“It’s just a car,” lamented my late ’80s neighbor, Larry, after I complimented him on the purchase of a new 1987 Dodge Diplomat. His brand spankin’ new silver sedan was to be a family car, not actually Larry’s, as he drove an early ’80s 1/2-ton Chevy pickup (that went 46K miles before its first oil change!). No, this sedan was more for Sandy, his wife, and Larry didn’t seem too excited about it but he was an American-only car owner and I guess the Dodge fit the bill, and his budget. Today’s low mileage, Sharon, Pennsylvania find, courtesy of dh, is just such a ride as Larry’s long-ago acquisition and it’s available, here on Facebook Marketplace for $7,500.
Produced for thirteen years (’77-’89), Dodge’s Diplomat, at one point, was available in both two and four-door guise as well as in station wagon form. By ’87, the four-door sedan variant was all that was left. Offered in two different trim levels, SE (our subject car) and the Salon, production volume was a mild 20K units. The seller of this Crimson Red M-body Mopar states, “This is a garage kept Grandma’s car it was drove to bingo and church it’s extremely clean inside and out…” Yup, I’d agree with that sentiment – it looks like new! This Dodge screams the ’80s all the way with its chrome wheel arches, stand-up hood ornament, wider white stripe tires, wire wheel covers, and red velour upholstery. All it’s missing is a Landau top and opera windows/lights.
Though not photographed, power is provided by a 140 net HP, 5.2 liter (318 CI) V8 engine which drives the rear wheels via a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission. The seller makes no mention as to how well it motivates but I imagine it runs and drives just as intended.
Back to that red velour upholstery, get a load of its condition – it’s perfect. I have to hand it to ChryCo, I think they did a very nice job with their instrument panels back in this era. I’m not a fan of faux wood veneer but that’s a minor issue – it’s the gauge selection and arrangement; definitely a domestic car look, but clean, simple, and easy to read. Beyond that, the seating upholstery, door panels, and carpet are without blemish. No demerits are warranted here!
To Larry, the Diplomat was just a car and that’s how most of us, who were around in ’87, likely viewed one. Today, maybe it’s nostalgia and that longing for the past, but this Dodge looks pretty darn appealing to my eyes. For $7,500, my guess is this baby’s going to find a new home soon, wouldn’t you agree?
CLEAN!!! Wow, at first glance I thought there was a mistake, it looks a lot like a 5th Ave if you look quick with the wire wheel covers. This is the most Un Dodge Diplomat I think I’ve ever seen. Usually just a plain jane sedan blackwall tires with a police officer looking to pull someone over. This is just very nice. Great find, great write up too Jim. In the 80s our neighbors or relatives had cars like these and we unfortunately didn’t think much of it, now theyre few and far between. Hope it gets the same care at its next home.
The other thing that makes it look like a 5th Ave. is the front clip, with the turn signals above the headlights rather than below them. That came with the “SE” package, apparently.
A ghost car Diplomat 🚨 pulled me over once. I didn’t even notice him 😲💰📝😭
It’s a nice looking car, but 17 weeks on the markets says it’s overpriced. Winter is here, I hope he has a cozy garage to park it in until spring.
Steve R
I drove these with lights on the top. Sturdy, dependable, roomy enough to hold a lot of equipment. 14 0r 15 MPG if driven carefully. To find one in this condition is rare. Plus it is nice. For $5,000 this would be a buy. But that is maximum.
Nicely optioned car with a very comfortable looking interior, and it is in beautiful condition. Someone will get a nice car, I think it’s reasonably priced, I wish I could buy it. Its location might be why it hasn’t sold. It looks like it’s in the middle of nowhere. Sharon, PA is a town on the border of PA and OH, and it looks like it is closer to Akron, OH than Pittsburgh, PA.
It’s 1 hour and 12 minutes from Pittsburgh (70.1mi) and 1 hour 1 minute from Akron (60.8mi), that shouldn’t dissuade a serious buyer.
Steve R
Thanks, it looked much further on a map, and I am unfamiliar with the area.
Look how wide those whitewalls are. How old are those tires? These were nice cars. M body I believed they called them. Basically an updated F body . Unlike the troublesome Aspen/Volare, these were well sorted by this time. Even the poor 318 gained 20 net HP back. 1987 was the last year for the slant six (in trucks by that point), but they ended in 1983 in cars. I wonder if Chrysler had kept them, they could have evolved back into nice engines, like this 318. The 318s ran well into the 90s, why couldn’t the six as well? Chrysler is now making another inline six, (if you want to call it that), wouldn’t it be great if an updated version of the good ol slanty would still be in use?
This era of Dodge Diplomat and Plymouyh Gran Fury always impressed me (when they were current) as the ideal “generic” car — almost “annonymous”. They were everywhere, and they screamed “practical” and “normal” in styling — conservative — nothing outlandish — nothing distinctive either (or, at least, so it seemed then). If Sears and Roebuck sold a car, I imagined, THIS is what it would look like (not to detract from their 1952 Henry J.-based Allstate (lower in price than the Henry J., with better appointments). But time has been kind to the venerable Diplomat: it now looks invitingly nostalgic, in a warm-hearted sort of way. Wish I could own and drive this one.
With the modern tec. that would be a great choice. Both of my slant 6s went well into the 180,000 miles and were still going strong-although one did smoke a lil. Chevys and Fords just did not seem to last that long. All my best cars came out of the bone yard.
Looks to be a powerful new straight six Curt.
The slant six can be made powerful as well. It would have fit well into so many cars for them.
I can smell the mothballs from here.
…seller’s other car went 46,000 miles without oil change….wonder if this car ever had one ….????
No. That story was the author’s friend. Unrelated to this car for sale.
I’d be interested in this car but I can’t imagine getting it to north of Seattle. Be expensive I think.
My wife had a 1986 5th Ave in triple black, including the 318 and velour, perhaps the best car she ever owned. Some may say the price is too high but go find another one as clean as this one and get back to us.
This is a Diplomat SE which has everything a 5TH Ave had except that vinyl clip on the top. At one time I had a Diplomat SE and my late wife had a 5TH Ave and they were the same car. The Diplomat had trim on the grill that wasn’t on the 5th Ave. Both were nice cars. My Diplomat was silver blue and the 5th Ave was dark blue and the interior of both was dark blue. Both were good reliable cars.
I was never impressed with the 318 but the slant 6 was an dependable work horse, I have been a Mopar guy my whole life, and at 77 I have had some of there best–68 Charger tnt 440–69 charger 383–69 Dodge Dart 340 4 speed–that was a fun car–I now drive a 1955 Chrysler Newport windsor Delux two door coupe, been driving that 55 for 31 years, it gets the same gas mileage as my 2004 Dakota 4.7. The chrysler had a poly motor,we swapped it for a 354 hemi engine out of a 56 Imperil–the poly engines —were duds–I am on a fixed income ,But would buy this Dodge in a flash.
Other than it;s age that’s a 24 thousand mile car barley broke in. Go out and look at a newer car with 24 thousand miles on it and see what you will pay. By the looks of things it has had it’s hoses replaced, so other than maybe fuel line and tires [ maybe ]. One other great factor is you or your local mech. can fix that car without all the fancy equipment. Not many cars have been cared for like this one. Keep up the maintenance keep it out of the salt and sun and I can see it going 10 or 15 years no problem. I believe this is a good deal.
This is a beaut. Hard to fault a red car.
Curt, thanks for mentioning that they are known as M bodies. It helped me to check out some information on them.
I was curious on the progression of the body styles and how much they overlapped the hugely popular K platform. Turns out that the M body came out in ’77 as a replacement for the F body (Aspen / Volare), and lived on until 1989. By then, they were probably mostly fleet sales I’m guessing, due to RWD, V8, and the take rate of the K car, which debuted in 1981.
In the ’80s I saw very few Gran Furys/Diplomats that were not police cars. As a youthful miscreant I was glad the profile of the headlights and parking lights was easy to distinguish in my rearview mirror.
That rear view mirror –saved me more than a couple of times