1989 Dodge Shadow Reviews - Page 5 of 5

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28th Apr 2001, 21:26

That's funny, I own a 88 Reliant K with a 2.2 (very similar to the 2.5 in most aspects) in it and haven't had any major problems with it. Of course I do my routine maintenence with an unequaled fever pitch. Sounds like you made a bad purchase on a badly abused car.

4th Sep 2002, 13:10

I current have an '88 Shadow which I bought for $950. Just recently the transmission went and I've had to replace many different parts. Once this is over however, it should run better.

1989 Dodge Shadow 2.5L from North America

Year of manufacture	1989
First year of ownership	1999
Most recent year of ownership	2000
Engine and transmission	2.5L Automatic
Performance marks	6 / 10
Reliability marks	4 / 10
Comfort marks	7 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	7 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	6.0 / 10
Distance when acquired	60000 miles
Most recent distance	75000 miles
Previous car	Plymouth Acclaim V6

Summary:

The little things break a lot; it runs though

Faults:

The A/C didn't work when I bought it.. I replaced a really leaky A/C hose, charged it with R134A.

The belt slips because the tensioner is misaligned.. it can't be aligned because the alternator tensioner sticks out farther than it should. It really looks like a pain to fix properly..

Poor gas mileage. Previously, I got 24 city, 17 interstate (~21MPG average.) Now that the weather has heated up to the 80s, I get 15-16MPG average. The rattles and clunks increase daily (from the body; the engine sounds normal.)

The back ~1/2 of the exhaust system fell off while the car was parked in a parking lot about a month after I bought the car; the muffler had already been replaced by the previous owner though so it was possibly lousy work on their part.. whatever, stuff rusts in Iowa.

General Comments:

It hasn't stranded me, but I *have* had to repair it in odd places with a tool kit I keep in the trunk. Rattly!

It's slower than my previous cars (a 1972 Fleetwood w/ 472cu V8, and a Plymouth Acclaim w/ 3.0l V6), especially at interstate speeds, but if the gas mileage stayed sane (i.e. not 17MPG or 15..) the acceleration would be acceptable.

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

Review Date: 10th August, 2000

Comment on this review

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2nd Dec 2000, 16:40

The 2.5 wasn't the most powerful engine that Mopar ever made by any means. The fuel economy is a bit off. Have you tried the key on test? On (not start)-off-on-off-on then watch the CE light for codes. THe codes can be found almost anywere online.

14th Mar 2001, 13:17

Id like to think that a 4 cylinder or a 6 cylinder would be considerably slower than a 472cu V8.