Is this just not the perkiest convertible you could buy right now under $5,000? The Dodge Shadow is one of America’s great, cheap summer runabouts, a vehicle segment I opine about often that simply doesn’t exist anymore. I’m no Sigmund Freud, but I do wonder if the collective happiness of a nation can be measured by how many cute, cheap convertibles are for sale at a given time. After all, who else would buy such a car outside of someone who either has joy or wants it? This Shadow is listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $4,000.
I’m willing to bet this is a factory color called “Raspberry Red Pearl” which captures just about perfectly the spirit I’m referring to. If you sit at a traffic light nowadays, count how many red cars you see, or teal ones. Probably near zero in a given traffic pattern. The Dodge Shadow may have been an upsophsiticasted piece of 80s American econobox trash from a driving dynamics and build quality standpoint, but did it really matter? We just wanted to put the top down and get to our destination. This Shadow was apparently towed behind a motorhome and left at the previous owner’s cottage when not in use.
If that’s not a ringing endorsement for what this car was meant for, I don’t know what is. You’ve got an RV, a summer house, and a convertible – life is pretty grand. And it doesn’t even have to be that nice of an RV, or a massive house by the shore. How about a 20-year-old, short wheelbase motorhome and a small house on a quiet lake? That all sounds pretty good. And parked there will be your raspberry-colored Shadow convertible. The interior of this Dodge looks quite tidy, just like the outside paint. Those bucket seats still look quite comfortable, too.
This isn’t the ES-spec Shadow, so there’s not a powerful Mitsubishi-sourced engine under the hood. This is likely the 2.5L inline-four which makes around 100 horsepower and 135 lb.-ft. of torque (I realize there was also a slightly lower powered 2.2L, so if I’ve got the wrong engine, please correct me.) The seller notes there’s just 62,000 miles on the clock and the Dodge has recently had its timing belt replaced, and outside of a bad window motors, it’s ready to keep on enjoying that summertime living. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Lothar… of the Hill People for the find.
Nice little buggy, though the mileage is actually unknown. It just stopped at 62k.
Why can’t they make fun little cars like this anymore?
Is it just me or does parts of the paint job look like it’s growing scales?
LOL! Reflection of ceiling lights. I have seen those fixtures.
It has a trailer hitch???? We’ll be nice and assume that’s for a jet ski trailer?
Price is now $3500.
We had the ES version with the V6. Green with a tan top. Lightweight, fast and fun.
The first new car I owned was a ’94 Shadow base model 2-door sedan. It had the 2.2L four, the 5-speed stick, optional rear window defroster and passenger outside mirror. It left the factory without any sound system or even an outside antenna, so one of the first places it went to was the car stereo shop for a rocking AM-FM-cassette player and four speakers. That was a very reliable and fun to drive car which covered 86K miles in five years. I ended up selling it to a coworker’s husband when I upgraded to a ’98 Avenger with the Mitsu 2.5L V6. That was also a great car but I miss the Shadow even more.
Jeff, I don’t know where you live but in Arizona red cars and trucks are not uncommon at all. Fortunately the days (here anyway) of just white or silver or champagne colored vehicles is over. We have tons of vehicles with actual colors again like the old days! Yay! I always liked the Shadows. I’m not as much of a convertible fan as I used to be but I’d still love to own this. Given having arthritis now I have an even greater appreciation for automatic transmissions also. BTW, love your write ups. You guys have some excellent staff members. I’ve been following you guys for several years.
I almost bought one of these new back when. You could actually order it with a blue top. Was going to get white with a blue top. That was a throw back to the 60’s for sure.