We’ve only seen three or four (there was one repeat) Plymouth Horizon TC3s here on Barn Finds over the years, and a few of the Dodge Omni 024 versions. The seller has this regular ol’ gas-powered 1980 Plymouth Horizon TC3 posted here on craigslist in the Langhorne, Bucks County area of Pennsylvania, and they’re asking $2,600. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Barney for the tip!
We’ve only seen about four gas-powered Horizon TC3s, if you don’t count the Jet Industries EV version, the Jet Electrica, which we’ve seen at least twice here over the last decade or so. The passenger side looks almost perfect, at least from a distance. The driver’s side appears to have some fading or missing trim, or maybe it’s just faded graphics on the bottom.
What a great-looking car, though. The seller’s description is a bit of a head-scratcher, as they say there is “no rust anywhere,” but then they show a close-up photo of a gaping rust hole in the lower body panel/s, and you can see other issues if you enlarge the exterior photos and look at the very bottom of the car. So yeah, there is rust on this car, and I’d sure want to see the underside. The rear cargo area looks nice, and this is sure a unique body style compared to the four-door sedan Horizon. The Spinnaker White and Graphic Red color combo is great, and here is a 1980 Plymouth Horizon brochure.
Another thing is reading that “the interior is mint,” but then seeing all of the rips and separations on the driver’s seat. It shouldn’t be a big issue or huge expense to fix that, or just get seat covers; this is a $2,600 car, it’s not like it’ll ever be at Pebble Beach. The rest of the interior does look nice, including the back seat. And not seeing an automatic transmission is nice for those of us who like to shift for ourselves when we can. The Horizon TC3 was made from 1979 through 1982.
Sadly, the engine was replaced by a box of wires and hoses… No, somewhere under there is a Volkswagen-sourced 1.7-liter SOHC inline-four with a mere 65 horsepower and 85 lb-ft of torque. Backed by the 4-speed manual, power is sent to the front wheels, and the seller says it’ll get 44 mpg on the highway, and everything works as it should. If it runs as well as it looks, it’s hard to go wrong with a $2,600 commuter car with a 4-speed. Have any of you owned a Horizon TC3?
According to the rear cargo mat, this appears to be one of the rare, very limited TC3 Sentra Edition models.
I learned to drive on a 1983 Dodge charger which with previously called the Omni 024
5 years newer than this one I had an iteration of one. The car had really lousy Construction quality. This one seems like a perfect restoration project though, making it better along the way. Good price. The pick up truck version was the sweet spot.
The version you’re describing came out in 1984 were the front end was redone Make it look like the upcoming Dodge Daytona.