This classy cruiser came out of long term storage after the seller’s friend purchased the car and proceeded to make it road worthy. They spent over $14k in the process, but unfortunately passed away recently. It has covered a little less than 30k miles and appears to be in exceptional condition. It’s located in Mystic, Connecticut and is listed here on craigslist for $5,700. Thanks goes to Pat L for the tip!
Even though there’s a 360 V8 under the hood, this wasn’t really a hot rod. It shouldn’t have any trouble getting around, but this was a big heavy car that was more about comfortable cruising than anything else. Just look at those plush seats!
It’s always fun to look at old invoices for cars. $5,995 base price with over $1,800 in options! It’s got the midrange engine and the “basic group” is nice to have with air conditioning, tinted glass, remote mirror, and lots of other little add ons. Checkout the estimated mpg – 14 miles per gallon! Wow, no wonder these didn’t sell real well in the late seventies.
The asking price may seem steep for a Cordoba, but how often do you find them in this kind of condition with all the greasy work already done? Seems like a good buy for one cool Chrysler! Hopefully this one goes to someone who will appreciate and continue the preservation efforts of its late owner.
I just picked up a 76 with only 69000 miles from the original owner for 5k cdn. Mine has the Corinthian leather interior with a 360 and is in great shape. Using it as a daily driver and loving it. These were very nice cars but most of them rusted away.
Your ’76 is much prettier than the later refresh with the stacked rectangular headlights. The ’79 here lost its distinctiveness with the ugly front end.
My first brand new car off the lot was a 1979 and I really dug the front end. The 360 was a blast after adding a 4 barrel and dual exhaust. Gave it a dago drop and wider tires on the rear. She looked cool coming and going.
Bought for 9000, old it for 15800 in 1988, I was tired of changing it back for emissions all the time. I lived in California then, and the first born was on his way.
Not a bad job for a 19 year old.
You sold it in ’88 for 15800 or 1580?? These were as cheap as dirt in the mid/late 80s so I assume that’s a typo?
they looked alot better during 79
Nice car ,but 14,000 fixing it up
I guess that $14,000 is in the turtle 🐢 hull in a shoe case.. Open it there it is! This one looks to have been under a cover in the garage.
The guy probably had a heart attack when he realized he’d spent $14,000 to fix up a $5000 car.
When we were teenagers my sister had a white 76. Hers had a 360 with a 4bbl. The cat was removed and it had true duals. That was enough to wake it up. For the time hers ran real strong.
I was waiting for someone to mention the “rich Cornthian leather interior…”
Aw Dude, you beat me to it!
As Herb Turlock from WKRP would say, “Andy’s called shot gun Big Guy, but the rear seat is pure Corinthian Leather!”
Looks like cloth to me.
Corinthian leather means ‘the thinnest possible leather that won’t just tear the first time you sit on it.’ The leather seats in my Lexus put to shame the Corinthian leather seats I had in my ’80.
Loved the Cordobas, especially the 76 400 which ran on regular leaded gas for our part of the country. We had a brilliant black one with the 60/40 seat in black and white herringbone cloth that nobody seemed to be in a hurry to sell, so it passed through my hands for a term of college driving. The cars handled sweet like most B-bodies of the seventies.
Kinda looks like a Monte Carlo front square headlights year?
To me as well and the round lights remind me of the 71 Camaro RS.
Kman – you made 6 large on a 9 YO car in 88? In CA? I hope you kept selling him cars
I bought a 78 Cordoba on EBay one night about 10 years ago for 2000 dollars US. Wife and I drove to Bangor Maine and then flew to West Palm Beach Florida to pick it up. The seller and his wife picked us up at theairport and took us to their house,we got our first look at the Doby sitting under a palm tree in the moonlight,white like this one,red Corinthian leather inside,bucket seats,consol shift,360 and A/C. This was in December just before Christmas and our first time in Florida,being from Nova Scotia we found it very hot,humid,and busy! The nice couple took us to a nearby motel for the night,picked us up the next morning when we went to the motor vehicle office and I had to pay the Frorida sales tax even though we would be out of the state in a few hours. We drove that big comfy Cordoba back up the east coast to Bangor with lots of adventures on the way,like getting lost in the Bronx,visiting the witch museum in Salem, etc. Drove both cars,my Grand Fury and the Doba back to Nova Scotia.
I used the Doba as a daily driver and one by one,every system in this 98,000 mile car broke down,one by one,the A/C,the power windows,the power seats,mirrors,even the power steering went out. By spring there was rust coming through everywhere. Still drove it for a couple more winters,as I ride my Harley from May to November and don’t use a car. Sold it as a parts car for 600 bucks I think,and even though it was a gas pig,and that 360 certainly was not powerful like the old ones,I really enjoyed that car. Of course I had to get rid of the Lean Burn crap and put a different distributer in,but after that it worked pretty good.
Id like to have another one!
As long as you don’t daily it in the winter snow/salt months, otherwise what a waste
If it only has 30,000 miles, what did they spend 14 grand on? And why?
Very easy to go overboard on an old car, especially if you’re OCD and want everything perfect.
$14k is very possible here despite the low miles. A good paint job will set you back 5-6k these days alone.
Throw in new tires, shocks, brake lines, hoses, belts, fuel system, fabrication of sun-trashed upholstery, and an engine and tranny overhaul to rectify dried up seals and rubber and you’d be at 14 large before you knew it.
Very easy to go overboard on an old car, especially if you’re OCD and want everything perfect.
$14k is very possible here despite the low miles. A good paint job will set you back 5-6k these days alone.
Throw in new tires, shocks, brake lines, hoses, belts, fuel system, fabrication of sun-trashed upholstery, and an engine and tranny overhaul to rectify dried up seals and rubber and you’d be at 14 large before you knew it.
This is why it usually makes sense to get one ready to drive!
Rather have those stock turbine rims,they would look great . Poor guy dumped too much money in this car, getting nothing back, maybe not even 4000.00.
I can still picture and hear Ricardo Montalban saying “the rich Corrrrrrinnnnnthian leather in those old commercials. As they say, a labor of love often times has unlimited financial investment with little ROI for reason stated.
My friend and coworker Ruth bought a twin to this ’79 brand new. Same Buttercream color. The first day she drove it to work to show it off it would not start. It was hot out so she put the windows down while we tried to figure it out. They would not go back up. It left on a flat bed. Got it fixed and a few days later on the way to lunch it had a power failure. Just cut off cruising down the road. The electrical issues with this lemon were unending. Poor thing didn’t make it six months before the dealer took it back in a good trade for a new Fifth Avenue that was trouble free and lasted for years.
I had a 1980 Dodge Mirada that was also a total and complete bumper to bumper LEMON. Yet I had a 79 LeBaron that put it to absolute shame in every way.
Ahhh, this one brings me back to my very first girlfriend in early jr. high school days 1980’s…thanks for this. I can say with out a doubt those plush seats are the best! Rather have the plush than the leather any day…not only did she keep the interior mint, she kept her motor clean and it ran without any hiccups…ever. Nice cruiser. Her family moved away to the other side of the country….drag.
No Corinthian Leather?
A 1979 Cordoba was the first car I bought brand new. I had wanted one for a couple years and when the ’79 came out with the quad square lights it really updated the front end. Square headlights at the time are like LED’s are today. They were the newest look at the time in front end headlights. The round headlights at the time looked way outdated. They still look that way to me now. One of the best option boxes I’ve ever checked when ordering a car was the AM/FM stereo with built-in CB in the dash. At the time CB’s radios were huge. I’ve missed it ever since I sold it. Love to have this one. Just a bad time financially.
The comment “no wonder they didn’t sell real well in the late seventies” is a little out of place when referencing Cordobas. The Cordoba was the best selling nameplate in Chrysler’s history…they sold over 600,000 from 1975-79!
I think the early and late front ends are attractive, though the later 78 & 79 gives the car a heavier look. It’s true that the square headlights were a huge innovation (stylistically) at the time…really updated the appearance of the car.