Chrysler shifted the LeBaron brand from Imperial to itself in 1977 and applied it to a new platform (M-body) that it would share with the Dodge Diplomat. If the styling looks familiar, that’s because the body was developed from the Plymouth Volare/Dodge Aspen compact, but some length was added to fit the mid-size category. The seller of this 1979 LeBaron is a dealer, and he/she provides no details on this automobile. So, you take your chances with this Cheap Wheels survivor from Mullins, South Carolina. It’s available here on craigslist for $2,999, and is another tip from Jack M.
There was only one generation of the LeBaron as a rear-wheel-drive Chrysler. The next iteration would shift to front-wheel drive as Chrysler attempted to reinvent itself. The LeBaron would be the smallest car that Chrysler built (until then) and may have been the only one (until then) to have a Slant-Six as standard fare. Buyers could upgrade to either a 318 or 360 cubic inch V8, but the original owner of this LeBaron didn’t go that route.
Chrysler Corp. sold 368,000 LeBarons in five years. The 1979 model year was the second best at 114,000 copies, which consisted of coupes, sedans, and wagons. After the LeBaron/Diplomat consumer run was over, Dodge continued to sell commercial versions to police departments and the like. The seller’s edition seems like an ordinary family sedan with an automatic transmission and vinyl interior.
The blue/green paint (turquoise?) and front upholstery on this Chrysler are faded and likely original materials. The carpeting is either very dirty or needs replacement. The seller doesn’t indicate the running condition of this ride, but at 80,000 miles, the 225 CI Slant-Six should have plenty of life left in it if it has been regularly serviced. If this auto has no pressing mechanical needs, where else are you going to find a daily driver for $3k?
Favorite w the Taxi cab 🚖 fleets as well Dixon. Thanks for the article.
The Plymouth and Dodge sister to this car were popular with fleets and police departments, not so much for the Chryslers mainly do to the price. I had a red Medallion for several years, it was comfortable and reliable. When I was ready to part ways with it I gave it to my niece who the drove it another 100k. When sent to salvage it was well over 300k. The 318 was bulletproof.
It’s been a while since a car like this has been featured on this site with a realistic price. Even at $2,999 it’s still been on the market for 9 days.
Steve R
Been there, had one, didn’t like it
much. Had a ’79 Diplomat with
150K miles on it in the late ’90s.
It was pretty used up when I got it
but it still got me where I needed to go. Most of the problem stemmed from the front end that
needed over $1K in repairs. Bear in mind that this is Florida and repair shops back then were ripping off customers left and right so I kept the car till it got too
unsafe to drive, and then gave it to my neighbor who had an ’80 Volare coupe for parts after I bought an ’85 Cavalier sedan to
replace the Dodge. It still ran well
when I quit using it and the kid next door got a raft of good parts
to keep his car running. The other thing I couldn’t get over was
how cheaply these cars were made. Staples holding the rain gutters in place, glued on side trim, and substandard windshield
glass were just some of the things consumers put up with when they bought one of these. It’s no small wonder that many of them were crushed after just 3 to
5 years of use. If Chrysler ever built a lemon 🍋 this car was it.
A neighbor bought one of these new, a coupe in red with the 318. It frequently stalled when he stopped at lights or a stop sign. After numerous attempts by the dealer to fix it, they eventually found and repaired a bad ground connection. He had it for years, it was comfortable and reliable, even if it had little power.
My dad had a 78 Town and country with the Super 6. It too had stalling problems especially when it was cold. There were frequent trips to the local mechanic to try to figure out what was wrong. Eventually I think they put a new carburetor in it.
Interesting to see a “Super Six” – a 2bbl vs. the standard 1bbl. This should have wheel opening moldings (it is a Chrysler – they’re supposed to be snazzy) and other trim that, like Mr. Carney pointed out, probably fell off.
I remember many of these with dingy beige, than rust – colored back up lenses. Being in the bumper and lined up with the back tire tread, the salt spray just went wherever the poor quality allowed it to go and made everything nasty.
This would be a great opportunity to enter the classic car hobby. It looks like a detailing would go a long way. Not sure about the 225 slant six, as it had issues accepting the smog equipment early on (1975) (lots of stalling and hesitation). But if that is ironed out in this car, this could be a fun and cheap purchase.
Ok, to JDC and the rest of the BARN FINDS CROUD. What is the definition of a classic car? Does it just have to meet an age requirement? Or need the age requirement AND have some kind of interesting back story/desirability?
“My” thinking is over 40 years old with some desirable traits. And in some cases, the desirability can override the year requirements. And in some cases, “like this car”, the desirability is truly in the eyes of the beholder. This to me, since I lived many years with my Dad’s “blue bomber” ex Nevada Highway Patrol car of this vintage. Is just an old car. Nothing “CLASSICAL” about it. But then my opinions are rarely shared by “the masses”.
Maybe you’d prefer “Old Car Hobby”. We’re all probably in agreement that this has blossomed beyond hobby given the cost of everything today. But more importantly, we all (mostly all) have a memory or something to contribute to the conversation. Remember that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.
For that kind of money, how can you go wrong? I think the biggest problem would be for a cheap fun car like this, space to keep it might weigh against an impulse purchase. This would definitely be a fun car…
This is the kind of car you use to teach your teenagers to drive in. So their phones can’t connect to the radio and they have to actually pay attention without all this technology junk that to many drivers now Rely on then scratch their heads when they get in a crash because it failed.
You nailed it, Troy!
This is a small step up from a Volare, dashboard and all. Not fancy but would get the job done.
Pretty basic interior for a LeBaron, I think a Volare Premier was plusher.
The “upside down” headlights and front signals always startle me more on a sedan since the coupe shared its body with only the Diplomat and the wagon had that distinct, elaborate woodgrain treatment.
I imagine that a phone call to the dealer would go a long way to gleaning more information on this vehicle. If it is roadworthy and you need some wheels then this would work. It’s asking price is right reasonable IMO. GLWTS
I bought a ’79 Dodge Diplomat new. It was dove grey with a deep crimson padded vinyl roof and matching deep crimson velour interior. It had the slant six 2brl and auto tranny with PS, PB, AC, CC, adjustable steering wheel and AM/FM Cassette four speaker stereo radio. I put a lot of miles on it driving it on the job. The car was very comfortable with plenty of power from the slant six and cruised all day long at sustained highway speeds. I never had ANY problem with it, and with scheduled maintenance, it stayed that way, which is the secret to a great running car – any car – as most people abuse their cars by skipping the maintenance – and then complain that it’s a junk car when its actually “them” – not the car. The Diplomat never stalled – EVER, so I don’t know what could have happened one funky day on the assembly line for the others to have that problem. — When I sold it, it had almost 300K miles on it and the person who bought it drove it for another 100+K miles before having the engine and tranny rebuilt and drove it for another several years. The Diplomat / LeBaron were good reliable cars – if you treated them right, but not many did. — This LeBaron appears to be in good shape for its age and a good candidate for restoring for daily driving.
The beloved SS by this time was so choked, it couldn’t run properly. The 2bbl SuperSix made them run much better. I would not be afraid of this. Too bad its not a 3sp.