20k: Purple Power: 1999 Plymouth Prowler
The old formula of letting the engineers run a development program without bean counter or marketing oversight has resulted in some seriously sweet rides in the 1990s, such as the Mazda MX-5 and Z06 Corvette. Unfortunately, the loonies running the asylum approach has also resulted in some abysmal if interesting rides..such as Chrysler’s Plymouth Prowler. Find this 1999 Plymouth Prowler offered for $23,500 in Honolulu, HI via craigslist.
Perhaps abysmal is a harsh term for car that has maintained value like nothing else on the market, so clearly there is a demand for the hot rod shaped product of the often maligned Daimler-Chrysler era. The retro-syled coupes never seem to have more than a few miles on the odometer and maintain a surprising percentage of the original $40k MSRP for a 15 year old car.
The Prowler is powered by a…gasp…V6 (to really capture the style of a hot rod you would have expected Chrysler to source GM 350 cubic inch V8s…but…that would have been silly) that displaces 3.5 liters and makes 253 horsepower and is mated to a 4-speed automatic transaxle mounted in the back for better weight distribution. The lack of an available manual gearbox didn’t hurt sales of a car destined for mustached middle American males (and females) and a total of 11,700 of these were sold of 5 model years.
In essence Chrysler found a car that met the needs of the hot rod enthusiast who cares nothing for actual performance (or V8 noises) and just wanted something to start each time he turned the key, looks good and had a 401k ready for distributions. Remarkable to think that this was a half a billion dollar market in the late 90s…but the facts don’t lie.
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I liked the Prowler when it first appeared on the market right up to the point where I found out it was V6 powered. I am shocked they are still worth that much.
It's hard to describe the distaste I have for these cars. A form-over-function interior without any form (or space), over-tired (295-series rear tires for 250 horses?), overweight, and hilariously over-priced. I wouldn't say the engineers developed it as much as designers did. Think Chevy SSR.
Overweight? They weighed 2,800lbs. I guess in those days it weighed a lot, but it's not THAT heavy even for then. They still got up to 60 in as low as the high 5-second range, though more average was in the low 6's. This is the best RWD car that 3.5L has been in– better for sure than the two-ton 300's, Chargers, Magnums, and Challengers.