It doesn’t take long for a small issue to sideline a car or truck for the long-term. Take this 1982 Dodge Rampage, for example: an alternator that wouldn’t take a charge forced it into early retirement with plans to find a remedy before too long, but here it sits, covered in leaves and dirt. The shame of it is that it looks like it was a decent car at one time. Find it here on craigslist with an $1,100 asking price and located somewhere near Eagle Lake in Minnesota. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Roger for the find. 

Truthfully, the backdrop looks ripe for exploring to see what other treasures are lurking about. The Rampage looks like it was in good shape body-wise before being parked, though there is some rust damage on the driver’s side rear fender and likely other places. I have to say, however, I’ve been surprised at how well some car floors and pans survive despite years in the muck – my junkyard-find Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 being a perfect example. It’s bad, but nowhere near as terminal as it could have been.

Here’s where it’s possible to get way too optimistic about this Rampage: check out those bucket seats. These are OEM-spec seats, but most of the time, they are completely destroyed, or the colored band going down the center is totally faded. These look practically new by comparison, and almost certainly point to an easy existence before a silly alternator fault lead to this Rampage being parked long-term. The automatic transmission, however, is a bummer.

I always liked this style nose on the Rampage, as the four-eyed look was used on other editions of the model. This more streamlined front panel is a bit harder to find, based on the ones that pop up for sale on Barn Finds, and this Rampage would likely benefit from a quick power-washing based on the level of dirt evident here. The seller said it ran and drove four years ago; how much work will it take to get running again?