UPDATE – This 1980 Plymouth Arrow 4×4 pickup is listed for sale again, a month after the listing was deleted, and we thought it had been sold. The odd part is that it’s listed at the same exact price, $4,900, but has much better photos! It was featured here back on July 14, 2025, and it’s now posted here on craigslist in the same city: Vancouver, Washington. Here is the original listing. Please check out the new photos, they’re so much nicer than the previous ones were. This would be fun to restore, or just maintain and drive as is. Thanks to Curvette for the tip!
FROM 07/14/2025 – The Mitsubishi Forte was made for several markets, including North America, and was known as the Plymouth Arrow here. Mitsubishi also rebadged cars and used the Arrow name, and we’ve seen around 10 of these models total over the years. The seller has this one listed as a 1980 Plymouth Arrow 4×4 pickup, but 4WD wasn’t offered until 1982, at which point, the Arrow pickup was in its last year here. They have it posted here on craigslist in Vancouver, Washington, and they’re asking $4,900. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Barney for the tip!
The seller doesn’t give a VIN or any other numbers, but from what I can find on Wiki, these trucks weren’t available with a 4×4 option until 1982, the last year that the Plymouth Arrow pickup was offered here. And in continuing to look for info, it appears that 1983 was the first year for a 4×4 version, and it was only the Dodge Power Ram 50, as the Plymouth Arrow went away after 1982. So, is that the chassis that was used here on a Plymouth Arrow Sport body? It’s definitely had a lift kit added, and you already know where I’m going: I’d want it to be factory spec height with factory wheels, so whatever it takes to bring it back to that would be on my to-do list.
You can see that the body needs a lot of work; there are many dings and dents, and a fair amount of rust to deal with. Even inside the bed, needs rust work. There’s a patch on the rear of the left side wheel housing and small holes in a few spots. So much for my idea of the Pacific Northwest being the best place to find rust-free vehicles.
I’m surprised at the non-fancy interior in a 2.6-liter version of the Arrow truck. I know that for the Dodge D-50 version, when buyers spent the extra money for a Sport version, they got a cool, striped interior, along with a five-speed manual, and extra gauges, including a tachometer and two in the center console. There appears to be a crack on top of the dash, so my long-standing Pacific Northwest theory about interiors being preserved is also out the window, bummer.
The engine is Mitsubishi’s G54B, a 2.6-liter SOHC inline-four with around 105 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque. Backed by the transfer case and 5-speed manual sending power to all four wheels, it’s said to run and drive well, and I’d sure like to know how a 1980 Arrow pickup ended up with a 4×4 drivetrain. Any thoughts on this one?
Thanks SG. Not many Arrows 🏹 left out on the roads.
I remember making a model of the Plymouth Arrow pickup when I was a kid. There can’t be many left, in any condition. I wonder if the original rims are still around? And especially a 4X4???? This has got to be rare.
I bet a shiver went down the authors spine, what happened to my cute little D50, oh the horror, think Incredible Hulk from mild mannered Bill Bixby. I think a vehicle like this, altered radically, would have driveability issues, death wobble, for one, and I suppose for some, they think folks will be so wowed at a 4×4 of this type, a dirty interior won’t affect sales. Unacceptable, a dirty vehicle interior tells a story of what kind of person they are. I bet their homes look just like it. Regardless, it really is an unusual find.
Eh, I dunno. I bought a realllly dirty work truck from a feller on Craigslist with a house much nicer (on the outside) than mine, and I’m still driving it almost 100k miles later. He had bought a brand new F 2 Fiddy with a V10 and had no more time to devote to his forlorn GMC Sierra with the lowly 4.8 liter. Besides, this isn’t dirty by Craigslist standards! I always chuckle when the interior pictures show actual loose garbage, or worse, oil or antifreeze jugs in the back floorboard lol.
If it runs down the road OK at 60 mph, it might not be a bad purchase for someone who wants one of these. I never knew these Plymouth’s existed. I thought they were all Dodge’s.
D50 chassis with the engine, and the transfer case . And a body of a plymouth arrow, put on top of it! Hey.. it could happen!🤷
Either that, or this is actually a 1982 model year, the only year the Arrow was available stock with 4WD, unless the Wiki article is mistaken about when 4WD first became available for these trucks.
Pretty simple, really – just another 2wd truck of the era converted to 4wd with a solid axle before 4×4 was available from the factory. The aftermarket did the same with Toyotas (Low Mfg), Datsuns, Couriers and probably another one or two I’m forgetting.
With the exception of Toyota, all the factory 4×4 trucks that replaced these conversions had IFS.
I had to google it but I wasn’t dreaming. The Arrow I remember was a car not a truck and it had that jingle that I find out was written by Nilsson. I was never really a truck person anyway.
Yup, weirdly Plymouth used the Arrow name for two completely different captive-import models, which were even sold concurrently for two model years (’79-80).
Maybe they were thinking of using Arrow for Plymouth as Dodge did with Colt, as a catch-all submarque for all their rebadged Mitsubishi models, until they decided better of it.
Very rare truck…… Not many made and very few still running. Had the Mitsubishi 1985 4×4 version and loved it. Whoever buys this is very lucky. Man, I wish I could….
I bought this exact same truck (and color) new…less 4WD of course. For some reason I was frequently asked if it WAS 4WD. Great little truck…recently sold it to my nephew who is going to replace the original motor (that has over 230K miles on it) with a modern engine. Happy to see it starting another life…GLWTS.
Well, if it’s drivetrain was grafted from a similar Mitsubishi offering (and it probably was), you can bet either way that parts for a 40+ yr old Japanese compact truck will probably be hard to find anywhere but the West Coast. I remember seeing a 1983 D50 on a Doge Dealer’s lot in Maine in late 1982. I passed because the MSRP was over $8K for a Plain Jane unit.
Parts aren’t that hard to find, thx to Mitsubishis making a ton of these worldwide over the years and sharing engines and many other parts in common across multiple model lines. The MightyRam50 Forum is a great resource for maintaining these and “talking shop” in general.
tough on PNW… a 45 y/o p/u and no mercy?
This I’d call a step lower the pristine for WessMasss. lol
I’ll still go to TX or WA/OR 1st ina search…
AND
this state (back east anyway) is ‘up there’ w/socal on
car culture.
Agreed tho: 1 inch lift on each susp & body. 15 – 17 inch tire
in 950 to 1050 or less width, nice hi aspect ratio (55, 60?).
Listing update: this one is gone, did one of you grab it?
This is a SCAM! Asked about legitimate purchase and seller was unable to put two words together. SCAM
In 1980 I almost bout one of these in 2WD form.As everyone
seemed to buy one in Black with Gold stripes,I went to the dealer &
asked if they could get me a White one,with Gold stripes.I never heard
back from the salesman,& couldn’t wait,& drove up to Medford,Oregon,
& bought a new Toyota SR5 Longbed instead.Big mistake.
Wow! Love it! Looks like it already sold! Great looking 4×4! The new owner is a lucky guy or gal!
I was working a gas station in about ’84, had a regular highway commuter coming through town and fueling his grey-with-red-decals D50 diesel, 5-gear. I lusted after that machine, the styling and proportions are simple & right, ground clearance looks great, and the diesel made it a distance-eater. If I could dredge one up locally, I’d be inclined to turn it into what I remember.
I had no idea Plymouth also re-badged these Mitsubishis a well. Nice little truck.
I worked at a dealership when these sold These were great for there time no warranty claims that I remember like the other vehicles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1n9QTkrkP0