The Obscure Dodge Mirada

It’s not often that I come across a vehicle I can’t name.  A few days ago I spotted this Dodge parked along a street in Iowa, but I couldn’t identify the model.  Naturally, I pulled over and got out of my own car to ogle.

Turns out, this is a Dodge Mirada.  Part of the reason I couldn’t identify it was because the Mirada was only made from the time I was two years old to the time I was five, 1980-1983.  It was the smaller replacement of a model called the Dodge Magnum (not to be confused with the Magnum wagon from the mid and late 2000’s.  It shared its platform with a car called the Chrysler Cordoba, and according to a reader who was kind enough to let me know I had some info wrong on this vehicle, was based on the Dodge Aspen/Plymouth Volare chassis -thanks for that input, astute reader -I'm not a car expert, but I do like to have my info as close to right as I can have it.  For a brief span when I was in high school, my brother had a brown Cordoba 2 door.  The Cordoba had no redeeming qualities as far as I’m concerned, but the one my brother had was in good shape for its age, so perhaps that could count.  It was misery to drive and be seen in that vehicle, and I was relieved when we sold it.  Despite the relation to the Cordoba, the Mirada is a car that I don’t mind looking at.  It’s not particularly beautiful or by any means great, but next to its sibling, the Cordoba, it practically gleams.

The Mirada, like the Chevy Monte Carlo, the Mercury Cougar, and the Buick Riviera, was a personal luxury car, the popularity of which waxes and wanes every other decade or so, which accounts for when automakers bring back and take away these name plates.  The Mirada name has not been brought back ever, and is relegated to just the one short span of years.

There were 3 trim levels that a Mirada could be had in: Base, “S” with remote adjustable mirrors, side stripes, and bucket seats, and the CMX which featured a vinyl fake convertible top (not just some landau top -which was available) that was actually designed to look like a convertible top -which it was not.  What we have to look at today is a CMX.

There were 3 power plant options available: the 3.7L slant 6 engine with 90HP and 160 lb ft of torque, a 5.2L V8 with 150HP and 240 lb ft of torque, and a 5.9L V8 with 185HP and 275 lb ft of torque.  A Mirada buyer would opt for a “sport handling” package that had a firmer ride, heavier anti roll bars, and wider wheels.   The base price for a Mirada was around $6,300, and adding a V8 would up the cost by only $230.  You could also get some slick options like a factory installed 40 channel CB radio, an 8 track tape player, or the cutting edge of car stereos for 1980, the tape cassette deck.  Sound quality wouldn’t have been too bad, either, because one of the things Dodge did to try to make their Mirada appealing to personal luxury car buyers was to line the vehicle with extra sound proofing so that nothing would interfere with its occupant’s tunes cranking out of the 8 track.

Miradas have the potential to be somewhat collectible based on their obscurity, though don’t count on them to ever be worth a fortune.  If you decide you want one, look for a solid, rust free example, and don’t pay for than a few grand for it when you find it.  The one we see here today isn’t in the best shape, but it doesn’t look like it has rust problems either (rare for a 30+ year old car in the Midwest).  If this car was offered for sale in solid running condition in small town Iowa where I found it, I’d say a fair price would be around $3,000.