Rebadging Japanese econo-boxes reached an art form by the late 1970s. GM cozied up to Suzuki and Isuzu; Ford liaised with Mazda; and Chrysler favored Mitsubishi. The Plymouth Champ featured here on craigslist wore the Mopar mantle, but underneath, it was a Mitsubishi Mirage. This two-owner example comes with original keys, documents, 92,000 miles on the clock, and enough repairs to put it into running and driving condition after storage since 1989. It’s located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the seller wants $4800. Barney, thanks for sending along this great tip.
The sub-compact Champ (known as the Colt over at Dodge) was introduced to fill the lightweight, fuel-efficient niche that American companies couldn’t seem to address with their own products. The Champ came with two engine options – a 1.4 or a 1.6 liter four-cylinder – and four gearbox options, including an automatic. The sexiest of these was the “twin stick”, which featured a two-speed transfer case for high and low, coupled with a four-speed transaxle, providing eight gears. This example is equipped with the 1.6-liter engine and a regular four-speed floor shift manual that brings about 80 hp to the front wheels. The seller has rebuilt the front and rear brakes; and replaced the carburetor, exhaust system, tires, battery, as well as many other items. He notes that the fuel pump is weak and the fuel gauge isn’t working properly.
Other than a couple of tears along seams in the driver’s seat upholstery, this interior belies its age. The carpets are clean, the mats look new, the dash is intact, and the rear seats appear unused. The cargo area is spiffy, and the door and other rubber seals look great. A few parts come with the car, too.
No doubt, the car looks better in the engine bay and the cabin than it does on the outside. I like the snazzy striping under the windows, so if a repaint happened on my watch, I’d have to replicate that detail. What do you think of this blast from the past? Any of you ever own a Champ or a Colt?
I bought a 92 Colt brand new. $4200. Great car. 40mpg all day long.
This car reminds me of the 1979 Ford Fiesta, I drove. 4 speed, sunroof, pin stripping and a white CB Antenna mounted in the rear bumper. My Dad thought it was worn out at 98,000 miles and talked me into buying a 1985 Mercury Topaz. Bad decision.
I owned an ‘84 Colt GTS Turbo with the twin-stick 4 speed. An absolute blast to drive!
I owned a 1979 Dodge Colt, a 1982 Dodge Colt and a 1989 Dodge Colt. All had manual transmissions, were fun to drive, and got great gas mileage. This one listed here would be tempting, though the location from me and the price are a deterrent. Single-stage red paint never held up well, and this car would probably look great with a proper paint correction detail job.
My aunt had a Colt Vista wagon for several years. She loved it and she drove the wheels off of it. She was heartbroken when it finally died on her & it would’ve cost way more to fix than it was worth. She looked for another one to replace it, but no cigar. She got a new Honda Civic which treated her well, but she really misses that Vista. Maybe I can surprise her with one someday, assuming a fine specimen like this Champ, rough edges and all, pops up on here. We shall see.