1986 Dodge Omni User Reviews

Not A Bad Little Car — This was my Mom's car but after my '79 Regal bit the bullet in the Spring of '93 I sort of commandeered it. It literally has no power unless you're lucky to find one with the turbo. It has decent cargo space since it's a hatchback and the seats fold down. The interior was good quality from what I can remember.

Primary Use: Sport/fun (spirited driving, track racing, off-roading, etc.)

1986 Dodge Omni — Amazingly, this was a better car than I expected. My wife bought it without my advice, but she got the best possible version. She picked a base model, with the bulletproof 2.2 engine, paired with the more reliable manual transmission. The car didn't weigh much so it had decent power, and the was reasonably fun to drive. Handling was good, and the small size was easy to park, but roomy inside. The hatchback design made the car very versatile. We got our money's worth out of this car.

Primary Use: Commuting to work

Fast Cheap Car. — 1986 Dodge Omni GLH Turbo. 2.2 liter single turbo. rated at 146hp stock. made in 85 and 86 only by dodge inspiired by Carol Shelby. Also had a GLHS. GLH was the initial for 'goes like hell' and the Shelby version "goes like hell, somemore".

God, What A Turd Of A Car! —

If you read my review of my 1984 Colt, this is the car that replaced it. It was my mothers, and she wanted a Turbo 4 mini-van they made so she asked if I would like it. On paper, it made perfect sense; 7,500 miles against 98,000. Paper can suck sometimes. The Colt went over 77,000 milles AFTER I sold it to a friends daughter. I drove it to work some 200 miles a day, and she drove it wherever. The clutch was replaced at something like 150,000 because the original exhaust system needed to be replaced to pass inspection. Her dad decided to to a makeover of sorts, and replaced the clutch and put on a new set of Michelins. My point here is I should have kept the Colt, and gracefully declined the Omnious.Turd is too nice a word to describe this car. Chrysler/Dodge Service at that point was terrible, and the manager personally came out and told me I didn't' know how to drive a stick. I told him Dodge didn't know how to build or fix a car, and relayed the Colt story. He didn't have an answer when I asked him are the clutches Mitsubishi makes (A Dodge Colt was a rebadged Mitsubishi the down side of that was it depreciated like a rock) that much better that even though I didn't know how to drive a standard it would last 155,000 miles instead 7,500. When I showed up for work in a rental/loaner car everyone would say I see the car is in for it's 7,500 oil and clutch change. I even left it overnight in a parking lot in a urban neighborhood known for it's high theft rate, keys clearly visible and walked home. It was still there in the morning. Actually, describing the 1986 (I made a mistake in the heading) Omni as a turd does a severe injustice TO the turd. Sorry about that!

Primary Use: Commuting to work