Junkyard Find: 1988 Dodge Lancer
Detroit sedans with manual transmissions become uncommon as automatics got cheaper during the 1960s, and they were nearly nonexistent by the time the 1980s came to an end. Still, they were available, and I've found this five-speed equipped Lancer in an Aurora, Colorado car graveyard.
We've seen a couple of Lancers in this series before now, but both were loaded ES Turbos with automatic transmissions ( one '85 and one '86).
This Lancer is a base model, somehow kept alive for a couple of decades longer than most of its more valuable turbocharged siblings.
The Lancer name has an interesting history. Chrysler first used it on 1955-1959 full-sized Dodge hardtops, then made it a model name in its own right by applying it to the Dodge-badged version of the Plymouth Valiant compact. That was just for 1961 and 1962, after which that car became the Dart.
Mitsubishi began using the Lancer name in 1973, a couple of years after Chrysler began selling Mitsubishi Colt Galants in the United States with Dodge Colt badging. The final Lancers were Taiwan-built 2024 Grand Lancers.
This generation of Dodge Lancer was sold for the 1985 through 1989 model years.
It's a member of the extended Chrysler K Family, living on a stretched K platform shared with the Chrysler LeBaron GTS.
All Lancers and LeBaron GTSs were five-door hatchbacks that were shaped exactly like four-door sedans.
They were all built at Sterling Heights Assembly, which began life as a US military jet engine and missile factory, then was purchased by Volkswagen in 1980 but never produced any VWs. Chrysler bought the joint in 1983, and the Lancer/LeBaron GTS were the first automobiles to be built there. Today, Ram 1500 pickups are built there by Stellantis.
This car's MSRP was $10,482, or about $29,364 in 2026 dollars.
It has air conditioning, which would have added $775 to the price ($2,171 after inflation).
It also has the optional 2.5-liter engine, which cost an extra $279 ($782 today). This gave the car 96 horsepower and 133 pound-feet, instead of the 93 horsepower and 122 pound-feet of the base 2.2.
It also has the best audio system available in the '88 Lancer: an Infinity AM/FM/cassette rig with digital display. The price tag was a stunning $673 ($1,885 now), but it was a necessity in order to listen to the most influential song of the era with the proper volume and clarity.
I don't see a cost listing for this six-tape cassette dispenser in my 1988 price guides, so perhaps it came along with the cassette deck at no extra charge.
But wait! The original buyer loaded this base car up with all those costly options (including some I haven't mentioned), yet insisted on keeping the five-speed manual transmission.
A three-speed automatic would have cost $536, or about $1,502 in present-day money.
The top-trim-level Lancer ES listed at $12,715 ($36,620 now) and came with the 2.5 and A/C plus some other goodies, but still had the manual transmission as standard equipment.
The interior of this car is in very nice condition for its age.
The paint has some fading but the body is straight and rust-free.
Just over 130,000 miles show on the odometer.
The key is in the ignition, which suggests that this was a dealership trade-in that proved unsellable due to being a 36-year-old non-truck with too many pedals. Getting scrap value from U-Pull-&-Pay beats getting nothing.
Self-driving Lancers terrorize the city while the night watchman snores at the Dodge dealership.
It is a revolution on wheels!
Yes, there was a time when most Dodges weren't trucks.
1988 Dodge Lancer in Colorado wrecking yard.
1988 Dodge Lancer in Colorado wrecking yard.
1988 Dodge Lancer in Colorado wrecking yard.
1988 Dodge Lancer in Colorado wrecking yard.
1988 Dodge Lancer in Colorado wrecking yard.
1988 Dodge Lancer in Colorado wrecking yard.
1988 Dodge Lancer in Colorado wrecking yard.
1988 Dodge Lancer in Colorado wrecking yard.
1988 Dodge Lancer in Colorado wrecking yard.
1988 Dodge Lancer in Colorado wrecking yard.
[Images: The Author]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Hagerty and The Truth About Cars.
More by Murilee Martin
Comments
Join the conversation
Idles at 2000rpm even when dead!
I bet the dealer slapped a $5k asking price and wondered why it didn't move.
These are not good.