The Door Is a JAR…

[@thomasarriaga6587]

'85 laser was my first car...non turbo...it was slow but for that one day....I was drinking and driving...the police lit me up and to this day I don't know what got into me but I hammered down...the car never ran fast except for that day I needed it. The cop was turning around, I put the foot down and that little car responded like it never had before... I'll never forget that little car... including the problems it gave me..it would be on park just idling and it would rev up by itself...crazy... But it never let me down, ever.....Mopar or no car!!!!!

[@abnerdoubleday6145]

When the Lazer & Daytona came out in 1984, they were a big deal. Car & Driver and all the car mags gave them great coverage. I ran down immediately to Weathers Dodge, and ordered a 1984 Daytona Turbo. My very first brand new car. They were so backordered, I ended up with a 1985 model. It was a super fun car, and had a ton of HPs for that sad time in car history. It was one of the saddest days when we traded it in on a 1991 grey 4 door Dodge Spirit when our first child arrived. My wife & I still reminisce about that car. When the Turbo kicked in, it was like rocket.

[@gregbenwell6173]

I had to laugh when you said "Tons of HP"!! Back in 1984 and 1985 I was prowling the streets in my 1974 Oldsmobile Omega in my home town eating up these cars left and right!! Even guys who thought their IROC Z28s were fast was no match for my Rocket 350 V8!!! I don't know how many times I would race one of these cars, then blow their doors off, THEN get followed to a local park and ask "What do you have in that thing?"!! And when I lifted the hood and the Laser, Daytona and Camaro owners saw what I had, they would all be confused by a stock looking Rocket 350 Oldsmobile Motor with a pair of headers on it!! The truth is I really didn't do a lot to the engine either!! I added a larger cam, changed the mitering rods in the Rochester carb, had the exhaust ports opened up and polish, and swapped in a double roller timing chain to keep the timing straight!! The 10.5 to 1 compression pistons were much happier with a larger air/fuel supply, and the Hooker Headers helped the hot air escape the engine much faster then the cast iron manifolds would ever allow as well too!! I never dyno'ed the car BUT a friend of mine who was also a mechanic and I figured out I was making nearly 350 to 400 horses out of it!! And those Rockets already produced a truck load of low torque specs without the 60 series tires I ran out back!! Sure my other friends' Dodge Turbo Daytona could pass me on a curvy road......but you line up against me in my Oldsmobile.......and all you were looking at were tail lights and the grey primer trunk lid of my car when we left the line!! And to me the look on people's faces was priceless when I opened the red primered hood, to find a Oldsmobile Rocket 350 V8 painted bright stock gold and a pair of Hooker Headers being the only "give away" that "something is not right here"!! In fact I befriended a Cornell Student who owned a pretty sweet 1978 LT1 Camaro, that wanted to know "What I did to it"!! And when I showed him my "build book" that had all the engine specs, receipts and information I gathered as I built the car, he just looked at me and asked "Why don't you paint it?"!! And my reply to him was then "Then everybody would KNOW I was dumping money into it!"!! Basically the car was what we called back then a "sleeper" it looked like Grandma's Nova, but rumbled down the street like some idiot put cherry bombs on it!! Not much to look at, and many mistook it for a pile of junk...until you pulled up next to it, THEN all bets were off!!

[@2010HarleyDynaFXD]

They had a Dodge Spirit R/T back in 91 it would embarrass the Camaro and Mustang and keep up with the Vette of that era and its a family car.

[@frankdenardo8684]

The two cars were copies of the Porsche 928.

[@guyfawkesuThe1]

It was still a K-car in the guts.

[@cliffrhames3023]

So sad to see these cars rotting away, the 80s cars I really like them. They had style and you could still service them yourself. My 1987 New Yorker FWD still talks!!! Would really like to find one of these cars!

[@nonamesplease6288]

I was in high-school when this car came out. The electronic stuff and the streamlined look of the car were new and exciting and extremely cool. Everything in the 80's had EFI or TURBO pasted on the side just to highlight how cool it was. How sad to see all of that youthful excitement rotting away in a junkyard all of these years later.

[@MidnightPolaris800]

Agree to it all!

[@richsackett3423]

That’s why there aren’t many junkyards anymore. They’re stupid, lazy and wasteful. Most are gone.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Same with the high school deal at the time, well maybe a little younger as I graduated in 91. It's sad to see this stuff I hear ya, cause I don't feel old yet. I mean I wake up with an ache or something here and there but yeah I'm having a hard time accepting turning 50 soon I'm not sure I planned to make it this long 🤣 Of course I have a couple of 80s boxes to drive around.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

@@richsackett3423 the pick your part yard here rotates em fast,like a month or so. They had a gaggle of Mk4 vws that I needed some odds and ends on,but I didn't have enough tools. 3wks went by before I made it back ,and most were gone with a bunch of mk5s now there. Who wants that trash 🤣

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

I agree! Everything back in 84 and up seemed so high tech and futuristic!

[@66balsam]

Those early 2.2 turbo front wheel drive cars were a blast, dam good in the snow as well

[@exc911ence_channel]

The rear sunvisors were designed to keep the sun off of the rear passenger's necks, a problem due to the length of the rear hatch glass. Porsche had these in their 928 model as well for the same reason.

[@frankdenardo8684]

These two cars are copies of Porsche 928

[@Bob132-ov6wk]

Rear sun visors were also in Olds Vista Cruisers and Buick Sportwagons with the vista windows.

[@Bullseye120]

Steve, I remember going on an assembly line tour at Chrysler here in STL when the Lazer and Daytona were being assembled. One thing I distinctly remember was how final fit and trim would work on the aircraft style doors that went partially into the roof. The assembly line worker would face the inside of the door and put his knees against the door while the grabbed and manhandled the upper door frame to make sure the fit was as intended. They would literally bend down on the top of that door frame when doing final alignment after opening and closing the door to check final fit. Several of us on the tour were appalled by the procedure, but that was how they did that back in the day.

[@danielknepper6884]

To this day body shops will do that as well to try to get the door to seal better. Of course they won't do it with the customer watching but trust me it gets done.

[@adamtrombino106]

The wrap around doors were a 1st for 84. My 85 sealed so well that they would freeze shut in the winter time. Silicone spray on the weather stripping solved that.

[@kenttalsma7906]

Your emphasis on the eighties resurrection of Chrysler makes me proud. 'Cocca was the man!

[@penguinsfan251]

I had a 1992 Dodge Daytona. I put 203,000 miles on that car and used it to move four times. Mine had a five speed and a 2.5L 4 cylinder. It had plenty of power to climb the hills of I-70 and I-68 in Western Maryland and the hills and mountains of Western Pennsylvania. The hatchback created a lot of luggage space. I drove it until it was done. Great car.

[@Boxpok]

Hell my old slant six hated I-68 at Sideling Hill, hit the hill pulling 80 top of the hill…. 35 if I was lucky!

[@96MustangBoy1]

I had a 2.2L Turbo Dodge Daytona. I had the head ported and used the throttle body from I think the 3.0L V6 Caravan. I could pretty much keep up with with V8 Mustangs and F-Bodies with the 305 V8. Fun car.

[@vinnyfalcone]

I had an '84 Laser XE Turbo 5 speed. I loved it. I looked at the Fiero, which was also new that year, but it was marked up $1000.

[@1945tigers]

My then girlfriend in 85 had one with turbo stick shift and it was a pretty quick car for its time.You could melt the front tires right off the rims.

[@randyluca6339]

Nice video Steve. I bought a used black 84 Chrysler Laser XE Turbo back in 1988. It was loaded up with black leather interior and also with a 5 speed transmission. It had the red stripes down the sides of the car. That car was fast and a blast to drive. The leather seats were so comfortable, and the Stereo was superb. The electronics were kind of cool, and I did not mind the car telling me if my door was ajar. I had a lot of fun in it. I sold it to buy a new Saturn SL2 back in 1992. The person I sold the Laser to let his son drive it the first week they owned it, and totaled it. Very sad. I really enjoyed that car.

[@sammolloy1]

Thank you for this. I never appreciated these when they were common.

[@ericfaley9019]

I remember those cars. Actually I’ve been working for Chrysler/Dodge dealerships since 1985. Those warning messages to us young techs was annoying as can be. Our dealership was near Leisure World in Laguna Hills/ El Toro area. The old people loved those talking cars. Another informative video.

[@1984xlx]

When I worked at an Oldsmobile dealership back in the 80's, some models also had the voice reminder. It was a very robotic male voice, but impressive for the time. Wow, a car that talks!

[@americarsqueensland1667]

Good choice of car to review, the unusual/unheard of/forgotten cars are the most interesting.

[@doubleaaaron]

I had a 85 laser xt turbo. Neat car. My first car was a 93 dsytona es v6 which i still have also with an r/t and nice shelby. I love driving them. The v6 has good torque and the shelby flies on top end. I've always loved these cars. Its good to see a video about one. Thanks Steve!

[@exquisitenonsense3987]

My 1988 Daytona Shelby Z had those rear visors as well. They were pretty handy for when someone was behind you with bright lights on.

[@cromBumny]

My dad owned a silver 89 with blacked out windows. Super cool to look at...not fast, but did get great fuel economy. Car lasted 230,000 miles. I miss that car.

[@johnossendorf9979]

Nice to hear of Chrysler products that were good. After 1970 every Chrysler product owned by my family and friends were far less than good.

[@greggc8088]

A friend in high school had one in 87. It was broke down most of the time so I gave her a lot of rides in my Monte Carlo.

[@HexxHenderson]

I remember seeing one brand new after it was involved in an accident just minutes before at about 3 o’clock in the morning. The front end of the car was almost completely torn off the engine was laying about 6 feet away. The driver was pretty banged up, but not seriously injured, and I remember that the battery was still connected, and the door was hanging open and it kept repeating “the door is a jar” it should’ve said something like put the engine back in me please.

[@sprsprtrudy]

Cool story but doubt it happened... How was the battery still connected with the motor "6 feet away".. either you witnessed a freak of science or it's bs...

[@Funsho97]

I had a 1987 Dodge Shadow 2 door, silver with the matching "rally" wheels, bought the car in early 1989 with 18,000 miles on it and actually really liked the car and had it for many years. I always thought the Laser and the Daytona Turbo Z cars were pretty cool especially with the removable roof panel that some had. Cool stuff!!!

[@Fljeff7]

These with the turbo were quick little cars. Chysler offered alot of stuff through the direct connection parts line.

[@saturnfivehynrgrc581]

Love the FWD Mopars Steve. Like button energized.

[@talfacprez]

When we lived in Florida the rental car companies would offer the Dodges and Plymouth with the voice warning systems in various languages for the tourists who spoke different languages. One of our engineers was French Canadian and rented a car that spoke French. All of the labeled buttons and switches were in English, but it spoke in French.

[@dannyb382]

I'm glad you did a video on this car. I saw it in the back ground in another video you posted a few weeks back. My Dad bought a 1985 Lazer XE new. I remember that the car talked whenever you pushed the button on the dash.

[@allanyoungstein4227]

I had 4 Daytonas,3 I bought new(84,87,91) and then a used 90. Plus a 95 Lebaron convertible. Great cars and really comfortable for this 6’4” guy. The 90 I bought in the mid 2000’s. Unfortunately it rusted away. I would love to have one now.

[@zackc.8015]

I know on of them had pop-up headlamps? that were born the same year as me .

[@zackc.8015]

I always liked that era LeBaron, the wedge shaped body, looked better IMHO than the bloated Sebring or any other competitor.

[@Welcometofacsistube]

I owned 7 over the years

[@rowdystrongarm463]

My sister bought an '85 Daytona Turbo 5-speed brand new and it was a pretty cool little car for the day.

[@craiga9492]

I always wanted to find a way to make the voice say "your car is slow" instead of "your washer fluid is low" lol

[@TomTom-qm4mq]

I wanted it to have a voice of a sassy black woman.

[@dougfisher1813]

@@TomTom-qm4mq Car; "Oh HELL no uh uh honey! So you think you jus' gonna hop on up in here and driiiiiive me around with no seat belt? Boy I outta whip yo ass with this belt."

[@TomTom-qm4mq]

@@dougfisher1813 lol

[@fastinradfordable]

‘U ain’t put no gas in this raggedy biotch?!?’

[@MrTheHillfolk]

@@TomTom-qm4mq I think Eddie Murphy did a skit on that Edit: and yes it would be hilarious

[@ethanchristian7498]

I sure do miss these cars. I remember owning one for the very first time. My dad bought me one as my very first car from back in August of 1995. I was so happy to own and drive it too back then. Even though the ac wasn't working at the time, but I didn't care. Mine's was a 1985 Chrysler Laser XE, the turbo edition. It was a 5-speed manual transmission. Unfortunately I ended up getting rid of the car two years later because of a couple of problems I had with it. I traded it in for a 1989 Pontiac Sunbird. But sometimes I wish I had kept that Chrysler a little longer, at least for five more years. That way I would've been one of the very few people who still owned and drove one. Or if I wanted to sell it in the near future, I could've gotten a little more money for it

[@yellow351mustang]

Another great video Steve. The rear seat sun visors where there to keep the sun off the back of the head and neck of the rear seat passengers with that huge greenhouse rear window. The Porsche 928 had these as well. It seems as though looking at the side profile of the Laser and Daytona, they kind of mimicked the 928 and therefor not too surprising to have some 928 interior features as well.

[@99somerville]

Yep. Also looks a little bit like an RX7 Mazda.

[@tarkus522]

Buick Park Avenue Ultra in the 90s had rear seat visors also.

[@onemoremisfit]

I had a 1990 Geo Storm that I drove as a beater, the rear hatch glass was literally a solar oven. I had a plastic shop vac hose back there one summer that got melted. I used to park it at work in the summer with nothing in it worth stealing and I'd leave the hatch open a few inches, secured with bungee cord, to keep the back from roasting.

[@neonnoodle1169]

Never realized the resemblance between this and a 928, but I definitely agree.

[@workman122]

Yeah I was just thinking the door has a similar overall shape to the 928, then Steve pointed out the rear sunvisors. Deffo seems like some influence.

[@drdean9913]

Hey Steve, I believe the 928 Porsche also has rear seat sun visors.

[@my1vice]

Correct

[@gr8daddy682]

Wow - I had one of these! To be honest, I really enjoyed this car. I had issues with the motor (leaking head gaskets) that lead to a new head, etc, etc, but overall I drove the hell out of it and really had a good time with it.

[@KC9UDX]

Same. It was awesome and I hated it. Lots of fun to drive, what a pain to work on it all the time.

[@danielknepper6884]

My first car was a Dodge Daytona and yes I blew many head gaskets. That car taught me how to change head gaskets for sure.

[@marioncobaretti2280]

Luv those cars with the turbo and stick, more than a stang

[@zzzoo2]

Thanks Steve! Drove the turbo version with a friend a long time ago. Not a front wheel drive fan, but it was still fun for the money.

[@savedin87ify]

I wanted the Daytona Turbo Z. Cool cars for the time.

[@GeorgeLiquor]

I want a Laser. I've been looking for years

[@isaacdanielson7103]

Get that one

[@tjlang5959]

I have a 1988 Daytona Pacifica for sale if interested.

[@GeorgeLiquor]

@@tjlang5959 I'm looking for 84-87. Thanks, though

[@chrismadden7127]

I had an '88 Dodge Daytona. It came with T-tops. It may not have been the most powerful of cars but it was pretty quick and very nimble. It was actually quite comfortable too. It was a fun car.

[@formula112967]

Another great video Steve....rear sunvisors? Wow...I have never seen those! Thanks again!

[@dominickserignese8837]

A buddy of mine had a bright red Daytona. It actually ran pretty good for a little Turbo Charge four banger!

[@garryhatchett775]

I appreciate the styling of laser & Daytona.

[@mattbauckman9907]

Working as a mechanic in the early to mid nineties I did more timing belts and head gaskets on these 2.2/2.5 liter engines than I care to remember. The non turbo ones were so slow they were downright dangerous. They couldn’t get out of their own way. I would have opted for a Mustang.

[@joejackson9172]

I owned an 84 laser. One of the most comfortable cars I've owned.

[@stephenhenderson9871]

Great video again, I look forward to your videos each day. I had a dodge rampage several years ago , I loved that thing it got good gas mileage was comfortable and could haul most anything I needed around the house. Miss it dearly.

[@RC_928]

My buddy had a early 80’s Charger. it was pretty fast for the time. I remember wondering if Dodge would ever made a RWD V8 version to compete with the Mustang and Camaro. My wish was granted 20 years later.

[@seed_drill7135]

That FWD Charger was actually on the earlier Horizon platform rather than the K.

[@flashg67]

My Younger Brother had a 1984 Daytona Turbo that was silver over black. It had a 5 speed manual, it was a really quick car for it’s time. It unfortunately was totaled in a accident though.

[@sixinarow1]

As a retired auto technician I remember having arguments with these cars while working on them. The car would say "your keys are in the ignition" and I would reply, no the customers keys are in the ignition, my keys are in my pocket. Then it would say "The door is ajar" and I would reply, the door looks nothing like a jar.

[@paulday6875]

🤣 I thought it was only me that did that!

[@Acejustforalaugh]

Ya, you'll be OK !

[@woska7493]

Doh!

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I deal with the same thing in modern vehicles. I can't stand trying to pull a car in the shop and before I move a foot it's dinging and making all sorts of racket. Subaru is the worst. It gradually gets louder and faster the longer you go.

[@timstone3441]

I had the 84 Daytona Turbo. Was a great car. Had an 85 Lazer XT the turbo version. Had the computer dash and voice. Was pretty advanced for its time.

[@jameswoods4406]

Checkered pattern seats and the 4 spoke steering wheel was a 84 only.

[@musclecarmitch908]

I really get a good feeling when I see one of these nowadays! My brother had one and I had a Lebaron and we had these as our every day driver's while we were were playing with our Chargers, Challengers, Cudas and Superbee's times were great back then!

[@sunnyray7819]

Not many of these left around now.. Haven't seen a Daytona or anything like on the road in a long time now.

[@jefferysmith3930]

These things still have a bit of an enthusiastic following. I came across a t-top Daytona Turbo Z, 1986 I believe...which had to be a pretty rare car...in the junkyard a while back. I got to talking with the 2 guys that were robbing bits off of it and helped them out with some tools. They each had a few of them at home that were running/driving cars and shared cell phone photos of their beautifully restored babies.

[@pmafterdark]

Remember these cars very well. Even still have the mag Steve showed that I bought in 84' to check out the ratings.Bought a Daytona turbo new from Natick Dodge in MA back in 84'. Even being in that era I actually preferred the analog gauges to the digital. Had a few issues but nothing serious and was great in the winter snow. Overall it was a great car and I had several over the decades with no serious issues. I had a 87' Daytona Shelby z with a 5spd which was my daily driver for 9 years and never had any serious issues with it. I currently have a 84' Daytona Turbo z I bought from the orig. owner in VA. I think alot of it comes down to how was the car maintained. Of course it's possible to get a lemon from any car maker but overall these were great cars to me.

[@aspalovin]

I remember my Dad's friend bought a brand new white Lebaron Town & Country with the wood paneling (Planes, Trains & Automobiles style) with the turbo, It was one of the nicest cars you could buy in 84. It had Siri's Grandma barking at you and everyone thought it was the coolest thing. I miss my T-top 85 Daytona Shelby Z, turbo 5sp. Great car!

[@christopherlaflam6383]

I was 15 when these came out. Man did I want one of these!

[@UnfinishedProjectDartSport]

I scrapped one of these 20 years ago, if only I knew of the following these are garnering.😢

[@chrismay2298]

Can't see one of those without hearing the Bangles in my head... My aunt had one and as a young guy, that voice was spectacular Tell you that your door was ajar.

[@Fleetwoodjohn]

My grandpa had a talking New Yorker Turbo and it was so cool as a kid. 😎He would talk back to it 😄

[@leaburnpatey2596]

I installed those seats in my 83 Ramcharger. Very comfortable especially on long drives!

[@1967davethewave]

I had an '85 Turbo Lazer for a couple of weeks in the spring of 1986. My buddy had a '78 Trans Am with the 400/automatic. It ran good for a car of that era. We raced from a couple of stoplights. The Trans Am would spin it's tires while the Lazer was having turbo lag. About the time the Trans Am got traction the turbo on the Lazer would come on and the cars were very evenly matched much to both of our surprise. If the T/A had gotten better traction, or had a driver that could walk it out without blowing the tires off it would have beaten the Laser fairly easily. But for a couple of 18 year old high school seniors it was pretty impressive for a "new" car. My step mom's '82 280ZX Turbo was the first car I ever remember that talked to you. We thought it was so futuristic.

[@mrj-charles6383]

I am a big fan of Chrysler cars of that era. I just remember on the used market these were more affordable than a 5.0. The talking feature was a great novelty but got quite annoying after a while. I disabled them on any car I had at that time.

[@CarCrazy12804]

My grandfather had a chrysler new yorker and it had that voice reminder system and as a kid i loved it! My grandmother didn't. Wish he left me that car!

[@travisbeavers1203]

A buddy of mine in high school had a Lazer turbo and that thing would scare the crap outta me "washer fluid low" and would definitely ruin your buzz lol great video man

[@joechancio5177]

my friend back in the late 80s had a black and gold one that was turbo. digital dash with the gold painted wheels. i would like to have that car now. thanks again for the education steve✌️

[@IgoZoom1]

My best friend had a '84 Chrysler Laser XE Turbo in high school. It had a head gasket issue and I remember hearing, "Engine Overheating. Engine damage may occur!" over and over!

[@StressLessCamping]

Oh the memories I have of this car…Steve and I are the same vintage and a friend had one of these. We thought the digital dash and talking feature were SO cool back then.

[@paularteau9482]

You need to find a omni and brag about the glhs since we covered the Lazer and Daytona

[@85Stang331]

You use to be able to program the module for the door ajar voice. The lazer was a fun car especially with the direct connection upgrade aka super 60 kit with the turbo motor.

[@exc911ence_channel]

I once owned an '86 Laser XT turbo... 5-speed, t-top, analogue gauges, red on grey cloth... such a fun car! Too bad the t-roof leaked and eventually rotted the floor out....

[@benpluta6187]

My friends parents growing up had a new 1984 New Yorker that talked, his dad used to crack me up swearing at the car after it told you to buckle up! Thanks for the memories!

[@leaburnpatey2596]

In Canada, the voice message system was also available in french for cars sold in Quebec.

[@MitchellRoboto]

I cleaned office buildings for two years when I was in high school and bought a lightly used 84.5 Daytona Turbo in the late 80s. The 84 models didn't have the '3rd break light' in the rear window, but the 84.5 versions did. It was black with gold trim, a custom Ferrari steering wheel, blacked-out windows, and Enkei gold honeycomb wheels. The local PD pulled me over and would not allow me to drive away until I scraped the window film from my driver and passenger windows the first week I got it home. From what I hear, I have family members who know the person that owns it today. I'm still tempted to reach out because from what I hear, it's still in great shape.

[@societyschild6055]

Came in on a Monday morning with one of those shouting commands in my bay, all on it's own. Long story short; the aftermarket A/C installer ran a screw into the wiring harness. Removing one screw at a time, I found the offender in short order. I still have "Your door is ajar" imbedded in my subconscious these 38 years on...LOL!

[@SupergurlKara]

I bought my first new car when I was 27 years old, in 1984. It was a Pontiac Indy Fiero. It had a 4.10 final drive ratio in its 4 speed manual transaxle to aid its wheezing Iron Duke 2 5 liter 4 cylinder in getting out of the way of one of these front drive Chrysler Lasers or Dodge Daytonas. Still, I referred to the Laser stripe as "Loser stripe." My loaded 1984 Indy Fiero was $16,500 (about $44,000 in 2022 money). There was a car magazine, maybe Car Model or Model Car Science or CarToons, that had a one shot comic strip in 1967 about a guy with a then-new mid-sixties Sting Ray (we didn't call them C2 Corvettes then) who parked it in his garage and began tinkering to develop the talking car feature. When he emerged from the garage to show off his invention, he realized he'd been working in his garage for decades and he'd entered a changed world, exclaiming "wow, it must be about the year 2000!" Upon showing his talking Corvette to someone for the first time, he says, "look, my car talks." The reply was, "so what old timer? They all do!" I heard of a poor soul who drove one of these Losers for a couple hundred miles while the car said "the key is in the ignition...the key is in the ignition...the key is in the ignition..."over and over and over.

[@jimwright8748]

Had an 85 talker. Was a good reliable car. Put head gasket in it around 160k but you could actually could do that yourself back then.

[@FordMan-pe7sm]

I changed so many stripped timing belts on 2.2 and 2.5s, I could do the job start to finish in 43 minutes. Head gasket failures were almost as common. 😵‍💫

[@mikebrown8065]

Thanks Steve for another great video. I remember as a kid my parents purchased a 1979 Plymouth Horizon TC-3, which was basically the same body style. Interesting enough was the Volkswagen 4 banger "rabbit" engine and a 5 speed transmission. That car was so reliable; my father sold it with over 500k miles on it. He didn't want to replace the transmission; it lost 2nd and 4th gear, lol.

[@datsun210]

Definitely would have chosen a Mustang over it, but still a neat & fun little runabout. It had the bells & whistles, the Mustang had the juice.

[@berrylawncare4890]

Boy this really brings back memories back in the days I had a 1984 Daytona turbo Z I love that car sure wish I still had it thanks for taking me down memory lane👍🏼

[@neonnoodle1169]

With the extreme platform sharing Chrysler was doing at this time, this car should not have been more expensive than a rear drive V-8 5.0 mustang.

[@Slowgroovin]

I actually liked the digital, talking Chryslers and such. Futuristic for the time.

[@RockymountainRobert]

My dad had one of these, and a rampage. Very cool cars.

[@robertparkhurst4783]

87 Daytona new off the lot Strange I traded a 80 mustang in for it. Loved that Daytona put a lot of miles on it

[@brucekelley201]

Hi Steve👋 I worked for Dodge service in 1984 fixed many Daytona's Good times 🤓

[@richdorak1547]

Car designers and builders in the 80s, bless their hearts, did the best they could with what they had to work with.

[@americanrambler4972]

I remember these. They were actually pretty cool cars. With the turbos, they were also decently quick for the time period. With the fat tires and wheels, they rode pretty stiff and harsh, but with the standard suspension and tires, they had a surprisingly good and quiet ride. However back then, the turbos were my go to choice. Chrysler made a bunch of their obscure models with turbo options. (Plymouth Caravelle turbo anyone? Yes, I actually looked at and drove one of those. I liked it. It had some impressive scoot for a 4 door sedan.) by 1988 ish, there was a Daytona Shelby Turbo with a variable vane turbo which produced something like 275 hp. That car was fast! It would eat mustang GT’s and Chevrolet Camaros for lunch. The car was a real hoot to drive!

[@bigassfordsd]

The VNT was in 1990, and it was 175hp. The iroc rt was in 92-93 and was the faster one with 225hp

[@americanrambler4972]

@@bigassfordsd my bad.175 was the hp. Keep in mind, this was in a car around or under 3000 pounds. A lightweight car.

[@vernonslone8627]

The Daytona put Dodge back in the Pro Stock winners circle....

[@barbershoppodcast]

I had an .85 but here in Canada it was a PLYMOUTH Laser! - steel blue/grey w orange pin striping, 5 speed stick and that 2.2 litre turdo w a glorious lag kick. Turning radius of a Kenilworth - with a sleeper cab - a pig but I loved her - at 57 it remains my only Mopar.

[@johnjones393]

In 1991, I bought a 1986 Laser. It was a base model with the bigger 2.5 liter, 3 speed auto and 50,000 miles. Still slower than molasses in January but I only paid $4000, all I could afford in high school. It was my pride until I discovered V8 Camaros and Mustangs.

[@spankyham9607]

I drove a Daytona Shelby when I went to my local college to learn automotive stuff. That Turbo was something else when it kicked in.

[@davidparrish1133]

'84 Lazer was my second car. Put nearly 200k on it before I decided to park it. Fun car. Accidentally flew over a railroad hump, on landing, the whole panel blanked for a few seconds before rebooting, like out of sci fi movie. Eventualily the voice would say a message in about a tenth of a second.

[@TalkswithPop]

Hey Steve I really enjoy your videos. You're an old school car guy like me. One thing on the comparison of the Laser and the Mustang GT. Yes the Laser turbo had 140 hp and weighed in at 2530 lbs. The Mustang with the "High Output" 5.0 had 175 hp and weighed in at just a tick under 3000. So, HP to weight these two vehicles were very closely matched. Neither one was a dragstrip terror, but being closely matched in performance they were marketed completely different. The Ford was marketed as a burn the tires off boy racer, the Laser a more sports luxury car. Thanks Steve

[@bigw8549]

I worked at a Chrysler dealership back when those cars were new. Yes a lot of the mechanical components were the same on the K-car based vehicles. In the early 90's the Laser became a Plymouth variation of the Mitsubishi Eclipse/Eagle Talon. The Dodge Daytona received a face lift and the optional 3 litre V6.

[@DeadInsideButStillSmiling]

I initially wanted me a Daytona variant when I was a kid after seeing the '84 and '87 models in The Wraith. The movie showed them easily keeping up with V8 powered sports cars(the power of Hollywood movie magic). Later learned they were really nothing more than spiffed up 4 banger front drive econo-boxes. Decided I'd have rather have had the 273 powered '66 'Cuda anyway.

[@daynadiggle8169]

Absolutely ! My 66 Cuda slush was like J.J. says , DYNOMITE ! The only weird thing about the car was the huge rear glass .

[@seed_drill7135]

Given how detuned V8’s were in 1984, the Daytona turbo wasn’t much slower than the Mustang or Camaro. Through in a couple curves, and the Dodge might beat them.

[@MrJayrock620]

The other thing to remember was the Mustang and Camaro were only about 150hp in 84, so 146hp was nothing to sneeze at

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

We're all pulling for you Steve. Hope to see you soon

[@BrianSquiers]

These presentations are very enjoyable. Keep em coming!

[@jeff7.629]

"The door is a jar". "No, the door is a door, not a jar".

[@daveridgeway2639]

Hi Steve, for the most part, I am a "Ford Man" but I hate to say that the Chrysler Laser and the Dodge Daytona where more streamline than the Ford Fairmont based Fox Body Mustang. The original Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser(s) and the original Buick Sport Wagon(s) had windows on the roof, and they hard rear passenger sun visors also. Please Reply. Dave...