2/28/2023 0 Comments Ford courier![]() Either way, you can always just park where you can pull through. This might be minor, or it might be a big deal. The seller notes a problem with the five-speed manual – it’s hard to get into reverse. I suspect this engine has had more work done recently than the cursory tune-up mentioned in the ad. Ford wasn’t alone in this Chevy had its Isuzu-built LUV, and the Dodge Ram 50 and Plymouth Arrow pickups were both different badges on a Mitsubishi Mighty Max.įord offered the Courier with either a Mazda-built engine or its own 2.3 liter “Lima” four this one has the Mazda powerplant, which looks almost too shiny for the rest of the truck. Ford’s answer to small trucks from Datsun and Toyota was designed and built by its partner Mazda. Runs/drives? Runs fine but won’t go into reverseīefore the Ranger, there was the Courier. It’s just a useful little hatchback, the likes of which get harder and harder to find new every year.Įngine/drivetrain: 2.0 liter inline 4, 5 speed manual, RWD The seller says the air conditioning isn’t working, but thankfully refrains from claiming it “just needs a charge.” One seam has popped on the driver’s seat, but apart from that, there’s not much to complain about. This GT version wasn’t the most fun one, with a naturally-aspirated version of the turbo’s 1.6 liter engine plus it has even more of the fun sucked out of it by an automatic transmission.īut it’s still a handsome little car, and has remarkably low miles on the odometer. Not many of the cool features of earlier Colts made it this far: the twin-stick “Super Shift” transmission was long gone, and only a very few Colts of this generation were turbocharged. This particular Colt is from the third front-wheel drive iteration. Originally rear-wheel-drive and based on Mitsubishi’s Galant and Lancer, it became front-wheel-drive in 1980 when the Colt name was moved to the Mitusbishi Mirage, where it remained throughout the rest of its run. The Dodge Colt was one of the first Japanese cars to be marketed under an American nameplate, way back in 1971. Runs/drives? Runs great, according to the seller 1989 Dodge Colt GT – $2,000Įngine/drivetrain: 1.6 liter DOHC inline 4, 4 speed automatic, FWD But today, I’ve got a not-really-a-Dodge and a not-really-a-Ford from the captive-import days of yore for us to look at. (What did you think I was going to say?). Components come from all over, automakers are international corporations, and they all swap partnerships like couples at a… squaredance. These days, it hardly matters where a car is made. Cars like the Chevy LUV pickup, the Dodge Colt and Plymouth Champ, and Ford’s Courier pickup were American in badge only. GM partnered with Isuzu (and of course Toyota later), Ford got in bed with Mazda, and Chrysler teamed up with Mitsubishi. automakers in the ’70s adopted an “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” attitude towards the Japanese automakers. But buying American wasn’t quite as cut-and-dry as it seemed.Īll of the big three U.S. My family’s German and Italian and British cars flew in under the radar (they were acceptable because we usually had a Dodge, too), but if you pulled into the grocery store lot in a new Datsun or Toyota, you could expect to get the cold shoulder. ![]() I grew up in a Union town, and you just didn’t buy Japanese cars. But hey, if that’s the Cure for what ails ya…Īnyway, moving on: Back when I was growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, our family’s “foreign” cars marked us as oddballs, though not quite outcasts. ![]() And I learned something: I had no idea the goth community was such a big fan of ’50s Chryslers. That big blue Imperial really would be the most satisfying project of the four, I think, whether you go electric or just pop another big V8 into that engine bay. We’ve got a couple of imports-in-domestic-clothing to look at today, but first let’s see who won our big project car shootout last week.Īnd there you have it. I can’t believe we’ve been at this for a month now I’m still having fun, and I hope you all are, too. Welcome back! It’s time for another week of junky, janky bad automotive ideas.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |