The history of Chrysler over the past fifty years or so is a long and sordid tale of joint ventures, bailouts, purchases, sales, and mergers, leading to its current situation as part of a giant conglomerate with a dumb name. All of these marriages and divorces left behind some strange step-kids, cars that wear the badges of old Chrysler brands, but have nothing to do with its current offerings. For your consideration today, I have found two clean low-mileage examples of such cars.
Friday’s final four were a motley bunch, with a little something for everyone. The Fiat 500 won, followed by the Plymouth Valiant wagon, then the world’s nicest Chevy S-10 Blazer, and the cheap New Yorker brought up the rear.
This is the order I’d put them in, too. That little Fiat looks like a lot of fun, but I’d be sorely tempted by the Valiant wagon too. The Blazer would be an interesting conversation piece, but I still don’t know what I’d do with it. And the Chrysler New Yorker would make a fine winter beater for someone, or first car for a kid, but it’s not something I want.
Vehicles with a Chrysler, Plymouth, or Dodge nameplate on them have been made by, or had components from, Mitsubishi, Renault, Mercedes-Benz, Hillman, Volkswagen, Talbot, and probably some others I’m forgetting. Not all at once, of course, but sometimes in the same showroom at the same time. The company’s boom-and-bust fortunes over the past several decades have left behind a trail of cast-off cars, some of which you probably remember, others you may have forgotten. Today we’re going to take a look at a couple of them, and dig into a little bit of the twisted history that created them.
1991 Dodge Monaco LE – $5,400
Engine/drivetrain: 3.0-liter OHC V6, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Emmaus, PA
Odometer reading: 24,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Chrysler went from near-bankruptcy in 1978 to having enough money to buy AMC in 1987, thanks to the success of the K cars and the minivans. Jeep was the real prize, but a lot of other AMC products came along for the ride. Among those was a big sedan that AMC had been developing with its partner Renault: the Premier. Chrysler created a new division as a home for these AMC leftovers: Eagle. This car is exactly the same thing as an Eagle Premier, but it wears a Dodge grille, and a famous Dodge model name.
The heart of the revived Dodge Monaco, and its whole reason for existing, is the infamous PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) V6 engine. As part of the AMC purchase deal, Chrysler had to fulfill a purchase contract for these infernal things. Eagle wasn’t selling enough Premiers, so Chrysler decided to sell a version of the car through its higher-volume Dodge dealerships. This Monaco is practically new; it has had two owners, each of whom put about twelve thousand miles on it. The seller says it runs and drives great, but the serpentine belt squeals when you turn on the air conditioning. A new belt and tensioner are probably in order.
Inside, it’s as clean as you would expect for such low miles. These are really comfy cars, too. One thing I should warn you about, though, is that unlike Dodge’s own 1991 lineup, the Monaco does not have a driver’s side airbag to fulfill its passive-restraint requirement. Instead, it relies on automatic shoulder harnesses and manual lap belts. I know. I hate them too.
The first owner kept it in the garage, while the second, it sounds like, left it out in a hailstorm. As a result, it has nice shiny paint, and a few dents. Adding to this car’s mixed pedigree is its styling: it was designed by Giorgietto Giugiaro, of DeTomaso Mangusta, Lotus Esprit, and VW Rabbit fame. If you’re playing the “six degrees of separation” game with cars instead of celebrities, the Dodge Monaco is the car equivalent of Kevin Bacon.
2002 Dodge Stratus SE Coupe – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter DOHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Mechanicsville, VA
Odometer reading: 72,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Chrysler and Mitsubishi first crossed paths way back in 1971, when Dodge started selling the Mitsubishi Colt Galant as the Dodge Colt. In the mid-1980s, the two companies started a joint venture, called Diamond-Star Motors, and built a factory in Normal, Illinois to build a line of sporty coupes bearing both companies’ badges. Among these was this car, the Dodge Stratus coupe, not to be confused with the Dodge Stratus sedan, which was Chrysler’s own design, built in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
Adding to the confusion is that both the Stratus coupe and sedan use 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines, but they’re different engines. This Stratus coupe is powered by a Mitsubishi engine, shared with the Mitsubishi Eclipse, also built at Diamond-Star Motors. This car was also first owned by an elderly driver, who took excellent care of it but didn’t drive it much. It has a little under 72,000 miles on it total, 20,000 of which were added by its seller. It has had a lot of recent work done, and it runs and drives great.
It’s in decent shape inside, but the dash top has some cracks. The seller has covered it with one of those custom-fit toupees, but personally, I think I’d rather just see the cracks. I’ve never seen a car with dual airbags with one of those covers, and I get the feeling that being hit in the face by what’s essentially a floormat if the airbag goes off would be a bad idea.
It was recently repainted, and it looks great. Yeah, it’s just boring silver, but it’s shiny. One fault that the seller does note is that the sunroof is non-operational; it will open, but they had to take it to a body shop to get it closed again. It doesn’t leak, but leave that button alone.
Dig back far enough in the history of almost any car company, and you’ll find some bizarre connections between them: engines bought by one company from a competitor, joint ventures that don’t seem to make sense, captive imports that were’t really imported at all. Neither of these two has anything to do with Dodge’s current offerings, and they didn’t have anything in common with any other Dodges in their own time, either. But that’s what makes them interesting, especially to someone like me with essentially zero brand loyalty and a love of oddball cars. Both of these are well-preserved examples of their type. Which one do you prefer?
I’ve always lusted for an Eagle Premier, but they’re as rare as eagle’s…er, hen’s teeth. The Monaco? I somehow had no clue it was a platform mate of the Premier and now I want it, really, really bad.
I had to vote for the Monaco. An American Renault 21 intrigues me, and I am amazed by how gently American the fairly minor exterior changes make this otherwise very French looking car feel.
I’m weirdly tempted to ask for a ‘both’ vote on this one. I don’t know that either of these are objectively great cars, but I find them both strangely endearing.
The AMC/Chrysler collaboration with Renault has always fascinated me, and the idea of a mid-sized French car being sold through Chrysler dealerships is truly an odd one. I don’t know that I’d ever be likely to find another Monaco or Premier in such well-preserved condition. If there was a Museum of the Oddly Mundane Automobile, this Monaco would be a perfect candidate for preservation there. I need to start winning lotteries so I can establish that museum.
A Diamond-Star car was my introduction to the world of car ownership, and I truly loved a slightly different version (4G69 to this 4G64) in a Lancer Ralliart I owned for a few years. It’s too bad this Stratus has such mundane styling and an automatic.
Thank you for putting the reply I wouldn’t have been able to write, which captures my sentiments quite well, into words.
I’m glad to hear one of my brief moments of lucidity was observed and appreciated!
I have some memories associated with both of these turdmobiles, none of them endear me to the vehicles at all.
I guess the Stratus only because it’s cheaper.
I voted Team Stratus before I even read the article. I still daily drive an Indy Red 2005 Stratus R/T coupe with the 3.0 V6 and 5-speed. I bought it new in July 2005, and as I approach retirement and new car prices approach the stratosphere, it is likely the last new car I will own.
One thing that has always been a problem is stores and websites getting parts mixed up with the Status sedan parts, which are not compatible.
After 20 years of being out of production, some parts are getting hard to find. And having the R/T model with a manual makes some even harder. Expanding online searches to Mitsubishi Eclipse and Galant helps in some cases.
Sounds like a great car to hang on to! I considered a Stratus R/T in 2002 b/c I liked the sporty but restrained/still practical package. I ended up going Mustang in part b/c of a concern over parts, but do always imagine I’d have been happy with the Stratus too.
When I was shopping it came down to the Stratus or a Mustang. I could not quite afford a Mustang GT, though, and could not stomach the thought of living with “You could have had a V8.” I should have just gone with a year-old used car, but emotions took over and I wanted new.
Thing is, at this point, you get to have a car that’s been yours since the beginning, and any performance deficit is now irrelevant due to the march of time, either the market’s or yours. And every experience, enjoyment, and even mark or dent is completely yours – what could possibly be better?
I have a soft spot for the old AMC/Dodge/Eagle Monaco/Premiere… so it got my vote mainly due to the excellent condition combined with the novelty factor.
The French bastard stepchild Monaco is extremely Autopian. I crave it.
Switch the first two numbers in the Monaco’s pricing and it may sell.
Otherwise, I’m picking the DSM car
I kinda like the Stratus. Didn’t know they were different than the sedans.
Viva la France! I’d rock that ultra-comfy Franco-American barge all night long. I have a GREAT onsite PDR guy. And folks around here would love him, he uses a Honda KEI van for his business.
The only version of the PRV V6 that was problematic was Volvo’s, which of course is the only one Americans are generally familiar with. They are NOT all the same, and the Renault and especially Peugeot versions are just fine.
Stratus, for no other reason than being able to loudly state” I DRIVE A DODGE STRATUS”.
I’ll take the Stratus because, as Jeremy Clarkson once said, French cars are wierd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBTt5NjVqLA
I’m about ready to do some really bad things for that Monaco (joking, of course!).
The amount of “The Hemi is the best V8” bro’s that’d get confused about this “Dodge” would make the asking price worth it, honestly.
If you REALLY want to troll them get an old Corolla with the wheezy carburetted 2T 1.6L I4 hemi under the hood and stick HEMI badges all over it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_T_engine#2T
I could! I can even do it with the ol’ Mitsubishi-based Challenger with its 2.6L Hemi….. that even had Hemi badges on it!
Also yes.
Or the Mitsubishi based “Dodge Challenger” with the 2.6L Hemi Astron engine.
I’ve been resisting contacting the seller of the Monaco, it’s just the right mix of weird and in good shape.
Wow, a choice between terrible and horrible. Need a “meh” button. The Monaco must have some crack included for that price. And the Stratus screams “I’m a burned out elementary school vice principal whose ex-wife took me to the cleaners.”
Stratus by a mile. The Dodge isn’t worth half of what they’re asking for it. Being old and well-kept doesn’t necessarily make a car collectible or expensive.
It looks like a car you’d ditch the moment something in a nicer colour pulled up next to you at the lights in GTA Vice City.
Big question is which 2.4 was better in the end. I hate to say it, but I kind of felt like the 2.0 NA motor of the Eagle and Chrysler clones was pretty decent, but I don’t know how they faired after decades of use. The interior of the Talon, Cirrus and Stratus at the time was also very similar, and was actually pretty comfy for small cars.
The Monaco is overpriced- rarity still doesn’t translate to value. Because I’m weird, I was kind of hoping it was one of the handful that came with the 2.5 Jeep engine. I always admired the Premier because it was a good effort but with bad timing and a few quality glitches. The Stratus is probably ok as a low-budget used car, but there might be better choices at that price, and I’m always suspicious of re-sprays.
I’ve got a good feeling about the quality of maintenance performed on a car in Mechanicsville!
Coin flip. Who cares about either of these yawn-mobiles?
The Monaco looks kinda like a poor copy of an Audi 5000.
Both are a solid “meh” for me. Don’t hate them, but not jazzed either.
I’d take the Monico due to the rarity. Can’t think of the last time I ever saw one.
So instead of a both button we need an either button.
Gotta go with the Monoco. When is the last time you seen one?
I can’t say I’ve ever seen one. And I’ve seen an Eagle Premier.
Hard to get excited about either of these meh-mobiles. I voted for the Stratus. An car in good running condition for $3,500 is an okay deal in 2025. I wouldn’t be happy about paying $3,500 for a 23 year old Dodge, though, even if that is what it is reasonably worth.
I’ll take the Monaco, but only if they’ll take half the money for it.