Talk about a car no one saw coming back in the day, and is still a bit a shock to learn that it even exists: the Dodge Spirit R/T. Now, I am fully aware of how awesome this car is, but when a vehicle is considered one of the best sleepers ever made, it carries with it the burden of anonymity. The R/T was a performance-packed hot rod that has somehow faded into the background, never achieving the world-beater status a car know for being one of the fastest four-doors of the era should have reached. The R/T shown here on eBay has 156K miles and is listed with an opening bid of $1,200 and a Buy-It-Now of $8,500.
As a sleeper, you have to be comfortable living in the shadows. Your entire existence is based on surprising people at stoplights and the satisfaction that it gives. The Spirit in base form was a wholly underwhelming car. A good car, mind you, with some component sharing with Mitsubishi that gave it decent power and reliability. However, it was the absolute perfect car to create a fast four-door from, because it looked like a rental car with a body kit. The R/T packaged significant engineering pedigree, with a cylinder head designed by Lotus, a Garrett turbocharger, and loads of other subtle improvements.
The seller’s car is in stock condition, with no apparently performance modifications. This alone makes it a standout, to say nothing of its limited-production status. The temptation to upgrade the turbo components is strong with this model, as they have been known to generate prodigious amounts of additional power. Form-fitting bucket seats, a proper 5-speed manual, and lots of typically cheap 90s Chrysler details make up the interior of this R/T, but you can’t deny that the upholstery pattern is bang-on for a 90s tuner car. Hopefully, the next owner won’t modify this sleepy sedan too much.
The 2.2L engine produces 224 horsepower and 217 lb.-ft. of torque. Those were serious numbers back in the early 90s, and still impressive today. The seller purchased this R/T on Bring A Trailer in 2025 and got it for an excellent price of just under $7,000. The good news with these R/T is that there’s a fanatical community behind them; the bad news is many parts have gone obsolete and you have to be truly committed to owning and preserving these special sedans given some of the hunting that will be involved in tracking down elusive components. Still, it’s easily one of the coolest sedans made in the 1990s – if not ever.
This was a dream car for me 30+ years ago when I was driving my 1991 Spirit to college, after having sold my cleaning business and my Mercedes 300E. I bought two Spirits, one for me and one for my mom. Two Spirits for the price of one used Mercedes was a much better deal for a college student. That regular Spirit lasted with only one issue: an in-tank fuel pump went out, and I had to have it towed; otherwise, not one reliability issue in 370,000 miles. As with most Minnesota cars, it rusted to death.
I’m glad to see that the R/Ts are still out there and reasonably affordable. Almost anything under $10k is “reasonable” in 2026, isn’t it?
If there wasn’t a picture of the odometer reading 156000 miles I sure wouldn’t believe it. This has obviously been somebody’s baby since day one. Its incredibly preserved. Just look at that interior!!! Just amazing. I hope whoever buys this one keeps it this nice for years to come. I don’t think there’s many like this. Like Scotty said above, his wasn’t the only one to rust away unfortunately.
A guy I knew told me about a “Dodge with a Lotus engine”,
& at first couldn’t figure out just what he was talking about.
Another one of the “cool & affordable” rare cars out there.
Chrysler made some really fast cars during this era, but they got dismissed by car snobs for being FWD. It’s too bad, but it does mean they are bargains nowadays. Though the high mileage on this one is less attractive.
These are fun and fast cars my friend is a service manager for Chrysler- Dodge and had one of these as a demo car for a few months. If i had the money now i would be making plans to get this car so many were beat to hell. They were so few made and to find one in this condition is amazing. A wolf in sheep clothing whats not to like i feel is fairly priced.
Why do people not use a cover for the rubber timing belt?
In this case, I’d say it’s for easy inspection. These cars were notoriously hard on timing belts & likely one of the reasons you don’t see more more of these is because many broke belts even before the factory specified service interval. Of course, this is an interference engine & due to the rarity, a busted belt immediately turns it into a paperweight.
Change the timing belt. And if you’re unsure, change it again.
These cars were a hoot, not because they were smooth and refined, but because they were crude and brutal. They generated impressive numbers well beyond the practical limits of the K-car chassis underneath, like a ’60s muscle car, and that’s what made them fun.
Well , the fact that it only bid to $1,775 would suggest it was not a good deal at $7,000. But that aside, these were very cool. Car and Driver tested one and it ran 0 to 60 in 5.8 seconds, which was positively bonkers for a sedan in 1991, much less one with four cylinders.
Unfortunately, these high performance, Turbo 4 cylinder Mopars from this era do not get a lot of respect, which limits their collector upside. But if you can get one at an affordable price, they are a lot of fun.
This is the sort of car you don’t put up for auction, it would be better to set a fixed price and wait for offers. As shown, there isn’t enough interest from potential buyers to attract two bidders. Love on a forum doesn’t mean anything for an auction if it doesn’t translate into people willing to out up their own money towards bidding. It’s a better car than the high bid if $1,775 would suggest, but it’s not a collector car, at least not at this point in time.
Steve R
Another example of poor choices by Chrysler corp. All the big three have done it in some form or another. they take what would be a plane jane sedan and put a performance engine and suspension in it so to someone who doesn’t research or know about them has no clue they are available i like the concept here but i think they should have done this with the two-door model and given a different name i think they would have sold better. ford did something like this with the crown Victoria. if someone buys it, they will have a fun sedan to get some tickets in
Sleeper cars…
One of.my students at a Track Time school had one of these. The performance of the killer K car surprised me. Could be the fastest I’ve been on RA straights in a wrong wheel drive car.
I remember these but never drove one. They were certainly cool little sleepers and were super quick, especially for the early 90’s. It looks to have been really well maintained and shows really great considering the mileage. Curious as to why he’s selling after just a year of ownership. It ended with no buyers so I think the small market for these type of cars could have been a hindrance.
Having drove Tempo’s , Corsicas, and Spirits from that era, I would take a Spirit hands down over the GM and Ford mid size crap box. The RT’s were pretty sweet cars.