In reply to moparman76_69:
To be fair, they will be even rarer in the future(therefore somehow more appealing).....especially since these things weren't exactly built well to begin with. 
In reply to moparman76_69:
To be fair, they will be even rarer in the future(therefore somehow more appealing).....especially since these things weren't exactly built well to begin with.
moparman76_69 wrote: I think we'll see them sell at a "high for a turbo dodge" price. The estimates are high but aren't they always? I also think that because they say Shelby they may sell for a higher amount than usual.
I think being Shelby cars is the only reason they're valuable at all.
In reply to yamaha:
They are rare now, that doesn't mean they are worth anything.
In reply to Alan Cesar:
I think Shelby assumed they'd be collectable. These cars were built before "sport compact" was a thing in America. Unfortunately they were sort of before their time and suffered from K car build quality.
I'd like the Lancer and the truck.
I learned how to operate a manual transmission in a plebian 1987 Dodge Lancer. It was also the first car I was involved in an accident with (hit and run - not my fault) and the first car I got a speeding ticket in (definitely my fault). My parents ran it into the ground then donated it to the high school auto shop program. They rehabbed it and sold it to a coworker of my mom's. The Shelby Dakota (and convertible) had a lot to do with my eventual purchase of a 93 Dakota Sport (which shared nothing except the body style and name). I dated a "psycho" girl who drove a 4 door Shadow. Needless to say, I have a lot of memories associated with late 80s/early 90s Mopar products.
docwyte wrote: Considering how long these have sat, what would it cost to actually get them into driving condition again? All new tires, belts, hoses, etc, etc, etc... I grew up in the '80's and I was never attracted to these cars. They were reasonably quick for the time, but the rest of the car wasn't up to par...
Good tires are getting more difficult lately as they all mostly used 205/50 15's or 225/50 15's. Probably easier to put the factory wheels in storage and install 17's from Neon's, etc. (5x100mm pattern)
The cars with the fiberide wheels (89 CSX-VNT) should have them bagged up and put into storage as the fiberides tend to degrade with heat and exposure to UV and will fail around the lug holes and fall off the car (SCCA specifically banned them for competition use).
Most of the rest of the rubber is stupid cheap and easily acquired from most parts stores. Tricky rubber to get are the window and door seals and intercooler hoses.
The pleather covering on the Shelby steering wheels fails overtime. They can be repaired at a custom steering wheel company, but it won't be exactly like stock. Luckily the wheels share the 6-bolt pattern with Dino/Momo wheels.
Light gray interiors (especially the seat material) will turn into dust after wear and exposure to UV.
Factory radiators for the cars with intercoolers are not available to buy, but they are easily rebuilt at a decent radiator shop.
Electronics are pretty simple and given the miles shouldn't be a problem like the higher mileage ones still out in the world. Custom ECU reprogramming is available and even DIY-capable for those that are able to solder decently.
Engines and transaxles are generally pretty stout, there's some minor improvements to be made if you're in far enough to change the head gasket:
Later starters (88+) are smaller, lighter and generally work better.
89+ turbos have 2.5" outlets and matching downpipes. Free up a few ponies. VNT's are very sensitive to back pressure changes. All other turbos love having less back pressure and many people run 3" exhaust without issue.
Later power steering pumps (aluminum ZF pumps) are lighter and easier to adjust for tension.
Polyurethane motor mounts are highly recommended, replacement mounts are made in the 3rd world and fail pretty regularly causing the core support to fail at the spot welds.
Steering rack mounting bolts can work loose and damage the K-member. Remove the bolts, clean thoroughly and reinstall using loctite and proper torque specs.
Later K-members (89/90+) had better lower control arm geometry and reduced binding. Polyurethane bushings are available for all types.
Front sway bars generally suck and Id' recommend adapting an early 924/944 front bar which reduces the tendency for binding to increase traction on the front tires.
1st-gen Neon limited slips from Quaiffe and OBX install in the A520/555/568 5-speeds and the cars desperately need them. Phantom grips are also available with mixed results.
A520/555 transaxles suffer from case flex around 3rd gear and can puke. A stronger retainer plate is available to reduce this case flex.
The above is for the Daytona/Lancer/Shadow vehicles. The Shelby Charger (which is actually my favorite) requires a bit more work to make "right" but it is more satisfying to drive due to its rough and unrefined nature:
Ditch the A525 5-speed for a later A520/555 (or better one of the hybrid 520/555's which keeps the 525 close ratio gearing with stronger internals). Conversion brackets are available for easier installation.
Shift linkage stinks. Is solved with the above bracket kit. Or the car can be modified for the cable shifter (I like the rod shifter better, once it is fixed with solid joints).
The smaller engine bay requires more careful thermal management and I'd recommend adding an oil cooler (like Shelby wanted to do, but Mobil 1 synthetic solved the heat problem enough to pass muster, the bean counters were happy once again.)
Quick note on the post above for anyone interested...Neon OBX and Quaife differentials work with the 520/523 ring gears only. The 555/568 ring gear is a completely different unit. To make a Neon based diff work in a 555 or a 568, you have to build a "hybrid".... 555 gear set on a 520 main shaft/ring gear or 568 gear set on a 523 main shaft/ring gear.
In reply to Pat:
Thank, I forgot about that.
Scary I remembered all of that from the top of my head.
Way too many years screwing around with those things.
However, anyone buying one of these probably doesn't need the above info lol.
My dad drove a glhs when i was young and traded it for a blue lancer Shelby in 88/89 maybe? I don't find reference to a blue Shelby but I clearly remember thinking how cool and quick the car was. He drove diplomat police cars the rest of the time....
There was the Shelby Lancer which was a numbered car that listed Shelby as the manufacturer and the Lancer Shelby which was sold as a Dodge and had the non intercooled turbo engine and more mundane suspension. All Shelby Lancers were red, but the Lancer Shelbys were available in other colors.
Lancer Shelbys did get the intercooled turbo engine (actually, a slightly better one) when equipped with a 5spd manual.
I am wondering what that 1987 CSX will go for. I have been thinking about selling mine, and I wonder if it will ever be worth something someday.
Dont take this the wrong way but i doubt your particular car will ever be worth a whole hell of a lot. Probably 50% of its current value is in the grille, front bumper cover, and intake manifold and that proportion is likely to grow over time. 
Just imagine how things could have been if Shelby had done up some GM products instead...
Rather have a Shelby Celebrity than a Shelby Lancer? Rather have a Shelby Cavalier than a CSX?
They're just all malaise era stuff.
They were pretty damn far ahead of their time. I don't think a lot of people realize how much of the automotive future they foreshadowed or outright inspired.
I think think a turbocharged 4 cyl car with fairly advanced fuel injection that could hang with or beat the v8s while getting ~30mpg on the highway was pretty damn cool for the late 80s. In fact, even in the present day, driving cars like this still kind of amazes me in some ways. I DD a stock 1988 626GT 5spd/turbo (which is about as fast as an intercooled k-car) and constantly find myself thinking "this thing hauled ass in 1988!". The other day i inched past an older 2.0 WRX in the 626. One of my last memories of driving the Shelby Lancer i traded away to another GRMer was riding the ass of a 2.0T GLI up to 100mph, and i downgraded that car to worse parts then it came with! These things were as fast as camaros/mustangs of their day (until you added a boost controller..) and still hang with "premium" sporty compacts of 15 years later, BEFORE you mod them. They may have E36 M3 quality by modern standards but there isn't much from that era that's doing any better at this point. Even stuff that was considered higher quality back then is found in MUCH lower numbers today. 30 years later the k-cars superior cost-to-repair ended up proving more important to their continued existence.
Having lived through the true malaise era, I can assure you that the late 80s were not part of it. You had the aforementioned turbo Mopars, 5.0 Mustangs, third-gen F-bodies with 350s, MR-2s, CRXs, FCs, AE86s, E30s, Starquests, Cosworth Mercs, 951s, and various other cool/interesting cars. In the true malaise era you had emissions-choked crap like Mustang IIs and 6.6L Trans Ams with 180hp.
Anyhow, I think these cars are neat, and I remember liking them back in the day. I sent the link to a friend of mine who had an 88 Shadow ES Turbo back in those days. We did the famous fish-tank valve to raise the boost on it, but it would never break 16.0 in the quarter. Part of the reason was the truly epic wheelhop it had if you tried to launch it too hard. But man, we had fun....
My dad's first car that I can remember was a '86 or '87 Lebaron Turbo with Leather and a 5 speed. I barely remember it, but when I was 18 or 19 I got to ride in a friend's lightly modded Lancer Shelby and memories came flooding back.
Before the Lebaron, my dad had a '83 Cimarron with a manual. My dad liked weird cars. Around the same time my mom drove a '82ish Mercury Lynx Wagon with a manual and then a '86 Subaru GL Wagon 4WD with a 5-speed.
I didn't even know that there was a Shelby Lancer! I like it, but not enough to pay big $$$ for it.
moparman76_69 wrote: I think we'll see them sell at a "high for a turbo dodge" price. The estimates are high but aren't they always? I also think that because they say Shelby they may sell for a higher amount than usual. I'm going to make my own predictions so I can see how close I get. 87 CSX 5000-7500 Shelby Lancer 6-8k 89 CSX #1 (like new) 5000-7500 89 Shelby Dakota 6-10k 83 shelby charger 2500-4500 89 CSX #2 (8400 miles) 4-5k
I bet they'll sell for triple your estimates.
If i had all the cars people said "it's just a .... it'll never be worth anything", I'd have a gold mine right now. Being performance cars, the turbo two door's will always be collectible and worth something.
In 89 my Dad was looking for a new car to tote the family around after I totaled our SAAB. One of the cars he looked at was a Dodge Lancer Pacifica. White with white wheels and a black leather interior. I tried for a week to get my Dada to buy that car but after my SAAB incident I do not think he liked the idea of a turbo car. It was only after the internet that I found out that they only made 500 of that car.
Just imagine how things could have been if Shelby had done up some GM products instead...Rather have a Shelby Celebrity than a Shelby Lancer? Rather have a Shelby Cavalier than a CSX?
...I know you're saying that like it's a bad thing, but yes, yes I would haha.
I actually think this could have had potential with some more development, and I hate the styling a lot less than I should.
Or from the correct era:
In reply to gearheadE30:
Actually, I'm convinced the Cavalier was considered upscale compared to the contemporary dodges....
I sent the link to a friend of mine who had an 88 Shadow ES Turbo back in those days. We did the famous fish-tank valve to raise the boost on it, but it would never break 16.0 in the quarter
I think the 1/4 mile record for a completely stock-motor 2.2 sundance/shadow with the tiny mitsu turbo is 13.2@100mph. If people knew back then what we know today about making turbo cars work properly, those cars would have been worshipped. People talk about being able to squeak 13.9 out of 5.0 Fox mustangs if you took the belts off etc. Even the Dodge Caravan turbo with that same tiny turbo and a 3spd auto (which is a huge et killer until you make big power) has run 13.9 with nothing but boost and 90s-era 'tuning' on the stock setup.
And while i still think gearhead e30 is crazy for thinking a Celebrity is cooler than a Lancer, i agree that the 1st gen cav z24 was a pretty cool car.
I'm convinced the Cavalier was considered upscale compared to the contemporary dodges..
I dont know about the Cavalier but having owned a later Cadillac Cimarron and numerous Chrysler New Yorkers from the same era i would say the late Cimarron was superior in many ways... other than the 20hp deficit that grew hugely as soon as the new yorker owner gets his hands on a fish tank valve. And the cimarron didn't talk.
Whats sad is these cars would only be midpack concourse at the challenge, seriously.
idk if I would consider late 80s malaise era. We are talking about when cars were making better 1/4 miles than 60s muscle cars (aside top tier models like boss 351 mustangs for example). A late era 302 puts down similar power to one from that early era. You had lightweight turbocharged imports like the RX7, really fast cars like the Regal Grand National, etc.
Like Tom Spangler says above.
Danny Shields wrote: You could buy this whole collection for less than the price of one classic Ferrari, wrecked.
That's probably hugely true! But considering that everyone of these cars were losers from day one, why would you, I, or anyone else want even one much less the lot?
moparman76_69 wrote: I think we'll see them sell at a "high for a turbo dodge" price. The estimates are high but aren't they always? I also think that because they say Shelby they may sell for a higher amount than usual. I'm going to make my own predictions so I can see how close I get. 87 CSX 5000-7500 Shelby Lancer 6-8k 89 CSX #1 (like new) 5000-7500 89 Shelby Dakota 6-10k 83 shelby charger 2500-4500 89 CSX #2 (8400 miles) 4-5k
Lot 197 87 CSX #6 - $14,000
Lot 198 87 Lancer #6 - $15,000
Lot 199 89 CSX #6 - $16,000
Lot 200 89 Dakota #6 - $22,000
Lot 201 84 Daytona Cart/PPG car - $15,000
Lot 202 84 Charger Drag Car - $9,000
Lot 203 83 Shelby Charger - $10,000
Lot 204 86 GLHS #236 - $14,000
Lot 205 85 Laser XE - $7,000
Lot 206 86 Shelby Charger - $8250
Lot 207 89 CSX #435 - $10,000
Lot 208 89 CSX $496 - $6,000
Looks like all the #6 cars were part of a private collection. All 4 of them and the 86 GLHS were bought by the same bidder.
I'm surprised, I figured I'd be low but not half of what they brought low.
Dang, I might have gone after that pace car.
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