A 1991 Dodge Shadow convertible, eh? Seems like an unusual automobile to cover on these august web pages, but as usual, I have a reason – more on that to follow. So, reasonable mileage, good condition, top that drops, and a low price – sure that’s worth a review, and we have Rocco B. to thank for this tip. Those with a passing interest will find this curious convertible located in Los Angeles, California, where it’s available here on craigslist for $3,500.
Dodge’s Shawdon and its cousin, the Plymouth Sundance, were offered between 1987 and 1994 and built on the Chrysler “P” platform. Body styles included three and five-door hatchbacks, and in the case of the Shadow, a convertible was part of the lineup between ’91 and ’93. Our subject is one of 20K assembled in ’91 – its most popular year. Sales dropped by 84% in ’92 and then rebounded slightly in ’93. This 76 K-mile specimen shows well. The finish is bright, the folding top is sound, and there’s no indication of crash damage. The rear bumper cover is scratched in places, and it looks like a wheelcover is missing, but for a 35-year-old “throw-away” compact, this one’s in pretty fair, overall shape.
Power is provided by a 100 net HP, 2.5-liter, transverse-mounted, in-line four-cylinder engine, which in turn spins a three-speed automatic transaxle. The seller claims, “Car is running well.” The engine compartment appears to be original and unmodified, and looks about how you would expect to find it.
The interior is in surprisingly nice condition. The cloth upholstery is clean and shows no sign of rips, wear, or too much top-down time. The back seat in a Shadow convertible is really nothing more than a suggestion, or a shadow, of seating space – very small people or children only need apply. The image of the center stack isn’t too clear, but it appears that the radio is not fully attached/inserted. This is an A/C equipped car – no word on its operational capability.
So, why review a Dodge Shadow? Back in ’91, I took a two-week trip to the Bay Area and thought it would be fun to rent a convertible and take a cruise along the Pacific coast, down Highway 1, the Cabrillo Highway. I ended up with a ’91 Shadow, and it was even red, though I recall it was a darker shade. It was a fun car, a bit agrarian in its manners, but it drove well enough, handled OK, and was adequate on power – but no more than that. The workmanship was so-so, as was the quality of its materials. I wasn’t too concerned with it overall; it’s not like I was going to buy it or one similar to it. It made a trip up to Muir Woods in Marin County, and its size fit the bill on San Francisco streets, where it was easy to slip it into small parking spaces. I suppose it actually started my interest in convertibles as I’ve owned several since my spin in the Shadow, though I’ll admit, they don’t hold the charm for me that they once did. The Shadow and Sundance, while not impressive pieces of automotive machinery, did the trick for ChryCo., however, with Shadow production reaching over 650K units, and the Sundance managing an output of over a half million copies – pretty good shootin’! As for this car? Cheap wind in your hair thrills, I guess. Tell me, has anyone ever owned a Shadow, and if so, what were your impressions?
Wonder how difficult a Neon SRT4 swap would be and how dangerous it was result in
Nice one, Jim, and great find, Rocco! I laughed and cried at the same time after seeing those horrible photos. IT’S A TINY CAR, WHY IS EVERY SINGLE ONE CUT OFF! GAAAA! (running in circles, arms waving in the air)
Affordable convertibles were a Chrysler Corp. specialty in the 80’s, and beyond..
Had a Shadow and a Sundance. Fun little vehicles!
Got one of these for my wife way back in 94. It was my sisters car and she’d lost her job and was heading toward repo time. So I went to the bank, paid it off and got her off the hook.
In any event, of all the cars I ever owned, that thing was the most incredible piece of crap out of all of them. Just brutal, and it barely had 30K miles on it too. Was glad to trade it. Pretty sure if they made razor blades out of it those are defective too.
I believe Penny had one.
I owned a 1994 Dodge Shadow ES. Bought it new and ordered it the way I wanted it: Mitsubishi-built 3.0 V6, 5-speed manual transmission, Emerald Green with gold accents, tan cloth interior, and a sunroof. Taught my future wife (still married) to drive a manual in that car. Waxed and polished it so often a friend of mine said it “felt like silk.” I loved it.
I had one as a demo for a Dodge dealer, back in 1991. When it rained you would get less water in if you just left the top down then if you left the top up….LMAO. Fun car, but not in a rainy climate like Cincinnati Ohio. Expect wet seats, wet floors and carry towels with you. Maybe they’ve come up with a fix and 1991 not sure.
Back in 1988, I was leaving Grad school and was going to buy a new car. I had my sites set on either the Isuzu I-Mark RS or the Shadow ES. I searched in 4 states for the I-Mark, completely unobtanium.
So I went to the local Dodge dealer, and sat through every dirty trick in the slimy dealership book until my brother convinced me to leave. Really turned me off any Chrysler product.
I ended up with a Isuzu Impulse Turbo. Which I thought was pretty good. It had the typical GM bad paint of the era. I also thought it was pretty fast, until I drove my brother’s Eagle Talon turbo.
I remember renting one of those for a wonderful day/night date with a very exotic and exciting girlfriend. Stellar memories of that woman! Seeing the convertible brings everything back in an incredible rush!
Fun little cars that seemed insanely expensive in the day. Notorious leaders from the roof. Find a leBaron instead.
Notorious leakers…
We had a 91 Shadow ES convertible. Green with buckskin tan top. Ours had the 3.0 liter V6 with 4 speed od auto transmission. Faster than a scalded rat but that was the early days for the 3.0 and 4 speed auto tranny. Had both of them rebuilt.
I have had 2, a 1990 2 door 2.5 5 speed. We ran it 75,000 miles with no problems. I still have a 92, 4 door, 2.5 automatic. Close to new condition. It’s got 97,000 miles on it. No issues at all until 96,000 miles. It blew a head gasket, which is common on a 2.5, around 100,000 miles. I elected to fix it and it cost me 1700 dollars to replace the head gasket, refurbish the head, new water pump, timing belt, new hoses & belts, plugs, flush the cooling system, new thermostat. It starts and runs like new again. It was worth fixing and has given us good service.
Almost bought onenew but opted to get a 91 Mercury Capri. Best car I ever owned. Found a mint one 4 years ago and bought it. Still a great car. Had a Lebaron conv that kept blowing head gaskets. Not a big fan.