Junkyard Find: 1990 Dodge Daytona ES Turbo

Murilee Martin
by Murilee Martin

I see many Dodge Daytonas at high-turnover junkyards, even 20-25 years after the last of the crypto-K-body examples rolled off the line. This means that many of these cars lasted much longer than anyone expected. Here’s my latest find, a 1990 Daytona ES Turbo.


The base ’90 Daytona listed at $9,795, but nobody actually paid that. Here we see the magic of rebates in action.

Chrysler said the ES Turbo cost $12,895, but I’m pretty sure that this one sold for considerably less.

These things were actually quite fast, even by today’s standards. The turbocharged 150-horsepower 2.5 liter engine was pretty potent in a 2,600-pound car.

Why don’t hatchbacks have louvers these days? Bring back the louvers!








Murilee Martin
Murilee Martin

Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.

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  • Troyohchatter Troyohchatter on Apr 16, 2012

    I know I have stated this out here before, but even as a Honda/Mazda guy, the most reliable car I ever owned was my 1993 Dodge Spirit with the 2.5/3spd auto. Simply bulletproof, had a formal sedan design that resulted in plenty of room, especially headroom in the back seat, and would get 32MPG on the highway all day long. By today's standards it is probably a tractor but it was a BULLETPROOF tractor. Sold at 196K with plenty of life left in it.

  • Vent-L-8 Vent-L-8 on Apr 17, 2012

    the owner was supposed to remove the DOD sticker, just sayin'

    • Occam Occam on Apr 17, 2012

      I don't know that it matters anymore. The old idea was that with a DoD sticker, someone could get waved onto base. Now that it's 100% I.D. check everywhere you go, and they don't even issue DoD stickers (I still see them on occasion, from a different base, fading a peeling on some jalopy in a parking lot), it's a moot point.

  • EBFlex China can F right off.
  • MrIcky And tbh, this is why I don't mind a little subsidization of our battery industry. If the American or at least free trade companies don't get some sort of good start, they'll never be able to float long enough to become competitive.
  • SCE to AUX Does the WTO have any teeth? Seems like countries just flail it at each other like a soft rubber stick for internal political purposes.
  • Peter You know we’ve entered the age of self driving vehicles When KIAs go from being stolen to rolling away by themselves.
  • Analoggrotto TTAC is full of drug addicts with short memories. Just beside this article is another very beautiful article about how the EV9 was internationally voted by a renowned board of automotive experts who are no doubt highly educated, wealthy and affluent; the best vehicle in entire world. That's planet earth for you numbskulls. Let me repeat: the best vehicle in the world is the Kia EV9. Voted, and sealed, and if you try to deny it Fanny Willis is ready to prosecute you; but she will send her boyfriend instead because she is busy.
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