If you are like me, you have a certain weakness for old V8 station wagons with wood applique and air conditioning, just like this 1978 Chrysler Town & Country. Thought to have covered only 15,000 miles in its lifetime, this could very well be a fabulous cruiser for someone to enjoy. Bidding has started off slowly up to $1,025.00, but there is a good chance that this wagon could be attained for a fair deal. Check it out here on eBay out of Marysville, Michigan.
Well into the power robbing movement of the 70’s, this 360 V8 is packing a 4 barrel carb so it does offer some performance. A great selling point of this wagon is the factory equipped air conditioning, so you can actually ride your friends and family comfortably. The engine compartment is a bit dingy and dirty, but there isn’t much in the way of surface rust. I am curious about the 15,000 mileage claim, as I think there is a possibility that this wagon could have 115,000 miles which would still be somewhat low mileage for a car of this age.
The interior is in fair condition with no major damage to be seen. The steering wheel is cracked near each spoke, but the shaggy carpet is remarkably decent and looks like it would respond well to a cleaning. The leather upholstery shows some wear, but it mostly shows discoloration likely from long term UV exposure. There is plenty of room to be comfortable, and the seats actually look like 80’s era La-z-boy chairs.
Moving to the exterior, it is easy to see that the wood applique did not survive long term sun exposure and is chipping of. The paint appears reasonable with no apparent issues. The wood applique trim piece on the driver rear door is slightly bent and hanging off near the door bottom. This wagon is by no means perfect, but it would certainly be a great classic to enjoy, and tote the family in. Would you jump on this wood applique V8 wagon?
Bidding has more than doubled to $2,225. An a cool old family hauler to boot.
I had a 79, it’s stalled out like crazy… Especially after rain. It had to be warmed up for 20 minutes otherwise it would stall. Should’ve been called the town & country STALLER.
If this car has 15,000 miles on it then I’m 22 and Michigan is a 20-point favorite over Villanova.
The trim on these rust out that’s probably why it is bent out on the door. I would be afraid that there is rust damage in the door as well.
Pick it up cheap enough and it would be a great vehicle to load up friends and family to go to the races, tailgating at a ballgame,picnicking or a day at the lake…
This is not a good option for tailgating as the tailgate goes up and likely doesn’t stay there on its own.
Great to see we’re still following the April Fools theme,,,just kidding, these were pretty good cars, although just the worst time for Chrysler, but still, a respectable car, and hauled many a family to Granny’s for Easter, year after year. These “Lean Burn” motors kept mechanics busy. When they put a sensor in the top radiator tank, I knew we we’re doomed. I’m not sure you’d ever get this motor to run right.
Could become a very desirable car when restored
This is not worth the time, effort or expense to restore. With a few mechanical upgrades, mainly to eliminate the some of the emissions equipment, it would make a good car for hauling parts to and from swapmeets. Nicer, original wagons show up on a regular basis, for not much more money, it would be smart to hold out for one of them.
Steve R
I’d pull off the wood application and restore the body with fresh paint. Then I’d redo the wood in real wood which I’d seal in apoxy resin before installing. I’d use red ceder on the panels and white ceder on the borders. How cool would that look. As for the engine I’d take out all part that made this into a lean burn. And go back to standard electronic ignition and a Q-jet 4v carb. ( yes they were available as an option on dodge trucks ) those the a quads were a POS and the hollers are to thirsty. Next I’d put in a mild cam. This was done back in the day to many lean burn cars to get them to run right. These were tough cars with reliable drive lines. The down side is your never going to get great milage out of one of these so with today’s fuel prices you may want to limit your usage to the weekends.
I don’t believe this wagon has only 15k on it, not for a minute. If it really has 115k that wouldn’t surprise me at all. If it had only 15k, why is the jack base showing so much wear from use? Overall, it looks to be in pretty good shape but the engine compartment, trunk and driver’s seat shows this car has been out and about quite a bit. The engine might be problematic as is but if you could change some of the components to get it to run well then you’d have a great vintage wagon. If it does have 115k on the motor then it’s probably worn out and needs a rebuild. Either that or go with a modern drivetrain. For that, you’d have to get it cheap enough to justify an engine swap or a rebuild.
fordguy, I will admit that by looking at the engine bay, that it has significantly more than 15K miles.. my 2001 Sable and way back when my 67 Ford 289 had 150k+ and you could eat off of them
Same here. My Prado has 250 and the engine still looks like new.
The back of the spare tire is a giveaway too. That’s been used before, for a lot of miles.
“Peranni’s Hockey World” truck in the background proves it’s a Michigan car on the odd chance anyone cares.And remember- Mileage in snow and salt country is like dog years. Multiply by seven to get an accurate idea.
Clark Griswold, your Wagonqueen Family Truckster is in MI.
E-BAY Says mileage is wrong as per previous owner.
These big, tough engines made relatively little power, which enhanced durability so, even at 115K, that 360 should be sound. Only support systems such as cooling, fuel, brakes and electrical would likely need attention. My dad refinished our old ’64 Country Squire with a two-color kit that turned out better than original. I’d only prefer a real talegate to a lift gate.
Now that he has admitted the mileage is bogus, how about the claim of original tires?
Air cleaner not original ,I don’t think
I had a ’79 LeBaron T&C. It was old and cheap when I bought it. And it was wonderful. It was perfect. Eight years old and 87000 miles on it when I bought it. I must have doubled that mileage, and it never missed a beat. ‘ Traded it for a Peugeot 504 to satisfy a hunger for a bit of exotica. Cruel joke! But that’s another story. I’ve owned several cars from Detroit’s darkest hours and they were always excellent – except a ’75 Granada I bought for my son to drive to school his senior year in HS. It served the purpose OK, but would overheat after much more than five miles. The Chrysler was great, as was my $600 ’76 Magnum and my ’85 Fury. All of them went all over the country. Man, I love old cars!
like the down sized models the big 3 came up w/as some left the bent8s in their early models (late 70s-late 80s)…
This 40+ yr wagon owner (domestic & import) seeks ’83/6 LTD/marquis waggy right now. At 2350$ (now) this 1 is still worth it.
There’s that ubiquitous r.rack again (U could find em on all the co, all models, econo thru lux 4 bout 15 yrs back then).
Even though it was horrible days for Chrysler these cars were good with alterations described above. I’m not sure it’s worth the latest bid.
The eBay ad has been updated. The seller says that he was contacted by a possible previous owner stating that the mileage was 115K.
With the 360, this would be a capable DD and grocery getter.