Used Dodge Colt Buying Guide: The Mitsubishi Mirage in Dodge Clothes

If you're shopping a used Dodge Colt in 2026, you're almost always looking at a front-drive Mitsubishi Mirage with Dodge badges, most likely a 1989-94 car. Buy the one with records, the right engine for how you drive and no rust in the floors, and plan on paying very little. Consumer Guide's (admittedly old) price ranges topped out around $1,400. The Plymouth Colt is the same car, so everything here applies to it too.

The Colt name ran from 1971 through 1994, and over that time it was really several unrelated cars. I read the Truth About Cars' seven-part Colt history, Consumer Guide's reviews of the 1990-92 and 1993-94 cars and a 2025 junkyard find, and ran NHTSA's recall lookup for every year on Oct. 20, 2026. This guide skips the rear-drive 1970s Colts, which are collector cars now and need a different kind of inspection.

Which Colt is which

Chrysler started selling Mitsubishi-built Colts in 1971, after Mitsubishi Heavy Industries sold it 15% of its shares, according to TTAC's Abandoned History series. Front-wheel drive arrived with the Mirage-based car at the end of the 1970s. Plymouth's version was sold as the Champ through 1981 and then as the Plymouth Colt. Roughly, by years:

• 1979-84: the first front-drive Mirage-based hatchbacks. Few survive.
• 1985-88: a new Mirage-based hatchback and the first Colt sedan. TTAC's Part IV lists a 68-hp carbureted 1.5 as the base engine and a turbo four in the Premier sedan and GTS Turbo. The 1985-86 cars have recessed headlamps, while later ones are flush.
• 1989-92: a rounder two-door hatchback. The sedan moved over to Eagle as the Summit.
• 1993-94: a coupe and sedan, which TTAC says were built at the Diamond-Star plant in Normal, Illinois, next to the Eclipse and Talon.

The tall Colt Vista wagon was a different vehicle, a Mitsubishi Chariot and later an RVR. It shared only the name, so don't use this guide for one.

1989-92: the hatchback most people find

Consumer Guide's 1990-92 review says the base car had an 81-hp 1.5 with a four-speed manual, the GT had a 113-hp 1.6 with a five-speed, and automatics were three- or four-speed depending on engine. For 1991 the Colt became hatchback-only, the GT went away, and a new three-valve head took the 1.5 to 92 hp. CG liked these cars and called them "sleepers," and it rated the automatic slow.

TTAC's junkyard find on a base 1992 hatchback lists the 1.5 at 92 hp and 93 lb-ft, and says higher 1992 trims got a 113-hp 1.8 DOHC. CG and TTAC disagree on whether the 113-hp engine was a 1.6 or a 1.8, and I couldn't settle it. It probably depends on the year, so check the engine code on the car. The 1992 hatchback in that story had nearly 200,000 miles and a timing belt that had been replaced in 2020. Ask any seller when the belt was last done and get a receipt if they have one.

1993-94: coupe and sedan

According to CG's 1993-94 review, the redesigned Colt came as a two-door coupe or a four-door sedan, with a 1.5 or a 16-valve 1.8 at 113 hp, and anti-lock brakes were optional on the GL sedan. A driver air bag came for 1994, but the front passenger still had a motorized shoulder belt with a manual lap belt. Make sure the motorized belt runs all the way forward and back before you buy, because NHTSA's two 1992-93 belt recalls are both about that system. Dodge dropped the Colt after 1994 for the Neon. The Eagle version continued through 1996, and our used Eagle Summit guide covers it.

Recalls NHTSA lists

• 95V103 (1986-91): the red "PRESS" buttons on the front seat belt buckles can break, and the pieces can jam the buckle.
• 97V073 (1992-93): on the driver's side, the guide rail cable cover can wear through over time.
• 97V063 (1992-93): too much lubricant can deform a door latch switch cover, so the shoulder belt anchor stays at the A-pillar when the door is closed.
• 80V010 (1980): an ashtray bulb socket that can overheat. The 1982-84 listing (07E064) covers aftermarket fuel pumps, not the original car.

An empty result for a year isn't proof of a clean car. Check the specific VIN with our Dodge recall check by VIN, and if it's a Plymouth, use the Plymouth recall check instead.

Buying one without getting burned

Most Colts left now are cheap cars that have been through several owners, which is exactly the kind of car people sell with an open title, a missing title or an odometer that's been replaced. Check the title for brands on NMVTIS and compare the mileage on the paperwork with what the car shows. Look at the floors and rear wheel arches for rust, and see if the hatch struts still hold. Since these were Mirages under the badge, our used Mitsubishi Mirage guide can help with parts.

CarVins is a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller and isn't affiliated with either company, Dodge or Mitsubishi. As of late October 2026, guests paid about $5.50 per report and members about $4.50, the two-report bundle cost around $6.75, and retail runs $39.99 to $44.99. On a car this cheap, those fees add up fast, so check the real total at checkout.

Sources

• The Truth About Cars: Colt history Part I, Part IV and Part VII (Corey Lewis, 2022)
• TTAC: Junkyard Find, 1992 Dodge Colt hatchback (April 2025)
• Consumer Guide: 1990-92 Dodge Colt and 1993-94 Dodge Colt
• NHTSA recalls for the 1990 and 1993 Colt