1988 Dodge Daytona Pacifica Turbo Review - The Most "80s" Car EVER MADE!

www.restoredrustyrelics.com
Submit Your Car: www.ZackPradel.com/submit
Contact me!
Email: [e-mail]
Instagram: @Shooting_Cars
BFB Test Pass/Fail Spreadsheet: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Intro animation by: / initial_clip
Intro/outro music by: www.fiverr.com/matiasfuma
DISCLAIMER!
The thoughts, feelings, and opinions expressed in this video are the sole thoughts of Zack and no one else. The thoughts expressed in this video do not reflect the owner, dealership, or organization that owns the vehicle featured. The purpose of this video is to provide entertainment with the hope that you will take what you see and formulate your own opinions. DO NOT make a financial decision based off of this video.
#Dodge #DaytonaTurbo #

Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
1:20 - Drivetrain
3:18 - Interior
4:52 - BFB Test
5:10 - Interior
6:03 - Back Seats
6:28 - Trunk / Cargo Space
6:42 - Exterior
7:14 - Final Thoughts
9:32 - Outro

[@Hexaberry]

I have absolutely no idea how you keep these uploads so consistent for so long but it's amazing to see that you're still having fun with all of it. Looking forward to see what you do the future.

[@watchingitallhere]

Can we just appreciate that the pop-up headlights still work on a Dodge/Chrysler. That's a win. Great review keep the oddballs coming. We here for it. ✊

[@adamsdrives]

Thank you for making this video! I had an 88 Daytona non-turbo auto in red with louvers when I was in high school (98-99) and it remains one of my most beloved car memories. It wasn’t fast but man did it look good…to me at least 😂. I remember scouring the Eclipse/Laser/Daytona forums after school looking for info to bench race my friends. Dodge/Mopar even sold a rwd conversion for drag racing applications…is was basically brackets and you had to supply the full drivetrain…BUT STILL!!! I’d love to find another one in good condition some day.

[@RichardinNC1]

Another nice review. My first new car was an ‘85 Dodge Daytona Turbo, special ordered with all the goodies including the trip computer. No digital dash, that was only in the Chrysler Laser at the time if I recall. It was black with a black & white checkered cloth interior. With a 5 speed manual it was fun, peppy and got 35-37 highway MPG. Decent handling as well for curvy mountain roads. I then traded for an ‘87 Daytona Shelby Z. Same styling as the reviewed Daytona Pacifica but bigger lower spoilers and the Turbo II with intercooler. It was also black but with gray cloth. It was as quick as many V8 cars of the day! But still got low 30s MPG. It had the same seats with all the power controls. FYI the ‘85 lumbar support was controlled by a “turkey baster” where you manually pumped air into the bladders.

[@The_gear_head_]

As a person who’s family has owned/driven quite a few Chrysler products and likes to play “parts bin-go” I wouldn’t have thought the name would be apart of that parts bin

[@dmase70]

My Sister had the Shelby Z version of the 1988 Daytona, Same color and everything. Times was good back then.

[@Crispychicken4u]

Probably one of the best wrap around spoilers of the 80s besides the Porsche 911 whale tail

[@gamedevmoto2028]

SO excited to see you review a Daytona! My first car was an 86 Daytona Turbo Shelby Z. That thing was my g*d-d**n Millenium Falcon. I still dream about it (and my mullet).

[@equesfuscus]

Thanks for sharing. My first car was an 88 Shelby Z. I still occasionally dream that I still have it and I take it out.

[@thomasrhinehart6084]

My 1st wife had a Canadian build 87 Dodge Lancer ES with the same engine, that car was quite fun and decently well built fun an 80s Chrysler product.

[@brycebailey8404]

I had a 87 New Yorker that had the same turbo 1 engine and the 3 speed transmission a few years back when I was in highschool, after the transmission got rebuilt I sold it to get something more reliable. I saw the guy who I sold it too not long after, and he told me that he blew up the engine because the intercooler must have failed. I asked what he meant, and he told me the first thing he did was just slap a bigger turbo on it, and that was all it took for the engine to go. I told him that the thing didn't have an intercooler, and he ended up trying to convince me to give him his money back. Never talked to that guy again but was definitely sad hearing my first (non-beater) car was blown up out of someone's stupidity

[@wes2460]

He must have been really stupid, and wanting his money back I would have laughed at him. The turbo 2 motors could handle the extra mods but not a turbo 1. I bet he still used Reg unleaded 87 and not 93... I souped up my Voyager van turbo with a Volvo inter-cooler on it and a boost kit and different turbo . That engine could handle TONS of power and that Torque flite 3 speed Auto was the best Auto of that era.

[@RIVERSIDEREVIEWS]

My older cousin had several Daytonas back in the day and fully agree they absolutely nail the 80s affordable sporty car vibe.

[@RIVERSIDEREVIEWS]

Another car that comes to mind is the Pontiac Fiero those were popular too. I dare say they were on fire pun intended.

[@equesfuscus]

So great to see you do this video. I had a red '88 Shelby Z Turbo II. Analog dash, but definitely pop-up headlights and the intercooled turbo. Same grey seats as yours. 174hp, came on like a beast when the turbo kicked in, could stick one end of a couch through the hatch, had super stiff springs so it cornered with what felt like zero body roll. I did put a new stereo in it and more speakers, so music was good in the car. It had cruise control and A/C, so even in fifth gear (the Shelby Z was manual), it would hit the hills and the turbo would kick in to compensate--don't know why that worked, but I watched it do that many times. It was great in snow and got good mileage. When that car was in its peak form, it was an absolute joy.

[@drfunki99]

My dad had one of these! Loved it a lot.

[@bazilwreckerloughead]

My older sister had one of these back in the day, what a cool car!

[@weegeemike]

Ive always wanted one of these with a turbo, i really like the 90s facelifted Daytonas, they look better and had Turbo II or the super rare Turbo III. Great video as always.

[@theballintruth3369]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate we went from 3 speed to 6 in 40 years and then from 6 to 10 in less than 20

[@cavalierliberty6838]

The last car I can think of that I know had a 3 speed was the cavalier, in 1999. GM and Ford going in on a 10 speed not even 25 years later is mind boggling.

[@tall_dude1233]

@@cavalierliberty6838 Toyota Corolla had a 3-speed auto up til 2001 if I recall.

[@trumpet12345]

dodge journey i think was the final 4 speed mainstream automatic. It was paired with the 2.4. I am sure it was slow, and it was odd the 4 speed got put in later when it wasn't used prior. if I got a price that was very nice, I would handle the slow. The 2.4 and 4 speed were not a gamble reliability wise, just burdensome from modern expectations for a somewhat heavy vehicle that might hit near payload with passengers. @@tall_dude1233

[@NeurodivergentSuperiority]

It's like a Mitsubishi Starion drawn from memory

[@blue06lt]

My first car was a Blue 1989 Daytona ES with rare factory T-Tops and the snowflake aluminum wheels. 2.5L non-turbo 4 cylinder with 3 speed automatic, it was all show and no go. It was good until it hit 100,000 miles and then EVERYTHING went to poo on it. Mechanical issues galore and it rusted away. Mine did not have the digital dash, there were warning lights where the buttons for the digital dash are. It had a pocket where the trip computer was. There was no boost gauge so the "Message Center" took the entire space and it showed door ajar, low fuel, and low washer fluid. Mine had the optional AM/FM cassette player which got yanked and replaced with a few different aftermarket CD players. It handled magnificently. Back seat was tight. The seats were comfortable. I had a love-hate relationship with the car, I sold it to someone who fixed it up. It's probably a pancake by now. There are not a lot of Daytonas left, most were just run into the ground and crushed. Nice to see a survivor.

[@robertdiehl9003]

Beautiful car. Same car but red was used on television show Hunter. Very cutting edge when came out..

[@marcm8473]

My mom had one of these in red for the longest time as a kid. It's the first car I remember and probably the vehicle that got me into loving cars

[@wlanman99]

I had a red 88 pacificia I bought used in 89 and absolutely LOVED that car.

[@robertdiehl9003]

This period of time in automobile history is when the big 3 actually, truely cared and did actual research to focus on the customer needs and experience. Ten years later right around 1998 is when nobody gave a hoot what they sold.

[@bwofficial1776]

The Oldsmobile Cutlass was the best-selling car in the US for almost a decade until the Ford Taurus came out in 1986 and changed how the Big 3 designed cars. The Taurus was the best-selling car for a decade until the disastrous third-gen in 1996 where Ford went too hard on both the oval theme and cost-cutting. The Toyota Camry claimed the crown of best-selling car and hasn't given it up since.

[@RearEngineShop]

I need one of these for my 80s car collection I have going on. 🔥

[@classicforreal]

I kind of want one.

[@simslim28]

Did you noticed the sun visors into the rear hatch ? Thats a cool detail 😏

[@nb7466]

My aunt had one. It was always broke. I'll also not I had a 92 dodge Dakota. Had the same steering wheel and temp controls. Probably some other parts to. I had the same cup holders.

[@jamesweddle184]

Not sure if anyone has already called this out, but that (very cool) boost gauge...the script on the word "turbo" is a LOT like that on any Porsche Turbo. Great car!

[@johnjones393]

The second car I owned was the Daytona's cousin, a 1986 Chrysler Laser that I bought in 1991. The first model to wear the Laser name had a three year run from 84 to 86. They were rare even back then and most people never heard of them today. These cars had a vague driving experience when they were late model, I can't imagine how squishy they are 35+ years later. They were a car of their time I guess and shows just how far we have come.

[@kalban112]

What a cool ride. Reminds me the Mitsubishi Station, if you will ever review that one, it will be amazing.

[@vincentblouin5882]

Great video Zach!

[@frankleespeaking9519]

Loved the wheels then and now……

[@argonx666]

I remember back when I had my '87 Shelby-Z converting the guages from analog to the cool digital guages, trip computer, etc. It was actually fairly easy to convert. Just make sure IF you find a good digital guage cluster to also clip the wire harness with the correct connectors. Worked perfect and looked cool.

[@craigroberts3982]

love the daytona. My friend had one in the early 90s until he wrapped it around a telephone pole.

[@Jac2Mac]

My dad had a 1985-86 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z that was black with gray interior.

[@roberthooper6184]

My Uncle Bob daily drove an early 90s turbo Daytona with his wife and 3 kids. So, it's doable.

[@takethecurseOFFwashingmachine]

This is one of those cars that being a kid in the early 90s I would see all over the road, and I didn’t like them at all since their styling was such a departure from big classic 70s styling (of which there were still many examples on the road at that time). Now, 30 years later, they have grown on me.

[@chrisc338]

Been waiting for you to find a Laser/Daytona to review. Those were very cool cars back in the day, and were fairly affordable. Great job Zack!

[@gregorycasey3347]

A friend down the road bought himself one just like this as a gift when he signed back up to the military. We thought he was just the coolest guy and enjoyed his visit before reporting back to base on the east coast. My father never had a cool car until us kids moved out. Drove a small Benz convertible in the early 2000’s but I wasn’t cool. When I moved out he would sneak over and take my car without asking and I would crew him out because I was never allowed to touch anything that belonged to him so when I had all the cool cars I would return the favor by telling him to not touch any of my belongings. Now I no longer drive cool cars because of other toys that need to be moved around by truck. Plus I am done with sports cars at 50.

[@451dskots88]

I had a Black 1988 Daytona Pacifica with T-tops and rear louvers when I was in high school. All the same options as this one but with analog gauges. My father and I went to the hotter computer ( I think it was called SMEC) and put a trans cool and a shift kit. That little car was pretty damn fast... really wish I still had it.

[@aenoymotors]

When i saw this thing in the background I was hoping it would show up.

[@JCVACCARO]

I had an 88 Shelby Z turbo II 5 sod. It was loaded and a great reliable car except for the t-tops wich leaked going through the car wash.

[@pmafterdark]

Had a 87' Daytona Shelby Z with the Tll and 5spd. I was a great car and my daily driver for 9 years.

[@jameshorigan3322]

Nice video Zach! Thank you and please keepem' coming! :^)

[@edisontrent5244]

Beautiful car, hope the owner can someday refurbish the interior

[@McPh1741]

My parents had an '87 Daytona Pacifica. Ours had the 5-speed and power everything. When I was in high school in the early 90s my dad was going to sell it to me for $1500 and it was in EXCELLENT condition. I kick myself in the ass for not buying it because back then I thought real cars were rear wheel drive. Such an idiot I was. I'd still like to have an early 90s one with the VNT turbo and also a 92-93 R/T with the Lotus 2.2 turbo 3 engine. When Ford and Chevy were making V8 cars like the Camaro and Mustang, Chrysler was making these to compete and they were holding their own. There are plenty of videos on YT of people with the modified 2.2 turbo in an Omni, Caravan, or Colt destroying people at the drag strip.

[@dave11686]

Nice

[@TheSpritz0]

THESE were very cool cars when I was in High School, they were regarded as "more high-tech"" than a Camaro or Firebird... and had MORE comfortable seats with optional lumbar support!

[@wetoolow8750]

I really liked the look of those cars. I was a teenager when that car was new. I never got to drive one, but I did get to drive a 1980s charger with the 2.2 intercooled turbo and a 5 speed manual. I greatly enjoyed it. But my 1985 Mustang GT would have smoked it.

[@thepatchface7236]

I miss this side of the Chrysler group. Great video.

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Cool, check out the tv show , Hunter, a red Daytona was in this show, similar to this car. 🥰

[@catjudo1]

Neat video. Having lived through the 80s and early 90s, I can say with all certainty that there are two things I do NOT miss from that era, and those are digital dashboards (although digital representations of analog gauges today are okay) and idiotic "passive restraint" seatbelts that are mounted to the doors. GM was the worst offender, but those suckers would be relocated to the B pillar where they belong if that were my car. It wouldn't be my car though as I would not drive a sport coupe with a wimp shift. But, neat video all the same!

[@highbrass7563]

Fantastic car

[@dave11686]

The female on the cop show Hunter(Dee Dee) drove a Daytona Turbo Z

[@FLUPHQ-]

I have an 89 that I bought for $500 4 years ago from ghe son of the original owner. It was my first car, and I want to restore it, but I don't have the money right now, so it's kind of sitting.

[@rooter9196]

This was a good review, but, I really enjoyed it, however, it was very well done.

[@KayakTN]

My brother owned a non-turbo version. They hold up well when someone runs a red light and you t-bone them in an accident.

[@micahw2828]

Kinda cool car, I knew a guy who used to have one

[@JayBow-lc8ek]

Manuals with the turbo alot more fun !!

[@fp5495]

These were so easy to get used by the early 90s. I remember my father trying to turn me on to a barely used one in 1990, and it was in great shape with all the bells and whistles, but, I had no interest. It was poser car for secretaries.

[@raymondellis5720]

Excellent video. I had an '88 Plymouth Sundance RS turbo. Great little car. What's up with the '58 Chevy?

[@musical_mortgage_guy]

With all the features you point out, I think it shows Iacocca’s influence.

[@tjlang5959]

5K views sooo cool Rock on !!!

[@GLHNSLHT2]

those cup holder rock when you have something reasonable instead of some hipster water bottle crap.

[@FLUPHQ-]

Ha, the trim is broken off of around the door handle on theirs too! Must be a common issue 😂

[@darwinmichel2087]

These turbocharged fuel injected 4 cylinders made close if not more horsepower than the carbureted anemic 305 V8 of the time. Carroll Shelby was into front wheel drive drag racing in that time. The way he looked at the 2.2 was a half of a Chevy 350.

[@jbuchana]

I had one of these, it wasn't bad for the era, but it kept blowing head gaskets, the first several under warranty, after that I had to change them myself. Yes we checked the deck surfaces, they were not warped. It also ate electronic modules. It just became too expensive to own and I had to trade it it. Sad, as I really liked driving it.

[@jbuchana]

I forgot to mention that, fortunately while still under warranty, the camshaft froze in the head, stripping all the teeth off the drive belt on the crank pulley. They replaced the engine. That never happened again.

[@danielknepper6884]

Oh yeah I changed my share of head gaskets on 2.2 back in the day

[@davidp2888]

Former co-worker had a Mitsubishi Starion. She thought she was cool for having it. lol

[@rogerrabbitonpcp6021]

I see one on occasion where i live and its garaged inn thr winters i always wanna ask if the owner would sell it!

[@jogndo]

Definitely down to see a ford contour svt covered at some point 👉

[@brentmorrison4317]

Ford also had the Probes as well

[@appleimacdude]

Interesting, I had two Dodge Daytona's, a 1984 that had the 2.2 engine, and then a 1987 Dodge Daytona with the 2.5. So the turbo in 1988 had the 2.2 for the turbo, and not the 2.5? One thing about the Dodge Daytona's, they did very well in the crash tests, they were a fairly heavy car. I totaled my 87, which I still miss - in a fairly high speed crash, though it was freeway, we were going the same direction. It did protect me well -

[@user-pg9ie2hg9v]

so cool

[@TheGeorgiaMediaGroup]

Love that car

[@williamsinger4124]

I had one of those. I remember putting a set of MA audio 10s on an MTX 1200 watt amp in it and that setup was louder than it had any right to be. Probably the car's shape.

[@stephenmontgomery5807]

I was involved in a similar install (back in 1996 for a friend) and yeah, the Dodge hatchbacks were excellent at bass and projection. Had an '88 Omni that pounded.

[@jacquesc3166]

Casual street setup, ported and tuned fairly low? ...or a competitive install, i.e. walled off from the hatch for SPL? Either way, loudest hatch I was in was an Echo Hatchback but I'm those old smallish hatches were great... till the backwindow separated, probably. 😅

[@williamsinger4124]

@@jacquesc3166 quite literally just threw them in there. They were in a 2.5 cu ft ported prefab box. I had the setup sitting on a shelf in the garage. I got the car cheap, and decided to throw them in it with an alpine head unit and some pioneer replacement speakers. Just a quick and dirty install. Nothing competition about it. But it performed way better than I expected. Yes, I did have to re glue and seal the hatch window. As I got older I learned that those MA audio subs were actually quite good, could take a reasonable amount over rated power and be happy.

[@williamsinger4124]

@@stephenmontgomery5807 ahh an 88 omni. I bought a white one with red interior for $50. 2.2 fuel injected with a 5 speed. Had a hole in the gas tank. I soldered a penny over the hole, threw some gas in it, and that thing run really good. I drove it 6 months and sold it for $500. Couldn't be mad at that lil car.

[@jacquesc3166]

@@williamsinger4124 Very nice!! Talk about bang for the buck. I've personally never owned a hatch, my car audio days were 2002-11 ish... biggest sub setup was 2x 12" IDMax'es V3 off an old Orion 1200D, large sealed (1.52 ea) enclosure that took 2/3 of my 2000 Maxima's trunk. Yellowtop and big 3 wiring were must-haves, I had Focals off a 560 Soundstream Tarantula up front so all-out SQ setup. 116 sq ft total of dynamat xtreme, Eclipse CD5000 w/ 8V preouts. It sounded like sex, that was 2006-07-08. 😊

[@jamesmcintire3800]

I briefly owned a 1986 Chrysler LeBaron GTS back in the 90’s with the same 2.2 turbo automatic that’s in this car. It also had a digital dash. It was unfortunately a garbage car that was actually dangerous to drive.

[@SouthernDieCastChallenge]

I must agree . We had a 1992 and that transmission was junk. 3.0 v6 was snappy wish I still had it though

[@rawlsofthewheel]

got a 63 GMC i might have to get on your sight for. no salt on the body. not really wanting to part with yet it's custom

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

I think I’ve only seen one of those in the last year.

[@lincmerc1581]

My brother had an '85 Chrysler Laser.

[@Zalixo]

I own an 87 Daytona but it’s the Shelby z version with the turbo II engine so it’s got forged internals from the factory. Definitely not as luxurious as this one but it’s a Shelby they were going for speed instead of the luxury, I think the only luxurious thing about my car is the iconic t tops

[@alexwyatt7800]

I have a 1987 Dodge 600, it funny to me how there isn’t a single cup holder but I have a ash tray in each door

[@alexwyatt7800]

Makes it real difficult to drink a beer and smoke a cigarette on my drive home from work

[@Flyfam11]

5:10 5:12👌👍 perfect timing 😆

[@SavingPrivateRyanHands]

I love this channel and I’m not even a car guy really

[@RC51Legend]

Are you saying driving it makes you feel like Dee Dee McCall?! 😄🤣🙃😂

[@doug6191]

These cars weren't able to compete with Mustangs or Camaros for cool points, but it looked pretty good, even after the pop-ups went away. 5:10 - I hope you review one of those, especially a highly optioned example. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it.

[@UraniumBullets]

Only thing it's missing is some louvers

[@kc0lif]

who's that guy in background a fan? it's a daytona pafica wasn't thought of yet.

[@fredgt45]

A sports car with a three speed transmission is a joke to me

[@kc9scott]

Or any automatic for that matter. Or FWD (although I do like FWD on non-performance cars). I had an ‘85 Chrysler Laser XE Turbo (bought new) with the 5-speed manual for 8 years. Try as I might, I could never develop a proper launch technique to get all the power to the ground without spinning the front wheels.

[@fredgt45]

@@kc9scottFwd cannot hold as much power and stay on the straight line and could be some engineering issues on why you had no traction! But nonetheless a manual is way more sportier and fun to drive than a 3 speed or 4 speed automatic. It's a fun killer

[@kc9scott]

@@fredgt45 More recently, I learned that more serious people with FWD will swap to super-sticky tires with soft rubber, and maybe run them at lower pressure. I never tried that on the Laser. One of my other cars over the years was an '09 Altima, with the 170 HP 2.5 engine and 6-speed manual. Even on that, the FWD could be a bit disappointing if it's a rainy day and you're at a stoplight, about to go up a hill when the light turns green - wheelspin, even if you're not trying. But I've never had any steering problems with any of my FWD cars. To me, it's natural - if you're getting understeer, you just let off on the throttle, and the car turns better.

[@kiraleaf]

Really hard to find any of these because they rusted out. Imports from this era are the survivors.

[@bikingD]

Huh bodies on Domestic cars so much better than imports then. It was other things that killed these. Hondas, Toyotas as an example in the 80's.rotted away. Went through valve seals burnt oil. And chewed up timing belts. 80's imports were horrible.

[@kiraleaf]

@@bikingD I had a TE72 that took 2 decades of Canadian winters, lil RWD 1.8L

[@user-bv4wn8ei5z]

Find a Daytona z and review it my friend

[@andysaunders3708]

That's a Mitsubishi Starion. Forget it.

[@GLHNSLHT2]

The Shelby Charger wasn't a K based car.

[@Minnevan]

looks a bit like a 944 to me

[@vicp8772]

Mitsu engine if not mistaken?

[@mikereaume664]

I think that was the 2.5. We had one. Bad head gaskets, like twice

[@lordmaul3]

Lee Iacocca who was the president and CEO of Chrysler at the time is often credited for saving the company. It's true Iacocca was able revive the dying automobile manufacturer. Still it was the government bailout funded by the taxpayers that was a contributing factor of Chrysler staying afloat. Anybody who lived back then knows Chrysler was on the verge of bankruptcy.

[@ForeverDownByLaw]

My drunken stepfather had one of these (the prototypical drunken stepfather car imo). I'm mildly interested, but these were utter pieces of garbage.

[@stupidvideos1449]

Compared to the Subaru XT, this is nowhere near the most 80s car ever

[@Deatomizer]

This was and still is the biggest POS from the 80's. The thing is horrible in every since of the word. Ok, maybe the Chevy Citation was worse but....

[@equesfuscus]

My 88 was fast, corned well, never left me stranded, plowed through snow.

[@curtiscriscoe367]

This car got destroyed over and over by mustang's, and the rare time you came across a Buick or a g.m truck, cyclone etc.

[@erinwalter132]

Annoying.