Some vehicles just have grandma car written all over it. This low mileage 1986 Plymouth Horizon is one such vehicle, a creampuff of a car with just 30,100 original miles on the clock and looking like it has even less. The Horizon, like other economy cars, is a perfect candidate for being used for short trips to the supermarket and to church, and not for much else. Given the condition and the Horizon’s location in Florida, it seems like a given this belonged to a retiree. The small details are all spot on with this car, from the perfect steel wheels to the spotless chrome trim to the dealer badge still intact on the rear hatch. Find it here on craigslist for $8,950.
The paintwork looks good too, as you can see it still has a fair amount of luster in this photo. While it’s clearly an entry level spec (not that you could get these all that gussied up), the Horizon likely served dutifully as someone’s errand car without costing them a fortune in maintenance. Despite being maligned as a cheap car and an econobox, you still see a fair number of these on the road or turning up in salvage yards, which suggests they are fairly long-lived machines. And given enthusiasts are still hooning the heck out of the turbocharged GLH cars, they can clearly take a beating as well. The seller confirms this is a one-owner example that’s been garaged since new.
Look at that interior – it’s spotless. Even with just 30,000 miles, that’s plenty of time for someone to get careless. Not here, as the surprisingly well-bolstered bucket seats show no major signs of wear and tear, and the carpets and door panels look to be in incredible shape as well. The seller reports even the air conditioning still works. Given the Horizon was garaged since new, the bargain basement trim pieces haven’t succumbed to the relentless Florida sun, aside from the bumper trim on the exterior which is somewhat inevitable if you take it out of the garage a few times a week. The seller believes it’s the nicest Horizon in the country; do you?
I love details like this that show how little the car has been messed with since it left the selling dealer. The dealer badge or license plate frame is one of the hallmarks of a survivor, I believe, as these details are often lost on cars that trade hands a lot or are otherwise left exposed to the elements. The Plymouth has been living out its retirement just as its owner did, in the sunny confines of Ft. Myers, Florida, one of my favorite spots in the Sunshine State. The asking price doesn’t seem out of line for a survivor like this, but I suspect $7,500 may be more of a reality for one of the nicer commuter cars on the market today.
The ad goes on to mention its in the BaT cue for being listed in a few weeks. If there is a site that brings top dollar for vehicles it’s BaT. Personally I would rather have a MK1 or MK2 GTI over this car. It may be the nicest but they were never that much fun to drive.
A VW Rabbit isnt much fun to drive compared to a GTI, try a GLH and tell me it isnt fun to drive, not to mention it would eat a GTI for lunch.
I agree, alphasud. I’d take a base model MK1 over any Horizon. And a GTI over any GLH. It’s not all about 0-60 times. The Rabbit was often duplicated but was never really replicated.
A near-twin to my mom’s, the first actual car I ever drove. Hers had the optional seats that were the same as the deluxe full-size van’s (!) but other than that, and this car’s dealer pinstripe they were the same thing.
My grandmother had the same year but in rootbeer brown with a tan interior. She actually bought it from the same dealership in Fort Myers (she lived in Bonita Springs). I used to drive it when I went to Florida to visit her (I lived in Michigan at that time). I just remember that it was surprisingly quick with ridiculous torque steer. If that car was closer to the west coast I probably would buy it at that price.
I am not far from 50, and I can’t recall ever seeing one of these that wasn’t Swiss cheese and leaving a trail of smoke
We go through this everytime with these, we owe a lot to this little car. With as many that were sold, there’s bound to be many like this. To keep it short, I think they, and all the offshoots, were great cars. You can have your foreign car loyalty crap, but when these cars were built, there was no reason to buy a foreign car. They did everything the others did, and kept sales at home. People pixx and moan, how bad these were, again, it was all about maintenance and driving habits, something we didn’t care about with our Electra’s and LTD’s. I had great luck with every K car I had, and it’s fun to see one like this again.
So……u gonna pay 8 grand for it??
I’d rather pay 8K for a say, 78 Pontiac Formula that needs a trans or a engine rebuild.
Foreign crap? It was based on the Simca Horizon that was designed and manufactured in France! Back when Chrysler had a subsidiary factory in Europe. Too bad when the home office decided to manufacture their version here, they bastardized the American version to suit American tastes. The Simca was a much better vehicle, that actually rivaled the VW Golf/Rabbit. No wonder Chrysler is now owned by Stellantis (Fiat, Peugeot, Citroen etc.)
The American version came out before the French one. The American one also didn’t use the antiquated French engines or their carryover suspension designs from earlier Simcas. Saying the Simca was a much better vehicle begs the question of what your parameters are. They certainly weren’t as fast, as durable, as fun to drive, or as well equipped as many of the American versions. It is possible that they had a better rough-road ride. Perhaps the typical Talbot got better mileage than the average Omni would probably be true, but of course they were also gross polluters while American cars already had emissions controls that worked. Chrysler also had Miser versions of the car that addressed the mileage issue. They also offered comfort feaures in the US that the European mass market would have to wait another decade or two for. It is true that the Japanese were making better cars than Detroit was by the time these cars hit the market, but that was never true of the French or the Brits.
Foreign crap? It was based on the Simca Horizon that was designed and manufactured in France! Back when Chrysler had a subsidiary factory in Europe. Too bad when the home office decided to manufacture their version here, they bastardized the American version to suit American tastes. The Simca was a much better vehicle, that actually rivaled the VW Golf/Rabbit. No wonder Chrysler is now owned by Stellantis (Fiat, Peugeot, Citroen etc.)
The Golf/Rabbit was definitely designed and manufactured before the Horizon. Chrysler actually bought the engine blocks from VW to use in the first Horizon in the US. My ’77 Rabbit, built in Germany, had fuel injection. The Horizon didn’t get fuel injection until the mid 80’s. The round headlight Rabbits were very well built and advanced for an econobox. The later US built square headlights had cheapened interiors but still had German design and higher quality mechanicals underneath. The early 2.2 engines were thrashy compared to the Rabbit engines. And Chrysler was bailed out and bought out many times due to bankruptcy, not because they were making superior cars in the 80’s and later…
Your 77 Rabbit was a strong runner. It was a 1600 with fuel injection same as the Scirocco and Dasher. For 78 they reduced the engine size to 1500. They ran good but not like the 77. We had one as a shop car and I used to flog that car every day while I was building a 16V Golf. I would much rather drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. I miss the 4 wheel drifts with the 175\70X13 tires.
Yes, exactly. Nothing like a lightweight base model car with a 5 spd. They feel a lot faster than they are. A big parking lot, a little snow, and a working e brake…good times. I think the ’77 Rabbit I had was called a champagne edition. I also had a Black Tie edition that was also pretty rare, maybe that was an ’82 with a 1.7 in it. Then an ’83 GTI and 2 ’84 GLIs all with the 1.8. The 1.8’s all had 150k -250k miles on them and ran like new which was rare for any car back then. Very strong cars. I don’t think the Horizon 2.2 was lasting 250k miles
That was our family of 4 car, bought it new, turned out to be a very reliable, thrifty, roomy and sufficiently peppy transportation that took us on vacation far away from our Chicago home base. A smartly designed auto all around. I believe it was designed in partnership with Simca in France and they had their own version over there?
Yes, Chrysler/Simca which was Chrysler’s European operations developed the car first, then Chrysler’s U.S. operations also got on board to produce their variant in and for North America. It used a VW sourced engine at first.
I had the exact family of 4 car that I bought new in 1986. The only difference was that it was a Dodge Omni and a 5-speed. It served us well, being reasonably comfortable, reliable, and economical. It was also great in the snow. It was replaced when I bought a new 1991 Taurus SHO to replace it.
Years later my high school aged sons bought a Horizon (I believe it was a 1984) that had a 1.6L and a 4-speed. They decided to drop in a a GLH-T motor and a 5-speed. I didn’t think they could do it since it would require replacing the fuel pump and tank, as well as adding a computer. Lo and behold they were successful and it was scary fast. I still have the motor and transmission in my garage.
I was very impressed with my first Omni/Horizon drive – a rental car form Detroit to Coldwater & back in ’78.
After being accustomed to Chrysler’s ‘other’ larger products it was definitely a step in the right direction and we all know they needed several – next up the ‘K’ car.
5 things that I recall about owning an ’86 GLH-T
– The engine
– Low Profile Tires from the factory
– Torque Steer
– Surprising IROCs and GTIs
– Those comfy seats
For all you commenters that wanted to put another engine in the Gremlin. Here you go a V8 with a blower and two 4 barrels carbs. Cut the hood add another tranny with a rear end and go fishing!
Located in Cape Coral, FL
My father in law had the Dodge Omni version (talk about badge engineering) a d it was the unluckiest car he’d ever had. It was almost like it had a sign on it saying, “hit me!” After 4 years, I don’t think there was a panel that hadn’t been straightened by the body shop!
My father had a 1980 Horizon with the 1.7 and automatic. He bought it to use as a commuter car because his big Chrysler Newport used a lot of fuel. I drove it many times and while it wasn’t a performance vehicle it was pretty reliable, had good fuel mileage and was great in the snow and without snow tires!
After he passed away I had some repairs done on it and we gave it to my sister to drive.
WH’s story reminded me that my father bought my mother a new ’79 Horizon. Other than the 2 tone (dark browninsh and tannish IIRC) exterior and auto transmission, it was a no-frills car.
I remember how the entire interior was plasticy, including the steering wheel. And the unforgettable odd plastic odor that never went away for the entire time we owned it.
My parents went on to own many K Cars and Voyager minivans after that, so they were pretty impressed with that Horizon, or at least not scared off by it.
The Horizon was a piece of crap. I unfortunately had one for 4 years and went through many repairs under warranty. At the end of its run around 63,000 to 64,000 miles the carb went. It was replaced but that was the last straw. I traded it in for a 1989 Mazda 323 hatchback and that ran for 11 years.The only good Horizon/Omni is one that is junked. Chrysler or whatever they are calling the company today has not made a reliable vehicle in many years. My Horizon was bookended by 2 poorly engineered GM vehicles a 1977 Sunbird and a 1981 Monte Carlo 229 V-6 one of the first with computer controlled emissions. It still had a carburated engine engine and what problems I had . The Sunbird had its share of problems but at least out of the three lemons it was fun to drive.
Quite a few on here that say theirs wasn’t a “piece of crap”
Guess u got a bad one….
As far as Chrysler not making any good cars anymore, the Challenger and Charger and 300 r all pretty reliable cars and they r all built in Brampton Ontario.
All r same frame and drive trains.
In 2002 I suddenly needed a cheap car right away to commute to work. I found a clean, one owner, low mileage, Garnet Red with red cloth interior 1986 Horizon with air conditioning. It was running poorly but didn’t seem to have any serious issues. I bought it for $200. and quickly got it straightened out. Plug wires out of order, timing wrong, a couple of vacuum leaks, etc. Once corrected it ran beautifully and turned out to be a very good car.
The designers did a good job making a small sized car that lots of usable interior space. It was roomy with comfortable seats that reclined. I’m 6 feet tall with long arms and legs and found the driving position to be excellent even without a tilt steering column. There was plenty of headroom and it was easy to get in and out of.
I had been used to driving cars with v8 engines and had to adjust my driving a little such as entering the freeway and getting up to speed. The 2.2 wasn’t high performance in any way but had good torque and the car was geared right and had no problem keeping up with traffic. The Horizon was totally reliable and very cheap to run. For the next three years the only thing I needed to do was fill the gas tank.
It turned out to be one of the best cars I ever owned.
Here is the real story you buy a car and don’t take care of it guess what ? It turns into a turd! How many vehicles do we see that are “creme Puffs” but oh we lust after because they were so good but in reality someone treated it LIKE THE LAST CAR THEY WOULD EVER OWN I’ve seen it for 50 years now ! Treat a 427 tri power corvette like a turd guess what? IT TURNS INTO A TURD! 427 BIG BLOCK OR NOT! Don’t believe me ? Try it the worn out big block glory is waiting with bad handling & everything a pos
I would buy it and drive it but I personally don’t believe its worth $9k $2500- $3000 tops
These cars were made by Simca in France. I had two of them, one called Chrysler and the other Talbot.
Real rust buckets!
According to a online search I just did they were made in America.
Belvidere Illinois and Minnesota.
Designed and first built by Chrysler Europe, with manufacture in France. They were also manufactured in the U.S. soon after European introduction, though altered for American tastes.
An American car, engineered and designed in France. When it was finally manufactured in America it debuted with a 1.7L engine from VW. Not really much “American” there to speak of, except maybe the paint that was applied at the factory when it was finally manufactured in the USA.