Low Mileage 1980 Dodge Mirada V8

I wonder how ole Ricardo would feel about the 1980 Dodge Mirada? Sure, he was a Chrysler Cordoba guy, the car that exclaimed in 1980, “Cordoba. A singular tradition,” but now you had the Mirada hornin’ in on that singularity. Heck, I guess you could even lump in the Imperial as well – they were all built on ChryCo’s J-Body platform and had that two-door personal luxury coupe vibe going on. Today’s Mirada find, courtesy of Lothar…of the Hill People, is the first of these that I’ve spied in a long time. Actually, I had completely forgotten about the Mirada (I keep wanting to call it “Miranda” after this goofy woman who I used to know) until encountering this listing, so let’s do a review and see what, if anything, we can recall. Pulaski, Wisconsin, is where you’ll find this two-owner Dodge, and it’s listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $5,900.

Dodge’s Mirada lasted four model years (’80-’83) and managed production stats of a bit over 50K units. A single two-door variant, in three different trim levels, was the sole body style, and it could qualify as a hardtop, but that busy C-pillar with its enclosed window muddies the classification a bit. Styling is always subjective, but I admit I’m drawn to this car’s angular lines. It looks like a bigger car than its 209.5″ in length projects, and it surprisingly rides on a 112.5″ wheelbase – I assumed it had more of a stretch. Tipping the scales at 3,400 lbs., the Mirada was in a good place size-wise for a personal luxury coupe in the worrisome fuel-shortage days of the late seventies and early eighties. Unfortunately, the images for our subject aren’t the best (we should do a remedial automotive photography class). What can be seen looks pretty sound, and the seller claims, “Car is a rust-free, unrestored survivor.” The finish still has depth, and the mini-vinyl top appears to be sound. The mileage is stated as 37K miles, but there’s no authentication for that claim. The “Forged Aluminum Road Wheels,” as they are known, set this Dodge off perfectly.

It wouldn’t be the eighties without velour upholstery in some shade of red! Again, the environment appears to be in good nick, but the images aren’t that telling. The upholstery and door cards show well, though the seller states that the headliner is gravity-bound in a couple of spots. Also noted are fully working gauges but an A/C system that will require servicing.

Under the hood is “old faithful,” a 120 net HP 318 CI V8 engine, which in turn, spins a three-speed TorqueFlite A904 automatic transmission. Power was down, as it was pretty much everywhere automotively in ’80, thanks to tightening emissions-control regulations and reduced fuel-consumption targets. The seller adds, “Has the original numbers-matching 318 V8 that runs perfect. Car runs strong and could be driven on a daily basis if desired.”

So, a standout car? Probably not, but it is a two-door coupe, powered by a V8 engine that drives the rear wheels, and it’s in fine low-mileage condition. This is a configuration we won’t see again, and if you dig this layout, the price seems reasonable. OK, that’s all I got; what’s your take on the Dodge Mirada?