Before the K car invaded American driveways, the Plymouth Horizon/Dodge Omni offered car shoppers a crash course in front-wheel drive. The late 70s and early 80s hosted a general blossoming of front-wheel drive vehicles in the United States. The Volkswagen Golf, Ford Fiesta, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Honda Civic all got their start during those years. Several years later, sedans like the Plymouth Reliant and Chevy Celebrity arrived at dealerships nationwide. These cars essentially rolled out the red carpet for the Ford Taurus and Dodge Caravan in the 1980s. Would those two vehicles have achieved the same success had front-wheel drive been shunned by the public? Hard to say. But they certainly benefited from all the pioneers that came before them.
By 1988, this Omni was a bit behind the times. But it’s still a historically significant car. And there can’t be too many left in such a decent condition.
There really isn’t anything else to say about the Omni that hasn’t already been said by Paul. Basically, these borrowed a bit from the Golf. But Americans have always looked to Europe, and more specifically Germany, for inspiration. The Taurus emulated the Audi 5000 quite a bit, and in the process successfully introduced a European-style mid-size sedan into the American market.
By 1988, these were a bit outdated, but I imagine they were discounted due to their age, which likely made them a pretty decent value. According to my very limited research the 2.2 liter four cylinder was the only engine offered at this point in its run. I believe they had a pretty decent reputation for reliability.
It also appears that this Omni is equipped with a three speed automatic. With a total output of 99 horsepower and 122 lb-ft of torque, it won’t win a drag race with a lawnmower. But that’s obviously not the point. And who cares about raw power when you’ve got something like this anyway? Especially in this condition.
Seriously, look at this interior. I’m pretty sure it’s cleaner than my Focus, which is a much newer car that is also pushing 30k miles. We should all be embarrassed by this example.
That’s why I’m going to declare the odometer accurate. Sure, there’s a chance it could have rolled over once. But did you see the previous picture?
Here’s the seller’s description:
1988 Dodge Omni. Four-door hatchback one owner, extremely low miles: under 30k, rust free car, maybe the cleanest one left in existence. 4cyl, automatic, A/C, deluxe cloth interior in excellent shape. Car has Mazda Miata wheels on it now. Stock rally wheels included. $3,800.
What are the odds that this is last surviving one owner Omni with under 30k on the odometer? Pretty high I think. Even Chrysler probably doesn’t have one like this in its possession. We might want to alert them that it’s for sale. It has a few dings on the doors, but that’s easily fixable. Considering its rarity, $3,800 is more than a reasonable offer.
Source: Hudson Valley craigslist
Had an ’86 Omni, same color inside and out, with a 5 speed manual. Nothing exciting, but damn reliable, and for a small car, quite comfortable.
My grandparents bought this exact car brand new in 88 when I was in kindergarten, it was my first car when I turned 17. We put 400,000 miles on it and only had to do regular maintenance. It still had the original engine and transmission in it when we sold it. It’s 2022 and I still see that car driving around town. I’d give anything to have another one just like it. It was a great car.
When I finally had a few bucks in my pocket in the later 1980s I put real thought into buying one of these new – and they were all this light blue color by then.
But, I was having too much fun buying various Curbside Classics during those years to be that practical.
I have no idea why, but my first practical car purchase came after I got married.
It would be fun to tool around in this for a week to experience the road not traveled.
“…I have no idea why, but my first practical car purchase came after I got married…”
You don’t know WHY???? 🙄🙄
In my early years of marriage, I had somewhat grander ideas for a car purchase than what the Mrs. had in mind. Practicality ruled the day as a result, as it does to this day.
Those Miata wheels look great on it.
They really freshen the design. And add contrast to the boxy exterior.
Agreed! Great choice.
…and better looking than the GLH button wheels
Had one with 5-speed; wrote a COAL.
Would not want one with a 3-speed auto. Interestingly, in pre-production, the top brass at Chrysler wanted to offer the Omni with a 3-speed manual to shave costs. I can’t imagine.
This blue is the absolute best color for people who never wash a car.
Interestingly, in pre-production, the top brass at Chrysler wanted to offer the Omni with a 3-speed manual to shave costs
Never heard that, and I’d be quite surprised if it was true. Could you please give a citation or some reference for saying that?
As usual, no I can’t. It’s just something I remember reading somewhere. I can’t find any online reference to back it up.
You think you did. 🙂
That was never going to happen, or even be contemplated; by the mid ’70s, a 3 speed in an advanced car like this with such a small engine would have been the kiss of death. Nobody had sold a sub 2.3 L car with a three speed in the US since like 1965 or so. It’s pretty absurd to even contemplate it in 1977.
Maybe you shouldn’t “remember” these things, as it happens quite often and I have to spend a lot of time correcting them. I don’t like misinformation being posted. it’s one thing to have an opinion; another to say you read something….it makes it sound like you know something factual.
The story goes something like this: the management wanted a 3-speed manual for cost reasons. The engineers talked them into a 4-speed and they designed it so that they could easily add a fifth cog. I don’t have documentation for this, but the story was widely heard.
Also, remember that the original Vega had a 3-speed as standard. The 4-speed was optional. I actually drove a 3-speed Vega one time. That short drive quickly disabused any temptation to buy the thing.
I still don’t believe it.
Yes, the Vega had a three-speed manual, but it also had a 2.3 L high torque engine, whereas the Horizon had a 1.7L VW OHC engine. There’s a world of difference. And the Vega’s three-speed was widely panned.
As I said before, by 1977 nobody was building small displacement cars with three-speed manuals. Nobody had since the early-mid ’60s. Chrysler wanted a competitive and advanced small FWD car, and a three-speed manual would have been the kiss of death.
There’s a lot of things out there once can read, but whether it’s true (or logical) is another thing.
I owned a 79 with the VW 1.7 / 4-sp. and I can assure you a 3-speed would have worked just fine. I frequently started from a stop in 2nd and shifted (often without clutching!) directly to 4th. The 1.7 had plenty of oomph and that trans was the easiest shifting manual I’ve ever driven. In the days of the 7-11 Big Gulp and no cup holders, the skip-shift was a godsend on my way to work
The early cars with the 1.7 VW engine also came with the VW 4 speed transaxle. I know this because I worked for VW at that time, and transmission shops would order internal parts from VW as Chrysler only offered complete units, no internal parts. Since VW never made a 3 speed unit, this story seems extremely suspect.
I’d buy it. My brother owned a new 1988 Plymouth Horizon in black with a red interior, that served him very well. The spoked wheels really freshen the design, and give it an even stronger European look, more true to its French origins. Interesting, that Chrysler consistently offered very conservative colour choices on these through most of their run. The earliest examples offering bright yellows and orange, that later went away. A funky European inspired trim package with brighter colours and interior patterns, and creative alloy wheels, would have added interest in the mid to late 80s. The pizza wheels on the GLH were nice, but a more graphic European alloy wheel design would have added variety to the factory choices.
This must be one of the last new cars available in North America with exposed roof drip rails. They actually add a nice styling element here. Never really liked that highly generic looking steering wheel design. It looks unfinished.
I think they had that deep dish steering wheel because these cars didn’t have a collapsible steering column. The deep dish wheel was supposed to pancake and absorb the energy in case of a collision.
I’m surprised that was legal. That wouldn’t have passed the regs here.
@Old Pete
@emjay66
From what information I was able to glean from the Internet it looks like collapsible steering columns have been mandatory in the United States since the late 1960s.
That’s correct, since 1/1/68. A deep-dish steering wheel on a rigid steering column would not come close to meeting the requirements.
Spare parts out there for these? Some oldies have an Achilles heel that makes them yard art to those who can’t DIY.
Ever had to make a tool to make yet another tool to fabricate a part need for a 1952 Coleman snow plow? Yep, it’s giant time sucking PIA but it can be done.
America may have looked to the Germans, but Chrysler looked to the French – this car was very much based on a Simca design.
And before you dis the performance of a car with 99 horsepower, I should point out that my 1985 VW GTI had all of 100 (albeit out of 1.8 liters instead of 2.2 – but hasn’t performance through cubic inches always been the American way?) My mother had an 80 Horizon with the smaller 1.7 and an automatic and it was a quite reasonable performer for the day – it would beat an automatic Mustang II any day.
What other car from 1978 would have been as modern of a package as this one was in 1988? Certainly not the Pinto or the Corolla. The Honda Civic/Accord and the VW Rabbit/Golf may have been the only ones even close. I actually love this car. I would love it more with a stick, but would take it as is, though I would prefer it at $2500.
this car was very much based on a Simca design.
This car is the result of a three-way joint development project from the get-go by Chrysler’s US, British and French subsidiaries. It was conceived from the start to be built in the US as well as in Europe. It’s not “based on a Simca design”; it was a joint design. The Americans and Europeans worked jointly throughout its development and styling process. And as is well known, the key differences are that the European version inherited the Simca 1000’s supple but more expensive suspension, while the US version was given something more akin to what the Golf had: struts and a twist beam rear axle.
Its stylistic design is very obviously influenced strongly by the VW Golf/Rabbit’s design/styling.
Pretty much all of the engineering of the earlier C6/Alpine was done by Simca. The old Rootes people were involved in the styling and little else. And while the original idea had been for a “world car” Lynn Townsend put an end to the American part of the program. When new management of Riccardo/Cafiero picked up the idea again, U.S. engineering so thoroughly re-worked the thing to the point where there was virtually no parts interchangeability between the European and American versions.
So while your point is a good one in the macro view, the practical result is that the American part of the company took a Simca mechanical design and thoroughly Americanized it.
So while your point is a good one in the macro view, the practical result is that the American part of the company took a Simca “mechanical design” and thoroughly Americanized it.
That’s not an accurate representation of how it happened. I would encourage you to (re)read this article at allpar:https://www.allpar.com/omni/horizon-c2.html
I don’t have time to regurgitate it all here. But here’s one tidbit: contrary to popular belief, the European Horizon (Simca) actually had to be modified to accept the torsion bar suspension as used in the Simca 1100. The jointly-developed Horizon originally was originally jointly designed to have struts in front, as the US version ended up using. But then Simca engineers decided they really wanted the benefits of the long-travel torsion bar suspension, and in order to make it fit, had to modify the Horizon’s floor pan which cut into interior leg room.
Also: there were simultaneous clays in Highland Park and at the Whitley Technical Centre, and measurements were being sent back and forth electronically so that the two styling programs could be coordinated.
From that article:
My second memorable experience is that we digitized the clay model developed at Highland Park and transmitted the surface information to the Whitley (Coventry) Design Center by satellite. This data was then used to construct a clay “clone” model at Whitley for, amongst other things, developing specific grille, bumper, taillight and ornamentation designs for Europe. Although the data was transferred in this high tech way, the clay model was constructed manually at Whitley from the digitized surface data because we did not have a CAD controlled milling machine for clay models.
Sure, Simca had development concepts they had been working on for a new generation of cars. But having clays and ideas and concepts is a very long way off from actually engineering a car to make it suitable for production and meet required safety and bumper regs, as well as various cost targets. Once the actual development of both versions was committed to, it was a joint project, although Highland Park set the standards from the outset:
Al Bosley, a product engineer in the Highland Park M.O.S. (Management, Organization and Systems) Department, was assigned the task to be sure there were no systems problems in engineering and releasing the “common” design. Bob says that three issues were critical:
Engineering Standards – All accepted Chrysler USA standards because Chrysler Europe had few standards and they were disorganized.
Engineering Drawings – A warning note was added to all drawings because Europe and USA used different drawing projections: i.e. first vs. third angle projections.
Part Numbers – Chrysler France used a 6 2 system (six leading digits plus a two digit suffix indicating the manufacturing process — cast, finish machined, etc.) Chrysler USA used a 7 digit number and Chrysler UK also used 7 digit — but different — numbers. We went to an eight digit system adding 0 (zero) to USA and UK drawings – but providing for 11 positions in the computer system for future expansion.
Bob notes today that these were technically simple solutions but it took an inordinate amount of time to reach agreement because of local pride. Europe approached it as “their” design but the USA position was that as the senior company they had the final say on how it was to be.
The US version of the Horizon was extensively different from the Euro version, but not because it was a modded Euro version, but precisely because the two version were developed simultaneously, with different needs, regulations, cost points, priorities, etc. Given that Simca later modified the agreed-upon floor pan with struts to adapt the torsion bar suspension, it might be more relatively accurate to say that Simca modified an American design. I still wouldn’t say that, but…
And then there’s the fact that the US version was developed to use its own mechanical components for the most part. As you know, there’s hardly a single piece of sheetmetal or mechanical component that will interchange. Frankly, there was no reason to; it’s not like they were ever planning to manufacture US version in Europe, or vice versa.
The two versions were developed simultaneously for two very different markets.
I would go $2800 if it drives as well as it looks.
Take a grand off for the broken trip odometer. 😁
The wheels really make it look good.
Simple, honest and I could actually work on it myself.
And I like those old school seats.
Had an ’83 Horizon with a 5 speed (?) manual that was quite comfortable for my height (6’3″) and very frugal on gas. I loved the ride quality and the room to move my stuff btwn Michigan and Maine several times.
My guess is that it is better in my memories than in current reality. Still I’d like to drive one again for the comparison.
I had a 1988 Horizon (same thing) up until I rolled it at 130K miles about ten years later. Same color and interior.
When the Shadow/Sundance K cars came out instead of discontinuing these as planned Chrysler shortened the options list, changed to just two models (this one, like ad says is the deluxe) and added “America” to the name and lowered the prices a thousand or two. And pretty much stopped spending any money on them.
The idea was to compete with the cheap similar looking FWD Hyundais that had come out. The Guiargio designed Hyundais looked good but were crap and when I drove one after Horizons (I had a 1978 before that) it seemed cheap and about 7/8 scale.
The rallye wheels referred to in the ad were the standard for the model. Copying early Golf/Rabbits, they were stamped wheels with a trim ring and a cast center cap with the chrome bolts showing. Although no one else was doing that by 1988 Chrysler just kept at it. I put cheap plastic wheel covers on mine and it looked a lot better.
Around then Chrysler did a minor face lift on the the original Jeep Cherokee with a smoother tailgate and grille area. These Omnirizon twins could have used a similar update including modern plastic covered smoothed in bumpers (no one had ones like this by then) but they weren’t spending any money on them.
The deluxe model had a completely different interior than the base model. Note the cool armrests. The front seats are the same as in a deluxe interior Dodge pickup. Very comfortable, but only a notched backrest angle adjustment.
The 2.2 engine eventually put in these (and everything else Chrysler) was big for this size car. It wasn’t great at higher rpm’s, but with the automatic they took advantage of the lower end torque to use a low axle ratio so the rpm’s at cruising were relatively low. Mine was fairly quiet for the time. I bought official Chrysler carpet mats for it. They were heavy rubber with thick carpeting and probably reduced interior noise by a db. The mats in this one are not those.
Mine needed a head gasket at around 100K miles ($700) but other than that and a CV joint not much ever went wrong.
These cars were a great bargain at the time, if cosmetically outdated. One thing I learned with a 1990 vehicle I got rid of two years ago is that one problem with a car this old no matter what the mileage is that door seals may shrink and they can get leaky and loud.
The America was the only trim offered on both the Horizon and Omni starting in 1987. Chrysler ditched the base 1.6 liter Peugeot engine and the 4-speed manual, making the 2.2 and 5-speed standard, threw in the deluxe interior, sports instrumentation (with tachometer), and rear/wiper washer, and priced it at $5,499. That was only $500 more than the Hyundai Excel, and a whopping $700 less than the 1986 version with the 1.6/4-speed combo (Needless to say, the people who bought one in 1986 were not thrilled). This was an incredible value at the time, and explains why it lasted several more model years.
The Charger/Turismo went largely unchanged, and continued offering base/luxury/sporty trims.
Later the Sundance and Dodge Shadow got the America treatment, which, as you said, was a simplification of the product line and the option sheet with the goal of cutting costs and improving quality on an already-amortized platform. It extended the lifespan of both platforms by offering good value for money while being a far superior car to a Hyundai Excel, Yugo or even a Chevette. Ford’s Escort was nothing special either.
The 2.2 engine in the light L-body platform gave the cars pretty good performance for their time, 0-60 in about 10 seconds. Of course, a turbo 2.2 in an Omni GLH was really quick.
I remember reading in Road & Track that Chrysler bean counters indeed wanted a 3-speed manual in the Omni/Horizon but engineers went even one better and made sure the 4-speed could easily add a 5th gear, hence Chrysler’s ability to offer one soon after.
A lot that thinking went into the Neon actually. Developed on the cheap but equipped with a powerful engine that helped it make its mark.
Lee Iacocca and Chrysler took some criticism for milking the K-car platform far beyond its shelf life, nearly putting the company back in the hole Iacocca found it in. Of course, they inherited the large front-drive platform from Renault (Premier) when they bought AMC, which was then developed into the LH cars which made them solvent enough for Daimler-Benz to grab them.
Actually, the Shadow/Sundance “America” was really just a stripper model, not altogether different than the Chevette Scooter. There were still other trims available. Same for the Aries/Reliant. The Horizon/Omni were the only models to which the America concept was ever applied.
Damn, Hudson Valley? If it were closer to the VT border, I’d consider. I miss the Horizons that my mother owned. One of them became my brother’s first car and he cut a sunroof into it and messed around with the audio. They are fun little cars and with the right amount of car, are bone-stock reliable. I truly wish I could buy one and garage it.
I’ve driven to Vermont from here and it’s really not that bad, and definitely worth doing if you actually want to own something like this Omni. I can’t imagine another one like this showing up again. At least not on the East Coast.
I would love to own that! I’ve always liked these cars.
Add me to the list of people who liked these cars. I drove some as company cars, and had friends that owned them. They seemed kind of “American” in that the interior was roomy (for its class) and the low-end torque was a relaxing relief from spinning the whee out of my Honda engines. Yes, I loved driving my Integra but sometimes you just want to putter along and listen to the radio.
The biggest virtue of these, to my mind anyhow, was that in a day when horror stories were common, you didn’t hear any about Omnis. They just ran…. At the time, that was a big recommendation.
Interesting that it is missing all exterior nameplates save for the pentastar. Also, wouldn’t this have a Dodge crosshair grille at this point in the production run?
I am fairly sure it is wearing a Plymouth grille.
It has been at 15 years since I have seen one of these cars.
The Plymouth grille was a vertically segmented grille. Omni never got a cross hair grille
If it were the turbo with a manual then no hesitation. This car with a manual I might hesitate at the price a little. This car with the “no way” automatic I would pass. I was just looking last night at Craigslist where three cars caught my attention. An 89 Mazda 323 with the 4spd manual as I very much like Mazda at $1200. The other is a very clean 84 5.0L Tbird with 98,000 miles at $2500 and a 97 4.6L Cougar with 111,000 miles at $2000. I need an eleventh car like a third hole in my head but I really liked the Aero birds and so I am going to look.
My lucky week just ran across a 1986 Taurus with body and interior in excellent condition. At under 50K miles? Maybe based on visible condition but verify at $1750.
With a 2.2 motor this should be a hot-rod, as the entry-level Horizon had to make do with 1.1 litres ! Basically a shortened Alpine/Simca 1307 but very few parts were common between the European and US versions.
I briefly drove a Horizon once and all I can remember is the heavy steering.
And yes, it looks so much better with Mazda wheels….
What I find entertaining is that two articles on the same day link to Paul’s piece on the Horizon & Omni.
If that were a 5-speed, I’d be all over it! My one great buy of a lifetime was an ’88 Omni, black with red interior. A two owner car when I bought it, knew both prior owners. I got it at 51K miles, retired it with 287K miles. Endlessly reliable, easy to repair, comfortable and fun to drive, returned 38 mpg consistently. Not many cars I’ve had that I would love to have another copy of, the ’88 Omni 5-speed is one of them!
Other than the wheels, my mom had a practically identical ‘85 Omni. Hers had the 2.2/5 speed combo and moved along pretty well, though I found the shifter clunky, with a heavy clutch. By that point I was kind of spoiled by Japanese cars with light clutches and generally better shifters. Still, it was roomy, comfortable, and great to drive, and it served her well for the two years she owned it. She put it into a ditch (fortunately she walked away from it with only minor injuries) and got an ‘87 Plymouth Sundance with the turbo/5 speed. Again, a heavy clutch with a clunky shifter, but it could scoot once the turbo spooled up. Ask me how I know. 🙂
I had no appetite for these cars back then, but I take nothing away from this exemplary example of survivorship. 30 years and 30,000 miles is quite an accomplishment in itself, but to have been kept in this condition is remarkable. Had I wanted a subcompact back then, this would have been a head and shoulders choice over a Chevette. The Rabbit may have been the only other one I would have considered, I would not have acquired sufficient trust of Honda or Toyota quite yet.
Yes i would be interested. They still are attractive looking cars. Despite the Omni’s age and the fact that the car was to be dropped after a short run, Dodge put a driver’s side airbag on the 1990 model so obviously they still cared about this car.
I read somewhere that by 1985 or 1986, all the costs on this car (tooling, design etc) were paid off on this car and the Plymouth version so every one sold was profit for the company
Looks like it’s missing its rear wiper also.
I wish today’s run-of-the-mill cars could be had with a blue interior. I had several back in the day, and my last one, a 1997 Camry, had a bluish-gray cloth interior. Now, it’s pretty much gray, tan, and black.
My parents bought one of these new for my mom circa 1981. She had it until 1988 when we needed something larger. Still her favorite car.
To this day, I thought the Omnirizon was a timeless, attractive two-box design, nearly as sharp as the 1st gen Golf. Frankly, I would have liked it if Chrysler had stuck with the bodystyle for a lot longer and just done annual engineering updates (a la VW Beetle) rather than moving to the somewhat awkward Sundance/Shadow, before transitioning to the Neon.
Cue the original commercial jingle “The new Dodge Omni does it aaaaallll !”
These were quite the revelation when they came out. My Step Uncle purchased with some of his disability settlement money and then quickly purchased another for his wife because He liked the first one so much.
I bought a new 1980 Horizon with VW 1.7 and 4 speed. Two tone paint, upgraded interior and a/c.It replaced a 1977 Honda Accord. I only paid sticker for the Accord, which was hard to do in 1977. It was only ok, as it had a few mechanical problems and the front fenders rotted out. I had them replaced and Honda reimbursed me.
In 1980 I put in the local , pre craig’s list, sales paper and it sold quickly at my asking price. We kept the Horizon until 1983. The only repair I remember was a rebuilt alternator. The body and paint held up very well, as did the interior.
I never bought another new Mopar, just one used ex rental driven by my wife, when she was a road warrior. We have since had 4 more new Hondas, and at least 18 Acura’s
I purchased a 1989 Dodge Omni America brand new that same year. I still find remember it as being reliable and stable and since it was only available in silver at that point, my color was chosen for me. I pushed it well north of the 85mph top on the speedo a few times without ill effect. Ultimately drove it about 10 years and had to pay the next dealer $50 to take it. 🤣
Lots of fond memories. Would love to drive another for fun.
The Omni should have done far better in the marketplace, but I think Dodge had been badly tainted by the Aspen/Volare fiasco, and possibly the widely-reported steering-centering issue. This car was better than most of its competition in the seventies, and better than some eighties competitors such as the Escort. It should have been a runaway hit, but only broke 100k twice in its run.
Although the Aspen/Volare debacle didn’t help, I think the biggest problem with the initial sales of the Omnirizon might have been capacity being limited by how many 1.7L engine ‘short blocks’ VW could supply. IIRC, the dealers couldn’t sell the cars they could get fast enough.
Damn, I’d be ALL over that if it had a stick!
My ’83 Omni was one of the best cars I’ve ever owned.
Very interested
607-752-5194
I still have one .26,000 original. I get offers at every turn