When was the last time you saw a 1989 Plymouth Sundance let alone an RS Turbo model such as this one? Years? Decades? Never? Chrysler had some interesting and fun cars in this era once they came out with their turbo vehicles. This rarely-seen-anymore pocket rocket can be found listed here on eBay in Fort Wayne, Indiana and there is a $4,995 buy-it-now price listed or you can make an offer.
My best friend all through school bought a 1988 two-door black Dodge Shadow non-turbo in this era and it was a great car. It was a 5-speed car and it was fun to drive and felt really solid and quiet on the road, surprisingly so. I would have to imagine that if it would have had the turbo engine it would have been much more engaging and he may have picked up a few speeding tickets.
The Plymouth Sundance was a brother/sister car to the Dodge Shadow and they were made for the 1987 through 1994 model years. In 1988, the Sundance RS (Rally Sport) was added and it included the 2.5L engine, two-tone paint as seen in this one, the steering wheel was wrapped in leather, a luggage rack on the deck lid, a fancier stereo system, a full console, and fog lights. This one has a power driver’s seat and power windows and locks which I’m not positive were a part of the RS package but would have been optional at least.
I really like the notchback design with the hatchback utility. The rear cargo area looks great, by the way. They have provided a few underside photos and great photos overall, so kudos for that. It’s a rare thing these days to have good photos in a vehicle ad it seems like. There is some surface rust underneath as expected for an East Coast and Midwest (New Jersey/Indiana) car but the bottoms of the doors look rock-solid.
The interior looks like it’s in great shape other than a worn armrest on the driver’s half of the center armrest/console storage compartment. This one has 106,000 miles so it’s not a low-mile time capsule but it averages out to 3,400 miles a year on average since this Sundance was new. I distinctly remember the seats being supremely comfortable with nice bolstering and there appears to be a bit of separation in the driver’s seat seams, but otherwise they look nice and the back seat looks great. Yes, a 5-speed would make this pretty fun but there’s nothing wrong with a TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic.
The engine is Chrysler’s 2.5L inline-four turbo with 150 horsepower and 180 ft-lb of torque. I put over 300,000 miles on a 2.5-four in a 1991 Dodge Spirit and I think it’s a great engine, I’m not sure how the turbo adds or subtracts from the reliability. I’m guessing they get driven harder, and this one has been in a bumper-bender in 2004 according to the vehicle history report, but there doesn’t appear to be any eye-popping mismatched paint or anything like that. This looks like a great example of a fairly rare car today. Have any of you owned a Plymouth Sundance?
I like this. I had an 87 Shadow stripper model. The car was 10 years old when I got it and tired already, but it was actually fun to drive. I thought it was a nice car for the times. It landed in a junk yard before 80k however, so there’s that. These turbo cars are a lot of fun though.
Hey nice one, Scotty. I remember looking at the 3.0 V6 5-speed Shadow around model year 1991. The interior and engine compartment remind me of my ’84 Dodge Colt GTS Turbo – that car was a riot. In ’91 we ended up buying the Sentra SE-R which was a lot of fun for those days. I’d wager 200 HP would be easily attainable on this Sundance. Thanks for the memories!
Seldom seen because by the early 90s, most of these econoboxes were shelled out and scrapped. Nothing ‘collectible’ or noteworthy about these; it was probably one of Chrysler’s worst periods in history after the Iaccoca years.
Not a Mopar guy, but I always thought it was cool that Chrysler would stick their 2.2 liter turbos in pretty much everything (minivans, grandpa’s Caravelle, etc.) back in the day. Unfortunately, my excitement for this one died when I saw the auto shifter.
I had a 86 Ford Escort 4 speed with no radio and no turbo.
You had an Escort Pony. Four speed stripper, but they could get 40 mpg on the highway. I too had one.
Had an 87 Shadow 2.2 Turbo. Weak head gaskets. Went through 2 turbo’s before I gave up and sold it.
My mother had a brand new 1987 Turbo Dodge Shadow. Initially wow, after about 12K what a POS. I could have had it in 1997 when it had about 27K miles before it was traded in on a new Malibu. I laughed and passed on it. I think they gave them a grand for it and they were happy to get that. Years later I realized I made a good choice.
I had an 85 Lancer with the 2.2 5-spd. I replaced every seal on the engine at least once. It was the biggest POS I have ever owned. In 94, I decided that the next big thing to go would be “it”.
I made a list of pros and cons for 3 vehicles to buy when that happened, so I was ready. They were the Ford Escort GT (with the Mazda engine), the Honda Civic Si and Acura Integra RS. All with 5-spds. When looking at the lists the one that stood out was the Civic Si. It had the most pros and fewest cons. As it turned out when the AC went on the Lancer I was ready. I bought a really nice Si in Race Red with a sunroof and dealer installed AC. I was so happy with that car. It just felt wonderful when I drove it. It was like it was a part of me. I miss that 2-door coupe.
Outside of the seals, the 2.2/2.5 turbos were good little engines. I think the 2.5 is better as it has the longer stroke, more pull. Doesn’t wind as fast as the 2.2 for that reason, but it is a better all around driving car.
Is it an interference engine?
Yes…
The 2.2 and 2.5 were all non-interference heads with the exception of the Lotus head in the Spirit R/T and Daytona R/T which may have been interference.
This doesn’t have the turbo engine I would want and definitely the wrong transmission.
My sister had one of these and she got into some money trouble, repossession was coming, and my wife needed a car. So I paid off the loan to get sis off the hook, and got the car. What a mistake.
I’ve been through a lot of cars, and this one was the worst I ever owned. Second place isn’t close. Unreliable, uncomfortable POS. I think it stranded my wife and kid 5 or 6 times in 18 months. Was glad to trade it.
The Last (Sun) Dance.
These cars made the Chevette seem like a damn fine autombile .
The asking price is absurd. Much better can be bought for that amount.
I owned a 1989 Plymouth Sundance RS. It was one of the best vehicles I have ever owned. It lasted until 2002 with 150K miles when it was parked along a street, and a speeding driver lost control and totaled it.
After some positive experiences with some business trip Shadow rentals I bought a low mile used ’89 (?) Dodge Shadow in ’96(?) as a commuter/grocery getter to avoid racking up miles and gas bills with my ’93 Chevy 5.7l pickup. My Shadow had the dark green (emerald? – a popular color in late 80’s early 90’s as I recall) paint with a light grey interior and a 5 speed. For what it was it was fun to drive and fuel economy was great.
Alas, after several salty NY winters, one late night deer hit to the front drivers fender, and well over 100k additional miles it started to nickel and dime me and was showing a lot of rot underneath. So I sold it from the end of my driveway and saw it going up and down the road for a while after that.
I recall driver side window issues that developed a few years after I bought it (never wanted to stay in the rear track and required a special two hand technique to raise and lower it) and replacing a corroded fuel pump connector (and RTV’ing it liberally) that frustrated me a few times before realizing what the root cause was and fixing it once and for all. Other than that it only needed normal maintenance items and care.
Although the Shadow never left me stuck any where when snow came along unexpectedly, the FWD Shadow stayed at home when snow was likely to be on roads. Then the pickup came out (loaded with sand bags and shod with studded tires) to play. Now my commuter/grocery getter is a Rav4. With AWD and studded tires it will climb snowy hillside roads like a mountain goat to the point that I don’t use my truck when snow threatens. Now I only use the truck to haul what’s not suited for the back of the Rav4.
Auction update: the seller has relisted this Sundance for $3,595 or offer.
I’m driving an 89 Plymouth Sundance RS with the 2.2 turbo, and it’s a fun little car. Keep up with the work on it and it can last awhile, had mine for two years and still turns over on a snowy day.
Had an 87, really enjoyed the car. Turbo was great, chassis was sporty.
Always saddened when reviewing negative comments on very nice cars.
Experienced as a mechanic find that cars are generally well developed but what renders them in poor repute starts in the minds of their drivers. Witnessed too many racecar driver wannabes abuse a fine automobile then resort to negative comments because it fell short on their expected thrills.
I rebuild cars, would be nice to find a Sundance a Turbo coupe to add to my collection.