1985 Dodge Daytona Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Fast. That describes how your money will leave your wallet if you're purchasing a high-performance sports car. Unless you're buying a Dodge Daytona. In this case, "fast" applies only to this budget-minded hatchback's action on the highway. It's an economy car in terms of cost and mileage, but it doesn't behave the way you think an economy car would. Essentially replacing the sporty Challenger, this 3-door hatch comes in three trims -- one base and two turbos.

The 1985 Dodge Daytona boosted its already rocket-like 2.2-liter turbo engine from 142 to 146-hp. The base model 2.2-liter I4 wasn't too shabby at 93-hp. But the Turbo was the street racer. With its long sloping front end and almost fastback-like hatch, it had the looks to match the engine power. Also new in 1985, all trims received the rear spoiler that previously only existed on the Turbo Z. Now even the base owners could look cool.

Opinion seems to be that the Daytona is fast and fun and, oh yeah, FAST, and the Turbo models feature great performance and awesome sound. The dash controls are well laid out, say owners. There are few complaints about the 1985 Daytona. Some question its reliability, while others say it can take a beating. There was some mention of starter problems.