The big news in the automotive industry this week is Dodge’s potential return to the small truck market with a familiar name. This truck, tentatively named “Rampage,” will be similar in size and function to the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford’s popular Maverick. As of this writing, a firm decision hasn’t been made on importing this truck from Brazil to America. While you are waiting for automakers to oversaturate, then abandon, this interesting market segment, you can pick up one of the nicest original Rampages on the market today. This 1984 Dodge Rampage is for sale on the Dodge of Burnsville, Minnesota website for a pricey $9,900. While that may be a bit steep for an Omni-based mini-truck, this one has just 22,181 miles on the clock and is in excellent shape. Would you put this one in your garage? More importantly for Dodge, is this the kind of truck you need for everyday driving?
The whole auto industry works in cycles. A segment will pop up with a single vehicle that will sell like those proverbial hotcakes we keep hearing about. After a few years, every automaker has come out with their version of this sales success. As with any vehicle, there is a limited market available based on consumer need and demand. Once everyone is in the segment, the pie gets sliced up into smaller and smaller pieces until nearly every maker agrees that there isn’t enough demand there and cancels their competitor in that market. After a decade or so, a manufacturer gets the bright idea to enter that market again, sales soar, competitors jump in, and the process repeats itself. I am waiting for personal luxury coupes to come back around again.
Meanwhile, the automotive industry has decided to set its sights on front-wheel drive pickups. While the Hyundai Santa Cruz is a strong competitor, the Ford Maverick has been a runaway success. Why? Part of this is fleet sales. Many businesses could use a lower-cost pickup to deliver products and cart around technicians. With the many drawbacks of larger trucks for these roles and Ford’s long history of fleet sales, it is no wonder why they flocked to the Maverick. Other buyers include young, outdoorsy individuals and those that just plain like the efficiency of a small, front-wheel drive truck powered by an economical engine.
The truck you see here is proof that the concept has been tried before and had a limited market. Car-based truck markets were dominated by Chevrolet’s El Camino (including the badge-engineered GMC Caballero) and, to a lesser extent, the Ford Ranchero. One could argue that small pickup trucks from both Japan and domestic makers were swimming in this market as well. Somehow, interest began to build in using front-wheel drive economy cars as a basis for a smaller truck. Subaru produced the Brat from 1978 through 1994, Volkswagen offered the Rabbit Pickup from 1979 through 1984, and Chrysler slowly but surely offered the Dodge Rampage and Plymouth Scamp from 1982 through 1984. None of these were a blockbuster success, but they sold well enough.
The Dodge Rampage and Plymouth Scamp were built off the Dodge Omni O24 (later the Charger) L-Body platform. Much like the Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup that it shared some ancestry with, the truck was fuel efficient, reasonably comfortable, and hauled an acceptable amount of weight considering its origins. Amazingly, it was rated to haul almost 1/2 of a ton of cargo. Powered by Chrysler’s ubiquitous 2.2-liter inline four-cylinder engine and backed with either a three-speed automatic or a four-speed manual transmission, acceleration was leisurely. A five-speed manual introduced in 1984 helped somewhat. There were even rumors of a Shelby badged version that never came to be.
Sales never came close to the amount needed to justify the experiment and the model was dropped after the 1984 model year. It wouldn’t be much longer before the L-Body chassis was put out to pasture. Perhaps the use of the K-Body platform would have given the concept a bit more overall size, capabilities, and a longer production run to prove the concept. As it stands, these vehicles still have their fans. They are easy to work on, have distinctively unique looks, and can still perform as a pickup in a pinch. Collectors are especially enamored with the Plymouth Scamp version due to the rarity of Plymouth pickups in general and the low production numbers of the Scamp.
If you are a fan of these vehicles, this 1984 Rampage is heaven-sent. Being a last-year of production vehicle, it has the later four headlight front end and the preferred five-speed manual transmission. All appearances are that someone traded this minty Rampage in at their local Dodge dealer. This left them with a bit of a dilemma, as older trades are usually shuffled off to the local auto auction as quickly as possible. With just 22,181 miles on the odometer, this Rampage looks almost factory fresh. There are some issues, but for Minnesota this truck is in exceptionally good shape. I don’t imagine many Rampages still exist this far north of the snow belt. They weren’t the kind of vehicle that got long-term heated garage care like grandma’s Cadillac.
A look at the exhaustive set of pictures on the dealership’s website show just a few issues. The most obvious is the long dent on the driver’s side of the bed. This impact didn’t seem to damage the paint or the black decal but is still a bit unsightly. Other than that, there is some sun fading in the plastic and the truck needs a first-rate detailing. There is nothing in the ad describing how it runs, so we will have to assume you get a running mini truck for the princely price.
While there may be a buyer out there for this very nice Rampage, I do believe the dealership will have to come down on the price a bit. As for the new Rampage, that may be coming. Hopefully, all of the manufacturers won’t so dilute the market that they will all abandon it after a few years. There is a market for these trucks, but not enough for everyone to have a filling slice of the pie.
Would you put this Rampage in your garage? How about a new one? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
How is it, these car makers can’t think of any car names, but to rob them from the past. Hopefully long enough after the original, most people from then who knew what so-so cars they were are pushing daisies, let’s give ‘er another spin. Come on, kids, all that college and can’t think of a new name?
These were in that so-so category, the answer to the question nobody really asked,,then. Today, with package delivery so popular, this could work, but back then, it was more a novelty item. Flower shops, auto parts, light duty stuff. Most just bought a regular pickup.
Again, a rear cap adds a lot, I knew a guy had a Scamp and loved it, for what it was, and I believe remains the only US built front drive pickup. And don’t give me that VW in Pa. or Honda in Ohio crap, USA, USA,,and in that tradition, even dreamers in Minnesoty, it seems. Great find and for the record, I think Shelby DID make a Shelby Rampage, supposedly the Shelby delivery truck,(?) and certain Dodge dealers offered a similar version. Also, I read, before the war, Plymouth sold a lot of trucks, especially as Fargo in Canada, hey, but never made it past the war in the US. With even less appeal today, couple grand tops, Burnsy.
Very cool…even liked them when they were new. It is pricey but better than most of the ” cash for clunkers” and other crap “respectable” dealers are peddling as used cars. $7,000 ish is probably fair if you really like it. Nice find.
If I had interest, (nice little truck, but not for me) I’d hire a paintless dent repair for the driver side, and pay right at $7k, no more after a thorough check out.
🎯 plus the manual shift 🙌
Yeah, pretty sure I’ve read the Shelby skunkworks made a Shelby Rampage or two for their own shop delivery needs, and had started developing a more radical production concept they called the “Street Fighter”, but that never came to fruition.
Some California dealers commissioned a batch of Rampages with the Shelby Charger paint scheme and appearance bits from Mopar’s Direct Connection accessory department, but those didn’t have any of the Shelby go-fast equipment.
I don’t know how Volkswagens and Hondas that were literally assembled in factories on US soil wouldn’t qualify as being “US-built”.
Are VW or Honda based in the USA? No. Were/Are certain models of theirs US-built? Yes! To say otherwise makes no logical sense (and would hint at jingoistic tendencies in those who claim this).
I always assumed names were recycled for legal reasons. They already own all the trademarks etc. Media companies do the same with music and movies, I think.
Whenever I see a truck with a cap, I wonder why they owner didn’t just buy the SUV they actually wanted LOL.
I think Subaru is bringing a small “Elky” to market soon, bringing back the “Baja” name.
You can’t hose the dirt out of the back of modern SUVs!
And sometimes you need a place to keep your dirty tools out of the weather.
Plus the ability to haul bulky items like furniture, appliances, etc. that may be too tall to fit in the back of a SUV or under a bed cap, which you can simply remove when needed.
Actually a trademark has to be in continuous use for ten years or it goes into public domain ten years after most recent use. If hasn’t been registered in past ten years the trademark goes into public domain.
I went to see this car in person. These have 5 digit odometer and the condition of the clutch and brake pedal pads tell you its rolled around at least once.
The ending has so much blow by that when its running, the dipstick looks like a steam locomotive.
The pcv on the back of the charcoal filter breather was functioning properly.
There is damage on the bedside down low and it has a broken side marker because of it.
It has aftermarket replacement carpet.
Chrysler is owned by the Italians and French now. GM is Chinese. They make 54% of the vehicles they sell in the US in North America, one of the lowest percentages of the major manufacturers. Honda and Toyota do more for the USA.
One of the executives at Chrysler said something like, the Rampage and Scamp were great, but there was no market after all of the pool cleaners had one.
This seems like a do not want to sell it price. However I always liked these and the elcaminos.Sadly neither lasted very long in upstate ny due to salty winters.
It’s at a Dodge dealership. If they didn’t want to sell it, they wouldn’t list it in their inventory on their website. I think it’s more like a “find a better one” price.
The sad part about that is, I bet the poor soul who traded it in didn’t even get $3000 for it.
I suspect trade-ins like this may often be from estates where the surviving family inheriting it has no knowledge or appreciation of what the vehicle is; they just see “some weird old car” and an opportunity to trade it in for a markdown on something newer they’d prefer instead.
Maverick: 121″ wheelbase, 199″ length, 78″ wide, 3500lb (FWD)
Santa Cruz: 118″ wheelbase, 196″ length, 75″ wide, 3700 lb (FWD)
Rampage: 104″ wheelbase, 184″ length, 67″ width, 2300lb
Maverick and Santa Cruz are in a whole different category in terms of size and passenger capacity. That being said, I bet the light, simple Rampage is a whole lot more fun to drive!
I 100% agree!
Someone, anyone PLEASE make me a small 2WD pickup with a single cab and manual transmission!
I agree 100% with M.C.S. Look at how many S-10’s and original Toyota trucks were on the roads.
Towing a small boat trailer to launch on a boat ramp coated in algae? Rear wheel drive? Sliding truck into the water! Front wheel drive is mandatory in the situation. Front wheel drive light pickup trucks offering utility and fuel economy? TOO LOGICAL, OMG!!! DON’T GIVE US LOGICAL!!!
I have a twenty year old Ranger (which replaced my first Ranger), 2-door with shell, 5-speed manual as my daily driver… and I hope to keep it as-long-as-possible for this very reason. It’s my ‘lil red, two-seater… and real vehicles don’t shift themselves!
Would I put it in my garage?
YES.
My father and father-in-law, both had Omnirison cars. They held up reasonably well.
The departure of the small pickup ia SUCH a loss to the market…and the manual-gearbox nearly as much.
I’m there. Trying to work the numbers, that I can contact them with serious intent.
There was a Shelby Rampage. Not many of them, but at least a few. My ex had one purchased new in ’84 and it was quite entertaining to drive back in the day. As I remember the story at the time, the majority of them would up in the east coast at a Dodge staging lot and few of the dealers even knew they could be ordered. We found ours at a lot in Petaluma, Ca. With a tow hitch, it was a great little two vehicle for a weekend of motorcycle racing.
I had two ……. loved them ….. one had the stylist cap. The only thing is if it was a manual, you better replace a shift part in the xmission……. it had a habit of breaking off with a 50-50 change of destroying the xmission. ( up graded part available back in the day )
There was a car show prototype of the Dodge front wheel drive with a Mitsubishi DOHC 2.6 4 cyl. Dodge made the blunder of going with the Omni drivetrain, with half shaft, CV joint and clutch problems (which killed the Omni). They put millions into marketing Dodge Omni, and it probably is why Fiat owns them. When they finally got onboard making economy cars instead of steel boat tank cars, their effort was brought to market in mass production without enough testing. Odd really. But this truck I understand had some more careful attention to assembly etc because of it’s intended use. Just would have been so much better had they used the original design and all Mitsubishi Japanese drivetrain.
My dad had an ’83 Rampage for several years, sharp looker in black with red pinstripe, machined-face turbine-style alloy wheels, bright alloy bed rails, and a vinyl tonneau cover over the bed. Did all the occasional hauling duty he needed as a homeowner and volunteer church groundskeeper, meanwhile serving as a stylish, economical and nice-handling work commuter and household second vehicle.
Dodge is turning back into what they were when these Omni-Rizon’s puttered around the streets. This time with pen light batteries powering the boring little things. Imagine a company that puts out the Hellcat Challenger, then a couple years later, cancels it, and announces the latest version of the Hornet. A scrawny little SUV box as it’s replacement. Sad.
When did Dodge have a Hornet in their lineup? I know Hudson did. Terrible name BTW.
Dodge never did until now; they got rights to the Hornet name when Chrysler acquired AMC, which in turn got it from the merger with Hudson.
Fiat is the best thing that happened to Dodge since the Omni. Curb weight and fuel economy is everything. V8 boat anchor is now a financial catastrophe, both to the buyer and manufacturer. Evolving makes everything better. Fiat Chrysler will be making Tesla wish they went plug-in hybrid. They can’t do plug-in hybrid because their Queen Elon the Corporate Flasher has attacked anything not EV only. His mistake. Belly up assured.
I really like these old Rampages, especially with a 2.2l and a manual transmission. The prepper in me considers these a very good choice for an end-of-the-world vehicle. You’re not gonna do a lot of off-roading with it, but it will handle gravel/dirt roads readily enough, there’s a billion 2.2l engines to scavenge parts from, and you should be able to push-start it if necessary. Frugal with fuel, plenty of carrying capacity for a supply run. I’d like to keep one as nice as this, tucked away on the back forty, “just in case”.
Unless that thing was purchased new at that dealership and serviced at that dealership and they can document the milage im going to say the odometer has rolled once to much ware on the clutch and brake pad And no engine pictures nice rig but typical dealer fashion its way overpriced
Then again, that interior looks too minty for a 122k-mile vehicle, especially the driver’s seat which looks hardly worn at all unless maybe that was swapped out or re-covered, and the pedal pads don’t look all that worn to my eye either.
Nope. If this had 122k on odometer, to look like that it’s a frame-off restoration. Doubt anyone spent the money on a frame off restoration, but if they did, they likely put it together better than original in most cases. This has just enough miles and years maybe to catch and correct the known factory flaws of assembly regarding CV joints half shafts and oiling issues. If look into which synthetic oils to use that weren’t available then. Hopefully compression is good. Sitting motors need oil in spark plug holes in between years of sitting so rings don’t score holes. Still, it’s pretty interesting. What trucks should be for suburban Americans. Dude in lifted truck with 300hp is projecting things. Hilarious really.
Steve Dulchitch on Roadkill had one of these! It beat a pink Cadillac and a jacked up Impala! Great show!🤣🤣🤣
Excellent write-up Jeff, especially the discussion of how the market works for certain categories. They live and die, rinse and repeat. As a current example, after many decades the pony car category will soon be back to just Ford.
my sweet spot right here. Falcon based ‘chero, this un, BRAT, some ’80s Japanese (suki p/u, etc).This in shelby format just add more to the pot (has great graphics, interior’n pep). Some day I’d luv 1a these, the ‘chero (just cuza eyema ford guy) in SCCA livery (stang suspension, breaks’n 3.3L, T5, etc)
I loved my 84 BRAT, with removable glass tops. At least I got what I had paid for it when it needed someone with cash to stop the rust before it got bad. These Rampages were ugly, and not the kind that has turned lovable over time, but I love the bright red interior! Where have all the colors gone?!
My simple economical solution is an suv and a 4 by 8 trailer !
Comfortable and spacious santafe , loaded with options , warm safe space for tools and dirt and bulk and an open trailer for the big or dirty stuff , initial trailer price of $75 about 25 years ago …