15,000 Miles Fresh: 1985 Dodge Omni GLH
Hot on the heels of one incredibly well preserved Dodge Omni GLHS is this even lower mileage Omni GLH, listed as having a mere 15,901 miles on the clock. The Omni is presented by a dealer that typically has some desirable niche cars for sale, and this one is no exception. While we all love true driver’s cars, the problem is most of them get driven. This turbocharged Omni was kept in mothballs, for whatever reason, and is now listed here on eBay with an $18,900 asking price and the option to submit a best offer.
Wearing sharp black paint with red striping, it’s clear to see the parallels between this car and the MK1 GTI. The question is which hot hatch recipe do you like better: a naturally-aspirated but buzzy VW that can handle like its on rails, or a turbocharged econobox that could turn out some very impressive 0-60 runs? I’m conflicted as I would be happy to own either, but the ability to raid parts from the Shelby/Mopar catalog is tempting.
Don’t get me wrong, I prioritize handling over raw power in every car I own. One thing I like better, however, is to raid the corporate parts catalog for upgrades, just like this Omni that wears the larger wheels from a turbocharged Dodge Daytona. Otherwise, it remains stock inside and out, with thickly bolstered sport seats and an unmarred dash in the cabin and laser-straight panels down the outside.
The Omni remains completely stock, but the original wheels and tires are included. From playing with boost to swapping out engine computers, there’s no shortage of OEM-correct modifications you can make to a turbocharged Omni. While the Chargers are far seemingly more readily available, the obscurity factor makes the Omni GLH even more interesting to me, and knowing it can handle fairly well out of the box while still outpacing a GTI makes this an easy choice for me. What about you?
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Comments
Easy low 14’s with a good driver. IF only it was RWD.
Chrysler came back from the brink in the late 1970’s and was adding sizzle to what they had. At the time RWD behemoths were done. This was a package never before available that got good fuel economy and ran like Hell. You don’t need RWD in this package and in many cases would run circles around Chrysler’s earlier LA powered offerings.
Had an ’85 GLH Turbo.. She was a stone cold KILLER.. Ate IROC’s & T/A’s for lunch..
So did my ’86 GLH-T. Fun times!
Mine had the bright red interior to go with the black exterior.
I wrecked mine with probably this amount of miles on it. If I wanted to relive my exciting youth, I could buy this, but I think I’ll just leave it for someone else’s adventures.
I would love to hear the story on this one. Who is able to own a car this fun and only drive so little? I owned an 87 Daytona, had those wheels, never liked them. I think the Shelby wheels like yesterdays GLH are better.
These were fun little cars to eat with my Grand National back then. They gave me more competition than Stangs and Vettes.
Going to lunch one day pulled into a turnaround behind a GLH like this in my 86GN and told my friends “watch me pass him!” Didn’t happen, he pulled me like the proverbial freight train…
Only car I bought new ,a 86 Omni GLH Turbo. Fun as hell till I got a 86 GLHS that I souped up and still have today.
how about that the key board engineers on here haven’t trashing this little hotrod dodge?well kick my ass and call me late for dinner! mopar or no car!
I’d find a late MK2 VW GTI 16v with low miles. 18k for a souped Up Omni? Nah.