Junkyard Find: 1992 Dodge Colt Hatchback
Chrysler began selling Mitsubishi Colt Galants with Dodge badging in North America all the way back in 1971, and the Colt stayed available here for nearly a quarter-century after that. Here's one of the very last Dodge Colt hatchbacks Americans could buy, found in a Denver-area self-service yard last year.
1992 was the final model year for the sixth-generation Colt. The seventh-generation Colt was available in coupe and sedan form only and its final model year was 1994.
Starting with the 1979 model year, a Plymouth-badged version of the Colt (by then a front-wheel-drive car based on the Mitsubishi Mirage) became available. Through 1981, it was badged as the Champ, then became the Plymouth Colt until the end.
North American car shoppers could get versions of this car from four different marques in 1992: Dodge Colt, Plymouth Colt, Eagle Summit and Mitsubishi Mirage. The Mirage and Summit remained available through 1996, two years after the Neon replaced the Colt at Dodge and Plymouth dealers.
Turbocharging was no longer available in the US-market Colt/Mirage by 1992 (the Mirage Turbo held on until 1991). For 1992, the base Colt got this SOHC 1.5-liter rated at 92 horsepower and 93 pound-feet.
The higher 1992 Colt trim levels received a 1.8-liter DOHC engine with 113 horses,
This being a base car with few options, it has the El Cheapo™ grade four-speed manual transmission. Not many cars could be purchased with four-on-the-floor manuals by the early 1990s; the final holdout was the 1996 Toyota Tercel.
This car doesn't have air conditioning, and the block-off plate for the A/C switch appears designed to taunt the car's owner for being a cheapskate.
At least it has pinstripes and a right-side mirror.
But who got the last laugh here? Nearly 200,000 miles of affordable driving out of a no-frills Mitsubishi is doing well.
It got a new timing belt in 2020, then drove another 11,000 miles.
L'Avantage Chrysler.
Made in Japan, priced in America.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
1992 Dodge Colt in Colorado wrecking yard.
[Images: The Author]
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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.
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That's a nicely styled car, not too square, not too round.
the girl in the L'Avantage Chrysler commercial is French hot!