Dodge Colt Vista

            

    

This is one of my fiercest, most loyal, least logical automotive loves--and I'm sure this will be the Car Lust for which I take the most abuse.

It's hard to think of a vehicle more unpretentiously useful than the Dodge Colt Vista. With its mini-minivan profile, copious passenger space, massive cargo capacity, and optional all-wheel drive, the Vista was the leading member of the burgeoning "tall wagon" class in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

People pay big money today for crossover SUV/wagons such as the Chrysler Pacifica and Toyota Highlander, or for small SUVs like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4; the Vista did everything those vehicles do, but well ahead of their time. It was a do-everything Swiss Army knife of a car that could handle virtually any task dished out to it. It drove nicely, coped easily with uneasy traction, and could haul everything necessary for a week-long expedition into the mountains.

Plus, and I'm wincing slightly as I write this, the clincher is that I think the Vista is a very attractive vehicle, with an open and honest "face" and a smooth, well-proportioned body. There are those who find the Vista ugly, and they will likely mark my opinion as worthless from here on (if they hadn't already come to that conclusion after reading Car Lust in the past).

Still, I can't understand that viewpoint. What vehicle at the time, with anything close to similar capabilities, had a line anything like as pure?

The clincher, for me, is that legendary automotive journalist and former race car driver Denise McCluggage owned and loved her Vista. That's enough for me. These are available for a song nowadays, and to be completely honest I can't think of a better beater.

Good photos of these are hard to find, so this photo is of a thoroughly knackered example I saw up for auction last year.

--Chris H.

Comments

[Rob Kopp on May 01, 2008 at 05:29 PM]

Chris,

This was my first new car. I bought it in 1988, the first year for port fuel injection. Horsepower climbed from 88 to 96 that year. With the five speed, I would get 37 MPG on long trips, loaded with four kids and every other space filled to the gills.

One thing you don't mention-- It had a wonderful suspension. Independent all the way around, with lots of travel. It did well on gravel roads, and was a great Minnesota car, even without 4WD.

I love my 2006 Impreza Outback Sport for many of the same reasons-- and I don't need a third seat anymore.

Not much is made of suspension travel in passenger cars these days, and it's really too bad. For anyone living in a rural area, a car with decent suspension travel can make travel a lot easier.

[Keith on June 12, 2008 at 01:48 AM]

This was my first car, we got it as a family new in 1986 (it was a 87 model) and it survived training me and my brother how to drive. best thing I remember as a child was going to Price club and loading up the flip down back seat with groceries. Almost makes me want to buy one for the nostalgia :):):)

[Ted on July 18, 2008 at 07:20 AM]

We had, I believe an '84 ? Vista. Some time after 100k the drive train broke. Only major problem I remember. Very roomy. Nice flat dash on which to do stuff. REALLY wish I still had that one. Only problem I noticed, and it was at least part my own, was that when the car was FULLY loaded, you'd better make absolutely certain that your tire pressure was EXACTLY the same on all 4 tires, and preferably at its maximum. If they weren't all equal then you would be fighting it at freeway speeds! Not only I, but our kids LOVED it as well. Would love to get my hands on our old one, but alas, it has probably been recycled into green bean cans by now(hope not). I still look on line for a replacement. Weird, Huh? What do you do, it should have been kept. Live and learn. :(

[Laura B. on July 26, 2008 at 12:32 PM]

I just stumbled on your blog while looking to describe to a friend what kind of car I have. I have an '85 Dodge Colt Vista, inherited for free from my mother. We got it as a family car '94 all fixed up from a dealer friend of ours. It's been an awesome little work horse and still going strong after all these years. It does everything for me, gets great gas milage, is a breeze to work on, and is a perfect car for these high-priced fuel days. I get a lot of compliments on it from car lovers. So thanks to your lovely hail to the Dodge Colt Vista, it truly deserves some love!

[Jessi L on August 19, 2008 at 10:43 AM]

Ummm....I have been telling my husband for years that the Dodge Colt Vista is the best car ever. I never had one...so I am just an admirer from afar. I finally feel validated...to find this blog.Be sure I forward this on to him....

[jeff on September 07, 2008 at 06:38 AM]

i also love this car i need a alternator bracket a 1992 colt vista 1.8 L 5sp, hard to find the car is in great shape and i hope to get back on the road for gas milage and dependablity. one thing about this car it has a lot of room inside for being so small, most people look at it and say why, then they ride or drive it and they would like to have one. if anyone knows where i can get a bracket i would sure like to know so i can drive it again.

[on October 12, 2008 at 06:49 PM]

I have one of these FOR SALE!!! for only - $500

Beautiful well taken care of, Seven 7 passenger four wheel drive SUV mini van/wagon, (1988) 4x4 (no mistake it is a 4 wheel drive with great traction tires) - 2.0 Mitsubishi 4 cylinder 5speed manual, gets about 23mpg city 28mpg hwy. 181K miles. Front wheel drive, and engages rear wheels when pressing 4WD switch, all works perfect. Interior very clean and nice, small tear in drivers seat, all else very nice cloth, Pioneer CD player radio. Body very straight, no body damage, does burn oil but seems to only smoke if it gets low on oil, but when not when full, have keep an eye on the oil dipstick level and all is just fine. Great for snowy weather, excellent traction tires. Does run, but has what I believe (but not entirely certain) to be a wobbly crank pully on that drives fan belts, could be easy fix for mechanically inclined person??? Includes ASE Mechanic Service Manuals. Could be major engine problem, like crankshaft repair or bearing, not sure? DRIVE IT HOME! Have owned for 9 years, and really don't want to sell it, bought wife newer vehicle! $500 firm, write e-mail to test drive. Here is an online link to the car running and the noise it makes.

http://bellingham.craigslist.org/cto/821367036.html

http://media-mobi.com/en/?play-1mrg3mmi116hbttm9li7qp7gd3ejjagk

[on October 12, 2008 at 06:53 PM]

If anyone is interested in buying my Dodge Colt Vista, I forgot to add contact info: rob at praisemail dot com

[David Leigh on October 23, 2008 at 06:34 AM]

I bought a Dodge Vista Wgn in 2000. It was a 1989 with AWD and 5-spd. 129k on the odometer. It ran flawless. 28 mpg in city/hwy mix. Everyone who rode in it loved it. Wish I still had it. I still keep my eyes open for one. Fantastic vehicle.

[Mary McD on December 20, 2008 at 07:00 AM]

I am wild about the utility and functionality of my 1991 Dodge Colt Vista wagon. I was lucky enough to stumble upon this gem of a wagon on Craigslist last year and bought it for a thousand bucks. Better yet, it only had 46000 miles on it!!!! It is the perfect around town car for dump trips and taking my three dogs to their favorite places to run. I plan on owning it for many years.

[Ian on January 26, 2009 at 08:11 PM]

I had a Maroon '86 Vista 4WD, bought it for $700 in 2001 or so. It was a great work wagon, and with the 4WD suspension and taller ride stance, I always felt confident in the rain and high winds that we get here in Hawaii. It was pre-EFI, but with the 5-speed tranny, and a new Holly carb, it was fast! It did go through several fuel pumps though, and with the intake manifold in the way, it was a difficult part to replace, so I went with an electric fuel pump.

And that brings me to the only negative side to owning the 4WD, especially in Hawaii - parts were not always readily available, were definitely not cheap, and were always hard to replace, because the bad part was being obstructed by something else. I got lucky and found another one for parts, but after about four years, and @165,000 miles later, the suspension had had enough, so I sorrowfully gave it to a charity.

If I had been in the mainland (48 states) I would have kept it going, or found another to buy. I too liked the simple, but functional lines, and especially liked the stance and improved handling of the 4WD suspension. I miss the 30+ mpg these days, as my '96 Aerostar (which I like very much) gets only 16mpg.

There is nothing being built these days that takes it's place for ease of use, functionality, and mpg. To the Dodge Colt Vista 4WD - Clink!

[Kristin on February 20, 2009 at 11:02 AM]

My family bought one of these new in 1987.. and it was a bad car from the beginning. They had to take it back countless times and have it worked on, and years down the road they passed it down to me.. and it broke down on me so many times, I've lost count. Finally, I parked it in front of my parents' house with the key in the ignition and the doors unlocked, begging for someone to steal it.. no such luck.. I gave it to someone my dad knew. For a few years, I saw them driving it.. I guess it finally bit the dust. It had over 200k miles on it.

[smitty on March 18, 2009 at 02:29 PM]

To all of you who have or want Vistas, there are is an on-going thread dedicated to this machine at

http://www.mitsubishiclubaustralia.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=91981#91981

The Vista, built by Mitsubishi and called "Nimbus" outside the USA, was basically solid but had a few problems. Fortunately, they are easily addressed. Many owners over the years have given up on their Vistas due to shifting problems. If your car loses the ability to shift into Fifth gear, or into 4wd, it is likely due to a vacuum leak developing in one or both of the two large round vacuum motors atop the transmission. These parts seem to be NLA, but most old ones are easily fixable by anyone with a little bit of mechanical dexterity, for nothing! Go to the website for an extended description.

[Fred on April 24, 2009 at 11:19 AM]

my dad had on of these. It took us everywhere. The mitsibishi engine always took anywhere. Very good MPG for a car that old. You could fit anything in it. It never needed any major fix-ups and took us for 6 hour trips non-stop at 5,800 elevations above sea level. We had the stick shift version. The engine never backed down on a hill or a steady climb. We have a different Nissan Quest 94 version and comparing both of them. The Vista had better engine responsiveness and you could hear the engine just revving while still maintaining better than 25 MPG. We recently took our Nissan Quest on the same path last year. It only did about 15 MPG. IT had about the same people in it and the same cargo.

[Taufactor on May 03, 2009 at 11:27 PM]

This one has been in family since the mid 90s. (an '86 model)

It's a great car!

The Mitsu engine is the heart of gold, and for overall such a small machine, it is truly an ergonomic miracle. Heh, I remember giving it the full scoping as the family mecahnic, and giving whole-hearted approval.

It really is the Swiss army knife of cars. You're spot-on there. It has easy 4WD, and yet the clumsy minivan craze was going on in that time period. It was a possible contender for Subaru in those days. The Vista had button-triggered shift on the fly 4WD (which still works!)

It's a really good machine. I'd recommend it to anyone. It's an '86 model with less than 150K miles. I plan to keep it. Heh, I found it, should be me that hangs onto it!

[chucolo on June 03, 2009 at 07:48 PM]

Just donated our 20-year-old Vista to the local public radio station. Was a great car, never let us down. Alas, it fell victim to the dreaded "no longer shift into fifth gear" syndrome. That, coupled with the fact you could no longer get windshield wiper replacements, spelled its doom.

Rest in peace, Vista.