Plymouth Sundance Used Parts Online

The Plymouth Sundance is a compact car model that was produced for model years 1987 to 1994. It was designed to compete with upmarket compacts such as the Geo Prizm, Ford Escort and the Honda Civic after the life of the Horizon was to be extended. In Mexico, the car was sold as the Chrysler Shadow. It and the similar Dodge Shadow came in two body styles, a 3-door hatchback and a 5-door hatchback. Unlike the Dodge Shadow, a convertible model was not offered for the Sundance. The reason for this is because all Plymouths were sold with Chryslers, and Chrysler already sold the LeBaron convertible; although it was based on a different platform. Dodges, on the other hand, were sold by themselves, and Dodge had no other convertible. They were both built using a variant of the venerable K-car platform, known as the P-body, which was based on a combination of the Dodge Daytona's suspension with a .1 in shorter wheelbase, and a shortened version of the Dodge Lancer's body which had not gained wide acceptance over the sedan body as a mid-size. While the Sundance looked like a regular sedan or coupe, it was actually a hatchback. Chrysler considered this a special feature: "Hidden hatchback versatility." The relatively large storage capacity of the Sundance was one major selling point. While based on a platform which dated all the way back to 1981, its styling, utility, reliable powertrains, and trim levels (most notably the Duster) made the Sundance popular until it was discontinued. Because the Sundance was based on a mid-size car with a sporty car's suspension, it offered a combination of comfortable and traditional seating with credible cornering. The Sundance was more tuned for comfort while the Shadow was more tuned for performance, however the difference was not drastic. The Sundance could easily be distinguished by its chrome (body colored for Duster) eggcrate grille which was common on Plymouths of that era. For 1989, the Sundance received a facelift, with the inset sealed-beam headlamps discarded in favor of aerodynamic composite units. A new all-chrome grille and new taillights were among other changes. A motorized passenger's side seat belt was added to US-market Sundances in 1994, to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208's requirement for passive restraints. These motorized belts do not comply with Canada's safety standards; Canadian-market Sundances continued to use a manual passenger seatbelt, and 1994 Sundances cannot legally be imported across the US-Canada border in either direction. Sundances were built in Sterling Heights, Michigan and Toluca, Mexico. The first car rolled off the assembly line on August 25, 1986 and the last on March 9, 1994. It was replaced by the Plymouth Neon for 1995. Trim levels & options For the Sundance's first three years, it was available in a single base model. For 1990, a higher-end RS model was available. The RS model, which stood for Rally Sport, came with standard features that included two-tone paint, fog lights, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. It was also available with a turbocharged 2.5L I4 engine, and other amenities like an Infinity sound system, tinted window glass, and dual power mirrors. For 1991, the base split into two distinct models: entry-level America and mid-level Highline, in addition to the high-end RS. The stripped-down America, had previously been offered for the Plymouth Horizon's final year in 1990. At the time, the Sundance and Shadow were the least-expensive cars on the market with a standard driver's side airbag, which had been made standard on all domestic Chrysler cars in 1990 (excluding trucks and imported cars). For 1992, the RS model was dropped, in favor of the revival of the Duster name for a V6 performance version of the Sundance. The Duster featured a 3.0L V6, special alloy wheels, "Duster" graphics, a body-colored grille & trim, as well as other equipment. Although the Sundance was criticized by some as being a poor choice to bear the "Duster" name, the car offered very good performance and decent handling at a low cost (only about