The late 1970s: gas prices increasing, Iranian hostages, inflation, variable rate home loans, stagflation, GM raising prices every quarter, Chrysler going to Congress begging for a bailout. I decided it was time for something smaller and more economical than my Mercury Zephyr ES: a 1980 Plymouth Champ.
The years 1979 and 1980 aren’t necessarily remembered fondly in the popular culture of the USA. It was the “malaise” era. You either hated disco or loved it. But life goes on. I got my parents settled in a better house, but I was living with them. I tried to do something other than printing for a career — working in a computer room with mainframe computers. I found a part time job at a weekly newspaper — the joy of deadlines and working best under pressure.
The newspaper chain I was working for bought out a competitor and suddenly, working on the paper wasn’t “fun” anymore. Thought about going back to school and taking computer programming. The choices were the University of Akron or Kent State University. But then I heard there was an opening for a typesetter back in Columbus; I actually had my choice between two jobs there. And decided to re-enroll at The Ohio State University, because I was, by their records, a junior undergraduate so picked up where I had left off. Settled on taking “bidness” courses — accounting, marketing, finance, operations management.
In another year, I decided to go for the M(aster) of B(rutal) A(mbition) degree — probably so that I could prove that I could do it, more than anything else. Finance is how 2+2=5, marketing is making wants a need, (and logistics) and accounting is making sure the beans are categorized properly and pennies become dollars.
…..
In 1978, the Ford Motor Company had celebrated its 75th Anniversary with a televised gala and Henry Ford II famously fired Lee Iaoccoa. Chrysler went to Congress for federal loan guarantees in 1979. Seemed to be no drama at General Motors, which was how they liked it —their most famous former executive, John DeLorean, was trying to build cars in Northern Ireland. But there was not a small car made by the Big 3 that I wanted except for the Chrysler captive imports.
I thought I wanted a Honda Civic, and actually put a deposit on one in the winter of 1980, with delivery scheduled for six months out. Iold the Mercury Zephyr to a local Ford dealer and was going to drive my brother’s VW camper for a while. But….
The 1980 Colt/Champ was roomy inside, with excellent space utilization, and my previous Moparbishi had been OK. I found a brownish tan “stripper” model for sale — it was front wheel drive when Toyota had not yet gotten on the FWD bandwagon. The only clue I have as to what I paid for it is my 1979 tax return: Listed as a deduction is a vehicle sales tax of $199.58 which, at a 6% tax rate, is a net price of $3326, which seems reasonable; I don’t remember how much money I put down. I only had to pay $200-300 over invoice, and it was available TODAY, which you couldn’t say about Hondas or Toyotas (Datsuns were too strange-looking, except for the Zs).
This 1980 Champ comes from an earlier CC post; mine didn’t have fancy wheels or the roof rack, and I didn’t have these seat covers:
It was fun to drive, allegedly got the best gas mileage of any automobile sold in the USA that year — 37 MPG, according to the EPA dynamometer. Real world MPG was good, but not quite that good.
This car didn’t get many highway miles, but my dad and I drove it to Minnesota in April of 1980. In 1980, in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, you would see automobiles parked on the ice. In nearby taverns, the tavern patrons had a betting pool, the jackpot winner was the person who guessed the date when the car would break through the ice.
Consumer Reports didn’t like Mitsubishis very much, but the car magazines did. Mitsubishi engines had a lot of low-end torque, while my work associate said that his late ’70s Chevrolet Malibu could barely get up an area hill — never a problem for any of my Japanese cars, just down shift and enjoy the engine noise — as you pass the under-powered American cars. My fellow CC contributor has a great review HERE.
Almost got a reckless operation ticket with this Champ; it was very driveable on the hilly roads of Northeast Ohio. The constabulary gave me a ticket for about 20 miles over the speed limit.
I drove the stripper model for about a year and then decided to “upgrade” — I was making better money. I got an 1981 Champ, which was identical to the 1981 Dodge Colt RS except the Champ was more brougham-like and the Colt was more “speed racer.” That year, I paid $361.13 in vehicle tax, which implies a price of $6018.
I bought an aftermarket stereo and installed it myself, on the city street in a gentrifying neighborhood. Lesson learned. They didn’t steal my “off-road” halogen headlights.
One night, on Neil Avenue, south of Ohio State main campus, I was at the light with someone who had the Colt RS, different paint jobs, but mechanically the same. We “motored” to see who would get to merge first as the street went from 4 lanes to 2 lanes, and I won.
I took this car, with my then girlfriend, to visit my brother who had just moved into a new house in NE Atlanta during spring break 1981. And drove this car back and forth to Akron, especially after February 1982, as I was getting serious with the next girlfriend. When we couldn’t see each other, I called her via Sprint long distance. November 20, 1982 –for a change– instead of being rammed from the rear, I rammed someone from the rear as their driveshaft had fallen off in the middle lane of SR 315. The OSU University Hospital ER that day was a zoo — Ohio State won the Michigan game that afternoon.
Yes, I bent the steering wheel. I had nose bleeds for a week and my ribs are still cracked. I was wearing a seat belt, but there was a lot of play before it stopped me. This car was totaled; you’ll note my homemade windshield graphics misspelled Mitsubishi.
Next installment, car shopping in December 1982 — choices galore as front wheel drive was starting to be mainstream.
Related CC Reading
At the paper I worked with a woman whose husband worked at the Twinsburg stamping plant (RIP). She profusely thanked me for buying a Chrysler product, I didn’t tell her I had bought a captive import.
My mother had one of these, I no longer remember what year / model but it was okay, ran well, drove nicely and was reliable .
-Nate
Good little car.
Mitsubishi’s engines in those years were on par with, if not better than, those of Toyota, Honda, and Mazda.
Wow, double the price! I thought I was the only one who kept tax returns that long. Looking forward to the next installment.
Did both of these have Twin Stick? I was torn between thinking it was a cool idea and a kludge, especially when our 77 Accord had a 5 speed. The only other thing that sticks is vague memory of a turbo version. I had an impression that American cars were slowly downsizing and emerging from the deep Malaise Era with cars like the Fox Mustang and the K cars but I was import focused
The Twin-Stick was indeed kinda a kludge in response to the gas crisis, adding an effective overdrive ratio to Mitsu’s existing 4-speed as a stopgap until they could develop a proper 5-speed. Since their FWD powertrain already used a transfer case between the engine and trans, it wasn’t difficult or expensive to develop that into a dual-range case. Both transfer ratios were available in all gears (even reverse!), but in actual practice most drivers tended to drive around town in Power mode, only shifting into Economy for overdrive at highway speeds.
Ah, another happy Colt/Champion owner. And our cars met a similar end, although I avoided shedding blood on those nice blue seats.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/?p=441843
These were satisfying little cars.
Too bad about your car, but I had one of those Toyota Camrys you showed in your article, but that is a few articles away.
I bought a Champ that was a rebuild. Still, what a great little car. 2nd gear broke and I removed the transmission easier than many RWD cars, replaced (I think) the cluster gear which was in stock at the local Plymouth dealer which suggests an issue, then drove the wheels off that critter. Fine little car.
Well, I can’t disagree with you about how 1979 and 1980 weren’t remembered fondly in popular culture. I chalk that up to their being the end of the 1970s, a rather dismal decade altogether. Not unlike the 2020’s are shaping up to be. I graduated high school in 1979 and headed to college that fall. I was more than happy to move on from most of what the 70s had brought.
I haven’t thought about the Colt/Champ twins in years! I recall seeing them around everywhere back then. While I never drove one – although I did drive some twin-stick car a few times and don’t remember what it was – they impressed me as likely being fun. They seemed kind of zippy and buzzy…and I could imagine that might have been a hoot.
It amazes me that you paid nearly twice for your 1981 Champ than you’d paid for the 1980 Colt. It appears that you might have gotten a pretty great deal on the 1980. And then I guess there was inflation. If I recall correctly it was running like around 15% in 1980/81. Those were the days.
I found a JD Power website with MSRP prices. They had the 1980 Champ Base Model at $4430 and $5263 for the deluxe. And the 1981 Champ base model at $5263 base and $5820 deluxe. So there is a $1390 price difference with inflation and the trim premium. I must have put money down on the 1980 Champ to get the price to $3326 and I could have the tax rate wrong — 1% less sales tax rate would make the sale price greater.
Those base prices sound right. I looked up Automotive News import price lists published at the time (April 1980 and April 1981), which listed $4,430 for the 1980 base Champ and $4,792 for the Custom model, with 1981 prices of $5,263 for the base car, $5,559 for the Deluxe, and $5,820 for the Custom. (I guess Custom was above Deluxe.)
Sounds about right to me…I was in the market for a car in 1981, and recall hearing of someone who’d bought a new ’79 Toyota (not sure which model) and sold it a year later for more than they’d bought it for…which doesn’t happen often, even with Toyotas. Small cars sold really well after the ’79 gas shortage. I had a rusty ’74 Datsun 710 which I sold myself in 1981 after a terrible test drive where trim fell off my car during the drive, and they still bought the car, I guess because it was reasonable on gas.
Interest rates were also very high especially on a used car..when I bought my car in Feb ’81 I qualified for a $5500 loan at our company credit union at a 16% rate which was very good for a used car back then. My manager at the time was president of the credit union (long story, it was a volunteer position, and neither of us were into finance) and my short tenure thus far at the credit union only justified a max of $5000 loan as I’d started with the company that the credit union served only 6 months prior. A year later a co-worker bought a used ’79 Sunbird and got a 24% loan on it as a used car (don’t know why he didn’t finance it at same credit union).
For some reason I started looking at new cars before figuring that I really could only afford a used car (of the type I was looking for). My friend bought a new ’81 Ford Escort wagon after his ’74 Audi Fox driver’s seat fell through the floorboard due to rust, but I wasn’t interested in an Escort; I looked at new at the time K cars like a Dodge Aries and a Pontiac Phoenix, and even the same model I bought but new instead of used, a 1981 VW Scirocco. Being a small car I paid top dollar in 1981…that started my VW ownership, not having owned any make but VW in last 45 years (just got to year 25 on my current ’00 Golf about a week ago).
I had one, I think it was an ’80 Champ, but I called it a Colt for clarity. Bought it cheap, $200 IIRC not running. It would fire, but not start or run. Turned out it needed a timing belt and a clutch at 100K. Modest, but fun to drive, the 8 speed tranny made it much more fund to drive, even with the lowly 1400 engine. Not fast by any stretch, I don’t think it would break 90, but peppy, it would get out of the way quick. In a hurry I would start in 1 low, then 2 low, then 2 high, then 3 low shifting both levers at the same time, easy to do, then from 3H, to 4L to 4H it didn’t make any difference, except a slight change in sound. So it really was just a 5 speed, but with one more lever.
A modest hatchback, better looking more fun to drive than most of it’s competitors. Put about 40K on it, I don’t think it ever left me stranded, but it tried a couple of times. Not a great car, but I recall it with a smile on my face, unlike some I’ve had.