacking.
Inasmuch as most restored muscle cars of the 60's get the very high prices they do, after a complete engine rebuild of cource, or a crate engine. I am looking for any type of Mirada in the right color, well optioned, and not needing a restoration to be a good driver. A mopar crate engine of at least 325hp should make the car into a really enjoyable vehicle you do not see every day.
12th Mar 2008, 10:08
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steven@carsurvey.org
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People are not supposed to submit multiple reviews of the same car. I have looked at the other Mirada reviews in detail, and while there are some similarities between the two most recent reviews, there are significant differences too, and the reviews don't appear to have been submitted by the same person (for example, the two reviews did not come from the same Internet connection).
Steven Jackson.