As a sister car to the L-body Dodge Charger, the Plymouth Turismo was made for those who wanted something a little different. This 1985 1983 Plymouth Turismo can be found here on craigslist in Ridgefield, Washington, just north of Vancouver, Washington. The seller is asking $800 or best offer, here is the original listing, and thanks to Pat L. for sending in this tip!
Other than the badges and graphics, they were basically identical cars to the L-body Charger, which was based on the Omni/Horizon. Or, more closely related to the Dodge Omni 024 and Plymouth Horizon TC3. I need a drink, too bad it’s only 3:30 here, a full half-hour before my normal G&T time. This car looks good to me for $800 or offer. I wonder what it looks like underneath, I don’t see any major body flaws other than a few issues. For yard art alone, I’d give them $500 if I didn’t have to pay $1,200 in shipping from Washington State.
I’m a huge fan of go-fast (not) graphics packages and this Turismo 2.2 doesn’t disappoint. $800?! Dang. The front-drive L-body Dodge Charger came out in 1981 but the Turismo wouldn’t come along until the 1983 model year. 1987 was the last year that they were available and I have to think that the Charger variant outsold the Turismo by a decent margin.
In ’85, Dodge buyers could choose a turbocharged engine, but the Turismo reportedly never came with a turbo engine, and that’s a crying shame. You can see that the original front seats for this car are in the rear cargo area and there are some replacements in the front. While an automatic transmission would have been available, thankfully this one has a five-speed manual.
The dusty engine is Chrysler’s 2.2-liter SOHC inline-four, which would have had 96 horsepower and 119 lb-ft of torque. Sending power to the front wheels through that five-speed manual, it would have zoomed (ok, leisurely traveled) to 60 mph in just over 10 seconds. Sadly, this one isn’t currently running as it needs a battery, according to the seller who confirms that it was previously in running condition. Would any of you be up for saving this Turismo?
It’s a 1983 not a 1985. The 1985 would have quad headlights and different narrower taillights.
Mr. Banter is correct. I had a ’84 Charger and remember the front and rear styling of these.
Experience was that mine was a miserable little car…
The 2.2 and Shelby versions were fun little cars. They were shoddily built and flimsy, yes, which added to the fun for the performance versions. The cable shifters were pretty bad, I remember.
As to this one, I don’t hate it. It’s a rare Turismo 2.2. Seemed most of the 2.2s were Chargers. It even has its original stripe kit on it and seems largely intact. For 600 bucks, I might take a chance on cleaning it up and seeing how it ran, provided the floors aren’t roached from sitting on dirt for umpteen years.
Umm, Sorry to correct you. I drove an ’83 for 10 years. Loved my car, crimson red. This is an ’83 for sure. I waxed every inch of that vehicle once a year. The front grill, side markers and the decal are exactly the same. The interior had the crush velour.
At this point? Does it really matter? Drop the clutch in first, and this thing will break in half.
i’ll hold out for a look underneath first. bought a shelby turbo (charger) a few years back to donate parts to my rampage. kid i got it from did a ton of motor and suspension work before he figured out there were no floors left and bailed on his project. i romped hard on that car in the yard at the shop and have moved it twice (project fell down the priority ladder) and it stills hasn’t broken in half. did i mention that both times it moved it was stuffed to the rafters with project parts?
for a project car this one doesn’t seem like a bad start after some eyeball inspection of course
Similar to the Omni/Horizon Charger … that alone tells me all I need to know.
Thanks for the clarification, Bick. I saw that it had just one headlight on each side, which would have been an earlier model, and it conflicted in my brain with the seller’s listing of it being a 1985. I should have questioned it more, my apologies.
These dogs did not sell very well, a niche car looking for the niche.
Yes indeed, this is a 1983 Turismo 2.2. There is an ’85-87 L-body coupe parked behind it (the car in primer) and it looks like there’s a ’90 L body sedan (the weird blue coloured car) parked in front of it.
My first new car was an ’83 Turismo. The cars were called the TC3 through 1982…and renamed Turismo for 1983. The Turismo 2.2 variant first appeared in 1982. The Turismo 2.2 was carried over through the end of the coupe series in 1987.
My Turismo had the 1.7 litre VW 4 cylinder carbureted engine with a four speed stick. Had I waited until December of 1982, I could have gotten the five speed, but I didn’t want to wait. Gas prices were going up and I was commuting back and forth to UNH, so fuel was really eating a hole in my already threadbare pocket. I ordered the car with only a radio for an option. If I recall, the price of the car, delivered, was $6700, which was all of the money in the world to me back then.
Fast it was not……you timed zero to sixty with a sundial, not a stopwatch. But, the car got amazing fuel economy. 40 MPG was not unusual, although to get that kind of mileage, you had to pull a Seinfeld and wait until the tank was just about dry before you refueled.
The car was tough as nails……I had never owned a car with a manual gearbox before and sort of learned as I went along. The original clutch was still in the car when I put it out to pasture 10 years and 180,000 miles later. The only issues I ever had with the car were oxygen sensors. The car ate them like they were candy. I got very adept at replacing them in all kinds of conditions……driving rainstorms, blizzards, 90 degree heat, dark of night, etc. I kept a box of them in the hatch.
If the car wasn’t so far away, I’d take a chance on it. The Turismo is easy as dirt to work on….virtually no electronics in the car at all, just the O2 sensor that was linked to the “feedback” carb. As long as the tinworm hasn’t attacked the floors, this car should clean up and run……
I drove an ’83 for 10 years. Loved my car, crimson red. Yes the O2 sensor, once every 6 months but the front wheel drive handled in all conditions. The interior had the crush velour. miss my ride
Had an ‘84. People always wondered how I could fit my 6’4” frame inside. Mine had the 2.2, and you couldn’t kill that engine. After keeping it running for 20 years, I finally sent it to the crusher with 150,000 on it. Half the floor boards were gone, and the other half were going. Had a 2×4 tied across the spare to keep it in place, as that floor was also gone. When the tow showed up, the guy was more than a little amazed at the mileage – said it was the first one he’d seen that crossed the 100,000 line. He was also surprised when I started it right up and drove it to the edge of his tow! Only reason I got rid of it was because what wasn’t gone due to rust was rotting out, and that’s not good on a unibody car! Even the fuel tank was seeping gas!
My parents bought a ’83 Turismo, and a 1982 Dodge Rampage in 1983. Identical except the rampage had the pickup bed. Turismo has this consistent high pitched whine that the Plymouth dealer could never figure out. It was coming from the carb. The Rampage never had a problem. Parents drove them until the late 80’s. Good little rigs.