Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Dodge is a type of car once called a “captive import” due to its mix of domestic branding and offshore assembly. At its asking price, let’s see if this “all-original” edition captures our hearts.
When Porsche introduced the front-engined, water-cooled 928 to the world in 1977, the company envisioned it as a replacement for and an elevation in sophistication over the older 911. That didn’t happen, and like “New Coke,” the 928 ended up playing second fiddle to its predecessor. The 1982 Porsche 928 we looked at last Friday showed that the 928 didn’t get the bum’s rush by Porsche traditionalists for lack of trying. Still iconic and beautiful in its own way, as well as a powerful, competent GT car in its own right, the 928 is finally getting its due. Unfortunately for the seller of our particular car, that due did not add up to the $22,500 they were asking. This opinion was made clear in both comments and the 58 percent No Dice loss the Porsche suffered.
Production of Porsche’s 928 spanned three decades, from the late 1970s through the mid-1990s. During that time, the market for sports cars as a whole and the number of options in performance and price categories grew and changed.
By the time the ’90s rolled around, Porsche didn’t just have its German and Italian rivals with whom to contend but a whole slew of new sports cars coming out of Japan that were matching the old guard on power while leaping lightyears ahead of them in performance technology and gee-whiz gadgetry.
Today’s 1991 Dodge Stealth R/T is one of those cars. Built by Mitsubishi and sold by that marque in a slightly different form as the 3000GT, the Stealth offers big-coupe style and crazy performance from its 300-horsepower twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6. That sits sideways under the hood but puts the power to all four wheels through a standard five-speed manual, so handling is a step up from a run-of-the-mill FWD car.
There’s plenty of tech on these cars, too. The dampers are electronically adjustable, and the rear end can do some of the steering. Inside, there are buttons galore in the driver-oriented dash and even on the steering wheel. That’s all wrapped in a body with some seriously ’80s futuristic show car styling.
With all that in its favor, it’s a shock to see that this electric blue over gray leather interior Stealth has only been enjoyed for a total of just 30,107 miles. That’s the number declared in the ad, under the auspices of one owner (with some obfuscation) who seemingly has been able to remain partially immune to the car’s charms.
That means there’s plenty of life left in this “STOCK” Stealth. The car presents as almost new and with no obvious issues save for some stone chips in the hood. Other than that, its sexy bodywork and well-equipped interior appear solid.
The R/T was the top-of-the-line edition of the Stealth, and the seller claims that only three options were offered on the car: a sunroof, a CD player with equalizer, and leather upholstery. This car is fitted with all but the hole in the roof.
Not everything on the car is as it came from the factory. The ad notes the replacement of the spark plugs, water pump, and timing belts at 28K. It also notes that the car has received annual oil changes whether it needed them or not. One thing still on the honey-do list is the tires, which the seller says are old and, despite sporting plenty of tread, probably aren’t safe for exercising excessive heroics. The title is clean, and the price has been set at $23,500. Like Friday’s Porsche, it wears collector car plates.
We’ve now looked at three somewhat similar cars in a row (Corvette, 928, and now the Stealth) that fit into a similar niche and are priced within spitting distance of one another. Today’s Stealth is the priciest of the bunch but it also sports the lowest mileage and is arguably the most blue.
What’s your take on this Stealth and that $23,500 price? Does that have you planning covert operations involving bank accounts? Or does that price mean this Dodge’s cover is blown?
You decide!
Colorado Springs, Colorado, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Jerry Cleveland for the hookup!
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