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1989 Plymouth Acclaim : Dodge Spirit | Retro Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ต.ค. 2023
- Chrysler still sporting the boxy look with the new Acclaim and Spirit while the competition starts their journey towards the jellybean look. Ahh, the late 80s.
Show 802 | Original Airdate 10-06-1988
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I remember as a kid thinking these were so cool. Even today, in my eyes, they have aged well, more so than other American cars of the era.
"Handling was also a pleasant surprise."
**Car almost flips**
Yeah about that point in the video I thought "they forgot to put suspension in the prototype!" But then, K-car variants weren't exactly sports cars. I had a Chrysler Laser that looked sporty, but was not, and a LeBaron convertible that was pure cruiser.
@@gordonmills2748 I had an 1989 Lebaron convertible with the 2.5L 100hp 4cyl. It was definitely a cruiser, not a sports car.
@@palebeachbum The GTC definitely was sporty though. Intercooler turbo and stiffer suspension.
Bought my first new car out of college at the end of 1989. I wouldn't have given this car a second look. But now I miss those days and all the reminders of them.
I had a 1984 chevy citation and I regret selling it after 2 years. I really liked it.
What did you buy in 1989? Maxima?
@@pilot_gti A Nissan 240SX fastback. I thought it looked like a spaceship. A good car, but more show than go.
Cause they were awful straight from the dealership!
I miss 80s
Anybody else want the comfy velour seats back!
Me. Cloth isn't as nice.
@@GeeEm1313 Modern cloth seats aren't really cloth like the old days. More like polyester fibers. I miss the old days though when the doors had carpet on the lower kick panels and the upper part of the doors had some kind of fabric.
I thought the same thing...
Omg yes. My new cars fabric is not soft and feels like it’s a plastic bottle!!
Velour was very nice, definitely miss those days. I don't miss the 150 ho V6s of the time though!
I bought a new 1991"Deep Water blue " Acclaim LE V6. Smooth quiet and quick for the time. Fit and finish was excellent. All was soured by an unreliable transmission. Replaced twice in under the 7/70 warranty and failed again at 108k miles. $5k to fix, the car was given to charity.
Yeah, the electronic 4-speed automatic in these cars was extremely fussy on maintenance and often short-lived. On the flip side, the hydraulic 3-speed automatic was an extremely dependable transmission. It was still going strong in my mother's 1992 Acclaim at 182k miles when it was totaled.
I had a ‘90 New Yorker that, I think, had that same transmission. What a nightmare that thing was.
We had a ‘93 Spirit program car when I was a kid and my second car was a ‘94 Spirit. Tremendously unappreciated cars that were well-engineered and very reliable, especially if they were made in Mexico where the paint held up much better than those made in the US.
I remember the Dodge Spirit R/T around this time. It was pretty fast. It was their response to the Ford Taurus SHO.
Motorweek posted their review of the Spirit R/T if you want to watch it.
Unfortunately that 2.2 Turbo engine was not reliable.
The only competition it had was the Quad 442. It was faster, and better built. Basically, the spirit r/t was built the way the car should have been from the factory.
@@BReal-10ECdidn’t they use to pop head gaskets ?
The 2.2 was just a chessy motor the k cars were just bad
I'm so excited to see this review! I've been waiting for Motorweek to post it for a few years now. My mother owned a 1992 Plymouth Acclaim from 1994-2001. It was a fantastic car. It combined big American car levels of comfort and interior space with an efficient economy car powertrain that was cheap and easy to repair. It had the NA 2.5L 4cyl. engine and a hydraulic 3-speed automatic. It was daily driven until it was totaled at 182k miles. Sad day. It had been such a great car to that point. I miss these cars so much. They just don't make anything comparable today, which is a shame. No more big squishy split-bench seats. No more column shifter. No more cavernous backseat leg and headroom in a smaller sedan thanks to the sloping rooflines. I thought I knew everything there was to know about these cars, but this MotorWeek video showed me a few new things. I didn't know that a sunroof, split-folding seat, or brown interior was offered. I think they did away with all of those features when they dropped all of the trim levels in '91 or '92 when it got a subtle refresh.
My 1991 Spirit ES (white with white snowflake wheels) was the best car I ever owed. I wish I still had it! It was made like a tank, and the 3.1 V6 was as smooth as silk and had plenty of power. The interior of the car was very comfortable and had plenty of room. The fabric was sturdy and held up well. Never had any problem with the car, and I gave it to my brother with 150K mikes on it. He kept it till it reached 275K miles, with relatively no major issues.
I received so many comments on how good looking it was. The ES trim made all the difference. The day I brought mine, my uncle was with me and he ended up buying a Plymouth Reliant base model, but with the 3.1 V6. It was also a nice car, and served him well. But when he rode in mine, he appreciated all the extras like power windows, locks, seat, trip computer, infinity stereo, etc. I think he kicked himself for not getting the same car as mine.
3.0l
@@Welcometofacsistube Yep. 3.0L was a Mitsubishi engine. GM had the 3.1L's.
Shame Chrysler quit using the infinity brand for their stereos. By 07-08 they phased them out
Love my 1989 Plymouth Acclaim with the 2.5 Turbo.
My dad had a '92 Spirit, which we continued to drive after he passed. It was a very good car: solid, comfortable, and surprisingly well-built. It was in mint condition when, disappointingly, a car full of teens hit the car head-on, totalling our beloved Spirit. Fortunately, there were no major injuries.
My first car in high school was a gray ‘89 Acclaim with the 4 cylinder. Solid, honest transportation, reasonably reliable if unremarkable.
My second car, starting college, was a burgundy ‘91 Spirit ES with the 3.0 V6! About as loaded as a Spirit could get, including the snowflake wheels. That car was extremely *unreliable* but also torquey, sporty and plush. Great memories with those cars - miss them both!
Cool cars at the time. V6 was torquey
Drove a couple Rental Car Spirits in the early 90s and loved them!! Well appointed, good radios and great air and heat along with much more room than I needed! Wouldn't mind having one of those Simple Cars from back then nowadays!
I like how cars from 80's were slow but considered fast back then.
The other day I saw someone bashing i think it was a an Aveo or Sonic RS for being horribly slow when it has the same 0-60 as the "godlike" 2000 Integra Type R. Its weird how people mentally groups cars as if the same times on one is AMAZING but another is horrible. To me a crap ecobox being about as quick as a type-R is impressive for what it is.
Considering the Ford Taurus did 0-60mph in 12.5 seconds, the Spirit/Acclaim V6 at 9.1 seconds was very respectable. Most family sedans were doing 0-60mph in well over 10 seconds at the time.
@@palebeachbum Indeed. This was amplified if you had a car full of people it would still be faster than the slower car with driver alone.
@@KeithSchwerinNo kidding, my newer pickup is faster to 60 than many '00s v8s
9.2 0-60 Lol
Still see them being driven occasionally but they are definitely in the "RUSTY BUT TRUSTY BEATER WITH A HEATER" category.
Chicago winters and road conditions wreak havoc on vehicles.
Yes, it's either a pristine condition survivor or a clapped to death version on the roads on the east coast.
I never see these in the Midwest anymore. Even Neons are becoming a scarce sight since the salt ate them all up.
@@flurpoid Isn't Chicago in the Midwest?
Same around here with the Neon. Very rare sight these days. Between rust, transmission failures and blown head gaskets it's no wonder they are nearly extinct.
Memory unlocked. My dad bought the exact test car in the video brand new in 1989, when I was 8 years old - white w/white snowflake wheels, ES V6, no sunroof. I loved how sporty the seats looked along with the monochromatic wheels and grille - much cooler than the Nissan Pulsar NX that was replaced by it. I even got to drive it when I was 10 years old, in the Kroger parking lot (under adult supervision, of course). Was a great car until it was traded for a 1995 Ford Escort station wagon (base-base, not sporty at all). If I could find an ES or RT time capsule, I'd buy it in a heartbeat!
My father owned a 94 Acclaim. When he passed away in 2004, my son got the car and he used it for about 6 more years. It wasn't an exciting car, but it was certainly a solid one.
My dad rented one of these for a family trip to the Grand Canyon. I remember hm being really impressed with it. He said that it reminded him of a Mercedes. RIP Dad
Parents had an acclaim. Was a very good car. Pretty quick for it's day.
Back in 1989, I purchased new a Dodge Caravan SE. It was my second in a six year period and our last. Kids would be grown for next automobile. And many ways, it was last of the teenage years. Good memories.
My grandfather had a loaded 1989 Plymouth Acclaim in black cherry with a gray plush interior. It was a nice car but smaller than the 1985 Pontiac Bonneville he had before it. He had the car about 3 years before trading it in for a 1992 Buick LeSabre.
I had a 1990 Plymouth Acclaim LX with the lower bodyside moldings, trunk lid luggage rack and the Mitsubishi 3.0 V6, i also had a 1990 Chrysler LeBaron Sedan with the same engine and padded landau roof. They were both quick, reliable cars and they had great fuel economy. The Acclaim LX had a little bit stiffer suspension then the LeBaron which had a softer ride.
I had one. Bought it (almost) new in 1992 and ran it for 7 years and 170,000 miles before it finally got stolen. Nothing special, but I've never had a more reliable car.
Nine months to the day this episode aired I brought home an ‘89 Acclaim LE as my first new car out of college! The 3.0 Mitsubishi V6 was peppy as heck, and I thoroughly enjoyed the car while I had it! I sold it to my sister a few years down the road when I took a promotion that provided a “company issue” Ford Taurus, and it was quite a few years after that before I ever owned my own car again…….🚙
My family had a ‘94 Acclaim with the V6. By then the 3.0L was available with the 3-speed automatic instead of the trouble-prone Ultradrive 4-speed and ours had the 3-speed. The car proved to be largely trouble-fee and dependable for roughly 8 years/120k miles of ownership.
Miss my 89 dodge spirit... I owned 2 of the shadows as well but they were no where near as smooth as the wonderful spirit.
The AA sedans, the Chrysler LeBaron Sedan, Dodge Spirit, and Plymouth Acclaim were the last midsize K-Car derivatives. They were replaced by the JA Cars (Chrysler Cirrus, Dodge Stratus, and Plymouth Breeze) for 1995
I always loved the design of the Stratus
I believe the last k derivative was the 90 Imperial.
@@timothygaynor5130 - Yes, they were really attractive cars! My wife and I as young newlyweds were all set to buy her one in 1997, but the salesman at our local Dodge dealer was giving us a “you can’t afford a new car attitude” so we ended up going across the street and purchasing a 1997 Pontiac Sunfire GT instead. The Sunfire was a fun little car to drive, but I always wonder how we would have enjoyed the Stratus had we gone that direction…….🤔
@@pdennis93 The last newly introduced K derivatives were the AS minivans
@@jeremyanderson1139 I forgot about those gen 2 minivans.
“We clocked this prototype…”
Always funny when the OEM gives you their hand-picked hopped-up unit to test
My third favorite car as a teenager. The Dynasty was #2 for some reason.
I had a ‘93 Acclaim. I drove it for 230,000 practically trouble free miles. It was easy to service and maintain, and unlike some of Chrysler’s past models, it was solid and well built. I wish I still had it.
I wonder if every Mistubishi V6 that Mopar used eventually burned oil? I had a customer with an Acclaim with the 2.5. He had the valves done and once those were tightened up, the headgasket blew. Bummer, it was a nice, comfortable car.
The later 3.3L was one of Chrysler's best V6's in terms of reliability.
My neighbour had a 1992 Dodge Spirit blue one same year as my dad’s Chevy truck. Great cars
The monochromatic look on this humble sedan is so 80's it's like a mullet with MC Hammer genie pants.
The Dodge Spirit RT was awesome, shame they are so rare to see now.
lol i had both a 1990 dodge spirit i called the color sky blue automatic transmission 4 cylinder turbo it was sideswiped and totally put the car in a junkyard. my dad then went out and got me a 1989 Plymouth acclaime 4 cylinder banger manual transmission, lol it was a dark blue in color and only had like 57k miles on it i drove that car out of high school in 2005 and sadly 3 years later the engine blew a head gasket i kept it to get things fixed but sadly it got vandalize so i sent it out to the junkyard. great car, now i want to rebuild one
My sisters first car was a slightly used 1990 Dodge Spirit. A well equipped nice little car that stayed in family for 10+ years.
I drove a similar rental Spirit for a week in AZ. Aside from a lack of power in the mountains, it got us around just fine.
for a little while in 2003 my dad drove a used 1995 Dodge Spirit RT that had belonged to a cousin of mine before
My dad had a black '89 Spirit ES that he bought brand new and had it until around '96. I literally grew up in that car, always loved the looks of the ES (and later R/T).
I like Acclaim. Very pleasant and realible car. By the way, in Europe it was Chrysler Saratoga.
We had a 93 model for driver’s education. Stop light at Emory Rd and Route 30. I tapped the gas a little too hard when the light turned green. Left some tire marks across 30. Good times.
My uncle bought this exact car as a new 1991 model, SE Mitsubishi V6. The engine was totally smooth & had good power. It was a great car!
My parents bought a low mileage used 89 2.5 Acclaim... and it was an excellent vehicles. Comfortable, roomy, dead reliable, easy to drive, reasonably economical. They had it to 120k miles and traded it on a used LHS (which was not so well made). The Spirit/Acclaim were a high point for cheap US domestic cars imo.
My first car was a Grey '90 Acclaim LE V6 with Grey interior, given to me by my grandfather. MY current car is a 93' LeBaron Sedan in LE trim. My dad had 2 Acclaims back in the day(both company cars), the first one was the Grey '90 that I would later get from my grandfather(he and my grandmother bought it in 1992 and after she go t a different car in '03 he kept it as a spare vehicle), the second one was a Black Cherry '92 Acclaim V6 with Crimson Red interior and is the car I remember him having the earliest, he got a '94 Chevy Corsica after that when I was 3 and the mother of a friend of ours bought that Acclaim. The Black Cherry '92 is the one I remember the most fondly, it was such a sharp looking car and one day I hope to find and buy one just like it. I love these cars so much and are my favorite of all the Chrysler K cars.
My late Uncle Bro use to own a brown on brown Plymouth Acclaim and the seats were so comfortable, It'll make you fall asleep every time you ride in it.
I rather have the red Dodge Spirit R/T version with the 224 Hp. The front end and sides almost look like a 1988 Pontiac Grand Am SE sedan.
My dad got a green spirit es turbo as a company car. After having gone to the dodge dealer and bought other vehicles due to the appalling quality of what we saw. But this thing was really, really good. It had lots of power looked great and was really a quality piece. To date that car was the best quality I've seen from chrysler. We had it for 80k. It didn't have any problems.
100 hp out of a 2.5 is crazy by today's standards 😂 always loved these cars, wouldn't mind having a spirit with the 3.0!
The design has aged well, I don’t think of the 80s on these, instead mid 90s. I had many friends that had these for years.
My mom had a 91 Acclaim with velour seats. It was quiet and comfortable but I do recall the steering being very light. I remember this only because I had just purchased a used Audi 80 a few months before. I think the Plymouth was more comfortable. 😂
The only reason I'm subscribed is these retro reviews
An white spirit or acclaim with white wheels looks better than it ever had a right to. I have always loved these cars.
The power train would be great in a Dodge Omni
I had an all white Dodge Spirit. Loved that car.
I learned to drive in one of those cars in drivers education driving. The one I learned on, however, had an airbag. Good car.
The kindred Spirit of the Mitsubishi Evo 2 🤔
My parents bought a new 1990 Dodge Spirit (unfortunately), and, being objective, it was okay overall; however, as the mileage increased, it really showed its mediocrity. I had the misfortune to receive it with approx. 90k, and it had nothing but problems: the transmission would suddenly shift into neutral; it would turn off while idling; the a/c leaked; it would shake violently while driving around 70 mph; and it had other issues. When I bought a '97 Honda Accord, I was in heaven (received 500 bucks for the POS Dodge trade-in), and I experienced the essence of quality and reliability. By owning that Dodge clunker, I learned first-hand why the Big Three have been struggling.
I bought a white 1990 Spirit ES just like the one in the video. The Mitsu V6 was decent, but the A604 'Ultradrive' transmission was pure garbage. I had over 3 transmission rebuilds in under 70,000 miles and when it needed a 4th one Chrysler told me to pound sand. I ended up suing them in small claims court and the judge ruled in my favor.
Good for you. What did you get out of winning the lawsuit? Did they buy the car back or give you a new transmission?
@Jonathan-mp7xg Yup, my girlfriend (now wife) inherited a 1981 Plymouth Reliant K 2 door with the 2.6 'Hemi' and 3 speed. Super easy car to work on and the 3 speed was bulletproof. The car was pretty badly rusted after 14 years though.
@Jonathan-mp7xg yeah, the Torqueflite 3-speed auto was bulletproof. It was still going strong in my mother's Acclaim when it was totaled at 182k miles. Gave zero troubles. Simple mechanical hydraulic transmission for the win!
Is the blue k car in the intro missing its rear passenger door chrome window trim?
I own a 1989 Plymouth Acclaim 2.5 Turbo. Its a very neat car.
Very beautifuls and nice this plumothu Acclaim and Didge Spirit
The digital equalizer is gimmicky lol. I love these old takes. And kinda miss the days when I also thought they were gimmicky.
These were certainly cars that existed.
Through I'm not a K car fan, I miss those days.
4:06 John: GAUGES ON THE ES COME IN A CLEAR, COMPREHENSIVE CLUSTER! LOL
John was obsessed with his gauges. Maybe he wanted to be a pilot
One of my friends' family had a Spirit ES with a V6 motor. It had a very cool JBL stereo. I always thought it was a very nice car especially white everywhere.
Drove a Spirit, great family car.
The cab-forward LH platform cars was coming for 1993
I took driver's ed in a spirit and acclaim in 1994. They had one of each.
This is very high on the list of cars i want. It would make an excellent autocross car.
I owned an 89 Spirit Es that was black with polished wheels and the 3.0 that had a custom chip. Never had any problems until I let my ex wife drive it once and somehow she blew the motor. That was the first of many that she blew up.
Man, late 80s, 90s and early 2000s chrysler/dodge car where so sad looking.
I've always liked these cars, as well as the subsequent Chrysler New Yorker variant.
The Chrysler version of this A-body car was the Lebaron sedan.
R/T models are sick
I had a 95 dodge spirit v6 it was a great car
Having the rear windows only roll part way down was never a safety feature on any car. It was because the window didn’t fully fit inside the door because of intrusion of the wheel arch. That’s why cars (like this) that do have rear windows that roll all the way down have to split it and reduce the size of the portion that rolls down. It has _nothing_ to do with safety. I’m surprised how many people think that it was…maybe auto makers falsely marketed it that way at some point?
I almost got a 1992 Dodge Spirit R/T when I was in high school, but it had a lot of problems with the car in general. Wouldn't have been worth trying to fix it up because the car was so cheap (used) back then.
I had 2 of these
Still driving
2:22 A little redline for a good time? So much for the break-in period. 🤣
I remember those ones with the 3.3-liter engines always had a cloud of smoke coming from the tailpipe because the valve seals would always go bad and drip oil into the cylinders!
@MyerShift7 my mom had a dynasty, grand Caravan and later I was given a used lebaron coupe. All 3.0 4 speeds. All junk. After the first two blew up before they were paid for she switched to gm with much better luck. Why she bought me a lebaron I never knew but I had a nice used Taurus SE with leather and sunroof after about 6 months of lebaron 😆
Comparing the Dodge shadow to the Dodge aries is like comparing the Chevy Corsica to its predecessor the chevy citation 2.
The Neon replaced this?
From the comments, seems like it was a reliable car.
It's probably too much to ask for by now, but it's about time for another Chrysler revival. What are they down to, 1 or 2 cars in their lineup now? It's a crime.
Stellantis has too many brands under one roof. Part of me wishes Chrysler and Jeep could split off from Fiat and Peugeot and become a standalone company, but again, too much to wish for at this juncture.
3 L V6 Mitsubishi engine? Maybe we can tune it up to be like 3000GT?
Tried to talk my dad into buying one with v6. Did not work 😢
Preview Test 1989
Looks like the 1986 Grand am
I got my driver's license on a burgundy 1989 Dodge Spirit with the 2.5 4 cylinder, i passed on my 1st try.
My mom had a 94 Plymouth acclaim
It got total out wen she hit a deer
Interesting
Cool😀
Bruckell LeGran!
Not sure if anyone else will agree with me, but this (to me) was the re-start of Chrysler/Dodge after decades of stylistic failures and bland car options. The 90’s were the modern day heyday for them.
I remember the Acclaim vs Accord commercials..... of course the Accord just blew it away...
P U R E. C L A S S
They were quite common back in the day around here but it's been many years since I've seen one. I'm sure rust and typical Chrysler reliability issues had a hand in that.
Ladies and gentlemen 1990s rental cars
I always thought these were smart looking cars. A bit conservative, but handsome nonetheless.
I can actually remember when you could walk into a dealership, and, buy a car for MSRP!
The k didn't go on past these cars .k car production never saw January 1989.