When I saw this giant blue whale of a car for sale here in our own Barn Finds Classifieds I had to know more. It’s a 1978 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham with less than 16,000 miles that the seller recently moved from the original owner’s barn to their own. I guess that makes it a double barn find? This cruiser is certainly large enough to carry that title! It’s located in Hudson, Ohio (a charming town where I spent some formative years) and the seller is asking $19,000 for the car.
When the car is so large that it’s hard to take a picture of the whole car, that says a lot. With a wheelbase of 124″ and a total length of 231″, this 4,460 pound (shipping weight) mammoth car was the last pillarless 4-door hardtop design produced by Detroit automakers. 1978 is also the last year before downsizing began. Only 26,873 were produced, which is understandable given a list price of $7,715 (that’s $30,525 in 2020 dollars) versus an average 1978 car’s price of $4,645.
The seller tells us that this car had one owner and it was his pride and joy, and true to Barn Finds, it was stored in a barn when not in use. The seller has changed the oil, cleaned it up, charged the battery and run the car for several minutes.
Just look at the leather interior! They sure don’t make cars (or even furniture) like this anymore!
The seller tells us that the car was fitted with the 440 V8 from new; the 400 was standard equipment, so not surprisingly the original owner popped for the higher cost option. If you are looking to be transported on a blue cloud, I can’t think of many better ways than in this magnificent hardtop. And if you have a car to sell, list it here in our Classifieds section!
Someone loved this car, and babied it for decades. What a great representation of a past era in American automotive history, and a type of car no longer common. When I think of big vehicles today, I think of full-size SUV’s. I just looked, a Lincoln Navigator L is actually 9 inches shorter than this Chrysler.
If you have a big garage, buy this and enjoy leisurely cruises to area scenic or historic sites, taking friends out to dinner, or ferrying the grandkids for ice cream.
The value of any item is determined by only one factor. That is what a qualified buyer is willing to pay for it. Period, end.
Perhaps a Greek or an Israeli might be motivated by their national color, but not me!
If this car was on an Ebay auction I would be surprised if it would make it to 4k! That said, I suspect this owner will have to simply hold on for another 40 years!!
NADA high valuation $2775. Similar 45K mile example on BF in 2018 on Craigslist for $5900 and Ebay with bidding at $2000. This one is pie in the sky pricing.
Seller would be a fool to part with this for $2775. I think NADA is way off. On the other hand, so is the seller. This is a very nice example in a great color, but I think top dollar is somewhere around $8000.
I agree that NADA is low. $6K to $8k seems reasonable to me considering extreme low miles
I had a 70 New Yorker and later a 77 similar to this 78 but mine was deep gold inside and out. The 77 got passed to my sister and later to her son. These New Yorkers were both wonderful cars, loved them!
Now here’s a blast from my past! My dad had a 76 similar to this one, (white top, white leather), it was my vehicle of choice for prom night!! As nice as this is, I’m with Fred, a little hefty on the price, and I don’t know about 78, but the 76 we had with the lean burn pretty much put the reliability in pos status, but talk about cruising down the road in your lazy boy!!!
I’ve lived in this same town for 40 years and never have seen this monster. It’s probably the best boat I’ve ever seen. Is there another car with a puffy steering wheel?
There are 4 reasons why the seller won’t get his selling price…it’s because that is how many doors this beauty has, which is a shame…it’s pretty, but not 19K pretty…I agree with CC…8K at the most…
It all depends on who’s in the market, if you’re using it for a mafia staff car, the boys would have a hard time getting in the back if this was a two door.
When I was a kid, I had a book called “Cars of the 50s” that was published in 1978. I remember them posing the question, “what will a 1978 Chrysler be worth in 20 years?”
That rhetorical question was of course meant to dramatically illustrate how great 1950s cars were compared to the “cheap new junk” being built at the time of publication.
Well, it’s hard to believe but now we can actually answer the question of “what will a 1978 Chrysler be worth in 40 years?” Less than 20k it would appear!
I think they were right- by comparison, the late 70’s cars were junk compared to the 50’s cars, which were saved in the millions due to perceived value. I owned over 150 cars in the 70’s and 80’s, but only one Mopar, a ’74 Polara. Only car I ever had that I was embarrassed to have to resell to some poor unsuspecting person. I should have auctioned it.
Millions of 50’s cars had already been junked by the time this car was made, hell, millions of 50’s cars were junked by 1970….
People didn’t’ start collecting 50’s cars until the post Happy Days/American Graffiti, and even then the values didn’t increase for a while…..59 Cadillac convertibles were $700 cars before the 80’s and so on and so forth.
People who collected 30’s cars thought 50’s cars were crap too…..etc etc etc.
Should have hung onto that ’74 Polara, considering Dodge quit making that model after ’73 😉
I still have that book ! LOL
That’s awesome Bone! My copy vanished years ago. Shoot, decades ago. But I clearly remember the book. Maybe you can give us the exact quote I am remembering, haha.
Anyway, that book came out when ’50s cars were surging because of American Graffiti and Happy Days. Obviously many had been junked by then. They still used salt on the roads and cars rusted a lot more quickly because their metal wasnt treated and they weren’t designed with anti-corrosion in mind like later cars were. But thanks to sheer volume – they were building aound a million full sized Chevys every year for example – many survived into the 1970s.
Hell, in the movie American Graffiti itself, which was released in 1973, you will notice many 1950s cars and even early 1960s cars in the junkyard scene with John Milner and Mackenzie Phillips’ character If you pay attention.
I like the riviera from earlier 10x more and it met reserve at 13k
I’d buy it. Get a six pack of beer, a lawn chair and watch my wife try to parallel park this beast.
Might need a twelve pack.
I have a 2015 Honda Accord which, at 191″ long, is a giant whale when trying to find parking in the city. I’m pretty good at parallel parking, but it’s a matter of finding a space long enough. It’s enough of an issue to have caused me to decide to get a much shorter car as my next daily driver.
I cannot imagine how this thing, which is about 3.5 feet longer (!!) than that already too-long car, would be! Yikes.
For a huge boat, they handle surprisingly well and easliy. I had a ’77 and it was a wonderful car until the Lean Burn started acting up.
Im in the market for a 70s luxo barge to pull a small camper and take my family on vacations. One of these, big Lincoln or Cadillac fits the bill. The leather is a turnoff for me. Much prefer the soft velour common to that era.
Im also in agreement that this car, while extremely nice id be surprised if it brings 19k. Id suggest 7500 to 10k range. These cars of this era rode phenomenally in maximum comfort. Literally nothing made today comes close thats why im going to get one.
This is really a gorgeous luxury car from Mopar!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTjXMrlaIk4
These were actually the last Imperial’s before 1981, Chrysler took the 1974-75 Imperial and “re-cast” it as the New Yorker Brougham, the Imperials had 4 wheel disc brakes, the NYB had disc/drum, but besides some standard equipment made optional, they’re pretty much the same car.
Mr Lahey of trailer park boys would have been in the market for a new yorker like this
Nice car but chrysler was way behind GM and ford in down sizing. They would of had more sales if they kept up with the others.
I believe if they based the car on the Dart/Aspen, Valiant/Volare, it might’ve sold better.
Ever heard of the Chrysler Fifth Ave.?
M body that was itself a stretched F body Aspen/Volare.
Well first off this is a great original rig, something you dont see every day. Bi g safe simple, but a real pain in the pump if your not Phat with cash. This car is worth what someone will pay for the toy, hopefully for the seller 2 people fight over it and the seller does ok. Its easier to start high and go down on your price than to start low and go up. How do we know when things are below market? When they go in a day on CL, you end up seeing posting deleted by author. No matter what this goes for the product is top notch
I think he may get his price or close to it (15K) if the car is as it is described. I personally enjoy my ’78 New Yorker St Regis Coupe.
Had a ’77 Brougham 2 door. White exterior, white half vinyl top, green velour interior. Had the 440 in it. At the same time, my Mom had a ’77 Lincoln Town Car. My car was longer by about 3 inches! Loved that car. Still had the factory 8-track player in the dash that worked. Drove it from Phoenix to San Diego for spring break one year, did 85 the whole way, felt like driving your couch down the freeway.
In 1978 I paid $2500 for my light blue ’57 New Yorker convert – I still have it, as well as my copy of “Cars of the ’50’s”!
PS – people thought I paid too much for the NY’er….
Always loved the wheels
How does one contact this seller? There seem to be no means listed by which to do so !! Many of us are not computer geniuses and get lost when having to click a thousand different things and never arrive at the bottom line! Does the seller have a phone number ?
Thank you.
Yeah, contacting the seller is a bit trickier than usual on this one. Here is the link to the Facebook Marketplace ad, but you’ll probably have to be a member of Facebook in order to contact them.
There is no phone number or email address displayed in the ad.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/181537609898973/
Getting parts for older mopar cars are getting really hard to find but I agree with most getting 19 k is going to be tough and it is a beautiful car wouldn’t mind owning it myself but not at that price I have a 51 desoto like new only 11k miles on it but I could never get what I think my car is worth someone would have to like it as much as I do but that’s what car collecting is all about anyhow
Super nice low mile Stone Boat.
This is as good as it gets in luxury.
Nada says 3 grand.
Due to low miles and condition , I would say 9 grand tops. Lots here saying 8 grand but I would add a grand cause its a 4 door hardtop
Someone who has experience in selling cars needs to set up something or other on the Internet (a Blog?) explaining to Sellers how to sell their cars at a low cost with maximum impact. There’s no excuse for making it difficult for people who are not good with computers, myself, for example, but are buyers, collectors, and active in the Hobby. Barn Finders has some Dealers not in the business any more as well as salesmen who have moved on. You folks get together and educate others as to how to sell their cars in an appealing fashion.
The Chrysler is terrific but the price is too high, even though it seems to be
clean. I’m less interested in published values, which are always a guide, not the Grail in pricing. I have a ’66 New Yorker 4 Dr Hardtop, and it’s a blast.
Maestro have we communicated before? I also own a 66 NYer 4DHT. Mine is light blue metallic with a black/white bucket seat interior. Engine is out now for overhauling since the PO ran only low octane fuel, burned 2 exhaust valves, and collapsed 2 pistons. Hope to have the engine back in this summer.
You can probably count on this car needing a lot of new parts to make it safe to take the grandkids or anyone else in.
I own an example of the predecessor to this offering, my 75 Imperial 4DHT. They are huge cars but great for cruising and long distance trips. Also you can fit a 7′ Christmas tree in the trunk and close the lid.
I previously had a 70 Imperial and took that to Maine for a family vacation (from SE PA). Got 15 mpg going 70 mph with 2 passengers and a lot of luggage so mileage isn’t horrific on the highway.
My 75’s original owner ran a machine shop and it’s obvious that he treated the car very, very well. It’s beige with a matching vinyl top and a brown velour interior. Very low key and luxurious!
I’m not a big fan of monochromatic cars but this is a super nice example. I wonder if the seller is correct about the engine being a 440. I see a spark control computer on the air cleaner and I thought that was a 400 thing.
I don’t see this thing reaching anywhere $19k but I can’t blame him for trying.
440 with Lean Burn is correct. My ’77 had the same setup.
Lean Burn a disaster even of Chrysler was an engineering company. Ralph is on the money. People who collect 30s cars think 50s cars are junk and so on. Truth be told, late 70s Chrysler products had terrible build quality. This car will need plenty of work to get it road ready. Beautiful and certainly better looking than big GM or Ford junk of the same era.
This car will need very little.Its ready to roll. As far as the lean burn it can be jettisoned quickly
This car is in Ohio with nearly new historical plates on it. That tells me this might be a flipper trying to make a lot of money. Being in Ohio where everything rusts out the seller must think he has something really special. Drop the price to 8 K and I am sure he will find a buyer.
It would stay a low milleage car with me
Because there is no way i would be seen driving the horrible design fiasco that led chrysler to bankruptcy
My will includes not been driven in such an horor when i pass
Too many of these went to demolition derbies. We had a 76 Beautiful leather, no lean burn, and a 440. It was indestructible and never failed. These are great cars and will last forever with care. I am a Cadillac man but this was a good one. Many Cadillac buyers went to lincoln or bought these as Cadillac was downsized for 1977.
http://www.forcbodiesonly.com
Only place you need to go for info, parts, and more on the BIG Mopars.
$8K – $12K on this.