If you’re in the market for something cool and unusual in the under $5.000 range, this 1984 Dodge Colt seems to have plenty to offer, and I’m confident this one will turn quite a few heads as you zip through traffic. Although the fourth-generation Colt is considered sub-compact in size, there was enough room for the design team to make the car appear a bit sporty, especially in the GL trim, and this one has also received several additional custom touches. Located in Los Angeles, California, this 1984 Colt GL can be found here on Facebook Marketplace with an asking price of $4,500, which sounds more than reasonable. Mitchell G., thanks for sharing your fun find with us here!
The seller doesn’t provide many specific details about the exterior, such as the age of the silver paint, but the photos seem to back up his claim that the car is still in amazing condition. I’m not spotting any obvious body flaws or corrosion anywhere, and all the panels seem to line up accurately. The owner mentions that a custom moonroof has been added, but unfortunately, no particulars are given, nor do we get to see it up close. The gold aftermarket wheels complement the silver finish nicely, and those tinted windows help make this one stand out as well.
A mileage number of 105,000 is listed, but there’s no confirmation of whether or not that’s actual. However, the seller says that the Colt starts and runs great, with a few new parts recently installed. These include a Weber carburetor, a fuel pump, and an ignition coil, with the engine bay appearing tidy and orderly. Many potential buyers will be glad to find that this one’s also got a 4-speed manual transmission, with another custom touch being the lowered suspension.
The red interior also appears to be well-preserved 0verall, plus an upgraded audio system is present, featuring Kenwood speakers and Bluetooth capabilities. I can’t remember the last time I saw one of these running around on the street, and with all the mods this one’s received, I’m thinking this would be a fun little driver to get behind the wheel of. It’ll probably make a fun splash at car gatherings as well. Any thoughts to share regarding this 1984 Dodge Colt GL, or its relatively low price tag?
Sweet little hatchbacks. Some of these had a wild twin-stick arrangement I believe.
Yes I owned one, pretty cool. It was essentially a two speed axle. These were very dependable and economical cars! It’s pretty much Mitsubishi
Have owned two of these little hatchbacks, purchased a 79 Champ and a 81 Colt, both new. Very good cars but the mileage is concerning. I didn’t find that they were good for the long haul. Of course, autocrossing probably didn’t help the expected lifetime line much. Shame there is no twin stick on this one.
Nice, clean example of an 80s hatchback. The lack of the Twin Stick is disappointing. Also, no mention of whether it’s a 1.3L or 1.6L.
I had an 80 Champ, 1.6, Twin Stick. Moderately modified. Drove it hard. Other than an appetite for front wheel bearings, it held up well mechanically. Eventually, all of the welds started rusting out.
I remember these little cheap throw-away cars. The public wold pay over
sticker for a Honda but scoff at under sticker for one of these. A shame really
as they did run good and it was fun rowing through all those gear variations.
I would hold out for the twin stick and turbo version.
At the time, the Colt Turbo twin-stick was advertised as the “Pocket Rocket”, and I found out they actually lived up to that claim!
A friend of mine had the Turbo for a while, which sounded uncannily like a cop siren when it spooled up and down.
The twin-stick these got in earlier years was an interesting novelty, but it was really just a stop-gap to offer an effective overdrive ratio until Mitsubishi could develop a proper 5-speed FWD transaxle, as equipped here.
Their FWD powertrain package already used a transfer case between the engine and trans, so it was fairly cheap and simple for them to develop that into a dual-range case, which could thus be used in all gears, even Reverse! In actual practice, most owners drove around town in Power range all the time, only switching to Economy range on the highway.
I had a 1986 manual version of this, without the doodads, and by then I think it had fuel injection–don’t remember a carburetor. Spark plugs and oil changes were a breeze, but anything more complex was a nightmare. It expired from a blown head gasket at about 150K miles, and the succession of used Saturns I’ve had since have all exceeded 200K miles by a long shot. I think there’s a reason you can’t really find Mitsubishis in the States anymore…….
Hot hatch?? With the base engine they weren’t even lukewarm.
Had a new 84′ Dodge Daytona turbo and remember these little cars back then. Never had one but I believe they were pretty dependable for what they were. Looks very clean after its east LA gang banger transition.
great vehicle, prefer wagon tho
Great color, sale prep, photography
And, yes, the ‘pinto’ or Lima carb (32/36) and
fun stuff (rear gear, twin sticks, etc) for me in it…
The honeycomb wheels aren’t bad on this.
Aside from the fancy, oversize aftermarket wheels (probably easier to find tires for than stock 13s) this is a plain-jane base model, vinyl seats and no Twin-Stick.
Seeing these always reminds me of their marketing for the turbo model. “Don’t step on the gas unless you mean it”.