It Goes Like Hell!
The 1985 Dodge Omni GLH Turbo
The year was 2015. I worked all the time in a basement with no windows, hated meeting new people, and generally wished it would rain more. A perfectly acceptable life… for a mushroom. Something was missing, though I couldn’t quite name it. So that winter I decided to rediscover my inner child and buy a classic car.
West Chazy, NY– A land that time forgot with a little over 500 residents is where I found a 1985 Dodge Omni GLH-T for sale. In high school, the girl next door had a white Dodge Omni with manual transmission that was super fun to drive. Did they really make a turbocharged version?? It had to be seen to believe.
The first look was pretty rough. Three of the four tires were mismatched, its’ front grill was smashed, a door handle was broken and a side rear-view mirror had been clipped. Aside from the obvious cosmetic problems, it drove like complete shit. “Is she boosting?? Pretty sure that needs to be fixed. Front brakes are gone too so you’ll wanna do that too. Gotta get 3 grand for it”. I wished him luck and walked away.
3 weeks later– The Omni was at my house on a flat bed truck. The first wave of bull shit I tackled with a friend: brake pads, rotors, calipers, oil change, alternator and battery. We were successful enough to confidently drive it to the auto shop down the street for the heavy lifting: tires, shocks / struts, radiator fan, starter, and fixing whatever was preventing full boost. There it would sit with a web of problems for the next 8 weeks. A most confident Russian mechanic, stumped, by Chrysler’s fever dream. “This car needs to be driven. That’s all.” he later said. Of course the problem with the Omni was always the “Dodge” part, and the mechanical problems never ceased. More Go Cart than actual car, it rattled like a shopping cart full of empty beer cans rolling down the street. Something was always ALWAYS waiting for the most inconvenient time to fail, and fail it did over and over again. Picking it up from the shop for the last time, the mechanic said, “Have fun with it, and get rid of it”. The story of every GLH.
How fast is a Dodge Omni GLH Turbo really?
Weighing in a just over 2200 lbs with a 2.2L inline 4cyl engine that Chrysler derived from the French Simca 1100, an Omni GLH-T can run 0-60 mph fully stock in about 8 seconds. A very fast car in its day; capable of giving the Camaro, Mustang or Corvette a run for the money off the line! The much more capable (and limited) GLH-S is even quicker.
How much is a Dodge Omni GLH-T worth?
Picture yourself rolling at 5pm on Summer Friday: Classic aviator sunglasses eliminate the need for a sun visor, which is great because the sun visor fell off a long time ago. An unlit cigarillo dangles from your lips as you screech around the corner of a busy thoroughfare. You watch them watch you, and imagine their envy. “That guy is totally cool or a total fucking loser”. The question is really, what is it worth to you??
How expensive is it to own a classic car like a 1985 Dodge Omni?
They say you should never buy a car that was made on a Monday or Friday. Assuming you aren’t buying one that has been completely and totally overhauled by a professional mechanic, you should expect to deal with: starter failure, trouble with engine idle, pervasive electrical issues, suspension slop, stupid shit that just breaks (like the door handles), and of course…. rust. Chrysler has never been known for build quality, and the Dodge Omni lives up to that reputation in full.
Do you regret selling your Dodge Omni GLH-Turbo?
Yes. Absolutely. Current automotive design emphasizes technology and creature comforts over raw operating experience. The very idea of a turbo Dodge Omni with its’ significant torque steer and unpredictable driving nature seems socially irresponsible to manufacture today. There will never be another turbo Omni.