2001 Dodge Durango on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Junkyard Gem: 1994 Dodge Caravan with manual transmission

The K Platform saved Chrysler from certain doom after the company's 1979 bailout by the federal government, and one of the most successful K-based vehicles was the one that spawned the American minivan craze in 1984: the original Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager. Built all the way through the 1995 model year, these K-Caravans or K-Voyagers could be purchased with a four- or five-speed manual transmission, but just a handful were sold that way. Here's an extraordinarily rare late 5-speed example, spotted in a San Francisco Bay Area wrecking yard. The shifter location is a little awkward, requiring the driver to reach back a bit more than would be the case in, say, a Dodge Shadow (which shared the same powertrain). It's too bad that Chrysler never offered these vans with five-on-the-tree manuals. Even though plenty of Mitsubishi-V6-powered front-wheel-drive Chryslers of the late 1980s and early 1990s were available with manual transmissions (e.g., the Chrysler Laser/Dodge Daytona or the Plymouth Sundance/Dodge Shadow), Chrysler minivan shoppers who wanted a stickshift had to take the four-cylinder engine (either a Chrysler 2.2/2.5 or, in the early years, a Mitsubishi 2.6 Astron). This one has the naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter engine that went into so many Plymouth Acclaims and Chrysler LeBarons. In 1995, it was rated at 100 horsepower, which made for stately acceleration with a full load of passengers. For the 1989 and 1990 model years, a 150-horse turbocharged Chrysler 2.5 with 5-speed was the high-performance minivan setup... and you should let us know if you find a factory-built one. This is only the second example of a manual-trans-equipped 1990s Chrysler minivan I have found in the junkyard (the first was this '93 Voyager), and both vans were lightly-optioned El Cheapo models with cloth seats and hand-crank windows; the manual transmission was a bit cheaper than the automatic in those days. At least this one has air conditioning. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Advertising for these minivans tended to focus on price, price, price. Featured Gallery Junked 1994 Dodge Caravan with 5-speed View 18 Photos Auto News Dodge Minivan/Van dodge caravan

Canada offloading hundreds of nearly new cars it bought for G7 Summit

Are you looking for a deal on a lightly used 2018 Chrysler 300C? Do you feel like purchasing several at a time? Do you feel like visiting Canada? If all of these apply, you might be able to catch a pretty decent bargain. The Canadian government is offloading Chryslers and hundreds of other cars it bought for the G7 Summit held in Quebec in the summer, and the cars can be had quite cheaply. Originally, over 600 brand new cars were bought to ferry summit guests around Quebec, some of them in motorcades, necessitating the choice of very official-looking black on black 300C models with tinted windows. The RCMP said it turned out to be more affordable to buy the vehicles than to rent or lease them, but it still didn't come cheap for Canada. The bulk purchase price of all the cars exceeded $23 million CAD, and just $6.3 million has been recouped so far through selling 167 vehicles, as narcity.com reports. And there are still a bunch of cars for sale, posted on the GCSurplus.ca website. Take a look at the aforementioned Chryslers that were put up for auction yesterday: There are multiple 300Cs on offer with the starting bid of $25,343 Canadian and barely over 1,000 miles on the clock; the purchase price of a new, Canadian-spec 300C without motorcade modifications is over $42,000. Chevrolet Suburbans are less cheap, as the minimum bid on them is $53,428, but they appear nicely loaded with similarly low mileage and 4WD. There are also bulk deals, like a five-car pack of police-specification Dodge Chargers for a combined $133,000 if you can get them for the minimum bid. Other, less interesting but unquestionably fully serviceable vehicles include Toyota Siennas (109 were originally bought), Ford Escapes, Mitsubishi Outlanders and Dodge Journeys. You can browse the cars here. Related Video: News Source: Narcity.comImage Credit: GCsurplus.ca Weird Car News Chrysler Dodge Car Buying SUV Sedan

Help find Kenny Wayne Shepherd's stolen 1972 Dodge Charger

Judging by his collection of cars, blues musician Kenny Wayne Shepherd (shown above, at left, with fellow musician George Thorogood) is an enthusiast of classic Dodge muscle cars, so it's no surprise that he is an active member of Mopar-related online communities. When his 1972 Dodge Charger turned up missing from an LA-area warehouse last Wednesday, Shepherd took to the forums of Moparts.org in an attempt to get the word out in hopes of recovering his custom classic.
The Charger was stolen along with four other vehicles, and Hot Rod reports that two women have been taken into custody since - but still no word on the car. With its blacked-out appearance (including custom Foose wheels), this car is definitely hard to miss, but Shepherd also said that the car might be even more distinguishable now due to some body damage that may have occurred as it was being driven from the warehouse lot. Shepherd's website has a full gallery of images for this '72 Charger, which also has a modern 392-cubic-inch V8 under the hood and a six-speed gearbox pulled from a Viper.
If you're in the LA area and happen to see this car, Shepherd asks that you call the LAPD West Valley Division at 818-374-7611. Here's to hoping this one-of-a-kind Charger turns up unscathed.