While cars from the seventies get a bad rap, it is good to see that collectors are starting to notice them, and good examples are popping up left and right. Speed and fuel mileage were not the selling points of any domestic car in the seventies, but luxury sure was. If you are looking for a well-preserved example of a true seventies personal luxury coupe, then you have to check out this 1978 Chrysler Cordoba for sale on Craigslist in famous Warren, Michigan. Some caring soul in the Motor City metro has managed to maintain this Cordoba in excellent shape for decades. With just 50,842 miles traveled, is this beautiful car worth the $8,000 asking price? Thanks to Tony P. for the tip!
While we often reference Ricardo Montalban when we have a Cordoba to feature here on Barn Finds, the fact of the matter is that he had a very good product to sell. While overshadowed in the market by General Motors entries into the personal luxury coupe market, the Cordoba and its stablemate the Dodge Magnum were solid cars propelled by well-proven drivetrains. The problem was that they were a bit thirsty in a decade that endured struggles with OPEC. A gas crisis is the last thing you want if you are driving a seventies Chrysler product. At least it didn’t cost anything to sit in your car and inhale the heady aroma of rich, Corinthian leather.
If you want to go back to those thrilling days of yesteryear, this 1978 Chrysler Cordoba is a good candidate to be your time machine. This Jasmine Yellow stunner with a brown vinyl top has covered a remarkably low 50,842 miles. It is equipped with the seldom-seen 400 cubic inch V-8 engine option with a four-barrel carburetor for a double dose of fuel slurping. We are told that the car is in running and driving condition.
The seller also tells us that the body is very straight and solid and that the interior is very good. Another plus is that the car was owned by a non-smoker. Given the ridiculous percentage of folks who smoked in the seventies and eighties, that is quite refreshing to hear. The seller has also shod the car with a new set of white wall tires, and has replaced the coil, spark plugs, plug wires, and the drive belts. We are also told that the carburetor was replaced with an Edelbrock 650 and that a new battery has been installed.
A look into the seemingly factory-fresh cabin makes the statement that the car “needs (additional) restoration” rather puzzling. While there will always be some little something that needs work on a vintage vehicle, I cannot fathom any scenario where someone would want to restore this car. From what we can see in all of the provided pictures, it is perfectly presentable and would certainly qualify for AACA’s historic preservation class. Hopefully, an interested reader will call and find out what needs to be done and if a deal can be struck. It seems like nice cars with low mileage are getting harder and harder to find. Hopefully, this one finds a new owner who will continue to preserve it.
The Dodge counterpart to the Chrysler Cordoba was the Charger SE from 1975-78, the Magnum from 1978-79 and then the Mirada from 1980-83 on the J-platform.
In my eyes, the restyle for 1978 robbed the Cordoba of much of its distinctive style and made it look very heavy. Customers responded accordingly.
I owned two..both 76s. The square headlights as well as the flat panel taillights were a turn off for me and I passed on a few 78s.
Don you nailed it big time,I’d take the round headlight over the square any day…
The restyled front end with stacked headlamps, didn’t look as Classic as previous Cordobas. But is so much more attractive than the next generation. My only concern would be the 400 engine. Have heard they could be trouble prone. Not looking for a car like this, but if I was, I’d check this one out.
They still work good in a demolition. Derby
blasphemy!!!
The will smoke a turd in hell, for saying that!
The back end yells…
TAIL LIGHTS!!
and the front yells….
HEAD LIGHTS!!
Those things are as big as cinder blocks.
Not as good looking as the earlier ones. But at least it has the 400. That’s rare.
I had a 78 with the same 400/4V setup. 8 mpg around town, better than 15 mpg on the highway
Had a 1977 same color set up, they ruined the look of the front end by doing away with the round turn signals between the headlights and grill. Putting them on the corners didn’t look as classy, and I believe the rear tail lights are a bit larger. The center console was a must and looks awkward without it. I had moon roof which I really liked. Put RWL tires on it and it was a great car to have in high school. I was 6’3″ and having fun in the back seat was a bit of a challenge, thank God I was flexible. Great car and fond memories.
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A full vinyl top was rare. This one could have better pictures. The price is ambitious, and there isn’t a big market for these. I like it, though. I had a 78 with the 400, and the thermobog carburetor was the biggest, but not only headache.
I ordered my ’77 Cordoba in solid silver without a vinyl roof, which was otherwise standard. The car was stunning and I saved over $1,000. I never saw another such.
They gave me one of these as a loaner,when I took my
’77 Toyota pickup in for warranty work at the Toyota/Dodge
dealer I bought it from.It was White,& was fun hearing the
V8 when you put your foot into it.
I felt like a Mafia hit man driving that thing around.
Nice car.I had a 74 Newport Custom with 400 eng.Great comfortable car.Had about 200,000 miles on it when I sold it.24 gal gas tank.No trans. or eng trb.Didnt have Corinthian leather.I heard they were hard to catch.HaHa
Lot of comments on year difference with headlights and I agree some cars looked better with round lights, Grand Prix, Monte Carlo and Cordoba. Square lights looked good on Cutlass and Regal.
Don’t forget the AMC Matador.
I never saw a matador with square headlights but yea their eyes were definitely round
I had almost the exact same car. Same Prairie Yellow. Same 400 4 bbl Carter thermo quad with lean burn system. It could one-wheel-peel all day. Though mine had the corduroy seats. Super comfy ride but that car was plagued with many small problems. It had leaky valve seals so it fouled plugs regularly. The transmission torque converter lock out mechanism would engage at random at a stop light making it lurch forward. It had those exhaust manifolds that came up beside the valve covers which leaked oil no matter how many times I replaced the gaskets, so it would catch fire sometimes. Then the master cylinder failed. That was entertaining. It only had 65000 on it when I bought it for $1000. It was a local car. I finally had enough so I trailered it to the scrap yard at about 78000 miles after owning it for about 10 years. And took my $500 and ran. I believe one of the workers there took it home and entered it into a demo derby at our county fair that summer. Sometimes wish I kept it but then remember how much work it constantly needed which took the fun out of it.
I have owed 3 Cordobas,and they were 3 of the worst cars I have ever owned.
I learned to drive in my mom’s 77 big block Cordoba. Dark cranberry color with crushed velour interior. Dad put sidepipes and slots on it (15X10s) on the rear. The crappy lean burn was giving us problems which we lived with for a while as it was no longer under warranty. I miss it.
That’s what I paid, $ 8,000, in 1978. You couldn’t ask for a nicer boulevard cruiser. Especially, relaxing, and reclining on that red colored, Corinthian “lather” covered seat! Ricardo Montalban, convinced me to buy.
I remember these Cordoba’s brand new working at a rental car the lean burn engines had a cool sounding growl that I see why Chrysler went bankrupt from the workmanship I remember issues of tail lights just falling out and raising the hood and the torsion bars springs were contorted causing me to bend the hood when I was closing it I still remember one airport Porter that gave up his longtime 63 Chevy for his brand new Cordova and really had a lot of problems with it.